Monday Asset Watch: February 6th

February 6th, 2012 3 comments

Bojan Bogdanovic

Bogdanovic had two games this week, one on Thursday and one on Sunday. He struggled in the game on Thursday, posting a season-low of three points with 1-6 shooting. He came back strong on Sunday, however, scoring 18 points on 7-11 shooting, including going 4-5 from behind the arc.

Bojan is currently averaging 12.2 points per game on 48.3% shooting. He’s a guy that I think will make an impact when he does eventually join the Nets, or a certain Florida team that he may be traded to for a franchise center. He has the ability to score points efficiently and he’s proving to be a worthy asset for the Nets come next season.

The Barclays Center

Erik Ortiz from AM New York commented on the fact that the Barclays Center will be “tourist attraction” for visitors to the Brooklyn area. The $1 billion arena will hopefully be seen as another “jewel in the crown of Brooklyn” when all is said and done.

It’s also come out that the games played at the Barclays Center will be visible from the street. Daniel Geiger from the New York Observer wrote that the Barclays Center will be the first NBA arena where games can actually be seen partially from street side in front of the stadium. Bruce Ratner dishes a lot of information about the Nets’ new arena in the interview conducted by Geiger.

As for a photo update, the Barclays Center construction is coming along swimmingly. This is the up-to-date version of the where the Nets will be playing next season:

Yup, looks awesome.

Injuries

On Monday, the Nets good luck with feet continued and MarShon Brooks went down with a broken right pinky toe. His return is still unknown at this point, but since the news broke, Brooks has tweeted the following regarding his progress: “Ok good…be back soon :)” (Monday), “Be back in no time!!!” (Thursday) and “Treatment at 10″ (Friday), so it looks like MarShon is anxious to get back on the court and hoping to do so as soon as possible.

Brook Lopez ran for the first time since his foot surgery on Tuesday, but a timetable for his return also remains to be seen. On Thursday, Brook also skipped rope, ran and did some jumping. Avery Johnson stated that Lopez is probably going to be returning closer to the eight-week side of six-to-eight-week estimated time of return given to him after the surgery.

The Nets are also without DeShawn Stevenson who has a sore right knee. His progress will be reevaluated two weeks from February 1st (February 15th) and will hopefully be back on the court soon.

Mehmet Okur will be out for a few more games with back pain. Look for this to be, as it’s already proven to be, a recurring problem for Okur. A 6’11″ big man’s chronic back problems are not just going to disappear, unfortunately. The Nets will bring him back as soon as he is ready.

Draft Picks

The Nets currently post a 8-17 record and are three games out of a playoff spot. Therefore, if the season ended today, the Nets would still be in lottery pick territory. They have the fifth-worst record in the NBA right now, which would put them at an 7.6% chance of the first pick. The Rockets post a 13-11 record right now, which would give them a lottery pick if the season ended today, as well as protect that pick from trade.

Chad Ford posted his first lottery mock draft, and has the Nets taking Baylor’s Perry Jones at #5.

That’s all for now! Stay tuned for more asset news next Monday.

Categories: Asset Watch

#NASTV: Kennedy: “(Howard) will be on the Nets, it’s just a matter of how and when.”

February 5th, 2012 7 comments

Could Dwight be saying 'So Long' to Orlando?

We taped our 10th episode of Nets Are Scorching TV today on our new day (Sundays!) and we were lucky enough to be joined by NBA reporter for Hoopsworld.com, Alex Kennedy (@alexkennedyNBA).

Alex had a ton of insight regarding the whole Dwight Howard situation and basically stroked the entire Nets fan base with each word out of his mouth.

We’ve gone ahead and given you the CliffsNotes version of what he had to say and continue scrolling to see the full replay of Alex’s appearance:

When asked about the latest he’s heard in the Dwight Howard trade rumors:

“The Nets are the front-runners. I do think he ends up on the Nets, at some point. I’ve been told by people in Dwight’s life that he will be on the Nets, it’s just a matter of how and when.”

