devo's kidd

Nets 103 Clippers 87; Nets win! The state of the union is strong!

2010-01-27T20:56:00.000-08:00

That's right lady and gentlemen, the Nets avoided the first ever 3-41 start in NBA history; so hats off to them for that. Some thoughts from the game(and maybe a political comment or two...why? Because I can)

-The Kris Humphries trade looks mighty good right now. Not only did the Nets get rid of...wait who was it they got rid of? Eduardo Najera? Really? That rotting corpse is still in the league? Anyway, Humphries has shown a firey motor off the bench since the trade, capping it off with a career high 25 points and 8 rebounds tonight.

-Terence Williams finally showed some of that promise that led to the Nets selecting the athletic swingman 11th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. He only scored 7 points, but he filled out the box score with 8 assists and 9 rebounds. Not only that, he played great defense leading to a game high +11 +/- differential.

-Devin Harris(wrist) and Courtney Lee (oral surgery) were out for the game, leading to Keyon Dooling and Chris Douglas-Roberts taking over the starting backcourt duties. This turned out not to be such a bad thing, allowing Chris Quinn to get a little playing time and T-Will to play extended minutes. Did I forget to mention they won?!

-The Nets had their first double digit lead in 2010 (ouch) when they went up by 10 in the second quarter. Obama used the line "struggling, but encouraged" in the State of the Union. This is kind of how I feel about the Nets tonight. Struggling might be a bit of an understatement right now, but after tonight I am at least a bit encouraged. Not only because the Nets temporarily stemmed their downward spiral into the abyss of NBA worst record infamy, but also because of the future for this team. A potential trade for Amar'e Stoudemire is being discussed(though who knows how realistic it is), they have tons of cap space this summer, and they have two first round draft picks in the next two drafts, including the best statistical chance of anyone to land John Wall this summer.

Nets vs Suns recap; Suns 118 Nets 94

2010-01-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

So with 5 minutes left and the Nets down 18, I'm going to go ahead and make the bold conclusion that the Nets have lost this game(update: the game is over, the Nets did in fact lose...shocking). With that said, here are some notes from the game, mostly not basketball related, as that is just depressing.

-The Nets are now officially half way through the infamous 2009-2010 season, clocking in at a whopping 3-38. The pessimist will look at the season as half way to possibly the worst record ever, the optimist will look at the season as half way to possibly obtaining John Wall.

-The Nets looked great when Steve Nash was on the bench in the second quarter, coming back from a 10 point deficit to take the lead. But then Nash came back in and took control of the game. The man may be a defensive liability and his 2 MVPs may be suspect, but damn is he a wizard on the offensive end.

-Twins Brook and Robin Lopez started against each other for the first time(Robin's second career start), leading to Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel wondering if it is the first time identical twins jumped the opening tip against each other. Certainly not the first pair of identical Stanford twin centers to play against each other, as former Net Jason Collins played against his brother Jarron multiple times.

-Speaking of Eagle and Spanarkel, as per the usual, they were left searching for diversionary anecdocts to keep fans distracted from the trainwreck that is the Nets. They settled on Robin complaining about Brook cheating in monopoly growing up. They also went through a list of famous Robins, including the superhero Robin, Robin Williams and Robin Yount.

- Brook and Robin's mother was also in the stands, showing "equal" love for the twins with a Robin jersey and Nets hat. She calls that equal? Wouldn't equal be a split jersey a la Brady Quinn's sister . The jersey has Robin's name and number, the hat has nothing to do with the older son(Brook was born 1 minute before Robin) other than his team. Also, she praised Title IX when talking about being a college athlete before the landmark legislation. I don't like Title IX, so that is a point against her in my book. But then again, I am a misogynist.

-Leandro Barbosa hugged and high fived the same ref during the game. Maybe the ref is on the Brazilian's payroll. Yeah, THAT explains the loss. Not the Nets' lack of talent or focus.

-Fun "It was over before it began" fact of the game. The Suns average almost 110 points a game for the season and the Nets have never scored more than 107 in a game.

the 15th man

2010-01-18T18:36:00.000-08:00

So first the Nets cut Sean Williams, their troubled but talented 17th pick in the 2007 draft. Then they used that roster spot on Shawne Williams from Dallas, the troubled but talented 17th pick in the 2006 draft. It was speculated they would cut Williams as he was in the trade mostly for logistical reasons, but then the Nets announced they would take a free look at him.

A few days later, however, they announced they cut Williams. Turns out he was running his own little pharmacy and the Feds didn't like it(his mugshot from the arrest is the picture in this post). Before the news broke of Williams codeine concotions some people speculated that perhaps he was cut to make room for another trade. That was exciting. Then the real reason came out. That was realistic and sobering. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2009-2010 New Jersey Nets!

So that leaves the Nets with 14 players. If I had it my way, the league would pass a temporary rule that allows the Nets to play all 14 at once on the court. Admit it, you thought for a second, "They'll still lose!" Probably. Regardless, that's not going to happen, so we'll just focus on signing and/or trading for a 15th player.

But what are the options? Other than trading, we could call up a D-Leauger. That may not be a bad idea. A hungry young player who hasn't been around the culture of losing and is excited to just be in the league might be a shot in the arm. And before you say there is no talent in the D-Leauge, remember that Chris Anderson aka Birdman and Chuck Hayes, the 6'6" starting center(that's right 6 foot 6 center), were D-League callups. So yeah, if the Nets can get an effective white, overly tattooed energy forward with a bad mohawk or a midget center from the D-League, by all means, they should do so.

The other option is to sign a free agent. Perhaps an over the hill star who is hoping for one last chance at NBA glory. The Bucks filled the vacancy left by Michael Redd's faberge legs with two time all star Jerry Stackhouse. Who is avaible for the Nets? Well it would be fitting for this season if they reunited with troubled former Net Stephon Marbury, but he just signed a contract to play in China(yes that's right...China). I am not sure if it is possible, but perhaps the Nets could lure Josh Childress back to the states. Whatever they do, the Nets will still be 3-37 tomorrow morning. tear.

Worst Team Ever?

2010-01-11T12:09:00.000-08:00

For most basketball fans and casual Nets fan, the only interest in the 2009-2010 season lies in whether the Nets will overtake the 72-73 Sixers for the dubious distinction of worst team ever.

For us diehard fans this is obviously not our only concern (though still a main one). We want to see Brook's post up game develop and learn to handle double teams, we want to see Devin exploit his speed on both ends of the court, we want to see Terrence Williams learn how to act and play like a professional and finally get some good minutes, etc. and so on.

Other than the worst team ever talk, the only thing that garners interest from the rest of the basketball world is the Nets' salary cap space and the chance to land Lebron, or another superstar. Unfortunately the two are intimately related as the shedding of VC's contract both plunged this team into the abyss talentwise and also freed up salary space that will be used to woo free agents.

But if you have no talent, will anyone come? As has been discussed here among other places, the keys to the Nets sales pitch are Brook and Devin, budding stars at the two hardest positions to fill in the game. Brook has looked pretty good and is "untouchable" but Devin's shaky, oft injured season has made him "touchable". It is still unlikely they will move him, but it is good to know that Kiki and Rod Thorn are willing to do whatever it takes to make this team better going forward.

Speaking of which, it is also nice to see some fight from the front office for this season. They took on a bit of extra salary in the Eduardo Najera for Kris Humprhies/Shawne Williams swap, but it is only about 700k so it shouldn't damage their chances of landing a top flight free agent. Furthermore, Humphries has to be an infinite upgrade from Najera, the "energy" guy that never panned out...at all. Apparently more moves are in the works, as the front office is willing to do anything that will help this team moving forward. They may even take a risk and trade for a big name free agent to be now, so they can take advantage of the "Bird Rule" when free agency hits. For an explanation of the Bird rule, and any other Salary Cap questions you may have, check out this great site.

