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P.J. to #FreeMarShon tonight?

Posted on: March 11th, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian 2 Comments

 

MarShon Brooks (AP)

Brooklyn Nets interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo recently shortened the Nets rotation to ten players, in an effort to give Nets forward Mirza Teletovic more playing time. (P.S.: "Shortening the rotation to ten" is code for "benching Kris Humphries.") Carlesimo also noted that guard MarShon Brooks was "absolutely" a part of that ten-man rotation, but after seeing less than four minutes in garbage time in a blowout victory against the Atlanta Hawks, that didn't seem to be the case.

However, Carlesimo stressed that tonight would probably look different for Brooks:

"It was matchups," Carlesimo said of sitting Brooks. "It's just a question of what the matchups are like. I think tonight will be different. It'll depend on who they start, too, but tonight it'll probably be different."

"I'd still like MarShon to get some playing time, in a perfect world. It's really more still looking at individuals and figuring out who's going to be in the rotation and who's going to be out."

Brooks has averaged just 7.5 minutes per game in five March games, after averaging 11.6 minutes per game in his 50 previous games.

Read More: ESPN -- P.J. hopes to play Brooks more in Philly

From The Sixers Side: Philadelphia Expertise

Posted on: March 11th, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian 1 Comment

 

Dorell Wright, Mirza Teletovic

Mirza Teletovic & the Nets try to shut down Philly tonight. (AP)

Two teams racing in opposite directions clash tonight in Philadelphia, as the 37-26 Brooklyn Nets (who have won three straight) take on the 23-38 Philadelphia 76ers (who have lost 11 of their last 12). The Sixers have been in complete freefall for some time now, hitting rock bottom on February 26th with a 98-84 loss to the Orlando Magic that culminated in a reckless and feckless press conference from Sixers coach Doug Collins. Add in that it doesn't appear that Andrew Bynum will play for the Sixers at all this season, and suffice it to say that the year hasn't gone as planned for the Sixers.

Joining me to talk about Sixers basketball is the talented and affable Tom Sunnengren, of ESPN's TrueHoop 76ers Affiliate blog Hoop76. To give you an idea of how the Sixers season has gone so far, read the tone of Tom's answers, then consider that Tom never met a smile or happy thought he didn't like.

And, as always: The BK Game Streak is up. Get to playin'.

Onward!

Devin: The Nets won the first two matchups between these two teams and the Sixers are in complete freefall, losing 11 of their last 12 games. What would have to go right for Philly to sneak their first win over Brooklyn this year?

Tom Sunnengren, Hoop76:... MORE →

Do Any Of Our Readers Live Near Philadelphia? Because Avery Johnson Is Speaking At UPenn Tonight

Posted on: March 11th, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 


h/t Max Weisberg

Tonight at 6:00 P.M., former Brooklyn Nets coach Avery Johnson is speaking at the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. The topic of discussion? "The Business of Basketball."

The Nets, ironically enough, are in Philadelphia tonight taking on the 76ers.

Do you live near there? Do you not have tickets to the Nets game? Bored and want to see what Avery Johnson has to say? Let us know.

On The Night Deron Williams Set An NBA Record, Reggie Evans Made NBA History In A Weird Way

Posted on: March 11th, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian 3 Comments

 

Reggie Evans, celebrating his final free throws. (AP)

Unless you've been completely disconnected from the NBA these last few days while circumnavigating the globe, you've probably heard that Brooklyn Nets guard Deron Williams set an NBA record for most three-pointers in a half with nine Friday night in a 95-78 victory over the Washington Wizards. After hitting his first seven attempts -- including six before the game's first timeout -- Williams eventually settled with 11 total three-point makes on the night, just one short of the NBA record for threes in a game.

But Brooklyn Nets forward Reggie Evans joined a much weirder, statistically odd group of players that night.... MORE →

Nets vs. Sixers: The BK Game Streak

Posted on: March 11th, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian 1 Comment

 

The Nets have won three straight games by double digits... can they make it four? Play "The BK Game Streak" to build a streak predicting how well the Nets will do in each game for a chance to win a $200 Amazon Gift Card!

The game is as simple as it sounds:

1. The contest relies on a standard betting line for each game. (Note: you must be logged into Facebook to play.) To make your prediction, select YES or NO to agree or disagree. For example: today's line is "Brooklyn will beat Philadelphia by ten or more points." If you think the Nets will extend their streak of double-digit victories to four tonight against the 23-38 76ers, select "YES." If you think the Nets will win by single digits, or the Sixers will pull off the upset, select "NO."

2. String together wins and try to get the longest streak of correct predictions before the end of the NBA regular season. Follow game results on the leaderboard on the right sidebar.

At the end of the season, we'll award three prizes to the players with the best three streaks: The Gold Net Trophy (longest streak) and a $200 Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to first place, the Silver Net Trophy (second-longest streak) and a $50 Amazon Gift Card to second place, and the Bronze Net Trophy (third-longest streak) $25 Amazon Gift Card and a Bronze Net Trophy to third place.

Two players at this moment have active streaks of six wins -- Conner Ong and Joey Convery -- and our leader is David Borghard, who has correctly predicted 7 straight games. But with 19 games left on the schedule, there's a lot of time to make up ground.

Read more rules for the contest here.

Good luck!

It Must Be The Shoes: Deron Williams debuts Nike Hyperdisruptor

Posted on: March 11th, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian 3 Comments

 

Deron Williams set an NBA record Friday night against the Washington Wizards, hitting nine three-pointers in the first half against the Washington Wizards. He finished with a Nets franchise record 11 total en route to 42 points in a 95-78 victory. After the game, Williams mentioned that he'd been playing in new shoes, but didn't know what they were called. "Hyper-something" was his exact quote.

