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Post by Miege22 on Mar 9, 2016 13:34:19 GMT -5
NYT EXCLUSIVE: A SIT-DOWN WITH TAMPA BAY GM
As this is the fourth time the Nets and Bull Sharks are playing in the playoffs, we here at the New York Times wanted to get a fresh perspective on the match-up. Who better to talk to than the Tampa Bay Bull Sharks' GM. The following is that interview:
1. Describe the type of season you've had.
First of all, I'd like to congratulate the Brooklyn Nets on their continued success. Even when things seemed to be stacking up against them this year, they stuck it out and made the right moves to stay in contention in the Eastern Conference. For us, we came into this season fresh off of our second championship and with a brilliant core of players. We have a lot of the same guys as last year with the exception of Ty. Moving him wasn't easy, but the best trade we made this year, hell, in the last couple of years was getting Pau from Toronto. He doesn't have the off the court baggage that Ty Lawson had.
This season though... It has been one of our best. I am so impressed with our guys and our management. We started off the season 0-2. We lost the opener to Houston in what was a short week to start the season. We played them close, lost by 2 steals and tied for rebounds. I don't think that matchup gave either of our teams a glimpse into what was to happen during the season. We were a good team, but we didn't have depth - we were playing Adreian Payne for crying out loud.
When we lost in week 2, we didn't panic, but there was some worry inside the organization. We lost to a Lakers team that played lights out that week. We knew after that loss that changes needed to be made. They played us at a 6 game advantage. How are you supposed to win when your opponents are playing 6 more games? We knew that we had to make some moves and get some guys on the court that could produce in a bigger capacity.
We signed Marvin Williams at the end of week 2 in hopes that his hot start would continue throughout the season. I don't want to call it desperation, but we were 0-2 and our next two games were against Toronto and Memphis. I never thought we'd beat both of those teams 8-1 and to get back to .500. We had a bit of a reprieve the next three games, but week 8 posed the biggest hurdle to date - the Brooklyn Nets. We knew we were in for a fight - we always are against them. But I really think beating them 7-2 is what gave us the momentum for the second half of the year. Prior to Brooklyn, we were in our easiest stretch of the season, so a win against them was huge. A 6-2 start is a great way to begin a year, but we knew the end of our season would be the roughest stretch of games the entire year.
We had a scare against Charlotte, but our biggest test was weeks 13-16. We had to play at Cleveland, host the defending Western Conference Champion Las Vegas Gamblers, face the tough Portland Trailblazers, and then close out the year against our division rival, Atlanta Hawks.
To come out of those games without a single blemish is perhaps my proudest moment of the season. It showed that we are a team that rebounded from an 0-2 start and a team that faced a playoff caliber stretch the month leading into the playoffs. Come to think of it, I might have to take things up with the league commissioner about the scheduling, because that was brutal.
All kidding aside, this season has been great. We've got the deepest team we've ever had and are coming off one of our best seasons. But, I will tell you what I tell our players. Just because we have been this good doesn't mean a damn thing now. We could have afforded a loss here or a loss there during the season, but not now. Now, if we lose, we have to wait until next year.
Some say a team is only as strong as their weakest link. I think that a team is only as strong as their desire to achieve greatness. If our guys don't go out there and leave it all on the line, we won't get to where we want to go. The season has been great and the division accolades are nice, but all of that goes out the window if we don't finish our journey.
2. What two players on your roster this year have surprised you the most? One good, one bad. This is a tough one. We've had a lot of guys step up and do big things for us this year. If I had to hone in on one or two guys who we have been pleasantly surprised with, I would have to say Marcus Morris and Marvin Williams. These two guys have been phenomenal for us. Marcus had a murky future leading up to this season, but in his new role, he has thrived and been extremely consistent. Marvin has been great too - he has contributed in areas we didn't really expect and we could not be happier to have him on our squad.
On the other hand, we were really disappointed that Wilson Chandler went down before the season. That was a big blow to us. I'd have to say that LaMarcus adjusting to his new role has been a bit of a let down. That's not a knock on him, because he is still producing, but we were hoping for more. I expect we will get the old LaMarcus Aldridge in the playoffs though - and if we do, good luck to our opponents. The biggest regression, however, was Omer Asik. He went from being one of the top rebounders in the league to an oft injured seven footer who couldn't out jump a drunk Ty Lawson. I hope Omer can stay healthy and contribute during the Conference Finals.
3. What are your thoughts on last year's Nets-Bull Sharks playoff series?
Most exciting series, hands down. It was the last quarter of the last game on the last day that Aminu grabbed a steal and secured our victory over Brooklyn. True, Brooklyn didn't have Durant and the outcome could have been different without him, but in the postseason, you play the hand you're dealt. Our two finals runs have been trademarked by a late sprint to the playoffs and nail biters in the conference finals. I just hope this year we play our brand of basketball and take down the Nets with Durant.
4. How have the Bull Sharks been able to overcome the injuries they suffered in the semi-finals?
Depth. Depth. Depth. We wouldn't be where we are without our bench. We have a lot of interchangeable parts and guys who can play multiple positions. We also have a couple young guys in Wiggins and Lavine who have shown the propensity for playing better ball at the end of the year. We also added Faried at the end of the year and the guy just put up 25-20 the other night. We have a well rounded team - simple as that. Doesn't hurt to have Russell Westbrook either.
5. What has Russell Westbrook meant to your franchise?
Speak of the devil. He's meant everything. We have a great team and as I mentioned, a deep team, but we would not be where we are without Russell Westbrook. The guy single handily took over the finals last year and he has been a cornerstone for us since we traded for him. He does everything well and we are relying on big nights from him over these final few weeks.
6. What are your thoughts on this year's conference finals match-up?
Some may think we are the favorites because of our record, but I don't know. Brooklyn just dominated last week and would have beat any team in the playoffs. If that's their M.O. for this series, we certainly have our work cut out for us. On the other hand, though, I don't think we played great basketball these last two weeks. We played ok, but we were banged up and didn't play to our potential. For our sake, let's hope that was our "bad" round and we right the ship moving forward. Oddly enough, we usually are the underdog in these situations - especially against Brooklyn. The last two times, the underdog won. Maybe we are hoping to be seen as the underdog now. We are ready and excited for these next two weeks.
7. Can you give us your thoughts on the rivalry between these two franchises?
This rivalry is probably the greatest this league has ever seen. Both of our teams have consistently been in the playoffs and we each have two championships under our belt. In the six years of this league, one of our teams has represented the east in the finals. We are 2-0 in finals history... Brooklyn is 2-1. If having a rivalry in which one of the two teams has represented the east in the finals is not a great rivalry, I don't know what is. We respect what Brooklyn has achieved and for the last few years, they've really been the model franchise. We hope that the tide is turning and that we can go back to back. It's always good to see them in this moment - even with a healthy Durant. We have a tremendous amount of respect for their franchise, but when the ball is tipped on Monday night, the gloves will come off and we will be ready for a fight.