On the draws of playing in Brooklyn, with Deron:

“Brooklyn’s part of the draw, he definitely wants to go to a large market.” “Him and Deron are getting closer, which helps.” He wants to create a legacy of his own without being a second fiddle… he wants help, but he wants to be the face of the franchise.” “Deron has done a good job selling it: ‘you can be the face of the franchise.’ Deron realizes that Dwight is a top-3 player in the game.”

On the reports that Dwight could waffle on his thought process:

“I’ve read those reports that say Dwight’s been changing his mind every day, and that he’s constantly waffling, but I honestly haven’t seen it. It seems like Dwight knows what he’s doing. “As far as right now, I think (Dwight’s) been pretty consistent.” ”It’s not like Dwight’s sitting here not knowing what he’s going to do. He knows that he doesn’t want to be in Orlando.” “They’re saying he wants to be on the Nets, he wants to put on a Nets uniform.”

On the possibility of Orlando holding on to Dwight until the off-season:

“If Orlando tries to hold onto Dwight and call his bluff in July, saying ‘we don’t think you’re going to leave $30 million on the table, go sign elsewhere if you want to,’ I’m hearing that Dwight would do that. He’s not afraid to leave $30 million on the table.”

On the Lakers and their chances with Dwight:

“He (Dwight) and Kobe had a conversation and Kobe basically told him ‘you can come in here and be the third option behind me and Pau Gasol. You can be our Tyson Chandler and play defense and rebound.” “Dwight’s interest in L.A. may have been a little bit overstated.” “The Lakers could still emerge, however, July is a long time from now.”

You can watch Alex’s entire appearance with us by watching the episode 10 replay below and seriously, it is well worth the time to check it out. Also, hear Devin, Chris and I discuss the Nets-Knicks game, our defensive woes and the injury situation in New Jersey.

#NASTV: Episode 10 – Replay

Categories: NAS TV

Programming Note: #NASTV: Episode 10 – 3 P.M. ET

February 5th, 2012 1 comment

I can’t think of a better pre-Superbowl event than talking Nets basketball and luckily for you, Nets Are Scorching TV will give you that chance!

Debuting on our new day, come on by to catch Episode 10 of #NASTV today at 3:00 P.M. ET. Devin, Chris and myself will be joined by NBA reporter Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld.com to talk the latest in the Dwight Howard trade saga scenario.

Make sure you click the “join event” button below on the viewer so that you can ask questions to us or Alex. You can submit questions via text or video, but if you are doing a video question make sure you have headphones on to reduce echo.

 

 

Categories: NAS TV

Net Worth: Knicks 99, Nets 92

February 4th, 2012 11 comments
New Jersey Nets 92 Final
Recap | Box Score		 99 New York Knicks
Kris Humphries, PF 34 MIN | 5-9 FG | 10-12 FT | 12 REB | 2 AST | 20 PTS | +1

Played through the boos and the contact. Hit shots in the lane and got his share of dunks. Cleared out well and picked up some monster blocks (notably on a Carmelo Anthony dunk attempt). Drew some fouls, particularly on Amare Stoudemire, and got to the line 12 times. With Brook out, he’s Deron’s primary pick-and-roll-or-pop option, and he got a fair share of looks going towards the rim.
Shawne Williams, SF 30 MIN | 2-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 6 PTS | -4

He really likes Madison Square Garden, and he really likes that corner. If only his usefulness extended beyond that.
Shelden Williams, PF 21 MIN | 0-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 8 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS | -1

Worked his butt off on the boards and on defense. Can’t give him enough credit for that. Pushed Tyson Chandler around, though he can’t stop Chandler in the air. He’s done about as well as I think anybody expected. But you’ve also got to make shots at the basket, and you’ve also got to know to pick your spots. Sometimes seems like he can do everything but score.
Deron Williams, PG 44 MIN | 7-19 FG | 4-4 FT | 6 REB | 11 AST | 21 PTS | -3

Offensively, other than a couple of bad plays — most notably getting stuck behind the basket on a shot-clock violation early in the game — D-Will hit some shots and found teammates for open ones. Unlike most of his turnovers this season, product of recipients with brick hands, the Knicks played the lanes and anticipated his passes. Kept the Nets afloat in the third quarter. The two big complaints: I wish he’d done more when the Nets had their backs at the wall, and he couldn’t stop Jeremy Lin in crunch time. This isn’t the first time an opposing point guard has made the difference against New Jersey this season.

