Tag: New Jersey Nets (Page 15 of 23)

      Bill Simmons’ idiot’s guide to Russian Mark Cuban

      May 26, 2010 /

      I missed this column over the weekend, but it’s a pretty good read for those interested in the Nets’ new owner, Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. Here is Simmons’ prediction for Prokhorov’s first offseason:

      Still, allow me two making-a-splash predictions for this summer. The first: MRMC pounces on Phil Jackson with an absolutely unfathomable offer. How unfathomable? Five years, $85 million. Yeah. That’s what I mean. Prokhorov is already on record as saying that he wants an NBA coach. Why not overpay to get one of the greatest ever? How could the Lakers possibly come close to matching that commitment? And why would Jackson say no to finishing his career in the New York area for the most lucrative coaching deal ever, BY FAR? I say the Godfather offer gets made, and I say Jackson takes it.

      Second, instead of chewing up Jersey’s cap space with overpaid free agents, I bet Prokhorov trades for Andrei Kirilenko — his former CSKA star, as well as an expiring 2011 contract of $17.82 million — in a deal that won’t cost Jersey anything because Utah (struggling to find money for Carlos Boozer) could easily replace Kirilenko with its lottery pick (No. 8 overall) and a second trade. For the Nets, even if they just rented Kirilenko and picked Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors (the draft’s best power forward) at No. 3, that’s an intriguing short-term front line (Favors, Kirilenko and Brook Lopez) and they’d maintain flexibility for a run at Carmelo in 2011 and/or have Kirilenko’s expiring deal to shop this February. And it would go over big back home for Prokhorov. Win, win and win.

      That is a lot of money, but would Jackson agree to coach the Nets? I guess it would depend on how quickly they can turn the roster around. I’d say this is a long shot. But still, with Jerry Buss asking Jackson to take a pay cut, it would make a potentially huge raise pretty intriguing.

      The Nets missed out on the chance to draft John Wall, but they will have a shot at either Evan Turner or Derrick Favors at #3, or even DeMarcus Cousins if they decide that he’s not crazy enough to pass up. Cousins is more of a center, while I could easily see the developing Favors playing alongside Lopez. If Philly takes Favors #2, Turner would be a nice consolation prize, and he can play shooting guard if the Nets have their eye on Carmelo Anthony next summer.

      Regardless, the Nets are going to be an attracting landing spot for free agents over the next few years, especially when the move to Brooklyn finally happens. Players like to play for owners who are willing to spend to win, and there’s a great chance that the Nets will have one of the biggest payrolls within five years.


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      Chris Bosh’s wish list is revealing…

      May 21, 2010 /

      …and not in the way you might think.

      Per ESPN…

      Chris Bosh’s agent has told the Toronto Raptors that he’s narrowed his list of preferred teams to five, two sources told ESPN.com’s Chad Ford at the NBA draft camp.

      The list of five teams — Toronto plus the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and New York Knicks, sources said — were given to Toronto management in case the Raptors want to construct a sign-and-trade deal (assuming he doesn’t re-sign with Toronto).

      Bosh likes that option, sources told Ford, because he’d get one more year on his contract and could make more money.

      I’m not sure why Bosh would give Toronto a list of sign-and-trade destinations that included the Raptors, but hey, sources are sources.

      There are no real surprises there. The Bulls, Heat, Knicks and Lakers have long been rumored as possible landing spots for Bosh. But the absence of a few other teams — namely, the Nets, Rockets and Thunder — is a bit surprising.

      In terms of potential sign-and-trade chips, each team on his list has at least one player the Raptors might want. Chicago has Luol Deng, though he’s a bit overpaid. The Knicks have David Lee, who would be a nice consolation prize if Bosh decides not to re-sign with Toronto. The Heat have Michael Beasley, but his stock continues to fall. And the Lakers have Andrew Bynum, but with his knee injuries, he’s not as enticing of a prospect as he was at the start of the season.

      But here’s what gets me about this story, if it’s accurate — Bosh may want that extra year on his deal, but it’s going to be tough for a team that already has the cap space to sign him to have to take a big hit in young talent and draft picks as well. In fact, this strategy reveals that Bosh is more concerned with the size of his own paycheck than he is with the strength and potential of his new team. I realize it’s a lot of money, but when a player says over and over that it’s “all about winning” and then turns around and forces his new team to give up a couple of prospects and/or draft picks so that he can pocket an extra $30 million (and an extra year on the deal), then clearly he’s being disingenuous.

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      Wizards win the lottery, right to draft John Wall

      May 18, 2010 /

      The Washington Wizards were the big winners tonight, as they bucked the odds and won the 2010 NBA Draft Lottery. The Wizards had a 10.3% chance of winning the top pick and leapfrogged four teams for the right to draft John Wall.

      And Wall will very likely be their pick. This is the perfect opportunity for the franchise to truly start over after the mess that Gilbert Arenas made last season. Look for the Wizards to try to trade Arenas this summer, though it will be tough to find a taker.

      The Wizards were represented by Irene Pollin, the widow of the Wizards former owner Abe Pollin, who died late last year.

      The Sixers also leapfrogged four teams to win the #2 overall pick. I’d expect Evan Turner would be the pick there, which means that Andre Iguodala could be available this summer. The Sixers will also take a long look at Derrick Favors and DeMarcus Cousins as talented big men don’t come along that often.

      The big loser? I’d have to go with the Nets and new owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who looked like his head was about to explode when he learned that his team was going to pick #3. I’d expect New Jersey to take whomever is available between Turner and Favors to play alongside Brook Lopez and Devin Harris.

      See the entire lottery results here.


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      New Nets owner sets the bar high

      May 18, 2010 /

      Russian billionaire and new Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has set some lofty goals for his new team, per the New York Post:

      “If everything goes as planned, I expect us to be in the playoffs next season and championship in one year minimum and maximum in five years,”

      “We will have the desire to win that will be unmatched anywhere in the league. This will be the first-class organization with all the support it needs in terms of resources and stability in the front office and state-of-the-art arena to play in,” Prokhorov said. “This will be the first truly global team in the NBA with exceptional international exposure no other team can [match].

      “There will be fans of the Nets from New Jersey to Brooklyn to Moscow, and I feel pretty sure I can convince the very best of the best that the Nets are the place they want to be.”

      I love phrases like “and championship in one year minimum and maximum in five years.” Prokhorov is certainly optimistic, but there’s another uber-rich owner who has thrown money at his team year in and year out and has nothing to show for it: Mark Cuban.

      In the last 11 years, only five teams have won at least one title, so it’s not as easy as it seems to build a winner. The Nets need to somehow land a superstar or two, via the draft and/or free agency, and need to have a lot more luck along the way.


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      NBA Draft Lottery: Who wouldn’t pick John Wall #1?

      May 18, 2010 /

      The NBA Draft Lottery is tonight, and as always, there is a lot riding on a few ping pong balls. Here is a list of the lottery teams (with their chances of winning the top pick in parenthesis) along with some discussion of their possible strategy if they do win the #1 pick.

      ALMOST A SURE THING

      Nets (25%)
      The Wall-to-New Jersey/Brooklyn rumors have been strong all season, thanks to the Nets’ woeful record and Devin Harris’s struggles. Harris is now viewed as expendable, which means Wall would be a Net if the balls bounce their way tonight.

      Wizards (10.3%)
      Winning the right to draft Wall would allow the Wizards to cut ties with Gilbert Arenas and the franchise’s gun-toting past. It might also convince a free agent or two to sign for the chance to play with Wall.

      76ers (5.3%)
      Jrue Holiday is nice, but he’s not going to dissuade the Sixers from drafting a franchise-savior like Wall.

      Pistons (5.2%)
      See 76ers above but substitute “Rodney Stuckey” for “Jrue Holiday.” That is all.

      Pacers (1.1%)
      Indiana arguably needs a point guard more than any other team in the lottery, but with just a 1.1% chance of winning, they’re hoping against hope.

      Grizzlies (0.7%)
      Memphis would be buzzing with the arrival of Wall, who would seemingly be a great fit with O.J. Mayo, a re-signed Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Memphis would likely make the playoffs next season.

      Raptors (0.6%)
      The chances are very slim, but winning the right to draft Wall would offset the likely loss of Chris Bosh this summer. Neither Jarrett Jack nor Jose Calderon would be enough to convince the Raptors to draft Evan Turner.

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