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Post by Miege22 on Mar 23, 2016 22:16:12 GMT -5
NETS' SEASON ENDS IN ECF AGAIN
For the second year in a row, the Brooklyn Nets saw their season come to a close in the Eastern Conference Finals at the hands of the Tampa Bay Bulls Sharks. Unlike last year, though, there are no "what ifs?". From start to finish, the Bull Sharks dominated this series. They jumped out to an early lead, and had an answer for every run the Nets made. Brooklyn got very good performances from Harden and Durant, as well as a vintage series from Dirk, but it was the role players that determined the winner this time around. In that area, Brooklyn was absolutely dominated. Marvin Williams, Gary Harris, Kenneth Faried, and Zach LaVine came off the bench to blow the doors off the Nets. Meanwhile, Marcin Gortat, Rajon Rondo, Gerald Henderson and Matthew Dellevadova, guys who played key roles in Brooklyn's win over Toronto, struggled.
"They were, are, just better than us," Coach Carlisle said, "They really beat us in every facet of the game. We didn't play up to our capabilities, but it really wouldn't have mattered." Kevin Durant didn't quite agree with that sentiment, "We could have played better. We could have won. We didn't, and we'll have to regroup and figure out how to get back to where we want to be."
With the season over, the Nets head into one of the most uncertain off-seasons in team history. The Nets will re-sign Kevin Durant. They'll most likely let Dirk Nowitzki walk. They'll have to decide what to do with Marcin Gortat (he has a player option). Al Jefferson becomes an expiring contract, and its likely the Nets will look to shop him. There are also rumors swirling that the Nets may look to move Rajon Rondo, which would be a minor surprise given his very cap-friendly contract. The good news is the Nets will have the 15th and 20th picks in this year's draft, so they will have a chance to inject some much needed youth into this team. However, there is a very real chance that the Nets, for the first time in franchise history could fail to make the playoffs.
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Post by Miege22 on Feb 7, 2017 0:04:10 GMT -5
NIGHTMARE SEASON COMING TO MERCIFUL END IN BROOKLYN
After the final buzzer sounded in last year's Eastern Conference Finals, many of the players hung around in the locker room longer than usual. The Nets had seen their season come to end in the playoffs before, but there was a different feel this time around. Unlike in years past when the team had fallen short of a title, there was no talk of next year, of regrouping to make another run. Instead, players talked about their plans for the summer, families, and the future. The finality of this run was not lost on this group. The murmurs had started in the off-season when the team traded long-time center Joakim Noah for draft picks. Midway through the season, the Nets pushed all their chips to the center of the table, moving Jonas Valanciunas for Marcin Gortat, and the writing was clearly on the wall. The front office knew this was the last shot before the season started, but they weren't willing to jump into the rebuild pool head first. It was almost as if they dipped their toe in the water before the year (Noah trade) then slowly waded into the deep end (Paul trade, Valanciunas trade) as the season went on. As a result, they finished the season with a team that was good, but not quite good enough.
When the season ended, the front office unveiled a new, remarkably bold strategy: swing for the fences at every opportunity. The Nets felt that they had become far too conservative in recent years, settling for players they knew could contribute but may not have had a very high ceiling. After all, it was swinging for the fences that landed them Durant and Harden, and with those two locked up to long-term deals, they had time. The Nets took a big chance on Kenneth Faried bouncing back, trading Marcin Gortat and using a re-sign on him. They signed raw projects in Bruno Caboclo and Walter Taveras. They drafted Taurean Prince and Damian Jones, then moved contributors in Gerald Henderson and Alec Burks for projects in Kevon Looney and Timothe Luwawu. Going into the season, the Nets knew what they would get out of Harden and Durant, but question marks littered the rest of the roster. Could Rondo keep up his vintage form? Would Faried rebound from numerous injuries? Could ANY of the young guys be surprise contributors?
Midway through the season, all of those questions were answered with a resounding "no." While Durant and Harden were busy turning in some of the best seasons of their respective careers, the rest of the roster had cratered into itself like a dying star. The Nets quickly changed their course of action and shifted their timeline, much to the chagrin of Durant and Harden, both of whom were doing yeoman's work night in and night out. The Nets were now a major seller in a market with very few buyers. After weeks of talks, messages, and feelers, the team was finally able to strip the roster of it's spare parts. Rondo was moved for a 2019 pick. Faried was used to move two unwanted contracts, with the only return being Taj Gibson and a 2019. Gibson was flipped almost immediately to net another 2019 pick. After a flurry of moves, the Nets were left with 4 first round picks in 2019 and a new crew of inexperienced players. It remains to be seen if the Nets will be able to make it back to relevancy before Harden and Durant reach their breaking point.
A week from now, the Nets will conclude their worst season in franchise history. After making the playoffs in every year of the league's existence, the Nets will lose more games this year than the previous seven. Utah remains as the only team in league history to make the playoffs every season. If it wasn't clear as day last year, it becomes clearer with each passing week that the Bull Sharks have surpassed the Nets as the model franchise in the East. What the Nets will have in the off-season is a potential top-3 pick, nearly $23 million in cap space and only one roster spot to fill. They have the ability to open up three spots with next to no hit, depending on what they want to do with Shaun Livingston, Tarik Black, and Willie Reed. By going all in on 2019 picks, the new strategy is to essentially play the waiting game. Hope KD and Harden continue to play at MVP-levels, land a stud in the draft, get improvement from any of the young guys on the roster, and maybe land a significant free agent. It's a gamble, but one the Nets almost had to make given their roster construction. Either it will pay off, and the Nets will, eventually, get back to the mountaintop... or it will fail miserably, the Nets will waste the second half of Harden's and Durant's careers, and the franchise will never recover. Who said an off-season outside the playoffs couldn't be fun?
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Post by Miege22 on Jun 19, 2017 21:08:20 GMT -5
NETS FOREGO DRAFT, MOVE PICK FOR HASSAN WHITESIDE
In a surprising turn of events, the Brooklyn Nets have agreed to terms on a proposed trade with the Atlanta Hawks that would net them star big man Hassan Whiteside. The deal, which has been sent to the league office for approval, has the Nets sending Atlanta the #2 pick in this year's draft and Utah's pick in 2019. The 2019 first round pick comes with protections, and the Nets will only convey it if it lands outside the top-5. Just a month ago, this was a franchise that appeared destined for a full rebuild. After stocking the roster full of rookies and cost-effective projects, the Nets cratered to the worst record in franchise history. They landed the 2nd pick for their troubles, but there was talk of moving either Durant, Harden, or both for even more picks and young players. While trade talks with Harden never really materialized, despite solid offers, one team did engage the Nets in talks for Durant that piqued their interest. According to sources close to the organization, those talks moved into the advanced stages before eventually falling apart. While it was not revealed why talks eventually ended, those with knowledge of the proceedings did mention that money was an issue.
What this means for the Nets is that they may have reopened their window starting next year, depending on what they can do in free agency. A Durant, Harden, Whiteside core is as close to perfect as you can get in a foundation. The Nets would have three guys that can hold down every category, without torpedoing the team in the percentages. There are still questions marks up and down the roster. Will Luwawu, Prince, Jones and/or Looney turn into contributors? Will Dellavedova, Richardson and Hernangomez end up as dead weight? And will they be able to turn their four picks in the next two years into anything worthwhile? The jury is obviously still out on all of those questions. The Nets remain optimistic that they will be proven right on Luwawu and Prince, both of whom showed flashes of being productive players in the second half of the season. If the Nets are able to land one or two decent free agents, and Luwawu and Prince turn into players, the Nets might be back in the playoffs before even they anticipated.
The deal is likely to be completed in the next 48 hours. Once it goes through, the Nets are expected to hold a press conference welcoming Whiteside to Brooklyn.
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Post by Miege22 on Jun 20, 2017 22:28:35 GMT -5
TRADE WITH ATLANTA APPROVED BY LEAGUE, WHITESIDE NOW A BROOKLYN NET
The Brooklyn Nets have certainly seen bigger days. This is a team that has won two championships and traded for, among others, Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant and James Harden. However, yesterday's press conference felt like a turning point for this recently downtrodden franchise. Even as the Nets spent the 14-15 and 15-16 seasons doing everything they could to win a championship, there was always a sense it could come crashing down sooner or later. That time was last year, as the Nets went through the process of systematically tearing down and building for the future. It resulted in a roster full of young players, a treasure chest full of draft picks, and the second worst record in the league. Just when it looked like the Nets were going to go into a full on, years long rebuild, they may have just skipped a couple of steps. Whether that leads to a return to prominence, or once again stuck as good but not good enough, remains to be seen. Some notable quotes from the presser:
Whiteside on his time in Atlanta: "I loved playing for the Hawks. I got to play with some great players, including Chris Paul. We made the playoffs, and the Atlanta fans were always supporting us on and off the floor. It's tough to leave, especially since it was close enough that my family could come down to games. But the Hawks went in another direction. At the end of the day, it's a business.
Whiteside on what he looks forward to the most in Brooklyn: Aw man, just going to work with a chance to compete for championships. With KD and Harden already here, I know we aren't far away. Plus those guys have won before, so they know what it takes.
Brooklyn's GM on the change of course: Well, I don't know that it was really a change of course. The goal is always to get better, and we felt like we got better with this trade.
On the pressures of putting a team around Harden/KD: You know, I think if you ask anyone that knows me, they'll tell you I hate to lose. Last year, even though we felt like we had to do it, killed me. And James and Kevin are the same way. Last year was really, really tough on them, and the reality of the situation is they aren't getting younger. Now, we expect them to have at least a decade each of good basketball ahead of them, but we're always looking to make moves to get better now and in the future. Hassan was a guy we targeted almost as soon as he signed his extension last year. We're thrilled to add him to the foundation here.
Why trading the 2nd pick makes sense: I think for Atlanta it makes a ton of sense to make this move. They're going with the youth movement, so the pick helps a ton. For us, there just wasn't a player we felt would give us what Hassan can, and has proven he's capable of. It was really as simple as that.
On what's next for this team: To be honest with you, my guess is we won't make another move until free agency. There has been a ton of trade talks around the league, but we feel pretty good about the pieces we have here. Doesn't mean we won't make a trade, but we have a number of free agent targets. If we can land a couple, we'll feel really good about our prospects for next season.
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Post by Miege22 on Jul 25, 2017 19:53:18 GMT -5
NETS COMPLETE ROSTER REVAMP AHEAD OF FREE AGENCY
With free agency a mere two days away, the Brooklyn Nets just completed a whirlwind month of moves that totally reshaped the roster and changed the outlook of the franchise both in the present and future. If there's one thing this front office can never be accused of, it's being complacent. Just 11 days after finalizing a trade to bring in stud center Hassan Whiteside in exchange for the #2 pick and a protected future first, the Nets made an even bolder move: they traded franchise cornerstone Kevin Durant, and Kevon Looney, for LeBron James, the draft rights of Dennis Smith Jr., Raymond Felton and Ed Davis. It was an earth-shaking move, and one that will hinge almost completely on what Dennis Smith Jr. becomes. After all, KD is a guy that both the GM and Whiteside referred to a number of times in their presser, giving no indications that he would be moved. Then, almost out of nowhere, he was gone.
The Nets continued to wheel and deal after the Durant trade. They moved Damian Jones to Seattle for immediate help in Cody Zeller. They jumped at the opportunity to buy a future draft pick from the Grizzlies, and they swapped out Matthew Dellavedova for Evan Turner. The Nets now boast a core of three top-15 players, a top-5 rookie prospect, and 6 draft picks in the next three years (potentially 7 depending on Utah's 2019). They also have only $5,000,000 in long-term money committed to four prospects outside of of the four players mentioned above. The Nets' GM discussed his team's recent moves and goals heading into free agency.
On the decision to move Kevin Durant: This is obviously something that was thought about a lot both last off-season and this off-season. Any time we thought we might be close to moving him, we always backed off knowing how difficult it would be to actually replace a guy like Kevin in both the short and long-term. At the end of the day, there were only two scenarios in which we would move him. One would be to get a top-5 replacement and a serious infusion of young talent, which almost happened earlier in the summer. The other is the deal we made. The only other player capable of replacing KD is LeBron, but we needed to get a stud rookie back with him. This deal accomplished that, as well as gave us a couple of solid role players.
On the process of making big moves like LeBron and Whiteside: Well, we are always monitoring the league to see who might be potential trading partners. We also have a wishlist of sorts, players that we would like to have. Hassan had been on our shortlist since we missed him in FA a couple of years back. It just so happened that Atlanta decided to go into a youth movement the same year we had the #2 pick. With LeBron, we had made a KD for James and #5 offer to Kansas City before the draft. We were shot down. When we reached back out during the draft, KC was now open to the deal because the player they wanted at 5 was off the board. After some back and forth, we got a deal done.
Most of the time, it's a matter of being proactive and reaching out. You never know what a team might be open to until you reach out. The deal for Cody Zeller was a two-week long negotiation that encompassed just about every player both teams had. The deal for the Memphis pick was an open and shut case that simply required us reaching out after they made it known to the league they needed money. Every trade negotiation is different.
What a full roster means for free agency: I honestly don't think it means anything. If we see a way to improve the team, we're going to do it. We've done a really good job of giving ourselves flexibility in free agency, even with a full roster. The only money we have committed beyond next year are to guys that we intend to build around. Now, that's not saying we intend to waive Cody Zeller to sign a free agent. But we do have our list, as every team does, of the 15-20 guys we think could help. Realistically, you're maybe getting one or two of those players, and we have the ability to create room without creating a lot of dead money.
Why lose money for a pick that won't help this year? Well, that's another benefit of having a full roster with flexibility. At the time of the trade, we felt like, we still feel like, we can go into this season and compete. Maybe we don't win a championship, but I think we can compete for the playoffs. We know what we're getting out of our top-3, and we have four young guys we are really high on. This was an opportunity to add an asset for basically nothing, while maintaining flexibility. It's something I thought we did a really good job of in our early years.
Expanding on asset collection: Something I felt like we did a poor job of after we won the title in 2013 is using our assets in an intelligent manner. Early on, I feel like we were one of the best teams at competing while maximizing assets. We gave our young guys the chance to prove themselves, we accumulated draft picks. If you look at the deals we made, they were very speculative. We traded proven players for Noah and Durant, who weren't quite Noah and Durant yet. We traded for Harden before he blew up. We traded for a number of future picks, one of which turned into the 4th overall in the 2012 draft that eventually helped us land Chris Paul. But after winning the two titles, we started to get a little careless. We traded picks for band aids. We brought back players that had limited ceilings but we were comfortable with because they'd played with us. We were somehow reckless and conservative at the same time. We need to get back to being process-oriented and not results-oriented.