Anthony Morrow, SG 38 MIN | 4-12 FG | 1-1 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 11 PTS | +2

Didn’t exactly follow up his 42-point performance with a similar display of greatness. Struggled looking for his shot and didn’t make enough to be effective.

Keith Bogans, SG 16 MIN | 2-4 FG | 1-1 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 5 PTS | -6

His defense on Carmelo Anthony sublime, his cuts to the basket previously unseen on this roster. Morrow, Stevenson, Extra E, et al all prefer shooting from outside, and rarely cut to the rim like Bogans has in his short time here. A good friend that watches the Bulls closely told me I was going to love him. Love is strong, but he’s provided a strong defensive presence on the wings mostly absent thus far.
Jordan Farmar, PG 25 MIN | 7-13 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 3 AST | 19 PTS | -12

I’ve become a big fan of the two-point guard set with Deron and Farmar, provided that the opposing shooting guard is someone Deron can check defensively. Farmar’s a solid outside shooter, and played well off the ball to get himself in a position to score; on the ball he’s a good individual creator and helped keep the Nets in the game early in the fourth quarter.

Johan Petro, C 3 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS | -3

Blocked an Amare Stoudemire dunk attempt, then promptly threw a pass directly into Carmelo Anthony’s hands. The Johan Petro experience!
Jordan Williams, F 26 MIN | 3-7 FG | 4-6 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 10 PTS | -3

A slow and grounded defender, and couldn’t handle Tyson Chandler. Still, attacked the boards and the basket well, including one ultimately surprising play where he ran the floor ahead of everyone else and was on the receiving end of a Deron Williams assist. Not an impeccable game, and I’m not sure why he shot so many reverse layups, but out of the 36th pick in the draft, he’s looking more like a (Josh) boon(e) every day.

Five Things We Saw

  1. Okay, uh. Jeremy Lin? The Nets didn’t know how to handle Jeremy Lin. Carmelo Anthony? Sure. Amare Stoudemire? No problem. Tyson Chandler? They weren’t going to stop him anyway. But Jeremy Lin took over the game before the fourth quarter, and then completely decimated New Jersey down the stretch. The only thing Lin couldn’t do was shoot from the outside, but the Nets couldn’t stop him from getting into the lane. Lin used screens and read the defense like he was a Harvard graduate, getting easy layups even when the Nets went into zone. Lin matched up with Deron Williams and looked like an NBA-level point guard. He’ll last in the NBA.
  2. Lin is the story, but the way the Nets handled Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire was as good as you can hope for. The Nets let Stoudemire’s aggressiveness get the better of him, and Keith Bogans just annoyed the hell out of Melo and forced him into shooting bad midrange shots through most f the game. You’re just not banking on that type of performance from Jeremy Lin.
  3. The Nets’ offensive sets look nonexistent far more often than natural. Sometimes, Avery draws up great plays, like the Farmar back cut for a layup in the fourth quarter. But shortly after, the Nets had no movement, nothing attacking the rim, and only got bailed out on a dumb foul with 3 seconds left on the shot clock. Shawne Williams airballed a 30-foot fadeaway on an earlier play because the Nets didn’t get the ball inside the arc the entire set. They had two 24-second shot clock violations where nobody looked to shoot in the entire span of the shot clock. The Nets need to have movement and smart cuts all through 48 minutes, not just sporadically when they remember the object of basketball.
  4. It bears repeating, as it does in nearly every game: missing three of their starters, a fourth player they once started, and a player they traded for to replace one of their starters, the Nets remained competitive in a game against a team at full strength (and if you say “No Mike Bibby or Baron Davis!” in the comments, I’m going to ban you) and weren’t far off from victory.
  5. Again, Lin is the story. But the Nets couldn’t stop Tyson Chandler, either, and for good reason; Chandler is 7’1″ and long, and the tallest Nets on the court — Jordan Williams, Kris Humphries, and Shelden Williams — are 6’9″ and not. Throw the ball in the air in the vicinity of the basket, and Chandler’s just going to jump over New Jersey. Without Jeremy Lin, the Knicks don’t win this game, but they don’t without Chandler either.
Categories: Rapid Reaction

Pregame 3-on-3: Nets-Knicks Open Thread, 7:30PM

February 4th, 2012 No comments

The 8-16 Nets take on the 8-15 Knicks at Madison Square Garden tonight. The Nets are fresh off a close home loss to the Timberwolves and a game and a half out of the eight seed in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks aren’t ranking much better, and Avery Johnson expects a “playoff atmosphere” at MSG tonight.