But even if that star arrives before the trading deadline on February 19th, this is a lost season for any casual fans(and a frustrating one at the very least for diehards). So will they turn out to be the worst team ever? You can track their progress here .

Nets-Hornets Preview

2010-01-08T10:22:00.000-08:00

The Nets (3-32) take on the New Orleans Hornets (17-16) down in Nola tonight. Below is a position by position matchup of the game (with Player Efficiency Ratings in parentheses; the higher the better, with league average being 15).

PG
Devin Harris(16.14) vs Chris Paul (26.4)
Last year this would have been an easy comparison, but this year it isn't even a comparison. While CP3 continues his path to being the greatest pg ever(or at least potentially) Devin has fallen from grace. He isn't bad, he just hasn't been close to the all-star that he was last year.
Edge: Paul

SG
Courtney Lee(11.55) vs Devin Brown(13.43)
Not much to write home about either of these guys, except that maybe Brown has been a little bit less terrible than Lee. So I guess we'll have to go with him. But at least the Nets win the matchup of the Devins, so that's something,right?....right?!
Edge: Brown

SF
Chris Douglas-Roberts (14.07) vs Peja Stojakovic (12.19)
Peja has been an abject failure in Nola since signing his big contract with the Hornets in 06 and Chris Douglas-Roberts has been a pleasant surprise since being taken in the second round of the 08 draft. Both of these guys belong coming off the bench, but for reverse expectations, we are going to give the edge to CDR.
Edge: CDR

PF
Yi Jianlian (16.19) vs David West (17.31)
This may be closer than you think, as Yi has looked very solid since coming back from injury. Still, West is a reigning two time all star and much more physical than Yi.
Edge: West

C
Brook Lopez (20.59) vs Emeka Okafor (17.51)
Lopez has not looked good since Yi came back, but is still one of the up and coming big men in the game. Emeka is a solid, but undersized center. I'd go(objectively) with Brook.
Edge: Lopez

Atlanta Hawks 119, New Jersey Nets 89

2010-01-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

What does this picture have to do with the game? Absolutely nothing! But watching the Hawks dancers was about the only enjoyment I got out of this game, as the Hawks opened up a 17-3 lead and dominated throughout. Let me get some thoughts in before the tears break my keyboard...

Chris Quinn made his debut for the Nets tonight in garbage time. Quinn makes the team the most racially diverse worst team ever with black, hispanic, asian and now white players all getting their asses kicked in the Nets uniform. How proud I am...

Yi put in another solid effort with 19 points and 11 rebounds, but it is pretty clear he is a third banana. If Harris and Lopez aren't playing well, the Nets really have no shot. The team was designed this way. Devin and Brook are supposed to be the two integral pieces that are incentives for free agents to come here. Hopefully they can consistently show this off the rest of the season.

The Nets are still not ahead of the 72-73 sixers record losing season, so I guess that's a plus. To see the game by game recap of the Sixers woes, click here.

Nets vs Bucks recap: Bucks 98-Nets76

2010-01-06T11:29:00.001-08:00

If this picture doesn't sum up the Nets' night specifically and season in general, I don't know what does...

Anyway some thoughts...

Before the game the Nets cut Rafer Alston and got Chris Quinn(finally a white guy!). Quinn went to Notre Dame at the same time as Brady Quinn, and I swore the two were related even though they looked nothing alike and Quinn is a common last name. Also, check out his NBA.com profile picture http://www.nba.com/playerfile/chris_quinn/ Oh, what's that you say? What about his basketball skills? Well ...umm...he can shoot.

Brook was bad, Courtney Lee was worse, and Devin Harris was terrible, scoring 5 points and not hitting a field goal for the first time as a Net.

Yi was the only starter that had a decent game, bouncing back from Saturday's off day with a 22 point game on 7-12 shooting.