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Post by Miege22 on Nov 15, 2017 18:59:32 GMT -5
NETS EXCITED ABOUT TEAM AT QUARTER-MARK OF SEASON
After a disastrous 2-14 season last year, the Nets were dead-set on getting back to the playoffs. They were lucky enough to land the #2 pick in the draft, and they immediately traded it for Hassan Whiteside to fill the gaping hole at center. They then flipped Kevin Durant, the leader of the franchise, for LeBron James and the #5 pick which they used on Dennis Smith. They then brought in players they felt could contribute immediately in Mike Muscala, Cody Zeller, Evan Turner and Joe Ingles. There are still some holes to fill and a few, current, dead spots on the roster, but they are firmly in the playoff race tied for second in the conference. Here's another sit-down with the Nets' GM.
LeBron is entering year 15. Did you really expect this kind of start out of him? I honestly can't say that we did. Obviously, he's LeBron. He's, arguably, still the best player in basketball, but the production has been through the roof. You could make the case that he's been the MVP of the league to this point. He's shooting better from the floor and the line than he ever has. Career high in blocks and assists (to this point). It's really something else.
There was some concern that Dennis Smith needed to be a star to win the trade, is that still the feeling? I'd still say, yes. Look, LeBron has been great. We can talk about that until we're blue in the face. But it won't last forever. Dennis Smith is the piece of the future. With KD still young, Dennis will have to be great. You don't always want to put those kind of expectations on a young kid, but we think he can handle it, and he has thus far. His shooting will come around, his form is too good.
What's been the biggest surprise so far? Easily Jeremy Lamb. Where did that come from? We knew he could shoot and score, but we didn't know he had the kind of all-around game he does. Hopefully he continues to get minutes. I'd also have to throw TLC in there. We were obviously very high on him when we drafted him, but he didn't get a ton of minutes immediately. Now that he is getting on the floor, he's making things happen. He just knows how to play the game. I think, with time, we'll see that translate into numbers.
What's next? Well, we still have high hopes for Malachi Richardson and Derrick Jones Jr., but with Tony Parker coming back, I just don't know if there is room for them. We're also watching this year's prospects very closely, as we hope the Atlanta pick will yield something in the top-10. If it does, we feel very strongly about the ceiling of this team. With the number of young players and draft picks we have, there's a lot of room for growth.
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Post by Miege22 on Feb 25, 2018 23:50:34 GMT -5
NETS RETURN TO EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
The Brooklyn Nets took advantage of a slightly banged up Magic team en route to a comfortable 6-3 win. The Nets got a great series from both LeBron James and James Harden, while Hassan Whiteside averaged 15-13. Next up for the Nets are the defending conference champion Washington Wizards. It will be the first time the Nets and Wizards have faced each other in the postseason. After a rough 2-14 season last year, the Nets are in the Eastern Conference Finals for the 6th time in the last 9 years. However, despite the excitement surrounding Brooklyn's first playoff win since 2016, there is some cause for concern.
LeBron and James Harden have been their usual MVP selves, but there are some red flags. Jarrett Jack, a solid role player the last month or so for the Nets, has seen his minutes eliminated. The Nets have also seen Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot glued to the bench, and significant role reductions for Courtney Lee and Robert Covington. While Joe Ingles and Will Barton have trended up as of late, Dennis Smith and Taurean Prince have been wholly unreliable. There is talk of the team calling up rookie Cedi Osman from the D-League to help them in the conference finals, but that has yet to be determined. Going up against an almost totally healthy Wizards team (Seth Curry is out for the conference finals), the Nets are going to need monster performances from their best players, as well as a few surprising performances from role players.
If the Nets can knock off the Wizards and reclaim their spot atop the conference, they'll assuredly be massive underdogs in the finals against either the Grizzlies or Trailblazers. For now though, the focus is Washington. The ECF starts tomorrow night.
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Post by Miege22 on Mar 12, 2018 1:36:15 GMT -5
NETS DEFEAT WIZARDS, RETURN TO NBA FINALS
The Brooklyn Nets cruised to the finish line against the Washington Wizards to win the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals and return to the NBA Finals for the fourth time in franchise history Sunday night. While the 7-2 victory was easier than expected, the journey leading up to that point was anything but for the entire organization. After getting dominated in the 2016 ECF by the Tampa Bay Bull Sharks, the second consecutive season the Nets fell short of the Finals, Brooklyn went into full tear down mode. The Nets attempted to put together a brand new roster around Kevin Durant and James Harden. It led to a 2-14 season and the number 2 pick in the 2017 draft. However, last summer, the Nets made the bold decision to move on from Kevin Durant. In two separate moves, they traded Durant and the #2 pick for Hassan Whiteside, Dennis Smith and LeBron James.
When the Durant trade was made, the Nets knew they were getting a LeBron that was heading into the twilight of his career. The hope was that he could bring 80% of what Durant did, while Smith brought the other 20%. What happened instead, is that LeBron turned back the clock. He exceeded Durant's averages in points, steals, rebounds, assists and field goal %. He's been the Nets' leader in every sense of the word. Maybe it's the chance to win again in a new environment, maybe it's the realization that his career is coming to a close. Whatever it is, it has him determined. James has been to the finals two times before, in 2010 and 2012, both losses. He's hoping the third time is the charm. Here's what the Nets' GM had to say.
First off, congratulations. What's the feeling right now? We're excited, obviously. We know we caught some breaks both in the season and the playoffs, but we still had to beat two very good teams, and we're thrilled to be one of the last two standing.
Could you even imagine this team being back in the Finals this quickly? That's a tough one because we always had top-end talent. We struggled last year, but we had two top-5 players in Harden and Durant. We just didn't have anyone around them to help. I didn't imagine we'd be here without Kevin, but I did think we'd be back eventually. It just so happened that things kind of broke our way in the playoffs and LeBron was simply incredible.
You mentioned back in November that you didn't think LeBron could keep it up. I didn't. I really didn't. It doesn't really make sense for a player in his 15th year, with that many miles on him, to keep playing at this level. It's absurd. But he puts in a ton of work. Obviously, this is the first time I've been around him everyday, and everything you've ever heard about him is true. He's in the gym constantly. He's got an incredible memory. It's a shame he hasn't won a title yet, and I'm hoping he can end that drought this year... for obvious reasons.
Is there anything else about the roster that has surprised you? I won't say I'm surprised by this, but I'm thrilled by how well the guys we got at the deadline performed. DeMarre Carroll, Robert Covington, Will Barton and Courtney Lee have all performed incredibly well and were huge reasons why we're here now. Covington especially, considering we got him from Washington and had to face the Wizards. It would not have looked great if Lamb outplayed him, but he did his job. Ed Davis also provided some huge rebounding for us, and it's still funny that we got him in the Durant deal, waived him, then re-signed him. Cedi played well, and it's a shame he'll miss the Finals.