Turns out the shoes are Nike Zoom HyperDisruptors, and on Saturday night he wore a black-and-white camouflage version of the same shoe, in the “Fighter Jet” style of Nike Air Foamposite One, according to NBA Kicks.

Here's a look at the shoe Friday night during the first half... MORE →

Pacers Podcast: Nets GM Billy King Talks With Mark Boyle

Posted on: March 11th, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Former Indiana Pacers assistant coach and current Brooklyn Nets general manager Billy King chatted with Mark Boyle of the Indiana Pacers about his time in Indiana, what he's doing now with the Nets, and his plans to get into politics. Spoiler: King references a public but still little-known fact that he was offered to run for Senate by former New Jersey Senator & Governor Jon Corzine, even getting handed $3 million upfront to help run his campaign.

Fun listen. Check it out below.

Listen: Pacers Weekly: Billy King

Sunday 3-on-3: Humphries, D-Will, Division

Posted on: March 10th, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian 5 Comments

 

D-Will's looked like a new man since the All-Star Break. Is it for real? (AP)

Interesting week in Brooklyn Nets land... three blowout victories, one semi-permanent benching of a former starter, and the resurgence of their franchise player. Let's break it down, 3-on-3 roundtable style.

1. Kris Humphries is out of the rotation. Right call?

  • Devin Kharpertian: Well...... MORE →

The Difference: Thoughts On Nets-Hawks

Posted on: March 9th, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Going "The Difference" bullet-style for tonight's recap, with one bullet point for every point the Nets won by:

  • A blowout against the Charlotte Bobcats is one thing. A blowout against the Washington Wizards is one thing. But a big win against the Atlanta Hawks -- even a Hawks team that's a little undermanned -- means a little more. This was as complete a full-team effort as the Nets have had in some time, particularly in the second and third quarters.
  • Even though the Nets took over in the second quarter -- outscoring the Hawks 28-14 -- I actually thought their offense in the third was more impressive. Whenever the Hawks threatened, the Nets seemed to execute their offensive sets perfectly, finding either a cutter or an open shooter on multiple possessions to maintain and extend the lead. Really refreshing offense to see against a team like Atlanta.
  • Andray Blatche had his ridiculous bag of tricks on full display tonight. I'm not sure he took one high-percentage shot all game and he was 9-11 from the field, 9-10 if you discount a last-second heave in the first quarter.
  • Joe Johnson has yet to look comfortable playing the Atlanta Hawks: he even airballed one open three in the second half, to the utter delight of the nine Atlanta Hawks fans in the crowd.

    ... MORE →

Three Straight Big Wins: Nets 93, Hawks 80 (Game Grades)

Posted on: March 9th, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 


Deron Williams POINT GUARD

Shots coming in high-efficiency zones (at the rim on drives or open threes), open teammates catching his passes... The numbers weren't great and he didn't exactly have a performance that would knock your NBA records off, but it slowly seems like we're starting to see "Deron Williams" and not "a resurgent Deron Williams." If this is the point guard the Nets have under contract, and not just a blip on a longer-term radar, this is very, very good news.

Joe Johnson SHOOTING GUARD

Small sample size, but he does not look comfortable playing in Atlanta. Hope it doesn't carry over if they meet in the playoffs.

Gerald Wallace SMALL FORWARD

Thunderslam in the first, but man I wish he'd make more layups.

Brook Lopez CENTER

Had a quiet first half outside of a nice one-handed slam on Josh Smith, but grabbed a gobble of rebounds (yes, I just invented the term "gobble" to mean a group of rebounds) and heated up with some nice hits in the third quarter to help the Nets extend their halftime lead. Was also impressed by the way he patrolled the lane -- Smith & Horford both scored on him in opportunities, but he played good help defense relative to expectation and was probably a bit above average cutting off attempts near the basket.

Andray Blatche POWER FORWARD

Oddly active, enormous offensive game from Blatche -- jumped the passing lane for two of his three steals in the first half, went between his legs and popped jumpers throughout the game (particularly in the fourth quarter), enjoyed a little Point Blatche game on the break without ruining the offense.

Keith Bogans SHOOTING GUARD

Outside of one weird play when Bogans forced offense towards the basket after C.J. Watson looked off him while he was begging for the ball (in his defense, he was WIDE open), he hit his open threes and didn't turn the ball over. I should just have that last part copied and pasted for each game. #RoleStarHipHop

Reggie Evans POWER FORWARD

Given what we know about him and what he can do, he was fine. His pick-and-roll blitz-and-recover defense was great, his rebounding was great, his everything else was forgettable.

Mirza Teletovic POWER FORWARD

Hit one beautiful three from the top of the key. That's all I got.

C.J. Watson POINT GUARD

Felt like he had some issues controlling the offense but hit a big 3 in the fourth quarter as the Hawks were chipping into the lead to give the Nets a 16-point lead.


Brook Lopez dunks on Josh Smith (VIDEO)

Posted on: March 9th, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez puts a flush down on Josh Smith, after the Nets recover a loose ball and Deron Williams finds him in an open spot for the nice poster dunk. Watch:

Video: Gerald Wallace turns clock back with thunderous slam

Posted on: March 9th, 2013 by Devin Kharpertian No Comments

 

Brooklyn Nets forward Gerald Wallace has had some issues hitting layups this season: he's shooting just 51% from in the restricted area, more than 5% below the league average from that space. He didn't seem to have any trouble getting over the rim for this dunk, though. Watch: