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How good of a shooter is Mirza Teletovic?

Posted on: July 17th, 2014 by Benny Nadeau Comments

After a disappointing season in 2012-2013, Teletovic blossomed into Brooklyn's most reliable shooter off the bench and an important cog for the future. In 2013-2014, he shot 38% from beyond the arc and will most likely jockey for a spot in the 3-Point Contest this year in New York.

And, just in case you've forgotten, feel free to relive Teletovic's 34 point game in which he went supernova on Dallas in late January.

Nets fans, just how good is Mirza Teletovic? Be sure to vote on our poll, tweet at us or leave a comment here!

Source: Potential Christmas Day Jerseys Leaked

Posted on: July 17th, 2014 by Benny Nadeau Comments

Uni-Watch

A whole bunch of alleged jerseys from Adidas' upcoming NBA catalog have leaked and were posted on Uni-Watch last night. There, you can find the Brooklyn Nets and their would-be Christmas Day Uniforms. Stylistically, the jerseys have some few differences worth pointing out: the front will have the "B" logo and the back will have the player's first names.

Since Adidas doesn't know the 2014-2015 NBA Schedule yet, they often make up mock drafts for all 30 teams, just in case.

However, after two straight blowouts on the holiday-- one at the hands of Paul Pierce in 2012 and then one with Pierce on their side in 2013-- it's safe to say that Brooklyn will probably get Christmas Day off this time around.

Woj: Nets hire Jay Humphries as assistant coach

Posted on: July 17th, 2014 by Benny Nadeau Comments

GettyImages

The Nets have hired journeyman assistant coach Jay Humphries to help Lionel Hollins and his staff, reports Adrian Wojnarowski. Humphries joins a staff that now includes Paul Westphal, Joe Wolf, Tony Brown and John Welch.

Humphries is likely to be the team's development coach, having served as the D-League's Reno Bighorns coach from 2008-2011. He's also served coaching stints in China and South Korea.

Additionally, Humphries played in the NBA from 1984-1995 with stops in Phoenix, Milwaukee, Utah and Boston.

Alan Anderson returns to Brooklyn on 2 year deal

Posted on: July 14th, 2014 by Benny Nadeau Comments

(AP)

Alan Anderson is returning to the Brooklyn Nets on a 2-year deal, his agency announces. The second year is player option, and our Devin Kharpertian reports that Anderson's deal is worth $2.6 million.

Anderson, who opted out of his original deal last month, will continue to be the crucial 3-and-D reserve off the bench.

Following Pierce's departure and Anderson's return, Brooklyn's roster has begun to take a definitive shape for the 2014-2015 season.

The Nets Roster and Salary Cap Scorecard

Posted on: July 14th, 2014 by Benny Nadeau Comments

Billy King (AP)

UPDATE: Alan Anderson has re-signed with Brooklyn.

The departure of Paul Pierce has marked a new era in Brooklyn basketball as the Nets have already begun to temper their record-setting spending. But where does that leave the Nets for the 2014-2015 season? Here is a handy cheat sheet from HoopsHype that lays out the current assets and obligations:

Via HoopsHype

Salary Cap: Yes, we are still paying Travis Outlaw. Four. Million. Dollars.

Beyond that sad news, even with the salary cap's 7.5% increase to 63 million, the Nets currently sit at a little over 87 million--which, unfortunately, means that the Nets are more than a little hampered moving forward with any moves. With no money to replace Pierce, the Nets may have to rely on a bevy of veteran contracts and rookies to anchor the bottom part of their roster -- assuming, of course, that the Nets continue to express unwillingness to pay a hefty luxury tax.

The Nets' masterplan leaves great roster flexibility in the summer of 2016, when perhaps Kevin Durant will be available. As of now, only Deron Williams will be under contract and Mason Plumlee and new additions Sergey Karasev and Jarrett Jack will have team options. They still plan on signing Bojan Bogdanovic to the mini-MLE that would be worth $10.3 million over three years, but it not official yet. Brooklyn still holds the team option on point guard Jorge Gutierrez and have until training camp to decide. And it looks like Kevin Garnett will likely return to Brooklyn.

So, for now, the Nets sit well over the cap with just 10 players signed. Where do they go next? All indications point towards the signing of rookie Markel Brown. Before Livingston and Pierce moved on, it seemed unlikely that Jefferson or Thames would make the roster, but they may keep Jefferson around after all.