The injuries do seem to be an area of concern. Thoughts? Yeah, not what we need right now. We'll find out tomorrow, but if Cody and Hassan are out for any period of time, it'll be extremely tough to pull it off. We really need all hands on deck to win this championship. The training staff will get with both of those guys, and we'll hope for the best.
Give us your impression of Portland. First off, they beat Memphis, which is a remarkable feat in itself. I really did not think anyone would be able to do that this season, and they did just enough to get by. They're a very balanced team. They really have no weaknesses. And DeMar DeRozan, holy cow. What a leap that young fella has made. He's truly become a superstar in this league. They've got a great mix of vets and young guys. No disrespect to the Magic or Wizards, but Portland is going to be, without a doubt, the toughest team we face.
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Post by Miege22 on Mar 26, 2018 1:13:59 GMT -5
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! NETS DEFEAT BLAZERS, WIN THIRD TITLE IN FRANCHISE HISTORY
As the series reached it's final day, and the Nets clinging to a 5-4 lead, it seemed as if the Finals were going to go the way of the 2011 series. Seven years ago, in the franchise's first trip to the championship round, four categories were up for grabs in the last 24 hours. The Nets lost all four, and lost the series in heartbreaking fashion. This time around, Brooklyn needed to hang on in one category to finish the job. And finish the job they did. LeBron James, the Finals MVP, got things started with a dominant 37-point performance that put everyone on notice. Despite a long and illustrious career, James had not yet won a title. He'd been to the finals two times before, each time falling just short. This time, however, he could taste it. DeMarre Carroll and James Harden had 18 a piece, and Taurean Prince exploded for 28 as the Nets ran away with the category, and the title.
It seems almost hard to believe that this team, one that likely wouldn't crack the top-4 Nets' teams of all-time, would end up winning it all. It seemed even harder to believe when they were struggling through their second loss in three weeks right before the playoffs, dropping their record to 9-5 and James Harden working his way back from a hamstring injury. For the Nets in general, and LeBron James in particular, it appeared as if this season would be yet another valiant effort that came up short. Following that loss, coincidentally to the Blazers, LeBron tried to take the long view, "I've been in this league a long time, man. A real long time. I know what I bring to the table, we all know what James (Harden) brings to the table, and we got some good guys here. The front office is talking about making some moves. We'll be in the playoffs, and once you get there, it's anyone's game." At the time, it didn't seem as though LeBron was speaking prophetically in any way, shape or form, but truer words had never been spoken. Get to the playoffs, and it truly is anyone's ballgame.
With Harden healthy, and LeBron playing arguably the best basketball of his career at age 33, the Nets front office was keenly aware of how important this moment was. The Nets were the most active team at the deadline, making three trades for three key contributors. Will Barton, Courtney Lee and Robert Covington were all picked up at the deadline to fill in as many gaps as possible. "Opportunities like the one in front of us don't come around very often in our league," said the Nets GM at the time, "We don't want to come away from the end of the season, whenever that may be, thinking 'what if?'" All three proved to be instrumental in this team's run through the playoffs. Will Barton averaged 18-6-6 while shooting 55%/95% in a first round win over Orlando. Robert Covington picked up 16 huge steals against his former team, the Washington Wizards, in the Eastern Conference Finals, thoroughly outplaying the man he was traded for, Jeremy Lamb. And Courtney Lee, while he didn't put up any major stat lines, poured in 13 massive points on the final day to clinch a championship.
Make no mistake, however, for as much as this championship was a team effort, it started and ended with LeBron James. The 15-year veteran was simply spectacular throughout the entirety of this Nets run, and the moment was not lost on him either. James, long considered the game's best player, has come up short time and time again in his elusive quest for an NBA title. He lost with the Cavs in year one, falling to the Rajon Rondo-led Hawks. He returned two years later with the Jazz, only to watch as Chris Paul and the Bull Sharks completed a cinderella run to their first title. After toiling away in basketball purgatory for two years in Kansas City, failing to reach the playoffs in either season, he knew this could be his last best chance at a title. And he said as much after it was over, "All the hard work, the days in the gym honing my craft, the blood, sweat and tears... it finally paid off. The last few years, not being able to actually compete for this trophy, it was tough. I just wanted to have this opportunity one more time. With this team, I knew we had that chance. It's... hard to put into words what it all means right now." It may be hard for James to verbalize, but what the world just witnessed was the greatest postseason run by any one player ever. In the first round against Orlando, James averaged 26-10-10 on 56% shooting and tossed in 15 threes for good measure. In the ECF, he put up 29-9-9 on 53% shooting, picked up 9 steals and made 20 threes. He saved his best for last in the finals, demolishing Portland with an eye-popping stat line of 33-10-10, 60% shooting, 11 steals, 9 blocks and 10 threes. All told, LeBron averaged 30-10-10 on 56% shooting in the postseason. As always, another exclusive sit-down with the Nets GM...
Congratulations, once again. Has it sunk in yet? To be honest with you, I'm not sure that this one ever will. You know, it's the third time we've been fortunate enough to win one, and this one... from where we started the season to where we are now, might just be the most unexpected.
Take me through that, if you will. You mentioned the differences between the three. What makes this one special? Well, the first time we won, we had a bunch of guys that were trying to redeem themselves for the previous two losses. They were right there in the finals at the end in 2011, then they lost the heartbreaker to Tampa in 2012. There wasn't as much celebration as it was vindication of sorts. The next year, being the defending champs and going undefeated in the regular season... it was a grind, I'm not going to lie. Winning it all was a relief. The guys wanted to win, of course, but I think it was mostly about not losing because losing would have invalidated that team's accomplishments. This time around, James (Harden) is the last guy remaining from those two title teams so it was all new. A new running mate on the wing in LeBron, a new big holding down the paint in Whiteside. As far as I know, Harden is the only one on this team that's actually experienced winning at the highest level, though we had other guys make the finals and lose. So while there was a finality with LeBron around, it was exciting and joyous, I think.
Tell us about LeBron. Did you have any idea he could still do this? I think I mentioned it early in the season, but no, I don't think any of us did. We made the move largely to get Dennis Smith, knowing that, if we could make the playoffs, he'd help us down the stretch. But what he did for the season, playing every game, then in the playoffs? I mean, a triple double while shooting nearly 60%? Get out of here. This is year 15 for the guy, he's 33... I just, there are no words. We've had some incredible performances in this league, and in our title runs, but this... it was the best. Hands down, the best.
What stands out to you the most about this run? I don't know if there's any one thing that stands out, it was really the collective. You know, we caught some breaks, but we also put ourselves in a position to take advantage of those breaks. We didn't sit on our hands at the deadline. We went out and shored up our bench getting RoCo, Cody Zeller, Courtney, Ed Davis, and Barton. We kept Cedi ready just in case we needed him, and lo and behold we did. Then to get to the finals as short-handed as we were-
I don't want to cut you off, but you all were extremely short-handed. How did you overcome that? Well, again, we caught some breaks. We may not have had Zeller, Whiteside, Osman, and Luwawu for this series, and Smith for a couple games, but Portland lost Rondo, Draymond and Andrew Harrison for multiple games. Gordon struggled, DeMar and Dragic didn't play as well as they could have. So I don't want to sit here and pretend like we were totally behind the 8-ball.
