On the Brooklyn Nets' tough sell in NYC

[golfer]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

http://runningpoint.wordpress.com/20...emiere-season/

Nets face crisis point in once-promising Brooklyn premiere season

Joe Bianca

For the first time since 2006, the Nets are going to have a winning record at the All-Star break. They have a slick new stadium in the commercial epicenter of Brooklyn that regularly sells out and has drawn the 7th-most fans in the NBA this season. Compared to the last several years of dreadful teams playing in front of empty houses in East Rutherford and Newark, including the 12-70 crater of a season in 2009-10, the championship-less franchise appears to be in a good place.

But the inaugural season in Brooklyn has been a frustrating one full of starts and stops for fans who were sold the idea that the team would resemble a finished product when it moved into the Barclays Center this past offseason, ready to contend with the powers in the Eastern Conference. The Nets got off to an auspicious beginning under head coach Avery Johnson, starting the season with an 11-4 stretch that including a seismic overtime victory over the crosstown rival Knicks. Then they dropped 10 of their next 13 games, including two losses to their Manhattan nemeses. It was enough to get Johnson fired just weeks after being named Eastern Conference coach of the month.

Under interim coach P.J. Carlesimo, the Nets thrived initially, going 14-2 to run their record to 28-16 and put a real scare into the top seeds in the East for the first time. Then came a pair of humbling road losses to the Grizzlies and Rockets and, sandwiched around a win over the lowly Magic, a disastrous 3rd quarter at home against the Heat, the conference’s standard-bearer. In front of owner Mikhail Prokhorov and a national audience, Brooklyn was blown away by the defending champions 36-14 in the penultimate period. It was a thoroughly embarrassing performance, an apparent exposition of a franchise that had made some progress, but was still not close to a point where it could contend seriously.

The Nets haven’t looked the same since that 3rd quarter and are now reeling from three disastrous losses in their past four games. First, they couldn’t close out another national television game against a mediocre Lakers team that was missing Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace in crunch time. After an uninspired 3-point win over the 18-31 Pistons, the Nets were humiliated by the 13-35 Wizards and turned a 6-point halftime lead against the Spurs into a 25-point home loss, once again on national television.

In fact, chances are the only highlight you saw from any of those games was the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and his 34-year-old body dunking in the faces of both Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries, two guys the Nets are paying a total of $21,682,345 this season to average a combined 14.8 points per game.

And therein lies the issue. The reputation of the Brooklyn Nets is rapidly becoming one the still skeptical borough won’t stand for: a soft team of overpaid, underachieving players and clueless coaches. Deron Williams took a max contract from the team in the offseason and has responded by posting his lowest PER since 2006-07, his second season in the NBA. Joe Johnson, already notorious as one of the most overpaid players in the league, is putting up his worst PER since 2003-04. Gerald Wallace’s PER is his lowest since he became a starter in 2003-04. Kris Humphries? Lowest since 2006-07.

When this many key contributors are playing this far below their expected output, the effectiveness of the coaching staff has to be called into question. But due to his hasty axing of Johnson, Prokhorov has painted himself into a corner. Even if he knows Carlesimo isn’t the guy, Prokhorov can’t cut loose his second coach in one season without risking putting off high-profile coaching candidates to whom job security will be paramount. Other coaches already made it clear that they didn’t approve of Johnson’s dismissal by stubbornly and politically refusing to put clearly deserving Nets center Brook Lopez on the East’s all-star team.

Lopez has been the team’s one unimpeded bright spot during this tumultuous opening season in Brooklyn. Going into Monday’s game, Lopez was the fourth-most efficient player in the NBA, returning from missing almost all of 2011-12 with what is so far his best season. Lopez is only 24 years old and is signed through 2014-15 at a reasonable salary considering he’s one of very few dominant centers in the league. The Nets made the right call in not trading him to Orlando for Dwight Howard last season.

As well as Lopez has played, a lone all-star is not going to cut it for a franchise with the second-highest payroll in the NBA, one that has more guaranteed money on its books through 2015-16 than any other team by a wide margin. The Nets will have little to no cap room for the foreseeable future and have only three (likely low) first-round picks in the next three drafts. A recent trade rumor sending the Hawks’ Josh Smith to Brooklyn for MarShon Brooks, Humphries and possibly a first-round pick would improve the team marginally, if at all.

This is a critical season, one in which the Nets desperately need to establish a foothold in New York City and lock up the support of a borough that has been craving professional sports since the Dodgers left in 1957 but also houses generations of Knick fans uneasy about switching allegiances. Though attendance has been strong at the Barclays Center, some recent home games — particularly against the Heat and Lakers — have had a discouraging percentage of opposing fans.

Prokhorov chose to come into New York guns blazing, putting up billboards across from Madison Square Garden and letting general manager Billy King go on a spending spree last year. So far, all he has to show for it is an underachieving roster, a lame duck coach, a brutal salary cap situation and a Manhattan neighbor poised to make a deep playoff run. In this city, he’s going to have to do a lot better than that.

Very Nice, Joe.

Having been a fan of this franchise since the ABA days, and having personally attended a handful of games at the RAC (back in the Bernard King, Kevin Porter days), hell I even remember Winford Boynes:, it seems to me the biggest issue with this team, admittedly after only watching a handful of games this year, is Deron Williams. For whatever reason, he has not been the player he either was in Utah, or the guy the Nets incorrectly thought he would be. His reputation puts him in the top 5 point guards in the NBA.. His play, a tad below that. Was he over-rated to begin with, or is something wrong with him physically? I don't know, but he is the key to this team this year, and he is failing against all the top point guards in the league.

