Chris Quinn Filling Rafer’s Spot?
Jan 5, 2010 Chris Quinn, Rafer Alston, Roster, Rumors
Yeah, so this is starting to get more and more interesting. From Adrian’s twitter:
Miami has agreed to send Chris Quinn to Nets for future 2nd and cash to free roster spot and will sign Rafer Alston, sources say.
From Al Iannazzone:
The Nets are going to buy out Rafer Alston’s $5.25 million contract for roughly $4 million and in a separate move are going to acquire Chris Quinn, Miami’s second round pick in 2012 and cash for a trade exception, league sources said.
When Alston clears waivers the Heat are expected to be the frontrunners for his services.
So Chris Quinn is a good shooter who can play some point. Will the Nets keep him? No clue, Adrian’s tweet makes it sound like the Heat are sending money to free up Quinn’s spot, but Al seems to think we are keeping Quinn. Either way, the Nets add another pick, and you can’t complain about that.
Rafer Alston’s Contract Getting Bought Out
Jan 5, 2010 Rafer Alston, Roster, Rumors
From Adrian Wojnarowski’s twitterpage:
Rafer Alston has agreed to a contract buyout with Nets, and Heat and Cavs lead list of possible suitors for free agent, sources tell Y!
Remember that post Mark did this morning, and how a lot of those rumors had to do with a roster spot getting open? Well here is that spot kids, look for more action to be coming in the near future.
I am assuming this to be true as Wojnarowski is usually spot on with everything. The Rafer experiment didn’t really work out, and I can see Rod and Kiki buying him out because they couldn’t get anything on the trade market.
Update #1: It is being reported by Adrian as official.
Update #2: Dave D chimes in with a quote from Rafer’s agent –
“We’ve reached an agreement in principle regarding a buyout for Rafer,” agent Dan Fegan said in a phone conversation.
Nets Tried Trading For Nate Robinson?
Jan 2, 2010 Rafer Alston, Rumors, Tony Battie, Trades
Apparently they did. Check out this tweet from Adrian Wojnarowski, a very credible source in my opinion:
Prior to Christmas, Knicks turned down a Nets offer of Rafer Alston and Tony Battie for Nate Robinson and Darko Milicic, league sources say.
That’s…well…interesting to say the least. Rod and Kiki have said a number of times that they weren’t going to take on any new salary for next year to make this year’s team better. A deal like this makes sense for both teams because all of the names involved are expiring contracts. If anything, this just confirms that Rafer doesn’t really have a place on this team anymore and they are looking to move him. I doubt that they can get a pick for him due to his poor play this year, but if they can get someone who they think will help this year, and won’t count against next year, I say they move him.
Messina Denies Interest
Nov 9, 2009 Coaching, Mikhail Prokhorov, Rumors
I have been mentioning the name Ettore Messina for a little while now, and it seems that the international press is starting to make the connection between him and his former boss (I say former because once the Nets deal becomes official Prokhorov will have to give up ownership of his Euroleague team) at CSKA Moscow. In an interview however, Messina denies interest and says that any European coach who would try to jump straight from Europe to the NBA is crazy (big ups to NetsDaily for the translation):
ACB: Will Messina sooner or later be the first non-Yankee coach in the NBA?
Messina: I see that as very difficult. The system is not open to that possibility. (A European coach) would need time to adapt, be an assistant one or two years. It is very difficult to hope for a head coach job immediately. I’m not that crazy, though.
If the deal becomes official and the Nets continue to lose, Messina will be questioned more and more by the press about the NBA (and most likely the Nets), but even if Lawrence Frank is fired, the Nets aren’t going to hire Messina (who was linked to this job before Prokhorov’s purchase) they will just replace him with an assistant interim coach. Messina says he isn’t crazy, but you can’t help but wonder what if Prokhorov offers Messina a huge sum of money to be the coach of the Nets will Messina come over?
Rafer Alston Already Wants Out?
Sep 25, 2009 Rafer Alston, Rumors
Back when I talked about Rafer Alston and his potential effect as the Nets’ back-up point guard, I said it all hinged on whether or not Rafer would be willing to accept that role. Turns out he isn’t.
ESPN1050’s website is reporting that a source close to Rafer says Alston expects to start the NBA regular season with either the New York Knicks or the Miami Heat. According to ESPN 1050:
“New York and Miami are the top two teams on Rafer’s list,” said the source. “He can’t play in a contract year in New Jersey behind Devin Harris and Keyon Dooling.”
I know I should have put this in Nets on the Net, but I did want to give my opinion on this tonight. To me the thing that makes or breaks this report is “the source close to” Rafer. For all we know it could be Rafer’s friend just spouting off, or it could be Rafer telling his friend this, then passing it along to newspeople to try and work a trade. My gut is telling me that this is option number one. The quote just seems full of a “posse wanting more money vibe.” Another reason it seems like that is because, as of right now, Dooling is still rehabbing so why would Rafer Alston through his name in there? That, or Nets’ brass could have told him he was option number 3 at PG (very doubtful in my opinion).
In any case, I hope these aren’t true because in my opinion Rafer is more valuable as a back-up PG than Keyon Dooling is. The numbers showed that Dooling was more effective playing SG, so hopefully that is where he will start the season out.
Now I am not saying we shouldn’t trade Rafer, not at all. If Thorn get something of value, then I am all for sending Rafer out of NJ. I just don’t want to see a trade for the sake of a trade, just because Rafer Alston might not be happy right now.
JR Rider? Really?
Sep 11, 2009 2009 Offseason, Rumors
In a report that’s straight out of bizarro world, the Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting that Isaiah JR Rider is looking to make a comeback in professional basketball this season and the Nets are one of the NBA teams interested in inviting him to training camp.
Rider, who hasn’t played in the NBA since passing through the Denver Nuggets during the 2001-02 season, currently has offers from the North Teaxas Fresh ABA organization and from a possible team overseas, according to the report. His agent, Joe Lee, acknowledges that the Nets aren’t likely to invite Rider to camp, but lists them as a potential destination regardless.
Rider is probably best known as the 1994 slam-dunk king in the NBA, whose between-the-legs dunk was poorly imitated by dumb suburban junior high kids on seven-foot-high basketball hoops (or was that just me?). He was also a member of the infamous “Jail-Blazers” Portland teams, racking up a number of arrests for drugs and other charges.
There are nine million reasons why JR Riders is not coming to the Nets, most notably there just isn’t any room on the roster for him with the max 15 guys already under contract. I guess I could sit here and speculate about the Nets maybe moving a point guard to Miami or buying out Tony Battie, as has been discussed around the web this summer, but there are really no scenarios out there where I can imagine the Nets making those moves to make roster space for a 38-year-old Rider. Still, I found great amusement from this report, which totally came out of left-field for me so I felt obligated to throw this up there.
Summer Speculating: Carlos Boozer Edition
Sep 1, 2009 2009 Offseason, Carlos Boozer, Rumors
Steve Luhm and Ross Siler over at the Salt Lake Tribune recently launched a Carlos Boozer “Billboard Challenge,” after noticing that the Utah Jazz power forward, who was mentioned in trade rumors earlier this summer including some speculation that he could come to the Nets, wasn’t featured in any of the team’s roadside advertisements promoting season ticket plans. Obviously, Luhm and Siler are hinting that Boozer could still be on the move before the season starts. The Nets haven’t been linked to Boozer since late July, with the Mavs, Bulls, Heat and Pistons still a more likely destination. But I wouldn’t be shocked to see his name linked to the Nets a few more times before the start of the season.
And for those who were buying into the Mikki Moore to the Nets rumors earlier this summer, Moore signed with Golden State yesterday.
Today’s Big Baby Rumor
Jul 28, 2009 Bobby Simmons, Glan Davis, Keyon Dooling, Rumors, Trade Ideas, Yi
It is becoming more and more obvious that the Nets want Glen “Big Baby” Davis. First there was word that they were going to attempt to acquire him by signing him to an offer sheet, but word got out that the C’s were going to match any reasonable offer. Then there were rumors that the Nets were interested in a sign and trade, but looking at it, it wouldn’t really work out because we stuck with 15 guaranteed contracts right now. Now, we are hearing that the Nets are looking for a third team to work out a trade for Big Baby:
The Celtics’ proposed sign-and-trade to land free agent Marquis Daniels from the Pacers has run into complications and could lead to the need of a three-team deal. Enter the Nets, with their legitimate interest in Davis, who averaged 15.8 points and 6.0 rebounds during the playoffs last season. The Celtics have indicated they will match any reasonable offer for Davis.
“We have not made any offers to anybody,” Nets team president Rod Thorn said.
