Daily Link: How About JR Smith?
Aug 24, 2010 Daily Link, Rumors
While most would say the Nets roster is pretty final, some basketball writers are still speculating how things may shake out the next few weeks. Aron Phillips of Dime lists the Nets as a possible destination for Denver SG JR Smith, who is reportedly on the tracking block.
Other than Anthony Morrow (who’s still young), New Jersey needs some experience and depth at the shooting guard spot. Bringing in the New Jersey native would help fill that void.
I’m not quite sure I agree on the depth issue. In addition to Morrow, Terrence Williams seems destined to play SG with Travis Outlaw and Damion James at the three. There’s also an expectation that Devin Harris and Jordan Farmar may be on the court at the same time this season. So I don’t really see why the Nets would look to make a deal for Smith.
Daily Link: Is This Really an Allen Iverson Rumor?
Aug 22, 2010 Daily Link, Rumors
In what has to be a joke, Fran Blinebury of NBA.com looks at the possible destinations for former scoring champ Allen Iverson and suggests the Nets as a landing spot:
The Nets are putting together a solid young core around Brook Lopez, Derrick Favors and Devin Harris. But they really aren’t going anywhere until they make the move to the new arena in Brooklyn in two more years. So why not give the fans a reason to drive a few extra exits down the turnpike to Newark to watch Iverson try to turn back the clock and work his old magic?
Ummm….. no…..
Troy Murphy Coming To New Jersey? Courtney Lee On The Way Out?
Aug 11, 2010 Courtney Lee, Rumors
Update #2: Ben Couch reports it is official, and offers his analysis.
Update: According To Marc J. Spears, it is a done deal:
Hou,NJ, NO, Indy trade done and trade call taking place now, source tells Y!. Hou gets C Lee, NO gets Ariza, Indy Collison-Posey, NJ Murphy
As soon as it seems the Nets are standing pat and going to let Derrick Favors be the starter to start the season, they go ahead and make a move…or least they are trying to. Chad Ford of ESPN just tweeted:
Breaking: Hornets, Rockets, Pacers & Nets working on 4 team deal. Ariza to NO. C. Lee to HOU. Collison & Posey to IND. Murphy to NJ.
More if the deal goes through, but it seems like everyone was right in assuming that a wing was on the move. I thought that it would take Terrence Williams to get a starting quality PF, but apparently, Courtney Lee is the guy on the way out. I’ll take a real deep look at the deal if it ends up being official, but as it stands right now the Nets have $14 to $13 million in cap space (off the top of my head) and Courtney Lee’s deal was at $1.3. Troy Murphy is in the final year of a $12 million dollar contract, so while the Nets eat up most of their cap space this year, they will have right around $15 million to spend next year (again these are not exact, off the top of my head calculations). Also, looks like Sean May is out of a roster spot.
Trading For A Power Forward
Jul 19, 2010 2010 Offseason, Courtney Lee, Rumors, Terrence Williams
With all of the starting caliber power forwards free agents pretty much locked up, the only way the Nets can get a guy to play in front of Derrick Favors for a few years so he can develop is through a trade. As Mark told us over the weekend, Terrence Williams might be the guy who gets sacrificed to make this happen.
People who read this site on a daily basis know how much I like Terrence Williams, but I do think if a deal gets made he is the one most likely to be dealt. In my opinion, Terrence Williams is valued higher by other teams than by the Nets. This is because Avery Johnson loves guys who can play both ends of the court, and right now Terrence Williams is weak on the defensive end. So who can the Nets bring in by dealing Terrence Williams? Well, I decided to use Trade Machine to take a look:
Terrence Williams for Carl Landry
Carl Landry is the exact type of Power Forward the Nets are looking for. He is only under contract for another two years, and he is a guy who wants to bang on the inside…the Nets need that. As for the Kings, they don’t have a standout Shooting Guard on their roster, and T-Will can be that.