Joining Sandy and I in the pregame conversation is Jim Cavan, writer for the Knicks’ ESPN NBA TrueHoop affiliate Knickerblogger.

1. Can the Nets win without an A+ D-Will game?

  • Chris Hooker: I’m sure they can, but we haven’t seen it happen yet. Yesterday was the closest game we’ve come to seeing the Nets win without a near-perfect game from their point guard – and a big reason why they lost was because of his crucial turnovers in crunch time. I don’t think the Nets need an A+ D-Will game, per se. But they need a game where he isn’t making mistakes (turnovers) often. They need a game where he can distribute the ball to his shooter(s) as well as make high percentage shots himself. If D-Will puts up a line like 15 points, eight assists and under two turnovers, Morrow hits his threes, Hump is aggressive on the glass and Shawne Williams does anything but not miss, they can win and I wouldn’t say D-Will put up an A+ effort. Unfortunately, when he starts playing badly, others tend to follow suit.

    Read more…

Categories: 3-on-3

Net Worth: Timberwolves 108, Nets 105

February 3rd, 2012 6 comments
Minnesota Timberwolves 108 Final
Recap | Box Score		 105 New Jersey Nets

Game Grades

Kris Humphries, PF 41 MIN | 5-14 FG | 6-8 FT | 9 REB | 1 AST | 16 PTS | 0

Hump had his hands full all night long, playing against the dominating Kevin Love. I actually really enjoyed the match-up. Scoring was ugly, but the rebounding battle and aggression under the basket was tough, dirty basketball. Hump played well against who I believe to be the best power forward in the league, even if his stat line didn’t completely show it.
Shawne Williams, SF 27 MIN | 2-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 5 PTS | -3

It looks like Shawne read Devin’s column. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t hit any shots. Shawne shot 2-6 from the field and didn’t offer a whole lot in transition. He was a big reason the Nets fell so fast in the second quarter and killed a lot of fast break momentum.
Shelden Williams, PF 22 MIN | 1-2 FG | 0-2 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 2 PTS | +6

Now that he’s started the last few games, I like what he is: a tough presence who messes with big men under the basket. At times, he actually reminds me of a poor man’s Kendrick Perkins because of his ability to stop movement in the paint. Tonight, we didn’t see a ton of that, so you can send blame to Nikola Pekovic.
Deron Williams, PG 38 MIN | 5-18 FG | 2-2 FT | 5 REB | 14 AST | 12 PTS | -10

Not a bad D-will game by any means, just not the Deron we are used to as of late. He didn’t shoot the ball well and took too many shots. Despite ten assists, Deron was overly selfish tonight, taking shots he didn’t need to take, especially in the fourth when the Nets were on a six-straight-misses streak. Some of that can be alluded to Morrow’s foul trouble, but he needs to know when he is shooting cold. Also, that final turnover left a sour taste.
Anthony Morrow, SG 33 MIN | 13-20 FG | 8-8 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 42 PTS | +7

Lights out all night long. Unguardable from behind the arc and just phenomenal chemistry with D-Will. These two guys are so much of the reason the Nets have had a pretty successful run the past week or so. A lot of this can be alluded to Deron, but Morrow deserves as much of the credit. He has been on fire. He is just as vital to the future of this team as D-Will and any other franchise center the Nets decide to trade for who is all wanted by said franchise center. I’m just going to retype this stat line: 12-20 from the field, 8-11 from the 3, 42 points. And we want to trade him for cap space?
Keith Bogans, SG 19 MIN | 1-6 FG | 1-2 FT | 6 REB | 0 AST | 4 PTS | -3