And as far as the Nets making the right call not trading Lopez for Howard, I don't think that accurately tells the real story. I think Brook Lopez has made this the best trade the Nets NEVER made, but it wasn't as much their call, as the Magic and Howard making the deal impossible.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by golfer

Very Nice, Joe.

Having been a fan of this franchise since the ABA days, and having personally attended a handful of games at the RAC (back in the Bernard King, Kevin Porter days), hell I even remember Winford Boynes:, it seems to me the biggest issue with this team, admittedly after only watching a handful of games this year, is Deron Williams. For whatever reason, he has not been the player he either was in Utah, or the guy the Nets incorrectly thought he would be. His reputation puts him in the top 5 point guards in the NBA.. His play, a tad below that. Was he over-rated to begin with, or is something wrong with him physically? I don't know, but he is the key to this team this year, and he is failing against all the top point guards in the league.

And as far as the Nets making the right call not trading Lopez for Howard, I don't think that accurately tells the real story. I think Brook Lopez has made this the best trade the Nets NEVER made, but it wasn't as much their call, as the Magic and Howard making the deal impossible.

Yeah, it was worded poorly, I fixed it on the site. D-Will is hurt, but he also has history as a slug who pouts when things aren't going well and he's not the leader at the point that CP3 is.

[rpncaine]

Look for the Pacers to put it to them tonight in Indy. Pacers just lost at home for the first time in 15 games and are looking tough this year. Getting Danny Granger back soon too.

[RockHardTen1985]

Originally Posted by rpncaine

Look for the Pacers to put it to them tonight in Indy. Pacers just lost at home for the first time in 15 games and are looking tough this year. Getting Danny Granger back soon too.

This is the only team who can give the Heat even a scare. They are tough and they play good defense. No one else in the East will even test Miami.

[GPK]

Originally Posted by golfer

Very Nice, Joe.

Having been a fan of this franchise since the ABA days, and having personally attended a handful of games at the RAC (back in the Bernard King, Kevin Porter days), hell I even remember Winford Boynes:, it seems to me the biggest issue with this team, admittedly after only watching a handful of games this year, is Deron Williams. For whatever reason, he has not been the player he either was in Utah, or the guy the Nets incorrectly thought he would be. His reputation puts him in the top 5 point guards in the NBA.. His play, a tad below that. Was he over-rated to begin with, or is something wrong with him physically? I don't know, but he is the key to this team this year, and he is failing against all the top point guards in the league.

And as far as the Nets making the right call not trading Lopez for Howard, I don't think that accurately tells the real story. I think Brook Lopez has made this the best trade the Nets NEVER made, but it wasn't as much their call, as the Magic and Howard making the deal impossible.

Hell, they could use Bernard King now.

[golfer]

Originally Posted by GPK

Hell, they could use Bernard King now.

They could also use Tiny Archibald, Bird Averitt, Super John Williamson, and Bubbles Hawkins!
But they would probably just trade Bernard King again for Rich Kelley

Sorry, don't get much opportunity to use my Nets trivial knowledge these days

[keithting]

Originally Posted by golfer

They could also use Tiny Archibald, Bird Averitt, Super John Williamson, and Bubbles Hawkins!
But they would probably just trade Bernard King again for Rich Kelley

Sorry, don't get much opportunity to use my Nets trivial knowledge these days

Bubbles Hawkins was the man !!!

But really they need a Rick Barry again !!!

[Cannon Shell]

C'mon guys they need the ABA era Dr J to be a factor.

Realistically Williams should have spent the summer getting his ankles fixed up and rested instead of playing in the Olympics. I get that it only happens once every 4 years but he has a gold medal already and the max contract should have created a responsibility as the "guy" in Brooklyn that obviously wasn't a factor. I have always been a fan of his game as he did so many things so well. But the truth is that he has seemed out of shape all season and perhaps the recent revelation that he had PRP on both ankles recently has played a role in that. When you look at his career you start to see that maybe Utah knew that Williams health was going to be an ongoing issue when they surprised everyone by trading him for what seemed like 50 cnts on the dollar. The odd thing about Williams season is that he is shooting less (4 shots per game less than last year) but his assist rate is the worst (by far) since his rookie season. He has always been a more productive playoff player but who knows the way he has played this season.

Humphries IMO is the victim of playing on a better team. His last 2 years where he was a pretty productive NBA 4/5 may have been aided by extensive garbage time as the team was so bad. Shooting 43% for a player with his skill set is indefensible.

Gerald Wallace looks like a horse who was once a solid grade 3 performer that is now really a 50 claimer yet is still paid like a grade 2 horse.

Johnson is a role player paid like a star.

I think the Nets are pretty much screwed this year. IMO trading for Josh Smith is a huge mistake because he isn't what they need (outside shooting) and he is going to be a FA after this year and believes he should be a max contract guy. Having 3 guys who are on max contract deals who aren't worth it is worse than having 2. I have heard Paul Millsap and Ben Gordon mentioned but neither is a difference maker and Millsap is also a FA after this year and is going to want to get paid. I'd trade him for Humphries and Brooks (if you arent going to use him) but I dont think Utah makes that deal. Gordon is an advanced version of Brooks (a really advanced version to be fair) that makes a lot of money. The Nets may be the one NBA team that would pay the luxury tax willingly but cap rules are going to make it harder for teams over the limit in the future. I don't think they are ever going to be a serious contender as long as Billy King is calling the shots.