If Bogdanovic does indeed come over for the mini MLE, they will fill the remainder of their roster with the rookies or more veterans on minimum contracts like they did last year. Donte Greene, a staple of Nets Summer League basketball, almost signed with Brooklyn a few years ago before breaking his foot and may be a cheap option to finish out the roster. One source reported that they may be interested in Francisco Garcia.

To recap:

Departures: Paul Pierce, Shaun Livingston, Andray Blatche

Arrivals: Jarrett Jack, Sergey Karasev, Alan Anderson

Likely Arriving: Kevin Garnett, Bojan Bogdanovic

Rookies (Yet to Sign): Markel Brown, Corey Jefferson, Xavier Thames

Potential Depth Chart:
Williams/Jack/Teague
Johnson/Anderson/Brown
Kirilenko/Bogdanovic/Karasev
Garnett/Teletovic/Jefferson
Lopez/Plumlee

Paul Pierce signs two-year deal with Washington Wizards

Posted on: July 13th, 2014 by Benny Nadeau Comments

Pierce (AP)

After just one season with Brooklyn, Pierce and the Nets have moved on from each other.

Paul Pierce has signed with the Washington Wizards for 11 million over 2 years, Marc Stein reports.

With the mega spending from Brooklyn over the last two years, their decision to cut it off now will surely be a much discussed point heading into this season.

Nets crushed by Rockets to close Summer League

Posted on: July 11th, 2014 by Benny Nadeau Comments

- Box Score -

New game, same story. The Nets dropped every quarter to the Rockets and finished the game with zero points in the standings, losing 101-75.

Today, they were the victims of a Nick Johnson triple-double and 28 turnovers. Yes, twenty-eight turnovers. I didn't have a ton of thoughts watching this slow burn of a blowout, but here they are:

Co-MVPs: Marquis Teague and Corey Jefferson:

This may be the best basketball I’ve ever seen from Marquis Teague. Honestly, I’m not pulling any pranks here. He finished with 6 assists in the first quarter and didn’t make me throw up once, both records. At halftime, Hollins spoke with the NBA TV crew and said that he told Teague to be aggressive, confident and prove that he belongs in the NBA. Teague took it to heart, exhibiting a bevy of speed and athleticism.

He finished with 7 points, 7 assists, 3 steals, 4 turnovers on 1-5 shooting. Admittedly, at first glance, those aren't eye-popping numbers, but Teague played with an unmistakable fervor, something that has been missing from his game since last season's trade. Is there hope for Teague?

As for Corey Jefferson, he saved his best for last. He shot 5-5 in the first half and threw down perhaps the Nets' best highlight of the night: an alley-oop from Teague. If Jefferson can sneak onto the team, he’ll provide some nice hustle minutes and athleticism. Lost in the blowout was Jefferson's final stat-line: 19 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks and just 1 turnover in 25 minutes. Not bad for the 60th pick, eh?

Mason Plumlee, of course, did not play. Winer noted that he has no injury and that he wasn’t even with the team today. No need to watch Plumlee tear up Summer League again when he could be spending his time watching inspirational sports movies with Kevin Garnett.

Sergey Karasev looked a little nervous in his first stint with Brooklyn. It’s not particularly shocking given that he just spent a few weeks training and practicing with the Cavaliers and got dropped into a new lineup. Late in the fourth, however, Karasev started to come out of his shell and hit a couple threes and a runner in the paint.

He finished with 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in 33 minutes. Whether or not you think he impressed tonight, the Nets seem high on him and should get his chances this season with Brooklyn.

With Jorge Gutierrez out still, Gill talked about his haircut for the first three minutes of the second half. Immediately followed up by Winer saying: “This has been a blast this week.” It appears as if they forgot there was basketball on and who can blame them?

Markel Brown had a quiet game, but had to duck in order to avoid hitting his head on the rim while grabbing a rebound. So there’s that.

Last year, after the conclusion of the Nets’ final Summer League game blowout, I tweeted: “Is it September yet?” Let’s not ruin that tradition. Is it September yet?

Nets trail entire game, lose 110-91

Posted on: July 6th, 2014 by Benny Nadeau Comments

- Box Score -

The Nets came into today's game with six points and ended it with the same amount. Miami won every quarter and the game-- good for a clean sweep of all eight points. Brooklyn's blowout wasn't from a lack of effort as the Nets aggressively tried to keep up with the Heat's torrid shooting. James Ennis dropped 29 points on 10-12 shooting with 7 threes.

Other thoughts and quotes:

-- Kendall Gill, before tip: “I saw Mason Plumlee do things the great Hakeem Olajuwan did.” Again, wasting no time with the Hall of Famer comparisons, luckily.