The Nets have made their inquiries and repeatedly have said they need to create a roster space before making a move. A report that surfaced yesterday about a sign-and-trade involving Davis and Nets forward Yi Jianlian was shot down by both sides about 30 seconds after it sought traction.
Maybe an inventive deal could be devised involving three teams. The Nets have a couple of trade exceptions from the Vince Carter deal that could come into play. The Celtics likely want a big man in return, the Pacers want a wing.
Despite what Rod Thorn says, this looks more than just “inquiring” about Glen Davis to me. Why? Well, Rod Thorn keeps looking for a way to get Davis in a Nets uniform. Despite being unconventional, this three-way deal could work (especially with the Trade Exceptions we have). We send Indiana a guard (Dooling/Simmons/Rafer), Boston Yi, and we get Big Baby in return with an extra roster spot.
Now is this smart? In my opinion it would all depend what we do with that extra roster spot. Now if we go ahead and sign Leon Powe or Ike Diogu, I would be all about it. Just like that we get a nice little inside/outside platoon at our 4 spot and we also clear up some of the glut we got at the wing position.
Not sure if this will happen or if this means there will be another rumor tomorrow. At least it is giving me something to write about…
Big Baby Coming To NJ Via Sign And Trade?
Jul 27, 2009 2009 Offseason, Roster Moves, Rumors, Trade Ideas
Update: Fred Kerber is reporting that both sides are denying the rumor:
There are reports that the Nets
and Celtics are working on a sign and trade for Glen “Big Baby” Davis and that it could happen real soon with the Nets surrendering Yi Jianlian.
That’s news to both sides.
People in Boston and New Jersey both squashed the notion. Nets insiders confirm that there have been inquiries about Davis “to see what’s up and what they’re looking for,” one source said. Both sides insist they have not been working on a sign and trade.
The on again off again Glen “Big Baby” Davis rumors are once again heating up, but this one is a little different. There are many reports coming out of Boston (nothing out of NJ papers/blogs yet) saying that the Nets are thinking about moving a player for Big Baby in a sign and trade. Justin Poulin who runs CelticStuffLive, says that the move is “close to a done deal.” There is no word on who the player the Nets would be shipping to Boston is, but Tom Halzack from the CT Post says gives us three names he thinks it is narrowed down to; Yi Jianlian, Eduardo Najera, and Sean Williams:
It could be Yi Jianlian for Baby straight up, as Alex suggests. The Nets have been hot and cold on him since they got him. They know he needs playing time to develop, but even on a rebuilding team, he wasn’t getting consistent minutes. While many will debate who is the better player, it will be swapping a lottery pick for a second rounder.
Before everyone thinks it’s a complete coup, remember the rumors were Yi would be a Celtic now, if the Celtics didn’t trade the pick as part of getting Ray Allen. But getting him back with a second round pick is savvy on Danny’s part anyway – unless you think that Davis will be the better player over his career.
Davis has better inside numbers, though Yi is a better outside shot. Yi has shown some ability to be a passer, and is athletic, but has zero post game (.465 eFG% inside).
The other option would be hard working, but oft injured energy guy, Eduardo Najera, possibly straight up, or possibly with a second rounder throw in. Even more remote, Sean Williams and Eddie together. Their salaries are $4.7 combined. Eddie’s recovered from sports hernia surgery on March 13, and is playing ball for Mexico in the FIBA Americ’a Cup.
I like Najera. With limited skills, he plays a nice game around the hoop, is a team guy, and will try to do anything you ask of him. A bad jump shooter (.321 eFG%), he’s strong around the hoop (.657 eFG%) and offensive rebounds very well - 17.5% of all possibilities in last year’s injury abbreviated season (27 games).
Sean Williams – If the Cs get Sean and Marbury to go with Rasheed, I hope that Doc Rivers has a blood pressure machine near by. I’d love to be a fly on the wall at those practices. Williams has been considered an attitude problem. A terrific shot blocker, he has to learn to play the game. Kind of a 6? 10? Gerald Green, I’d guess. He is reported to not be more than 6? 9? either. After some D-league time and tough love with the Nets, maybe he’s going to mature. Maybe.
Saying that, he does bring a nice skill to a second unit. It is one skill that this Big Three version of the Celtics hasn’t had. A shot blocker on the second unit. But he could be POB all over again, if he doesn’t play team defense and so far…. he doesn’t.
If it’s Williams, there is either another player involved or a first rounder thrown in, I’d say.
There has been no mention of a third team involved. It’s straight Nets/Celtics deal.
In conclusion, I’d take any of the players mentioned in a fair deal. Yi is a project in my opinion. Najera would be a good Celtic right now. Williams – who knows.
I find it funny that Celtics fans are already trying to put a positive spin on a Big Baby/Yi deal saying that it is a lottery pick for a second rounder. While this is true, Big Baby in my opinion has shown that he could be a very solid player, and he has been consistent for the Celtics. Consistency is a word that has never been used for Yi, but if he eventually “gets it,” he still has a chance at becoming a great player.
Another name that could be in this deal that Tom didn’t mention is Keyon Dooling. He said the reason being that the C’s are probably going to end up re-signing Stephon Marbury. However, if the C’s want a real solid back-up point they should look up Dooling. With the addition of Rafer Alston to our roster, he has become expendable, and while he played great last year, he is coming off of surgery and he is getting up there in years. Now would be a perfect chance to get a high return for him. Plus if we get Big Baby for Dooling, we can have a pretty solid Big Baby/Yi split at the 4 spot, with Big Baby starting. Big Baby tends to get in to foul trouble a lot, so it would be nice to have Yi ready to go in for him if that does happen.
I wouldn’t understand why the C’s would trade for Eduardo or Sean Williams straight up (Eduardo is coming off of major surgery and Sean Williams has been a mental problem ever since he became at Net), so if we can get Big Baby for either of those guys, I would do it in a heartbeat. That being said, if I would have to guess right now, the deal would be Yi/Big Baby. Yi has been someone the Celtics have been looking at for a little while now, and it is a deal that both teams are in favor of.
What It Will Take To Land Carlos Boozer?
Jul 20, 2009 2009 Offseason, Carlos Boozer, Nets In The Media, Rumors, Trade Ideas, Trades
Carlos Boozer was a big name thrown around by Nets fans towards the beginning of free-agency. Many people were talking about acquiring Boozer through a sign and trade or through free-agency, but then Boozer picked up his player option, and then Rod Thorn said we were going to sit back and wait, and then all the talk quieted down.
It seems like the talk is starting up again though. Tim Buckley of the Dessert News mentioned New Jersey as a potential trade partner for the Jazz:
Chicago, Miami, New York, Detroit and now New Jersey have been most prominently mentioned as possible destinations for Boozer ever since he decided late last month to opt in for the final season and last $12.65 million on his current six-year, $68-million contract with the Jazz.
In my opinion, there is no way we are going to fleece the front office of the Jazz. Here is what we are going to have to give up in a deal for Boozer:
An Expiring Contract:
If the Jazz are going to give up an expiring contract in Boozer, they should expect one or more in return. The Jazz have some decisions to make in upcoming years about who to re-sign (Okur and Ronnie Price are free agents next year and Kirilenko’s is up in 2), and they need the expiring contracts to be able to do this.
Draft Picks:
The Jazz have a history of making strong draft picks (Paul Millsap and Deron Williams come to mind), so if they are going to unload Carlos Boozer, they should expect to get some draft picks in return.
A Young Player:
Expiring contracts and draft picks won’t be enough to land Carlos Boozer, they are probably going to require a young player in a deal as well. Preferably someone at a position they aren’t that deep in, as well as one that can help them in the future. Chris Douglas-Roberts is the player that pops into my mind.
—
I have no problem in giving up the draft picks and the expiring contracts (mainly because we are getting a expiring back in return, and it won’t hurt our future), and if we can get a deal done with just these two aspects I will be jumping for joy. It just isn’t going to happen though. Utah is a solid, smart, and well-run franchise, and they won’t be fleeced. In my opinion, the only way this deal gets done is if we add CDR. I don’t want to see that happen. I think CDR is going to be a special player, and I don’t want to see him get dealt for a rental player (Let’s face it, he probably won’t be willing to re-sign with the Nets in one year, especially if we are saving our money for two of the big three).
I am not the biggest Boozer fan (he is injured too much and he isn’t a good locker room guy – not good with a bunch of young players) and I don’t want to see this trade made, but if it does happen, I guess it could work out well for the Nets (I know I am contradicting myself now). If Boozer stays heathly and has a solid year, the Nets may decide to re-sign him. If we do, NJ (or Brooklyn) would be more attractive to one of the big three. That being said, the price tag (if this is in fact the price tag) is still a little too high in my mind.