Wade, Bosh Not Coming But Pritchard Might Be
Jul 7, 2010 2010 Offseason, Rumors
Chris Broussard is reporting that Dwyane Wade is going to be staying in Miami and Chris Bosh Will be joining him, though nobody is sure whether he will sign straight up with him or if there will be a sign and trade. They also seem to be making a push to get LeBron James to come so they can create their superteam. Nobody is sure what will happen in that regard:
Whether LeBron James, the kingpin of this summer’s celebrated free agent class, will join them remains to be seen. James will announce his decision Thursday night at 9 ET during a one-hour special on ESPN.
Wade and Bosh are expected to announce their decision on Wednesday, according to the source.
Both players are expected to get the maximum amount allowable under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, though the addition of James could change the players’ salaries. Contracts cannot be officially signed until July 8.
It was not immediately clear whether Bosh will sign with Miami outright or join the Heat through a sign-and-trade deal. Bosh could earn $125 million over six years via sign-and-trade, but only $96 million over five without it.
In my opinion James won’t be going to Miami (not enough basketballs to go around), but with Bosh signing to Miami that really limits what the Nets might be able to do. I have been saying for a little while now, even if the Nets don’t get anyone in free agency, they are still looking at a very good young core that can compete for a playoff spot right now (in my opinion) and they will only be getting better. No reason to force a move like the rumored Harris for Granger deal.
Also, TNT’s David Aldridge is reporting that Kevin Pritchard will be interviewing for the vacant GM job. This is big news because it is obvious Pritchard is the best man for the job right now. Pritchard knows how to build a team, and with the Nets right where they are, I expect Pritchard to help them get through the final stage of the rebuilding process.
Could Wesley Bring Boozer?
Jun 23, 2010 2010 Draft, 2010 Free Agents, Rumors
Typically here at NAS, we don’t post on every single rumor involving the Nets, but given just the sheer wackiness surrounding the organization and their lottery pick the past 24 hours, I thought it would be a good idea to fan the flames some more until things start to materialize tomorrow night.
The latest comes courtesy of Marc Stein and the TrueHoop mothership. With more and more people buying into the idea that the Nets are going to take Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson with the #3 pick, rather than Favors/Cousins is because Johnson has the same agent as free agent PF Carlos Boozer. So, in theory, bringing in Johnson could lead to Boozer.
So, here’s my take on all of this. A lot of the rumors that have been circulating the past 24 hours are all based on the same reality – it would appear that the Nets are less interested in projection and would rather put together a team next season that is ready to compete for a playoff spot. I understand Prokhorov wants to make a big splash and this team desperately needs to be competitive for their move to Brooklyn in two years, but this whole strategy is hugely unsettling. Lottery picks, in theory, should be used for the best talent available, and by landing the #3 pick, the Nets, hypothetically should take home one of the three best talents in the draft. By most accounts, that’s either Derrick Favors or DeMarcus Cousins. My preference is Favors, and while the addition of Favors and maybe a free agent or two doesn’t guarantee the Nets return to the playoffs in 2011 – in fact, they probably won’t – if Favors develops into the player most scouts believes he can become, the Nets could have one the leagues most gifted PFs on their roster in 2-3 years. Meanwhile, I just don’t think a starting five of Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, Wesley Johnson, Carlos Boozer and Brook Lopez is anything more than a bottom half seed in the Eastern Conference – which brings the Nets back to where they were during the Vince Carter/Jason Kidd era – not good enough to win anything significant, and not bad enough to gather assets that could help them rebuild a la the Thunder.
Going on the assumption that three true game changers in FA, LeBron, Wade and Bosh, are not coming to New Jersey, I don’t think the best way to accomplish Prokhorov’s five-year plan is to import a role player like Johnson with the #3 pick in the draft while grossly overpaying for imperfect players in free agency. This is the same strategy the earned the Knicks an 8th seed and first-round ouster in 2004, followed by six years of salary cap hell.
A Chris Douglas-Roberts Trade & Greg Monroe Adds More Crazy To The Past 12 Hours
Jun 22, 2010 2010 Draft, 2010 Offseason, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Rumors, Trades
At around noon today, I was on The Basketball Jones’ live mock draft (yeah, I am still bragging about that) talking about how Derrick Favors to the Nets was pretty much a sure thing. After that, the crazy started. First, there were multiple reports that the Nets were leaning towards drafting Syracuse SF Wesley Johnson. That has now seemed to settle down, with some reports saying that Johnson is simply just in the conversation with Derrick Favors.
With things starting to become relatively calm once again, Dave D’Alessandro decided to shake things up again with his report that he put out tonight around 10. Apparently Cousins is now out of the conversation:
“Cousins has great hands and great feet, and he knows how to play,” Thorn said. “But you know, it’s a leap of faith there to suggest that he can play the 4. He can shoot the ball well, and he can face the basket. But I don’t think he’ll take it from 20 feet and go by people, and defensively it could be even more of a problem.”
In their internal discussions, the Nets have concluded that in spite of Cousins’ great talent, it would be very hard for him to complement Brook Lopez as the full-time power forward unless he trimmed down to 265 pounds — and he might have enough trouble getting down to 275.
So things simplified? Not so fast, there is now a new big man that the Nets are considering. His name is Greg Monroe:
It just means Thorn is in the mood to confuse everybody by suggesting that Greg Monroe of Georgetown is now also in the mix.
“We like Monroe a lot,” Thorn said, when reviewing his short list today. “He’s a lot different than Derrick Favors. He has an all-around game — left hand, right hand, great size. So I don’t think you (eliminate him) by any stretch. Monroe’s looking very good to us.”
That’s not the only news made tonight either. Chad Ford is reporting in his newest post to the TrueHoop blog that the Nets have dealt Chris Douglas-Roberts to the Bucks for a second round pick:
Finally, it looks like the Bucks aren’t done dealing. This afternoon they traded Dan Gadzuric and Charlie Bell to the Warriors for Corey Maggette. Now sources say that the Bucks and Nets are in serious negotiations on a deal that would send Chris Douglas-Roberts to the Bucks for a second round pick. With the addition of Maggette and Douglas-Roberts, you have to wonder if the Bucks may look at something other than a wing with the No. 15 pick in the draft.
That puts this CDR tweet in perspective now. 10 hours ago, he tweeted:
Got news for yall later! Yall ready for this??? Ahhahaaahaha. I jus can’t hide it. FTD. Yes yess! FTD yes yess!
FTD meaning Fear The Deer. Well then. I have never denied Chris Douglas-Roberts talents, and I think when he wants to be, he is one of the better pure scorers in the NBA. To me, it just seems that the Nets were fed up with his off the court issues and were getting rid of him anyway (the Nets had until late in the month to decide whether or not they wanted to pick up his option) and they took what they could get for him, and that was a second round pick. The Nets now have four picks in this draft (two first rounders and two second rounders).
There has been a lot of action over in Nets-land, and the draft isn’t even until Thursday, so don’t expect for everything to be over and done with (especially with the four picks the Nets have). Hold on guys, this is going to be a wild ride…
So, Wesley Johnson Huh?
Jun 22, 2010 2010 Draft, Rumors
Minutes after I got off the phone with the fine people of The Basketball Jones, doing their live mock draft (you can see the replay here), and talking about how the Nets are probably going to go big, news broke saying that might not be the case. Draft Express, Chad Ford, and Adrian Wojnarowski all are reporting that the Nets are leaning towards Wesley Johnson for the number three pick, meaning that the Nets are going after a PF hard in free agency. From Wojnarowski’s post:
All along, the Wolves had planned to select Johnson at No. 4, and yet the New Jersey Nets are holding serious discussions about drafting the small forward and taking their chances with trying to sign a power forward in free agency. The Nets had long favored Derrick Favors, but are debating now about how long it will take for him to become a regular contributor. New Jersey is still contemplating DeMarcus Cousins, too.
Ugh. This strategy is good in theory, you don’t want to draft a PF if you are going to sign a youungish one to a max contract (Amar’e or Bosh), that is a waste of a pick. Plus it isn’t like Johnson is a bad player (in fact he is very good). However, this could blow up in their face and ruin all the good will they built up with Nets fans after their awful season last year.
I am worried about it for two reasons. One, if we don’t draft a PF and somehow whiff in free agency, we are going to see the Nets either give a max deal to a guy like Carlos Boozer or David Lee (trust me that’s bad) or the Nets are going to be stuck with Yi starting at PF for another year.
The second reason is my main worry, and that is the overcrowding at the wing position. For a guy like LeBron, you don’t worry about overcrowding, but to draft a wing when you already have Courtney Lee, CDR, and Terrence Williams on the roster? That just doesn’t make sense. My fear is that the Nets’ new staff sees Terrence Williams as a back-up point guard instead of what he actually is. A starting small forward with the skill-set to be a point forward type of player. In my opinion, those are two different things.
A few hours ago, I was fairly confident the Nets were going with Favors, now? Who the hell knows. After the Vince Carter trade at draft night, I didn’t think that the Nets could match it this year in terms of surprises. Apparently, they are well on their way. Thursday is going to be interesting.
http://blogs.thescore.com/tbj/2010/06/22/coming-up-the-jones-live-mock-draft-12p/
The Nets Didn’t Trade Dooling For Beasley? That’s Smart.
Jun 3, 2010 2010 Offseason, Advanced Statistics, Rumors, Yi Jianlian
I came across this information from NetsDaily, and when I read the title I did a double take. “It couldn’t have been straight up could it?” I said to myself. When I realized it was a proposed straight up deal, I was initially shocked. The Nets just turned down the #2 pick of the 2008 draft because they didn’t want to give up a role player who will more than likely be cut by the Nets. There was (and probably still is) a bit of outrage, and I was right there with them…
Then I thought about it some more, and you know what? This is a very smart move by Rod Thorn. I’m not even talking about the cap situations, which you guys probably already know about (only $500,000 of Dooling’s contract counts against the books if he is dropped by the 29th vs. Beasley’s nearly $5,000,000). This was a smart move because the Nets already have a better version of Michael Beasley on their roster, Yi Jianlian (and if you want to talk about salary, Yi’s contract for next year is about 1 million less than Beasley’s). This isn’t a joke either, I am dead serious.
Now, I am all about upgrading the huge hole at the PF spot (because there is one), but Beasley isn’t the one to do it. Preferable, we need an inside guy to start the game with a “stretch 4″ coming off the bench. Yi is that “stretch 4.” Bringing in Michael Beasley doesn’t fix that problem, since he basically does the same thing as Yi. Don’t believe that Beasley is a stretch 4? He shot 104 threes last year. What’s worse he shot 27.5% while shooting over 100 threes. That’s not the only similarity (with Yi winning out) between the two
Offense
Here are a few numbers from the fantastic tool, MySynergySports (a tool that tells you how successful a player is in certain situations – and even lets you watch video of it):
Iso Sets
- Michael Beasley – 325 possessions (24.5% of total)/.83 PPP (Points per possessions)/10.2% Turnovers
- Yi Jianlian – 90 possessions (12.5%)/.71 PPP/6.7% Turnovers
Post Ups
- Michael Beasley – 76 possessions (5.7% of total)/.71 PPP/14.5% Turnovers
- Yi Jianlian – 108 possessions (15%)/.86 PPP/10.2% Turnovers
Spot Ups
- Michael Beasley – 344 possessions (25.9% of total)/.86 PPP/5.8% Turnovers
- Yi Jianlian – 224 possessions (31.1%)/.88 PPP/4.5% Turnovers
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.