All of that may be true, but they still had a 14-game advantage. Teams don't usually win counting categories- That's the power of LeBron and Harden. When you have two guys that combine for nearly 600 points, it makes life a lot easier for everyone else. Of course, the biggest surprise is probably the blocks. For guys like Barton, RoCo and Taurean to block as many shots as they did, that's huge. And we did a great job limiting turnovers. We knew coming into these finals that, even short-handed, we could win if we took the percentages because we were going to make threes, and teams that play fewer games are more likely to have fewer turnovers. Then we would just have to snake one of the counting categories, and we did that with blocks. Of course, we lost FG%, so we needed every last point we could get.
So what comes next? Immediately? The parade, of course [laughs], but no, we'll take some time to enjoy it, then it's right back to filling out the roster. We've got a lot of open spots, but we've got some things we're excited about. We've got a potential top-3 pick in this loaded draft, a kid in Cedi that we're really looking forward to getting to see day in and day out on the big club. We're hoping we can bring back a couple of these guys, but you know how it goes with these things. Winning gets a lot of players paid, and there are some free agents on our team that will definitely get paid.
Can you repeat? Oh, I'm not going to go there. This league is getting so much better, winning just one time is extremely difficult. We all saw what happened the last two years to Memphis. Not only do you need talent, but you need a little bit of luck. But hey, as LeBron said, as long as we get in the playoffs, it's anyone's game.
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Post by Miege22 on Jul 27, 2018 16:40:55 GMT -5
BROOKLYN, FRESH OFF THEIR THIRD TITLE, CONTINUES WHEELING AND DEALING
Just a year ago, before the Nets returned to the top of the NBA mountain, the Brooklyn GM sat down with us and talked about being more "process-oriented." They had just completed a whirlwind month that saw the trading of franchise cornerstone Kevin Durant, swapping the #2 pick for Hassan Whiteside, and were in the process of a wild trading spree that allowed them to turn $2,000,000 in cash into what ended up being the 5th pick in the draft. It was an incredible 6 weeks that signaled to the rest of the league that the Nets were done sitting on the sidelines. They were ready to get back in the ring and chase the crown. The Nets stuck to the mantra of competing while the window was open, making three massive trades at the deadline to shore up the roster. The moves paid off, and the Nets won their most surprising championship in franchise history. However, as the Nets GM also said, they wanted to compete and maximize assets, two goals that often amount to wanting to have your cake and eating it too. Oftentimes, when a team sees an opening for a championship, it will, rightfully, use it's assets to chase that title, future be damned. This is what happened to the Nets in their first iteration. Moving draft picks and young players can bring back instant contributors, but it's fleeting and it raises the price on just about everything. It got so bad for the Nets, that they ended being forced to strip down to the very foundation for an entire year. This time around, the Nets appear determined not to let the same mistakes of the past happen.
Less than two months after winning the championship, the Nets made a move that they absolutely would not have made in either 2013 or 2014: they traded their starting PG of the future for a draft pick. Despite several claims from the GM and the front office that the main reason for trading Kevin Durant was to obtain Dennis Smith Jr., the soon to be second year player was shipped out before the draft even started. It was a surprising move, but only the first of what would be an extremely active summer. The Nets then followed that move up by flipping the newly acquired 3rd pick for the 6th and 10th picks from Cleveland. That gave the Nets 4 picks in the draft, and they used the first two to land their front court of the future in Jaren Jackson Jr. and Mo Bamba. The 10th pick was used on Dennis Smith Jr. replacement, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the 14th pick was sent to Colorado in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon. Just when it seemed like things were going to calm down, the Nets made their two biggest moves of the summer.
Following a week long negotiation, Brooklyn was finally able to complete a monster 4-team deal that brought the team 13th-pick Kevin Knox. The Nets paid a steep price for the rookie out of Kentucky, giving up Taurean Prince, a 2019 1st and agreeing to take on the cap hit of Joffrey Lauvergne. Brooklyn then opened up some cap room by moving Hassan Whiteside, Cody Zeller and a cap hit for Derrick Favors. All in all, only 5 players remain from the end of the season. We caught up with the Nets GM to discuss the summer.
Can you take us through the thought process behind all these moves? Sure thing. First off, our two main goals were to get younger and give ourselves some more financial flexibility. All of these deals made us a couple of years younger, but, more importantly, they gave us a chance to develop something of a farm system. We've now got 6 players on this roster that are 23 or younger, and 5 of them are locked up long-term. If we play our cards right in free agency, we could have a second unit comprised entirely of high upside players at every position.
And the financial flexibility? Right, so that's where the Knox and Favors deals came into play. We really like both Knox and Favors, but we'd be lying if we didn't say that a motivating factor in both of those deal was money. In the case of Knox, we moved Taurean Prince a first AND took on a cap hit. That's a pretty steep price. But Taurean is due for a $5 mil kicker in two years. By swapping him for Knox, we were able to bring a guy we feel can be better than Prince AND put off that kicker for another two years. Trading for Favors gave us the ability to decide next summer whether our bigs were ready, rather than having to wait two years on Hassan. If Bamba and Jackson are ready to hold down the fort, we could decide to move on from Derrick and hop into free agency with some money to spend. Or maybe we keep Derrick. We don't know yet, but having the option is huge.
Does any of this impact James Harden's future status? Well, James is due for a raise, we all know that. How much remains to be seen, but, yes, we had that in mind when factoring in the financials of these deals.
We've not seen this organization use picks as sweeteners in a few years, why the sudden shift? You know, it's not like we have a rule or policy against tossing picks into deals. We've just become a little protective of those assets. Of course, in the case of the Knox deal, we REALLY wanted this kid. Admittedly, he was not a player we scouted all that closely during the season. We only had about 7 guys that we honed in on, knowing that our pick would land top-7. He was right on the outside, but once we had a chance to really watch him in Vegas, the whole staff just fell in love. He's got size, he's got a great shot, he moves much more fluidly than we remember him moving at Kentucky. As much as we like Taurean, and we still think he'll be a really solid player, Kevin just had an upside that we're not sure Prince does. So with that in mind, we were willing to grease the wheels a little bit to make this deal happen. It was also a 4-team deal, and we were so deep into negotiations, that I think we all would have been disappointed if it fell apart because we didn't want to move a pick.
You've talked about the 4-teamer in other areas, so I'd like to focus on the Smith trade. How hard was that and why was that done? It was EXTREMELY difficult to move Smith. Maybe the toughest decision we've had to make in the last 10 years. Our decision to move him does not reflect our opinion on him. I, we, all believe Dennis has a really bright future in this league, and Colorado got a good one. However, at the time, we fully believed that our top-ranked prospect would be available at 3. With LeBron and James able to shoulder most of the load in assists, we had the luxury of trying to shore up other positions. Naturally, the player we had ranked #1 actually went #1, and we had to quickly change course, but I feel like we did a great job there.
Luka was your top-ranked guy, then? Was it unanimous? You know, it wasn't. We did have a few folks that preferred one of the big men, but Doncic was going to be our pick. At he end of the day, it was kind of hard to separate the top-7. Not really sure anyone could go wrong.
So what was the team's top-10? I guess I can share that now, right? It should be noted that our board was incredibly fluid, and there may have been some smokescreens out there, but at the end of the day it looked like this:
1. Doncic 2. Ayton 3. Jackson 4. Bamba 5. Bagley 6. Young 7. SGA 8. Sexton 9. Carter 10. Knox
But, seriously, they were all so close. If we had come out of the draft with any 4 of those 10 players, we would have been excited.
I know we haven't even started free agency yet, but is there anything that's happened so far that's been of interest? We try to stay focused on our own work, but of course we see what's going on around the league. One team that has really gotten our attention is Colorado. They've been quietly building up assets the last few years, and they made some really great moves landing DSJ and John Wall. It's been a few years since they made the playoffs, but we would not be surprised one bit if they were back, and that's great for the league to have a little bit of fresh blood, so to speak. I think, more than anything, the shift in the balance of power has been kind of remarkable. The East has kind of dominated the league to this point, but last year we saw all 4 Western Conference playoff teams boast better records than us. I'm not sure if that will change this year. Memphis has had to retool a bit, but they're still really good. Houston is as stacked as ever. Portland is still really deep. I think those three, even at this point, are locks for the playoffs barring something crazy. After that, I really don't know. It's hard to bet against Utah given their track record, but I can't say they're a sure thing. You've also got Seattle and Oklahoma City building monsters. It just shows you how quickly things can change. In 13-14, Houston was 8-8 and Memphis was 0-16. They were both in the East. We had realignment that summer, Memphis and Houston swapped conferences with Cleveland and Chicago. Memphis and Houston are now powerhouses, and Cleveland and Chicago have stayed around the middle of the pack. No one really could have predicted that 5 years ago, but here we are.
And the East is...? It's trying, I can tell you that much. We're defending champs. Atlanta, Colorado, Orlando and Boston all made moves trying to win. Tampa Bay and Washington appear to be in holding patterns, but they both have superstar players to lean on. Toronto would be in the title hunt if not for some terrible injury luck. The East is so wide open right now. I'm not sure it will be this wide open again. 2019 figures to be a HUGE summer when it comes to player movement. If a team positions themselves well... we'll see.
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Post by Miege22 on Sept 4, 2018 21:08:15 GMT -5
NETS AVOID FREE AGENT FRENZY, PREP FOR SEASON
With the summer of 2018 free agent class, arguably the deepest in years, fielding offers, one team was conspicuously absent: the Brooklyn Nets. The current champions entered free agency with three roster spots to fill and limited cash. Most expected them to try and make one solid signing before bringing in a couple of vet minimum players. Instead, the Nets scoured the market looking for players that other teams were willing to dump for next to nothing. The result was some impressive moving and shaking that landed the Nets Pascal Siakam, Ante Zizic and Kyle O'Quinn for the low price of $1.5 million. The Nets managed to get younger, cheaper, and deeper in the front court without having to get into any prolonged bidding wars. Who better to break down the Nets' free agency moves (or, non-moves) than the Nets GM.
What were the team's goals going into free agency? Well, we had three main goals, two of which I think just about every team tries to accomplish. We wanted to get younger, find cheap long-term talent, and, for this team at least, get some depth in the front court. We didn't have a ton of money to play with, but I think we accomplished all three goals.
The first two goals make sense, but why the emphasis on bigs? It seems this team could use guards more than anything. Maybe we do. It certainly wouldn't hurt. I would push back on needing more guards though because LeBron, who will see a lot of time at the four this year, accumulates a lot of your traditional guard stats, and we fully expect Cedi Osman to see some more time handling the ball. I also think we have far more question marks in the front court than we do in the back court. We don't know what kind of playing time Jaren Jackson or Mo Bamba will receive, and Derrick Favors is an injury risk. We felt like we needed to throw as much as possible at the power forward and center positions.
And do you think you fortified those spots? I hope so. We're cautiously optimistic about what Ante Zizic can do. He's a little slow-footed, but he has incredible touch around the basket and improving range. If he gets minutes, he could be a double-double machine. Kyle O'Quinn is a role player, but he's a guy we've been after for a little while now. He's not going to suddenly turn into a 20-10 guy, but he's solid across the board. He doesn't take anything off the table, as we like to say. And Pascal Siakam... well, we're excited about him.
Can you expand on that last point? Why are you all excited for Siakam? You know how baseball has five-tool players? Pascal is the basketball version of a five-tool player. He's athletic, he's fast, he's got length, he's got the beginning of a dribble drive game, he knows how to pass, how to defend, and his shot is coming around. He's also versatile. He can play the 3, 4 and 5, and he can defend all five positions. He's young, he's signed for three more years at the minimum. I'm still kind of stunned all it took was cash.
You mentioned earlier that you think Cedi Osman might handle the ball. What are reasonable expectations for him? We're obviously excited about him, but we have to keep reminding ourselves he's still just going into his second year and he put up 4 points and 2 rebounds last year. He's looked good this summer though. He just seems to know how to play the game. Realistically... maybe 10 points per game, 3 assists, 3 boards with a steal and a three? I think everyone here would be very pleased with that kind of production out of Cedi.
I'll be honest with you, it doesn't sound like that will get the job done. Look, this is going to be a different year than last season. In all honesty, we were lucky to get to the Finals last season. The rest of the conference kind of caved in on itself. Toronto lost their two best players at the start of the playoffs. Washington just couldn't put it together, for whatever reason, and Orlando wasn't quite ready yet. We caught a lot of breaks. We took advantage, sure, but there were a lot of factors that put us in a position to do that. This season could be rocky. We literally don't know what to expect out of Luwawu, Knox, SGA, JJJ and Mo. We're hopeful that guys like Cedi, Zizic and Pascal can take big steps forward, but we really can't count on it.
So you're saying this team might not make the playoffs? It's possible, in theory. I'd hope we get there though, considering we don't have our pick. We're optimistic. The East is so wide open, it really seems like at least 8 teams could make a run at just 4 spots. The nice thing about having guys like LeBron and Harden, assuming they continue to play at all-world levels, is that we don't need the young guys to come in and be superstars. They can play their games, do what they're good at, and that should help the team win. I don't know how good we'll be, but we should be fun to watch.
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Post by Miege22 on Sept 14, 2018 9:47:21 GMT -5
NETS UNVEIL NEW LOOK FOR 2018-2019 SEASONIn this, the dog days of the season after free agency but before training camp, the Brooklyn Nets have announced a brand new color scheme for the upcoming season. Gone is the simple and staid black and white look of the last 6 years, in it's place is a similar, yet more meaningful look. The black and white have been traded in for a dark blue and light gray look that evokes memories of the city's first professional sports team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. The change comes at an interesting time for the franchise. Fresh off their third title in six years, the Nets' time in the black and white has been the most successful era in franchise history. Rarely do you see teams that have had so much success up and change their look, particularly when they've just won a title. The Chief Marketing Officer of the Nets had a different view, "This, really, has been a change we've been looking to make for a while now. Everyone here is incredibly excited about what this team accomplished, but we're also more excited for what this team can be. We felt there wasn't a better time to make this change, and I think it's important to recognize that, while the colors are changing, everything else about the team's look is staying the same. From the logos themselves, to the uniforms, to the court. We are still very much honoring this city." The colors aren't quite the same as the old Brooklyn Dodgers. The blue is darker and the gray is lighter, which, according to the team, was intentional. "The deep blue and light gray is meant as an homage to the city's previous major pro sports team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. The color scheme has been reinvigorated, much the same way the city has by the Nets' success, but still serves as a reminder not to forget the past," according to the team's press release. The Nets also unveiled a special set of alternate logos solely for the 2018-2019 season commemorating the franchise's third NBA title. These logos are almost identical to the new blue and gray set, with the only difference being "accents of gold in a different section of each logo representing the three titles the team has won." The logos in their entirety (primary, secondary, alternate):
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Post by Miege22 on Sept 14, 2018 9:54:51 GMT -5
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Post by Miege22 on Jan 29, 2019 18:07:48 GMT -5
NETS FINALLY CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT, AWAIT THEIR OPPONENT
It took a little longer than they would have liked, but the Nets clinched their 9th playoff berth in 10 years with a 6-3 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Back before Christmas, it looked as if the Nets were going to run away with the Eastern Conference. They defeated the Boston Celtics to move to 8-2 with 6 weeks left and took the inside track on the top seed. Unfortunately, on Christmas, disaster struck. LeBron James pulled his groin, sidelining him for the next five weeks (and counting). The Nets' schedule wasn't easy down the stretch, but at full strength, it appeared a playoff spot could be locked up in two weeks. And it almost was. Had the Nets left Iman Shumpert on the bench, they would have pulled out a nailbiter over the Jazz. Instead, they had to scratch and claw their way to a win over the Bulls, then find one more win in the last four weeks. After struggling to losses against both the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards, the Nets caught a break against a banged up Thunder team. Now all that's left to do is wait and see who the Nets end up playing in the first round.
What was the mood like after the team clinched a playoff spot? You know, I think it depends on who you ask. If you're asking me, or James [Harden] or LeBron, I think it's a sense of relief. But for everyone else? There were some happy faces in that locker room. It's tough to remember sometimes that this is a team loaded with rookies and second year guys. Mo, Shai, Jaren, Kevin, De'Anthony, none of those guys were even in the league last year. Ante and Cedi are only in their second years, but it's really the first time they are contributing to a playoff team. I guess Cedi played some last year, but he was basically on IR the whole playoff run. That's half the roster comprised of first or second year players. Then we've also had some guys come over that didn't get to play in this last year.
Speaking of which, what was the thought process behind some of the moves made at the deadline? It seemed there may have been a reluctance to go "all in" so to speak. Well, yes and no. I'm going to assume you're referring to the Barton trade? Yeah, that one was tough. We will always love that guy. Everyone in this organization is a huge Will Barton fan, and pulling the trigger on that trade was an incredibly difficult thing to do. But we had to do it to make the follow up moves that we made. I think it's best to look at our moves in the aggregate. We ended up trading Will Barton, Iman Shumpert, Bryn Forbes, Tampa's 2019 and our 2020 for CJ McCollum, Montrezl Harrell, Bobby Portis and KC's 2021. Given where our weaknesses were, I think it made us better. Now, did it make us good enough? Boy, I don't know.
What was that Saturday before the deadline like for you all? It was a damn roller coaster, is what it was (*laughs*). Here we were all excited to pull off the McCollum and Portis deals, and both Tampa and Boston load up. I mean, holy cow. Tampa pulls off Ingles and Lowry, to go along with the Middleton deal they pulled off last month, and we're just shaking our head. Then Boston comes out of nowhere with the Simmons deal? Then Tampa comes back with Nurkic? It was really fascinating to watch unfold in real time. We actually felt like we were in the mix for Ingles, then when Colorado informed us they were taking another deal, we had a decent idea of who outmaneuvered us. But Lowry and Simmons came out of nowhere. These playoffs are going to be a bloodbath.
So what are your thoughts on the Eastern Conference playoffs? It's not last year's Eastern Conference, that's for sure. I really don't know who you can point to as the favorite. Boston will be on a five-game winning streak. Tampa Bay looks like they're trying to drop into that 4th spot, but they'll have won at least 7 of 9. Chicago will have won 5 of 7, and they'll have been one shot away from 6 of 7. Every team is just loaded. There's just no team you can point to and say, "they have no chance." Any of the four teams can make a run to a title. I think the team that scares me the most might just be Chicago. The way they rack up steals and blocks, without sacrificing threes or assists, is damn impressive. The diversity in the building of the four teams is fascinating to me as well. You know, I think Tampa and us were built in a similar manner. We both identified our superstars, Russ for them, James for us, then went out and tried to find some steals in FA while racking up picks that we could then flip. That's worked out well. Boston took over a team that had basically nothing, didn't even have their draft pick, and managed to turn them around with great free agent finds and two blockbuster deals. Meanwhile Chicago has just been building that thing for years. I'm not even sure they've made a trade, have they? It's just been all internal growth and under the radar FA signings.
Can you win? Of course we can win. Will we is another question entirely. No matter what happens, I'm just excited the team will have this opportunity. Especially all the young guys.
What will it take from them to pull it off? It'll start with LeBron being healthy, but that's an obvious one. If he can't go, we're not going to win. No point in mincing words or putting on a brave face here. If he's healthy, we have a chance. Now, after that, Cedi and Ante are going to have to keep up this recent stretch of good play. Cedi can't go back to being a single-digit scorer, he's got to be a guy that knocks down 2-3 threes a game and chips in a few steals. Zizic has to eat up the glass. We'll also need the role guys to help out with blocks and steals, while getting some assists. You know, early in the year, I think we had a very clear formula. James and LeBron took care of the scoring and assists, and everyone else just needed to fill in the gaps. With LeBron out, and James shifting his focus to scoring, we just need someone else to surprise us. We have guys capable of doing it every now and then, but it's going to have to be consistent in February... and, hopefully, March.
Would you say there's a guy on the team that is the barometer of success for you? Like, if this guy is playing well, we're tough to beat. Wow... if I'd gotten this question two months ago, I would have said Pascal or Derrick [Favors]. Now, I think I'd have to say it's the rookies. If Shai, Jaren, Mo and Kevin are contributing at a high level, we're an extremely tough out. Especially Shai and Jaren because I think, right now, their abilities to fill up five or six categories... they just have higher ceilings than the other two. But, I mean, if Kevin is knocking down threes and Mo is blocking shots. Yeah, let's just say the rookies.
OK, last one: anything you're watching in the other conference? I am absolutely enthralled with Kansas City. We all know their owner is... eccentric, but that team is really damn good. We obviously benefited from the deal we made with them, but they were thin at the SG spot, so adding both Barton and Shump was huge. I think it gets lost because of the talk, but KC was a dominant team in that conference once upon a time. They kind of fell by the wayside when their team got old and injured, but they've done a very good job retooling. And, of course, if Utah makes it 10 playoffs in a row, that's just incredible. And if both Utah and Kansas City are healthy... Memphis and Houston have had injury issues. I don't think it would be the craziest thing if Utah and KC played in the WCF. In some ways, those first round match-ups could be more fun just because there are clear favorites, whereas both match-ups here appear to be coin flips. Everyone loves an underdog, and there are definitely two in that conference.
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