Welcome back, Jarvis. Jarvis Hayes played in his first game since the opener loss against Minnesota, scoring 7 points and grabbing 6 boards. He will be a key piece off the bench if the Nets make a run at not being the worst team ever. What a goal for a season!

Nets New Year's Resolutions...

2009-12-31T22:14:00.000-08:00

Good riddance to 2009 and the 2009 New Jersey Nets. Welcome 2010, the 2010 draft in June, the 2010 free agency period over the summer, and the start of the 2010-2011 season with the new revamped New Jersey(soon to be Brooklyn) Nets. As we enter the new decade, the Nets are going to quit smoking, go to the gym every day, clean out the garage, and pick up a new hobby(maybe winning?). While they work on those, here are some of my New Year's resolutions for the Nets:

Finish the 09-10 season strong

I, of course, mean finish strong for the Nets. They aren't going to make the playoffs or even win 30 games, but they can (better) avoid being the worst team in history by getting more than 10 wins. Also, since the Nets have already much shit the bed on the season they can win a bunch of games without doing much damage to their lottery hopes. What's that you say? I am just rationalizing? Hell yes I am. I wouldn't (couldn't) be a Nets fan without my handy defense mechanisms.

See the Bigs Develop

Brook Lopez seems well on his way to being an all star center with a well rounded game. What he needs to do now is work on dealing with double teams and keeping his focus after calls don't go his way. I would have given up on Yi JianLian, but he has come back so strong from his injury that maybe he can turn out to be a solid starting power forward. Yi obviously needs to work on strength and defensive toughness, but those will always be short comings for him. Where he has truly been disappointing is where most of his promise was supposed to be: on the offensive end. A seven footer with an adept shooting touch, if he can learn to be aggresive and smart on offense, he could become a poor man's Dirk Nowitzky. You don't think Lebron would at least be tempted by a developed Brook, the all-star Devin Harris, a possible young Nowitzky and a high lottery pick?

Draft

The Nets are going to get a good draft pick, hopefully number 1 but a top pick regardless. T-Williams has been a bust so far, but the Nets did a stellar job in the previous draft picking up Brook Lopez, Ryan Anderson(traded along with Vince Carter to Orlando), and CDR. Brook looks like a future all star, Anderson is a key part of the Magic's rotation, and CDR looks like he could be a valuable change of pace gaurd off the bench for a good team. Hopefully the Nets can be as wise with a high pick this June.

Free Agency

I thought there was no chance of getting Lebron, but who knows? All these pundits pontificate about what he will or won't do, but the truth is only Lebron knows. The move to Brooklyn being finalized and the possible solid core of Lopez, Yi, Harris and ? from the draft might be enough to entice Lebron. Regardless of what happens with King James, I would like to see the Nets be smart with their league leading 23 million dollars under the salary cap. Get a good free agent like Lebron, Wade, Bosh etc. but if you don't, be smart and wait til next year. I'd rather endure another crappy year for future success rather than assured mediocrity.

Thoughts from Section 126

2009-12-28T21:29:00.000-08:00

So I finally made it out to the Izod Center for the second time this year. Unlike last time, however, my 65% Irish heritage didn't bring about any lucky results with the Nets falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder 105-89. Some thoughts from the game:

-If you ignore the final 17 minutes of the game and focus on the first 31 minutes, the Nets actually won 72-70!

-But there are 48 minutes in a National Basketball Association contest (...damn it), and the OKC Thunder outscored the Nets 25-17 in the final 17 minutes(including a 1-14 shooting stretch by the Nets...ouch). The empty Nets looked absolutely lost on offense in this period, with no consistent game plan, low percentage shots and lots of curses that stayed in my head because there was a family with two small children seated in front of me.

-Kevin Durant is a freak. The guy scores more points than he has eaten meals in the past year(40 tonight, 4th in the league at 27.8 ppg). Besides his innate offensive sense, he is virtually impossible to matchup with, being too quick for forwards and far too tall and long for gaurds. This 21 year old young fella may be all that he is cracked up to be.