It is a bummer that he has to play more than ten minutes for the Nets right now. He simply looks lost out there and who could blame him? I would like to see him get a little comfortable with the team, but I will take his hustle on defense and six boards.
Jordan Farmar, PG 30 MIN | 6-11 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 7 AST | 14 PTS | -1

Played fine off the ball and got involved in the offense a little better than usual. Eleven shots is still too many for a back-up point guard, and I’d like that number to be around seven or eight. But, he shot 55% with seven assists, so I am more than likely just being nitpicky.
Jordan Williams, F 16 MIN | 4-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 8 PTS | -6

A statement game from him tonight. 15 minutes, five boards and shot 4-6? From a guy who started the season “dehydrated”? Who has been sent down to the Armor twice this season? Good for him.

Five Things We Saw

  1. 8 versus 9. Rubio is incredibly flashy, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. When it doesn’t, he misses a lot of alley-oops, fumbles crossovers, or goes all Ryan Fitzpatrick on the court and his passes are returned for, er, pick-2′s. When it works, he is a blast to watch. Deron and Rubio together made for exciting,between-the-leg pizzaz, and it was as fun to watch as it was frustrating.
  2. 43 versus 42. I loved this matchup, even if it was was slightly ruined by Pekovic, who outshined them both. Tough, gritty, rebound-frenzied basketball from start to finish. Humphries and Love both took hard fouls with equally hard misses.
  3. Deron Williams’ turnovers are a problem. A case could be made that both of his turnovers in the last thirty seconds (the one that rolled off his hip and the one that Rubio knocked out of his hands) are to blame for the Nets loss. They had other issues, but if Deron doesn’t lose the ball on those drives, the Nets are definitely in a better position to win. I’m not sure why he is turning the ball over so often, or even what to do to fix that. But he needs to figure it out immediately.
  4. Hot and cold. The Nets were incredibly streaky tonight, shooting hot for the first quarter, cold for the first half of the second, hot in the second half of the second, lukewarm in the third, cold in the fourth and hot at the end of the fourth. Most of this is due to the play of Anthony Morrow and when he heats up his shooting. When he’s getting the ball in a position to score, the Nets offense is effective, especially at the three-point arc. When Deron is dishing to Shawne Williams, the offense comes to a screeching halt and you see things like six straight misses.
  5. Another close loss. The Nets are keeping games close, which is a positive sign for the will of this team. It would be nice to see them pull some of these games out, especially ones like these where you could point to a specific play that would change the outcome of the game. Tomorrow at Madison Square Garden is going to be a difficult game where the Nets don’t matchup particularly well. It’ll be interesting to see how motivated they can get to keeping the game within a winnable distance.
Categories: Rapid Reaction

Pregame One-On-One: Kharper vs. Harper, Nets-Timberwolves (7:30 P.M.)

February 3rd, 2012 1 comment

Minnesota Timberwolves PG Ricky Rubio

UPDATE: Anthony Morrow is back in the starting lineup tonight, via Nets P.R.

Tonight marks the first game of the season that the Nets face off against the 10-12 Minnesota Timberwolves, home of Kevin Love, Darko Milicic, Ricky Rubio, and.. (wait for it…) KAAAAAHHHHNNN!!!

In honor of tonight’s special matchup, I’ll face off against Zach Harper of ESPN’s Daily Dime Live, The TrueHoop Network’s A Wolf Among Wolves, and TrueHoop NBA Blog HoopSpeak, along with about a billion other websites. For this one-on-one game preview, I’ll first ask Zach three questions about the Minnesota Timberwolves, and then he’ll ask me three questions on the Nets.

Zach is also important because he and I have a running bet on the higher PER between Rubio and MarShon Brooks. (The injured Brooks is ahead by a hair, 18.6 to 17.0.)
 

On: The Minnesota Timberwolves

 
Devin: So tell me about this Rubio guy.


Zach: Remember when Jordan Farmar had to start some games for the Nets last year? Devin Harris was out for various reasons here and there, and Farmar was the guy to fill in for you. It seemed like there was very little hope of competency with how the Nets would be run on those nights. Imagine two years of that, only substitute Jordan Farmar with Jonny Flynn. For two years, the Wolves fans had no idea if Ricky Rubio would ever be a reality. We knew Jonny Flynn was present and Rubio seemed like an unattainable dream.

Then Ricky decided to come play here. We finally had an idea of whether or not we would see hope and change with the franchise. Then the buzz from scrimmages and practices starting trickling out. Kevin Love exclaimed into the microphone on Media Day that Ricky could “pass the s— out of the ball.” It was the first thing he said during his press conference. The Wolves played the Bucks in the preseason and we were teased with alley-oops and spectacular bounce passes. The season started and he was sliding his feet against the quickest of point guards, making jumpers and layups we were told he couldn’t make, and he was leading this team in every moment he was on the floor.

It’s not that Rubio is one of the best point guards in the league because he’s not. But it’s not insane to think he can become one based on the small sample of production and leadership he’s given fans so far. Rubio brings anticipation and energy into a building that had the feel of a mausoleum the last few seasons. Our hope was that Kevin Love would grab rebounds. Now our hope is that the Wolves will sneak into the playoffs. The brokenness of the Wolves isn’t repaired, but it looks like we have the necessary tools to finally start the job. Ricky has so much to improve on and already impacts the game in a way that few could have imagined. It’s not that I love Ricky Rubio more than almost any other player I’ve rooted for; it’s that I love the future Ricky Rubio brings to me as a Wolves fan.

I feel like I should have lit some candles and put on some Al Green before I wrote this.

Is #2 overall pick Derrick Williams someone to plan for?

Sadly, no. Derrick Williams can be a weapon when he’s attacking the basket and punctuating pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops. But he just floats around the perimeter like a puppy wanting to play with the other dogs but not knowing how to include himself. The Wolves can’t count on him to be productive every night, so you might only see him for 8 or 10 minutes in this game. They can’t play him at the 3 because he doesn’t know what to do and can’t defend it. It would be nice if you’d bring back Stephen Graham for him to match up against tonight.

How do you envision the Humphries vs. Love matchup going down?

This is going to be a body slam fest or a slug fest or some kind of physical activity that results in bruises for both guys. I think on offense, it would be wise of the Wolves to try to get some switches on the big men defenders and get Hump on Pekovic. That way Love has an easier time using his body and strength and Pek can wear down Hump with all of his might and effort. I don’t think Hump can really stop Love if Love is playing more of a perimeter game, but he did outrebound Kevin during their one head-to-head last season. Should be a lot of weight being thrown around inside.

-

On: The New Jersey Nets

 
Zach: Deron Williams finally remembered how good he is. What’s changed over the last 9 games?


Devin: It all starts with his jumper. After starting the season just 25% from 16-23 feet, Deron’s finally connecting on those shots at a stunning 63% clip (29/46) in the past nine. He’s getting the same looks off curls and ball screens that he’s gotten all year, but that didn’t translate to made shots for whatever ethereal (or undercover) reason. He hasn’t made a vast transformation as a player — he’s still the same point guard he’s always been, running the floor and finding open looks for everyone even if his teammates can’t keep up with him. But for at least the past nine games, Deron’s done a rapid-fire progression to the mean, centered around hitting from midrange.

Are there any guards left on this team? Is Marshon just ducking Ricky?

Are you counting out the great Jordan Farmar?

Okay, that’s a joke, but Farmar and Williams have seen success on the floor together. Either one can handle PG duties and create off the ball, and D-Will is big and quick enough to guard most of the NBA’s 2′s. Since the Wolves play a lot of two-point guard rotations with Rubio, Luke Ridnour, and J.J. Barea, the Nets shouldn’t have too many issues tonight.

The loss definitely hurts, though. While he may not throw the behind-the-back bounce passes with purpose that Ricky does, there are few rookies in the league (Kyrie may be the only comparable one) with MarShon’s combination of outside and inside scoring ability. Before MarShon Brooks, we generally had to hope that Anthony Morrow’s floater and fadeaway post-up jumper were enough to throw off defenses; now we’ve got Brooks deking, faking, and spinning galore. He’s used the backboard about as well as anyone I’ve seen on jumpers and floaters and has scored a bunch of buckets just on his ability to loft the shot higher and off the glass alone. He’s attacked Dwight Howard in the lane and scored. He’s hit his open and contested jumpers with stunning regularity. He dropped 15 points in a half on the 3rd-best defense in the league, then didn’t try to force his offense when they threw doubles at him in the second half. He’s more mature and confident than I think anyone expected, without crossing the line into arrogance, and his conservative passing approach (more often than not swinging the ball up top rather than forcing passes into the lane) beget his low assist totals rather than a penchant for ballhogging.

