Nets on the Net: 10/31/09 Halloween Edition
Oct 31, 2009 Brook Lopez, Courtney Lee, Devin Harris, Nets on the Net, Rafer Alston, Ryan Anderson, Vince Carter
It was the Vince Carter show yesterday before the game. Here, he talks about regrets about not making the playoffs in his last year with the Nets. Julian Garcia talks to Lawrence Frank about how coachable VC was. Ben Couch recounts a shootout VC had with Mickael Pietrus.
Vince Carter talks about how Brook Lopez is going to be a star someday. Dave D. also has some thought from Vince about the team’s younger players.
Courtney Lee may have told NAS last week that he would approach the Magic like any other team, he does admit yesterday that he has a bigger chip on his shoulder when they’re in town.
Meanwhile, last night saw the return of Ryan Anderson as well.
Hardwood Paorxysm calls Brook vs. Dwight Howard the best matchup of centers in the East.
Chris Sheridan at TrueHoop talks with Magic GM Otis Smith who said they wouldn’t have made the trade with the Nets if Courtney Lee and Ryan Anderson weren’t both included.
In some non-Nets-Magic action, John Hollinger lists Devin Harris on his “All-Decline Team” due to his poor second-half performance last year.
Dime Magazine lists Brook Lopez as one of five sophomores you need to watch.
In a Time Magazine piece about athletes and the H1N1 virus (swine flue), Rafer Alston is quoted saying it’s hard to break the habit of shaking somebody’s hand, despite the threat of getting the virus.
Nets on the Net: 10/28/09 Opening Day Edition
Oct 28, 2009 Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, Nets on the Net, Ryan Anderson
Al Iannazzone recounts how yesterday’s final practice before the start of the season got “chippy,” according to Devin Harris.
Dave D’Alessandro asks how young are the Nets really?
If the Nets win tonight, it’s the first time they started back-to-back seasons with road wins since 1991-1992.
Devin Harris understands the he’s going to get praised if the Nets win and will likely shoulder the blame if the Nets lose.
The Nets are gearing up for Minnesota who will be sans Kevin Love, but likely with Al Jefferson, according to Ben Couch.
How do you overcome a perceived lack of talent? Work harder, Brook Lopez says.
Mitch Lawrence, from the Daily News gives a little preview of the Knicks and Nets.
Dave D. goes position by position in his breakdown.
In a breakdown by AP, the Nets are making headlines everywhere but on the basketball court.
Rory of Slippery When Nets asks if you’ve hung your socks by the fire yet.
Johnny Flynn is battling the flu and could miss tonight’s game against the Nets.
Your starting power forward for the Orlando Magic: Ryan Anderson.
Nets on the Net: 10/17/09 Edition
Oct 17, 2009 Eduardo Najera, Mikhail Prokhorov, Nets on the Net, Ryan Anderson, Yi
Dave D. reports that Yi is still the best option at power forward. Meanwhile, prospective owner Mikhail Prokhorov is sending emissaries to watch the team.
Speaking of Yi – on his own blog at Sina.com, the PF talks about feeling more comfortable this season. NetsDaily does the good work of providing the google translation.
NBA.com talks basketball in Mexico, including Eduardo Najera, only the second Mexican-born player in the NBA.
HoopsWorld talks about how the Nets will communicate on defense this season.
Ryan Anderson is really opening eyes in Orlando, being dubbed the “new Pat Garrity” and possibly the starting four on opening night.
Nets on the Net: 10/3/09 Edition
Oct 3, 2009 2009 Preseason, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Nets on the Net, Ryan Anderson, Vince Carter
Lawrence Frank on Chris Douglas-Roberts: “Then this summer he was relentless in his pursuit of trying to get better, understanding the best players work so hard.” Meanwhile, at today’s open practice, Net Income of NetsDaily fame said CDR was the star of the show.
Here’s some video from the practice:
Mikhail Prokhorov’s involvement with the Nets has truly been a international experience. According to one report (hat tip NetsDaily), Russian president Dmitriy Medvedev and President Obama talked about the Prokhorov deal.
Fred Keber of the New York Post talks some more about the Nets involvement with the movie, “Just Wright.”
Loyal readers of NAS should like this preview of the Nets over at Celtics Examiner. I personally think this guy is really, really smart.
New Jersey & Company talks with the Nets front office about the move to Brooklyn.
The Orlando Sentinel catches up with our old friend Ryan Anderson who says he’s still happy Vince Carter is his teammate.
As always, don’t forget to follow NetsRScorching on Twitter as we work on getting updates out to you throughout the day.
On a final note, NetsAreScorching will be tuning in tomorrow for the preseason opener against the Knicks. Expect recaps and observations on the game and please let us know what you think as we try out some new things. Al Iannazzone has the early preview up on his blog.
The Nets Offseason: In Their Own Words
Sep 29, 2009 2009 Offseason, Barclays Arena, Brook Lopez, Brooklyn, Bruce Ratner, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Courtney Lee, Develop Don't Destroy, Devin Harris, Keyon Dooling, Kiki Vandeweghe, Lawrence Frank, Mikhail Prokhorov, Rafer Alston, Rod Thorn, Ryan Anderson, Terrence Williams, Vince Carter, Yi
While the Nets have only made a handful of roster moves since the end of the 2008-09 NBA season, their summer has certainly been an eventful one. With training camp kicking off this week, NAS is looking back at the events of the past three months, using the Nets own words to tell the tale.
June 25 – Rod Thorn on trading Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson (news release): “On behalf of Nets ownership and management, I want to wish Vince only the best as he moves on to the next phase of his NBA career. He was a true professional in his time with us, and we thank him for his efforts both on and off the court. Ryan worked extremely hard during his rookie season, and we thank him for his contributions last season and wish him well with his new team.”
June 25 – Terrence Williams on being drafted by the Nets (New York Post): “It shows you the direction where the team is trying to go. They’re putting more into me and Courtney Lee to fill what Mr. Carter has done. It shows the type of direction we’re going, as far as running. I think we can fill that spot, that void.”
Looking (Using Advanced Statistics) At The Vince Carter Trade – Part 1
Jul 31, 2009 2009 Offseason, Advanced Statistics, Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, Ryan Anderson, Tony Battie, Trades, Vince Carter
It has been just over a month since the Vince Carter trade and now that the emotion of losing Vince is gone, I think it is a good time to look at the trade from a statistical point of view. By using a couple different formulas, we are going to be able to see if the Vince Carter trade benefits us, hurts us, or if it just comes out a wash.
How are we going to do this? Well, I have been reading through the great book Basketball On Paper (A must read if you are even remotely interested about advanced statistics in basketball), and the stuff I am learning makes me just want to learn more. During a Google search, I came across this case by the books’ author Dean Oliver (who now does this kind of stuff working for the Denver Nuggets). The case discusses whether or not the Hornets should trade away Rex Chapman to the Cavs. The end decision in the case is yes, and I am going to go through the case using the pieces of the Vince Carter/Ryan Anderson for Courtney Lee/Tony Battie/Rafer Alston trade.
Just For Fun: Brook Lopez & Ryan Anderson @ Halloween
Jun 12, 2009 Brook Lopez, Just For Fun, Ryan Anderson, Sillyness, Videos
This video is pretty old (from Halloween obviously), but I just stumbled across it. It is a video of Ryan Anderson and Brook Lopez just walking around NJ trick or treating.
My favorite quote is from Brook:
“My name is Brook and I want MORE candy” gets hit with Ryan’s sword “uhhhhh!”
This video reminds me of when Brook and Ryan were at Comic-Con. These two genuinally seem like friends, and that is good to see from teammates. Yardbarker, NBA.com, Twitter, or somebody else has to get Brook their own blog/twitter. That would be amazing.
Free Agent Targets: Brandon Bass
May 22, 2009 Brandon Bass, Free Agent Targets: 2009, Ryan Anderson, Yi
Way back when Rod Thorn gave his state of the team address, he called this upcoming free agent class average at best. While he was unable to talk about any specific player (due to NBA rules), you just got the feeling that the Nets wouldn’t be too active in free agency. With that being said, there is one guy I want the Nets to take a serious look at. He is Brandon Bass, an Unrestricted Free Agent.
Rod Thorn has been on record saying he wants a “moose.’ It is my opinion that if you poll coaches in the NBA, and ask them who is a “moose,” Bass’ name will come up a number a times. Brandon Bass is a very physical player who just seems to love contact. Bass is very imposing at 6′8″ and 250 pounds. He is not all size though, he mixes his size with great athletic ability. Casual NBA fans may recognize Bass from his numerous highlight reel blocks or dunks.
Looking at Brandon’s numbers, they don’t really jump out at you, but when you think about the minutes he gets and you look at the fact that he is still a young guy (next year will be his 5th in the NBA), one may think he is on the verge of breaking out. Here are his numbers compared to all of our 4s:
Like I said, nothing too spectacular. So why sign him? Well, for one, he will come cheap. The contract that he signed in July of 2007 (the one that just expired) was worth $1.59 million…total. This year he made under a million ($826,269). Now he will obviously want more than that, but he will still come cheap compared to guys like Carlos Boozer for example. Everything Brandon Bass excels in is what the 4s we have on the roster right now don’t. He is a physical rebounder who plays defense and enjoys playing down low. Yi and Ryan Anderson are the exact opposite of that. Also, if Brandon Bass is added to the roster, Josh Boone won’t have to play at the 4 anymore (Late in the year when Yi started losing time Boome was splitting time with Anderson at the 4). Coach Frank can move him back to where he is comfortable, and that is the center position backing up Brook.
Despite all my praise, Brandon Bass is far from being the perfect player. He possesses some weaknesses that may prevent some teams from giving him a big deal. He doesn’t really pose a scoring threat from outside 10 feet. He can’t really shoot a lick from outside the paint as his hot shot chart shows:
Bass also fouls a little too much for my liking. Now they aren’t bone-headed fouls or anything like that, mostly he picks up fouls because he is trying to block everything. Also teams may be hesitant to give him a big contract because he has never played more than 19.7 minutes per game in a year.
I said some teams will shy away from signing Bass, but will the Nets be one of those teams? Well they shouldn’t be. Much like how Bass’ strengths equal our 4s weaknesses, Bass’ weaknesses are our 4s strengths. Ryan Anderson and Yi are shooters, guys who like to play on the perimeter. Worried about Bass’ minutes? Well you shouldn’t be, because if Bass is signed, I would like to see him and Ryan Anderson/Yi split time. So Bass won’t be playing minutes that he isn’t already used to.
Having an inside PF in Bass and an outside PF in Ryan Anderson means we would be able to play multiple styles and match up to teams styles. Look at this situation for example. We play Orlando, Ryan Anderson will probably see more minutes because they play small (starting Rashard Lewis at the 4). The next night we are playing Cleveland, and Brandon Bass would get more time. This is because the Cavs play a more traditional roster with Anderson Verajo starting at the 4.
Brandon Bass is an option we should explore to see if we can get him cheap. So how will we know if the Nets are thinking about this? Just take a look at who we draft. If we draft a guy like DeMar DeRozen or Earl Clark when there are some PFs on the board, the Nets may be thinking about killing two birds with one stone. Drafting a SF and signing a PF in free agency.
Here are some highlight clips of Brandon Bass so you guys can get a little more familiar with him:
2008-2009 Season Review: The Rookies – Ryan Anderson
Apr 22, 2009 2008-2009 Season Review, Rookies, Ryan Anderson
All this Lawrence Frank talk has got me off track, well now we are back on track…Welcome to the season review series. Here we will be taking a look back at a few themes of the season and evaluate them. In our second edition of the rookie reviews, we are going to be taking a look at Ryan Anderson.
If you would have told me that Ryan Anderson was going to start 30 games for the Nets this year, I would have been surprised. Not because I didn’t like him as a player, but when he was drafted last year with the 21st selection, I pictured Ryan Anderson as more of a Steve Novak/Jason Kapono type of player. Someone who would come in, shoot some threes, and come out.
However that wasn’t the case, Ryan showed a more complete game than anyone thought he had this year, and for the final 30 games he was starting as our 4 (some of it was due to the poor play of Yi, but Ryan played well enough to earn the starts).
In his 19.9 minutes per game, Anderson averaged 7.4 PPG and 4.7 RPG, but what impressed me most was his ability to improve his ball handling throughout the year. Now he is far from being a great ball handler, but if you look at his early games where he would catch, face, and either shoot or pass you can tell that he has come a long way in that department.
Ryan is a tweener and can play either the 3/4 but he has weaknesses in both spots. If he were to play the 3, he is a little too slow to cover the quicker wing type players and when he plays the 4, most nights his lack of size leads to mismatches. In my opinion, he needs to either work on his speed or his strength this offseason so he can break out of that tweener mold and have a set position. I personally would love to see him playing the three next year that way we could have Vince Carter move back to the 2 (But this all depends on who we draft, if we draft a 3, Ryan will see most of his time at the 4 again this year).
Tags: NBA, NJ Nets, Rookies, Ryan Anderson
2008-2009 Season Review: The Rookies – Brook Lopez
Apr 21, 2009 2008-2009 Season Review, Brook Lopez, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Rookies, Ryan Anderson
Welcome to the season review series. Here we will be taking a look back at a few themes of the season and evaluate them. In this first edition we will be talking about the Nets rookies.
Yes I am going to be using this picture every time I mention these three rookies. The Nets’ rookies were a real bright spot this season. All three made significant contributions during the year (Brook Lopez throughout the season/Ryan Anderson towards the second half of the season/CDR towards the tail-end of the season), which is something that usually doesn’t happen (especially when you got a second rounder thrown in there). I am going to be looking at them one by one. In this post, I am going to be looking at Brook Lopez.
Brook Lopez
Brook Lopez is every one’s number two Rookie of the Year this year. I knew he was going to be a great player, but I thought it was going to take a year or two. False. Brook has been a dominant force on both ends of the court. In my mind he is a franchise type center.
Lets look at his numbers.
- Brook played in every Nets’ game and averaged 30.5 Minutes Per Game. Brook scored 13.0 PPG (11th among NBA centers/6th among rookies) and averaged 8.1 RPG (14th among NBA centers/2nd among rookies). Add in his 1.8 BPG (9th among all NBA players) and you have the complete package.
What he did well?
- He didn’t foul. Brook only averaged 3.1 fouls per game. With a guy who gets as many blocks as Brook did (especially as a rookie) this is a great thing. Compare this to Greg Oden, the guy who was supposed to be the defensive stopper among rookies. Greg had 3.9 fouls per game in about 10 minutes less time. In terms of blocks per foul, Brook averaged 1.02 blocks per foul. Greg Oden had 0.45 blocks per foul. This can be attributed to his knowledge of the game, solid footwork, and fantastic timing.
- He was fantastic from the line. Yes, I said fantastic. Brook shot 79.3% from the line (10th among NBA centers).
What he needs to improve on:
- Crashing the offensive boards. Of his 8.1 rebounds per game, only 2.7 are on the offensive side. If he gets that number up to around 3.5 or 4, it would be fantastic. Now I think this comes with experience. The more shots you see go up, the better you will be at reading the bounces off the rim. He can also spend some time this offseason watching some tape and seeing how defenders boxed him out this year, then he can work on some techniques that will help him grab more boards.
- He needs to expand his range. Let’s take a look at his shot chart.
- Brook was 333-549 from right under the basket. Which is real good, but look at the number of shot attempts he got away from the basket. He only took 303 (35% of his shots) attempts away from the basket, and only hit 106 of them (34.9%). If I can pick up on this, teams are going to be able to as well. Teams are not going to let him catch it as deep as he has been, and they will try to force him to make his catches farther away from the basket. This offseason I really want to see Brook expand his range. I am not even talking foul line extended, I am talking like 8-10 foot range (Think Yao), and if he does that, he will be pretty hard to cover.
The outlook for next year
Brook has the ability to become a 20-10 guy next year, and that is no exaggeration. I really think that this will happen. Over the year Brook has displayed a work ethic that shows me he will work hard this upcoming season to improve the flaws in his game.
Tags: Brook Lopez, Chris Douglas-Roberts, NBA, NJ Nets, Rookies, Ryan Anderson