-Yi had another strong outing in his comeback from injury, tying his career high with 29 points on 10-16 shooting. He was a little less aggressive in the second half, but part of that may be him getting back into game shape. Once Brook breaks out of his slump(only 10 points tonight, 5-11 shooting but only 1 Free Throw attempt), the Nets should be in much better shape. Devo only had 11 points, but he did also have 11 assists. If Yi and Brook can be consistent scorers with Courtney Lee and CDR as compliments, Devin may be more valuable as a distributor than the main scoring option.

-The Nets have been outrebounded in 19 straight games, tying the second longest streak since 1986-1987. Sure other teams are better than the Nets, but alot of this has to do with concentration. They do after all have big bodies who should be able to box out and rebound (Lopez, Boone, Yi). On a side note, Boone was actually out for hte first time last night.

-In terms of views of the game, a lower level corner section like Section 126 is quite nice. The corner gives you the best view of fast breaks and how teams defensive schemes are setup. Also, I got some unintentional comedy from the newlyweds next to me: when the husband said he would take his wife(who was quite hot actually) for a slice after the game, she questioned whether she could get more than one slice and if he was insinuating that she was fat, prompting the man to reiterate his confidence in her beauty and that getting "a" slice is just an expression, that she could get as many slices as she wanted (and there was no sarcasm or irony in this interaction).

Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

2009-12-24T10:12:00.000-08:00

After seven weeks of inactivity with a sprained MCL, Jersey's favorite seven foot asian Power Forward played last night; and played well. Yi JianLian had 22 points on 7/12 shooting (4/6 from three) in 30 minutes of action against the lowly Timberwolves.

Unfortunately, the Nets still lost. But, if Yi establishes himself as a legitimate third scoring option, this team may see more than single digit wins this season. Yi's "raw" potential and "upside" as a "long" (are you proud of me Jay Bilas?) athletic seven footer are undeniable. In his first few years in the league, however, this potential has not materialized due to a noticeable deficiency on the defensive end and a timidity when on offense. Hopefully he is turning a corner in regards to both, as he looked tough pulling in 8 rebounds against a very strong Minnesota frontcourt (Love and Jefferson) and had a chest bumping swagger on offense that he has been sorely lacking. Only time will tell how Yi will turn out, but I think we can all agree we would rather see him manning the 4 spot instead of the likes of Josh Boone, Eduardo Najera and Tony Battie.

Nets Lakers Postgame

2009-12-19T19:18:00.001-08:00

What's that you say? The game isn't over, yet? Well that's how depressing the Nets are, I am writing a postgame wrapup before the game is "officially" over. Final score Lakers - alot, Nets - not alot. Update: The game is over. Lakers 103, Nets 84.

The first half actually had some very promising signs and finished with the Nets LEADING by 2 at the half. CDR proved once again that he has an uncanny ability to score at the rim with a series of awkward herky jerky moves. D-Harris scored 17 in the second after a slow start, and the Nets showed some resolve coming from as many as 14 down to take the aformentioned lead by the time the buzzer sounded.

But then the second half happened...and so did Kobe Bryant. Kobe finished the game with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists as the Lakers took a commanding lead in the third quarter and never looked back. Once again, the Nets showed an inability to maintain momentum through the intermission, scoring only 16 points in the third. Kobe would not be stopped, even with good defense by Trenton Hassell and a broken figer on his shooting hand. At least the Nets showed some heart and stayed competitive up until the fourth...sigh

By the middle of the fourth you knew it was over when Nets GM and new coach Kiki Vandeweghe put in the Williams twins(not actually twins). Terrence and Sean certainly haven't

inspired hope in the coaching staff, but at this point in the season shouldn't they be getting more playing time?

I am not knocking Trenton Hassell, Bobby Simmons or Eduardo Najera, but come on!(ok, I lied, I am knocking

them...they suck) The Williams brothers(again...not really brothers) are hyperathletic talents that haven't lived up to their potential, but it is hard

to work on becoming more consistent on the bench.

Anyway, up next are the hapless T-Wolves on December 23rd at the Izod Center. If the Nets can't win this one...well, let's not think that way.

Nets vs Lakers Preview

2009-12-19T11:49:00.000-08:00

So Kobe Bryant and co. roll into the Jerzee swamps tonight to wack(sorry I've been watching Sopranos re-runs) the haphazard Harris led Nets. Just for fun, let's pretend the Nets and Lakers records aren't 2-25 and 20-4, respectively, and do a position by position breakdown of the starting lineups.

Center
Andrew Bynum vs Brook Lopez
Edge: Lopez
We will give the edge to Brook as he scores more, rebounds more, blocks more, and has a higher PER than Bynum. Also, somehow Bynum has been in the league three more years than Brook but is only 6 months older...oh that's right, while Brook was studying at one of the preeminent colleges in the universe(Stanford), Bynum jumped to the NBA where he was called a "juvenile delinquent" by Dr.Shaq. Also, I'm just a bitter Nets fan...let's move on

Power Forward
Pao Gasol vs Josh Boone
Edge: Seriously, you have to ask?
Pao Gasol is an all-star F/C and Josh Boone is...Josh Boone...let's move on

Small Forward
Ron Artest vs Chris Douglas-Roberts
Edge: Artest
Artest wins this matchup handily though CDR does beat him out for number of names within his name...so that's something right? But then again, Artest counters that with handily beating the crafty southpaw in size, talent and number of fans assaulted in his career.

Shooting Guard
Kobe Bryant vs Courtney Lee
Edge: Black Mamba
Kobe wins this matchup. If you don't know why, you have never seen a basketball game in your life. Courtney Lee has cooler tats though. And he went to college. But it was Western Kentucky, so I guess that doesn't count.

Point Guard
Derek Fisher vs Devin Harris
Edge: Harris
Woo woo! One where the Nets are the clearcut winner...at least, in theory. Fisher's stats are not pretty, but he is a veteran leader and hustler on a team that doesn't need him to do much. Still, I think either team would rather have Harris, a first time all-star in 2009.

Losing by 37 at halftime....

2009-12-18T17:25:00.001-08:00

As I watch (begrudgingly) my beloved(ugh...begrudingly) Nets fall to 37 down(in the FIRST HALF) to the Toronto Raptors, all while scoring 33 points in the FIRST HALF to a team that gives up 109 points a game, I wonder how the Jersey boys will crawl out of their 2-24(soon to be 2-25) hole.

Well, they won't. That being said, I am left to wonder how they will turn things around next year with their league high 25 mil to spend in free agency. The summer of 2010 free agent class is stacked and with Lebron seeming to be a pipe dream, here are the(ok probably also pipe dreams) scenarios I came up with(yes I hate "what if'" sports scenarios as much as you...but my team is 2-24, so just deal). Since the Nets are extremely,highly, better eff'n be likely to get one of the top two picks(John Wall or Derrick Favors) we will come up with two scenarios.

Scenario 1
Starting lineup
C Brook Lopez(under contract)
PF Chris Bosh ( Nets have the money to get him)
SF Stephen Jackson (or another sf that you could get in a trade for Courtney Lee/Yi/draft picks)
G Devin Harris (under contract)
G John Wall (will be first or second pick in draft)

This scenario would leave you with a little money to get a veteran exception F/C to backup Brook and the core of Terrence Williams/CDR/Keyon Dooling to be your bench. If Harris can return to form/Wall turns out to be all they say he is, this would be an extremely dangerous duo. The trade for Stephen Jackson would be predicated on Lee showing a better touch on the floor and Yi coming back healthy from his MCL injury, but these things are not out of the question.

Scenario 2 coming...