I know Timberwolves fans are counting their lucky cinnamon sticks that they’ve landed such a talented point guard in Ricky Rubio, but MarShon’s ability thus far to create from anywhere without overplaying his usefulness has been an equally bright light in a mostly dark New Jersey cloud. We wish him well and hope he’s back to 100% soon.

And if anything, MarShon’s staying out extra time so that Ricky doesn’t get shown up and lose his bid at the Rookie of the Year award. See? He’s selfless! He can create for others in unique ways!

Seems like the Nets are really bad at defending the pick-and-roll. How do they stop the Wolves’ guards from exploiting that?

By hoping that the Wolves bigs can’t exploit it. The Nets switch on nearly everything, which usually means that the ballhandler’s defender gets switched onto a smaller player, then scrambles to recover for his own man. Of course, this means that Shelden Williams, Kris Humphries, and Johan Petro have to recognize that double-teams 30 feet from the basket aren’t prudent, and the remainder of the team has to recognize that there’s one man heading to the basket and that one defender needs to rotate. For the generic team, it’s not wholly difficult, but with the Nets, it’s a lot of hoping and praying. Luckily, the Timberwolves boast one of the few centers whose hands I trust less than Johan Petro’s. But if Ricky Rubio’s getting penetration in the lane and Love’s using his wide frame to clear out space inside, it’s going to be yet another long night defensively.

Categories: Pregame Open Thread

Nets Notebook: Week of 1/27-2/2

February 3rd, 2012 1 comment

Starting this week and every Friday here on Nets Are Scorching, we will take a look back and review the week that was. 

Season Record: 8-15

Record From The Week: The Nets this week went 2-2 and it was snapshot of what an up-and-down team the Nets can be at times. They played great basketball at the start and end of the week, beating the Cavaliers and Pistons, but also they played a lackluster game in a loss to the Raptors and fought hard but ultimately fell to the Pacers.

Video Highlight of the Week:

Tweet/s of the Week:

I’m going to guess it’s a good thing Deron’s wife is tweeting this…


Quote/s of the Week: Avery Johnson speaking candidly about the Nets offense following their blowout loss to the Raptors:

It was like ‘Ok, Deron you come out with a 95 point play’ … that’s not going to work.

-Avery Johnson

High Point/Low Point:

High Point – Playing with only eight healthy bodies, the Nets got a total team effort in a win over the Pistons. Especially impressive, the Nets’ “Williams Quartet” combined for 55 points, 27 rebounds and nine assists.

Low Point – After winning two in a row (76ers, Cavaliers) the Nets’ confidence and discussion of a playoff run was getting just a decibel louder, however, the Nets crashed right back down to earth, violently. In one of their least spirited efforts of the season losing to the Raptors and only scoring 73 points.

Other Bits:

  • It was announced this week that MarShon Brooks has suffered a fracture little toe and will miss extended time, the Nets third foot related injury of the season.
  • Brook Lopez took his first significant steps toward recovery, running for the first time since surgery, this week.
  • Dwight Howard is just dying to play with Stephen Jackson. No, seriously.
  • DeShawn Stevenson will be out at least two weeks (knee) which prompted the Nets to sign veteran Keith Bogans and waive D-League call up Larry Owens.

Playoff/Lotto Watch?: How realistic a playoff berth for this team is, I don’t know. But, it’s still just a tad too early to count them out and look to the lottery. The Milwaukee Bucks would be the 8th seed currently with 10 wins, and the Nets are only two games back from that. So, for now, let’s keep our eye on the playoffs.

Week Ahead: A Four-game week and the Nets will finally get some home cooking. Three home games and the only away game coming vs. the cross Hudson rival Knicks.

Categories: Nets Notebook