Matt Winer: “If Plumlee is coming down around me, I’m covering everything I’ve got. He’s a big, big guy.”

After throwing down a huge alley-oop from Thames, Gill said: "He’s a gazelle." Less than a minute later, Gill followed it up by exclaiming: "He's a horse." It appears more and more as if Gill’s compliments only come in the form of NBA Legends and common wildlife. Plumlee finished with 18 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 2 steals.

-- The Nets allowed three offensive rebounds in the first 2 minutes of the game to officially mark their return to a sub-par team on the boards. In fact, Brooklyn would go on to finish the quarter with zero rebounds. Where are you, Reggie Evans?

-- Marquis Teague looks like he’s ready to accept the Nets’ Annual Summer League Award for Most Frantic Point Guard That Reminds You Too Much Of Tyshawn Taylor. Teague played aggressively and pushed the ball, totaling equal amounts of good baskets and bad turnovers.

-- For the second straight game, Donte Greene impressed on both sides of the ball and finished with 9 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal. If Greene is signed at the end of the summer, it wouldn’t surprise me. Remember, Donte Greene almost signed with the Nets a few years ago before he broke his foot.

-- With a minute left in the first quarter, Jorge Gutierrez went to the locker room following a double team near mid-court. Gutierrez bruised his ribs and did not return.

-- Markel Brown continued to impress with his court vision and passing. He hasn’t had a wild, explosive game yet like Caldwell-Pope or Napier—but it always feels like it’s lurking just underneath the surface for Brown. He’ll be a fun one to watch in 2014.

-- Nick Minnerath hit four 3s and forced a shot clock violation in nearly 13 minutes of action. He’s a long shot to make the team, but in a game where the Nets largely struggled from outside the paint, Minnerath helped keep this one from getting even uglier.

The Nets play again tomorrow against the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7pm on NBATV.

If Kidd’s out, who’s in? Nets Coaching Candidates

Posted on: June 29th, 2014 by Benny Nadeau Comments

It was around this time last year that Jason Kidd set the NBA ablaze, by accepting a head-coaching job with the Nets just a few days after retiring. Not to be outdone by himself, Jason Kidd upped the ante by demanding to be the presidential of basketball operations and now, having been turned down, looks to be on his way out of Brooklyn.

Yes, you read that correctly, Jason Kidd is on his way out of Brooklyn.

If you have the stomach to read up on some of the coaches that may replace future-Milwaukee-Bucks-Overlord-Of-Everything Jason Kidd, we’ve complied a list of potential coaching candidates.

Poll: Do You Want Jason Kidd Back?

Posted on: June 28th, 2014 by Benny Nadeau Comments

Well, tonight officially went bonkers. In case you missed it, the Nets have given head coach Jason Kidd permission to speak to the Milwaukee Bucks to be the head of their basketball operations.

Given what information is out there, do you want Jason Kidd back?

Vote below.

2014 NBA Draft Roundtable

Posted on: June 26th, 2014 by Benny Nadeau Comments

Tonight, the NBA Draft descends on the Barclays Center for what should be an evening of surprises, madness and pure, unadulterated insanity. A particularly weak draft last year was punctuated by the news that GM Billy King had struck a deal for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

Although King admitted yesterday that the chances of acquiring a pick is "not good," the Brooklyn Nets will still likely try to buy a second round selection.

In honor of the day that brought the Nets two bonafide legends (and a truck-load of irrational confidence), The Brooklyn Game is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the 2013 NBA Draft with a special roundtable.

Buckle up!

1. Will the Nets buy a pick?

Devin Kharpertian: Absolutely. Billy King always talks about finding the best talent, and given how deep this draft is, you have to imagine he'll find some somewhere in the second round that he likes. The Nets can't offer more than about $1.8 million and Jorge Gutierrez's non-guaranteed contract, but that might be enough to snag one of Philly's four second-round picks. My guess: they'll buy #39 or #47.

Ben Nadeau: Yeah! I think the whole King smokescreen is easy to see through. Classic Billy King. Which I guess could be a bad thing. Or a good thing. Or it means you like Kyle Korver. We'll just have to wait and see what King emerges tonight. But as sure as the sun, he will emerge.

Chris Hooker: Yes. They will buy into the second round and draft a player who will never play for them and have a name I will never learn how to pronounce. That's how Proky likes to spend his money.

Daniel Soriano: If someone relatively high on the Nets' board slips, King will definitely pull the trigger; however, I don't think they buy a pick just for the sake of buying a pick.

