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Chris Hooker

Per Marc Stein, Kris Humphries has been re-signed by the Brooklyn Nets for 2 yr/$24M contract. New York Times' Howard Beck also confirms this report.

Just going up online and via SportsCenter: Kris Humprhies is staying with Nets on two-year deal valued at $24 million

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 17, 2012

The move gives the Nets an additional big to pair with Brook Lopez, Mirza Teletovic and Reggie Evans. Last season, Humphries posted career highs in points per game (13.8) and rebounds per game (11.0) in 62 games.

This seems like a great move for the Nets and Humphries, both of whom needed each other. I myself am a big Humphries fan and think he is under appreciated by the league due to his double-reality-star-life. Off the court issues and offensive woes aside, Humphries is an elite rebounder in the NBA and that is worth something to an NBA team. Humphries, Evans and Wallace gives the Nets some aggression and that will be a whole lot of fun to watch.

Chris Hooker

Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Avery Johnson and Billy King were all in attendance for this afternoon's press conference, that was aptly titled Brooklyn's Backcourt.  Needless to say, it was pretty great.

I live-tweeted quotes throughout the whole thing, so check out my Twitter feed (@chrishooker9) for a bunch quotes. But here are some highlights and key points I picked up on during the conference.

(For the sake of consistency, Joe Johnson = Johnson / Avery Johnson = Coach)

• King opened things up, calling Williams and Johnson the "best backcourt in the NBA."
• Williams and Johnson's opening remarks both emphasized the Nets' chances to winning immediately. Both believe that Brooklyn has the pieces to make an immediate impact in the league. Williams also acknowledged the difficulty of playing for a losing team, saying, "The last year and a half was painful."
• On re-signing with the Nets, Williams said it was purely a basketball decision, and King made certain moves that convinced him to stay. He credited the Wallace re-up and the Johnson trade specifically. He didn't mention how close he was to signing with Dallas until, according to my Twitter feed, afterwards, when he said, "I was leaning towards signing with Dallas before I met with the Nets."
• Johnson seems really into playing for the Nets this year. He was asked about what it would be like to play with a great point guard again, which he hasn't done since he played with Nash in Phoenix. Johnson: "I haven't been this excited since my Phoenix days."
• King said that the Johnson trade was sparked by a phone call congratulating Ferry on getting the Atlanta job.
• King and Coach both alluded to the Nets not being done yet. King said his phone was vibrating as he spoke and Johnson said they still have holes to fill. Williams also said that now that he and Johnson are locked up and on board, it will be much easier to recruit guys to the team.
• Some independent filmmaker (?) asked if anyone had been to the Barclays Center yet, to which everyone laughed. But, it sparked a great quote from Coach: "We will have a home court advantage, like Oklahoma City, in Brooklyn."
• When asked about the Nets-Knicks rivalry, Johnson answered that the, "Nets. Definitely Nets," were the best team in New York. Everyone seemed excited about the possible rivalry between the teams, but Coach said that the Nets are trying to win a championship, not a "local championship."
• When asked about Dwight Howard, Williams answered: "Brook Lopez is our center and that is who we are looking forward to playing with."
• King was asked about his relationship with Mikhail Prokhorov and if he gave him permission to spend all his money. King answered that he doesn't view his players as contracts, but as basketball players. He said that spending money and building a competitive team don't necessarily go hand-in-hand.
• Finally, when King was asked about the negotiations with Kris Humphries and King said they want him back and they are working on a contract now. He said it has come down to money. Afterward, Rod Boone reported that King and Humphries are "close" on a deal.

We'll post a video of the press conference when it goes up!

Chris Hooker

The Brooklyn Nets will unveil their newest back court to the media today at noon. The press conference will be broadcast at YES and online at www.brooklynnets.com.

Chris Hooker

The Brooklyn Nets have re-signed C Brook Lopez to a 4 year, $61M max deal. The fourth year, per Howard Beck, is a player option.

This will effectively end trade talks with Orlando for Dwight Howard.

First off, the term "max deal" is pretty unimportant in the grand scheme of things because the Nets were going to be over the cap anyway and giving Brook a whole bunch of money doesn't really matter. There was no way he wasn't getting one, with Hibbert and probably McGee signing max deals as well. Prokhorov also has what you would call "unlimited money."

Second, I really, really, really hope the Nets don't put this poor guy back on the block in December. I hope they told Brook he is their guy going forward and I hope they mean it. Regardless of what Twitter will tell you, Brook Lopez is a very good center and, depending on where Howard ends up, could very well be an elite center in the east. (Cue: I will be writing a story on that idea before the end of the week.)

Third, the Nets HAD to do this deal today if reports are true that he was close to signing with Charlotte and Portland.

Chris Hooker

Update: Some updates from Woj regarding Brook Lopez. This is in a series of tweets.

After spending most of Tuesday negotiating with Rockets and Lakers, Orlando has re-engaged Brooklyn today. To be clear on Magic, they remain in talks with several teams, including Nets, Rockets, Lakers and assuredly more. Brooklyn's fully guaranteed the first 4 years, $58M of a max deal offer for Brook Lopez. This is Brooklyn's way to stave off Lopez signing an offer sheet elsewhere, and crushing a sign-and-trade possibility for Dwight Howard. The Nets can have more flexibility with the guarantees on a 5th year of a max deal, because no team can offer Lopez more than four years. To keep alive chances to get Howard, Billy King can't let Lopez sign sheet. Nor can he let him walk if Nets don't DH. Has to pay Lopez. There's a window Nets can still deal Lopez in sign-and-trade to Magic today, but it's closing fast. Doubt they'll drag this into Thursday.

----

As reported by both Chad Ford and Ric Bucher from ESPN, the Nets have told Orlando they need closure on the Dwight Howard trade by the end of today.

And by closure, they mean deal or no deal.

Bucher reported the story first:

Source: Nets will "resolve" their pursuit of DH today; either get him or move on.

— Ric Bucher (@RicBucher) July 11, 2012

 

Here is Bucher's story.

My take: FINALLY. No matter what happens today, the Nets should hold their head high. They probably had the best free agency in the NBA and will be a legitimate playoff team next season. Brook Lopez is an excellent consolation prize if things don't work out.

Hopefully, the Nets stand true to their word and end this madness today.

Chris Hooker

Per Chad Ford, the Nets have verbally agreed to a one-year deal with Jerry Stackhouse for 1.3 million dollars.

Just going up on ESPN: Sources: The Nets reached a verbal commitment with Jerry Stackhouse on a 1-year deal worth$1.3M

— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) July 11, 2012

A Stackhouse signing likely is more about filling the roster with capable veteran leadership than it is about Stack actually playing basketball. I'd be surprised if he saw important minutes on the court, as he only averaged around nine minutes a game last year and will be 38 by the time the Nets arrive at the Barclays Center. In that regard, I think it's a good signing, although I don't really know why the Nets chose him out of the pile of free agents willing to go for the vet minimum.

The good news is that this does not take the Nets out of the Gerald Green sweepstakes, as per the new CBA, he can still go for the vet minimum if he wants to give the Nets a discount.

Jerry Stackhouse averaged 3.6 points per game and shot 37% from the field in 30 games last season.

Have at it.

Chris Hooker

Per Woj and Berger, the Cavs have pulled out of trade talks with the Nets and the Magic. Take a look:

Cleveland is out as a third-team trade partner in a possible Orlando-Brooklyn deal for Dwight Howard, sources tell Y! Sports.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 10, 2012

League source confirms Cavs pulled out of three-way Dwight Howard trade with Magic and Nets yesterday.

— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) July 10, 2012

Woj reports as well that if a deal happens, it will be between the Nets and the Magic. Berger also claims that the Bobcats, another team rumored to be that magical 3rd team, is out as well.

Call me crazy, but isn't this a good thing for the Nets pursuit of Howard? Eliminates the complexity of the trade. If Orlando and Brooklyn are as motivated to close as reports say they are, I can't see how this ruins the pursuit.

The Dwightmare continues.

Chris Hooker

• The Phoenix Suns have agreed to send PG Steve Nash to the Lakers for four draft picks (two firsts, two seconds). Brooklyn Nets have been linked to Nash for the last few weeks, for a D-Will/Nash pairing, or as a Plan B if D-Will chose Dallas. The Nets instead signed D-Will and traded for Joe Johnson, so bringing in Nash seemed pretty unlikely. Regardless, one of the best point guards to ever play the game is headed to LA, and that's a big deal.

• Another Nets free agent target, and alumni, Jason Kidd is nearing a deal to return to Dallas. Another long shot in a post-Joe-Johnson-to-the-Nets world, but he is now pretty close to be off the market.

• Thanks to Mirza Teletovic cutting his contract by nearly 40%, the Nets are back in the Dwightmare.

• Remember when Billy King was a laughingstock? Yeah, me too.

• According to Jason Kidd, primary Dallas recruiter, thought D-Will was going to Dallas.

• Enter: Your Dwight Howard update.

• MarShon Brooks was instrumental in Joey Chestnut's 68 dog win. Well, he was a judge.

Chris Hooker

Some break news of their decision with an hour-long TV special. Others leave it up to the reporters. Deron Williams does it himself, sending out a Tweet to the masses. As Stephen A. Smith always said, "Deron Williams is his own man."

And that man chose to spend the next five years with the Brooklyn Nets.

Justin, Sandy, Dennis and I all shared some thoughts on the biggest free agent acquisition for our Brooklyn Nets, and what it means for the future of the franchise. Check it out.

1. On February 23, 2011, the New Jersey Nets traded Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and two first-round picks to the Utah Jazz for Deron Williams. Now that D-Will has signed on for five more years, what grade do you give this trade?

 

• Justin DeFeo: A+. Deron Williams is a superstar player, one of the top 10 in the NBA. NBA franchises do whatever they can to acquire one of these players, which is what the Nets did. He was clearly the most coveted free agent in this class and the Nets did what was necessary to retain him, making what was an already good trade into what could become the best trade in team history.
  ... MORE →

Chris Hooker

New Orlando Magic GM Rob Hennigan spoke today on his center's trade request. He said that the Magic want players who want to play in Orlando. Take a read:

We want guys that want to be here. We want guys who are about the things that I explained earlier. We want guys who are about team. We want guys who are committed to something bigger than themselves. We want guys who love the game, who are hungry for the game and are hungry to represent this organization in a unified fashion. We want guys who want the right things.

He also said that Dwight has demanded a trade to the Brooklyn Nets, but that quote is not included in the press conference.

Chris Hooker

Billy King is stuck.

Today is July 2nd, and later this evening, he will be meeting with his potential point guard for the next five years, and he has to have a plan.


Deron Williams has said that he likes playing in Brooklyn. He likes King, he likes Avery Johnson. He likes the idea of being the face of a franchise, of opening a new arena, a new city. He likes living in New York. So does his wife, and his kids. He just wants one thing.

He wants to play on a good team.

Now enter Billy King, who has a hell of a lot on his plate.

He’s got Atlanta GM Danny Ferry on the phone and he is willing to trade six-time All-Star Joe Johnson and his infamous $90 million contract for not too steep a price, just some expirings and a draft pick.

King could pair Williams and Johnson and create a deadly backcourt. He’s already re-signed Wallace and will likely re-sign Lopez. If the Nets starting lineup includes those four guys, how bad of a team can they be? That’s a team that would put every Nets team since the Kidd-Carter-RJ days to shame.

But then, almost by sheer coincidence, Dwight Howard demands a trade to the Nets again on the same day. This of course comes after he previously demanded a trade, was reported as being “determined” to get to Brooklyn, and then made good on those demands by waiving his ETO and signing a one-year contract extension to stay in Orlando.

If King trades for Johnson, the dream of Dwight Howard and Deron Williams is dead and this leaves the GM with three options:

• 1. The Brooklyn Nets trade their expiring contracts and a draft pick to the Atlanta Hawks for Joe Johnson. They pair him with Deron Williams and they move on from Dwight Howard. They force him to live with his decision of opting-in. They enter Brooklyn with a team that is pretty good, maybe even top-5 in the Eastern Conference good. They see what happens.

  Pros: The Nets are watchable.

  Cons: The Nets are stuck with a cap-killing contract for four seasons.

• 2. The Brooklyn Nets pass on Joe Johnson and they put all their eggs back in the Dwight Howard basket. Everyone but #8 becomes available. Brook Lopez is available. Gerald Wallace is available, once he's eligible for trade. MarShon Brooks is available. Every draft pick until 2032 is available. They force the Magic to accept a trade by making offer they can’t refuse. They do everything in their power to acquire a healthy Mr. Howard.

  Pros: The best point-big combo in NBA since Stockton-Malone.

  Cons: They fail, they enter Brooklyn with nothing. Or, they trade away all their assets, miss out on free agency and enter Brooklyn with two good players and ten D-leaguers.

• 3. They wait. They sign players to one-year-deals. They postpone the “grand Brooklyn entry” until next year. They trust that Dwight Howard will become a free agent and they trust that he will come to them with open arms. They promise Deron Williams that if he is patient for one of his five Nets-contract years, good things will come. They stall.

  Pros: The best point-big combo in NBA since Stockton-Malone.

  Cons: Another year of unwatchable basketball, an anticlimactic entrance to the Barclays Center, grumpy D-Will and the very real chance that Dwight Howard changes his mind again.

Close your eyes and imagine that you are Billy King. You are sitting in your office and Deron Williams has just walked through your door. He has just left a very impressive meeting with the Dallas Mavericks and you need to nail this meeting for him to agree to come back. You've just got out of a meeting with Steve Nash and he seems into Brooklyn, but the clock is ticking. There has to be a decision.

What would you do?

Share your answer in the comments and in the poll on the right sidebar.

Chris Hooker

With the much anticipated #57 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the Brooklyn Nets have selected F Illken Karaman out of Turkey.

This was the Nets third selection after taking Kansas' Tyshawn Taylor and Georgia's Tornike Shengalia.

That's all I got on this guy.