2. Who would you like the Nets to draft?

Devin Kharpertian: With one of those picks? I'd guess a big man, like 7'3" Walter Taveras or the Russian Artem Klimenko, who the Nets worked out Wednesday. (Side note: King was reminded Wednesday that he's never drafted anyone he's worked out, so he might do it just to mess with the media.) But that's only if they assume Andray Blatche is gone for greener pa$tures. If not, Thanasis Antetokounmpo or Spencer Dimwiddie are two names to watch.

Ben Nadeau: This is going to sound crazy, but I want the Nets to draft Shabazz Napier for a handful of reasons. Want a rivalry? Draft the one guy that LeBron James has openly admitted he wants. Want LeBron James? Draft the one guy that LeBron James has openly admitted he wants to play with. With Shaun Livingston likely to leave and Alan Anderson opting out, the Nets could use a backup guard who has a name that isn't Marcus or Marquis. Get Napier and win the draft.

Chris Hooker: I hope they draft CJ Fair, because he'll probably be available in the second round and I know who he is.

Daniel Soriano: The Nets excelled when they were able to roll out lineups featuring multiple ball handlers with the size and quickness to guard multiple positions. I would expect King to keep an eye out to see if any big guards, such as Colorado's Spencer Dinwiddie or fellow dukie Rodney Hood (25th and 40th on Chad Ford's big board, respectively), fall to a spot that the Nets could buy into.

3. Should the Nets be listening to any offers for Lopez and Williams? Should they be shopping them?

Devin Kharpertian: Yes and no? No one's going to give fair value for either of those guys right now, considering their injuries and Williams's recent struggles, so the only reason you do it is if you're hitting the reset button on this era of Nets basketball. That doesn't seem to be the case, not with the 2016 free agency light flickering in the distance. So sure, they'll take phone calls. They'll just be brief.

Ben Nadeau: If we are to believe Chris Broussard (HA!), then the Nets have a shot at LeBron James. Could trading Lopez and freeing up some space help? Probably not. But hey, Billy King should be listening to calls for that very reason.

Chris Hooker: Hmmm. This is a question that needs an answer longer than what I can give in a round table. My opinion on this switches daily, but at this very moment, I think the wisest move is to keep last years roster as in tact as possible. Let's hold on to these two.

Daniel Soriano: Listening? Sure, why not? With both coming off of major surgieries and carrying massive contracts, I doubt any GM would have much interest in surrendering assets for either player, so the Nets would be better off holding on to both and hoping they have bounce-back seasons.

BONUS:

Devin Kharpertian: Boldness isn't my strong suit, so I'll merely say I expect the Nets to at least inquire about this year's annual Josh Smith sweepstakes. But I don't expect anything beyond a check-in.

Ben Nadeau: I bet the Nets will end up with somebody ridiculous like Mo Harkless or Corey Brewer or something. It just feels right.

Chris Hooker: I'm 100% sure Billy King will not trade for Dwyane Wade on draft day. But would anyone really be surprised if he did? I'm 75% sure Billy King will not trade for Dwyane Wade on draft day. It just seems like a injured superstar with a high paycheck is classic Billy King. I'm 50% sure Billy King will not trade for Dwyane Wade on draft day. And a one-year contract no less. Would anyone really be surprised? That's why I'm 25% sure Billy King will not trade for Dwyane Wade on draft day. A D-Wade trade is inevitable isn't it? I'm 100% the Nets will have Wade by the end of today.

Daniel Soriano: The rights to Bojan Bogdanovic for Bogdan Bogdanovic. Not for any basketball reasons. Just to confuse the heck out of everyone.

Nets holding press conference to unveil plans for future practice facility

Posted on: June 25th, 2014 by Benny Nadeau Comments

(AP)

The Brooklyn Nets will host a press conference on June 26th to unveil their plans for the future practice facility in Brooklyn, in the Sunset Park neighborhood at 11 AM, the team announced today.

General Manager Billy King, Coach Jason Kidd, Mason Plumlee, CEO Brett Yormark, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and New York City Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen are all expected to attend.

The Industry City facility is expected to cost upwards of $40 million. Via NetsDaily:

The building, part of the 16-building Industry City complex off 39th Street in Brooklyn, will house the practice facility and team offices on the top floor of the building and perhaps later, a team store on first floor. To accommodate the needs of the team, the Nets will raise the roof by 15 to 20 feet and the property owners will make significant improvements to the entire building. The building is likely to be ready for the 2015-16 season.

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