Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson has already spurned Brooklyn's offer to become the next Brooklyn Nets head coach, saying he has no interest in returning to coaching. But that hasn't stopped him from talking about the franchise on more than one occasion.
After saying to Dan Patrick earlier this week that Brooklyn was the most attractive destination coaching-wise, Jackson expounded on his comments by commending Brooklyn's roster in the New York Times, saying that he prefers it to the New York Knicks:... MORE →
A Rajon Rondo injury won't save Brook Lopez this time. The NBA released the top three All-NBA teams for the 2012-13 season today, and Lopez, the Brooklyn Nets star center, was not among those honored. Lopez was also snubbed as an All-Star game reserve selection in January, until a season-ending injury to Rajon Rondo led to Lopez replacing the Boston Celtics guard on the Eastern Conference squad.
To add Dwightmare to insult, Lakers center Dwight Howard beat out Lopez for All-NBA third team center. San Antonio's Tim Duncan and Memphis' Marc Gasol took the first and second team spots, respectively. Brook finished first among players not on an All-NBA team, garnering 132 points and 7 first place votes from the 119 sportswriters and broadcasters that decide the selections. Though being the first among the losers feels like more of a slap in the face than not being voted for at all. Or maybe that's just me being bitter.
Above is our mix of Deron Williams's best crossovers, both before and after the All-Star Break. During the break, Williams received three cortisone shots and platelet-rich plasma therapy on both ankles while undergoing a detoxifying juice cleanse. After the treatment Williams says he felt like a new player.
The NBA released the top three All-NBA teams for the 2012-13 season, and no Brooklyn Nets players make any of the teams. Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Tim Duncan made the First Team; Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin, and Marc Gasol made the Second Team; Dwyane Wade, James Harden, Paul George, David Lee, and Dwight Howard made the third team.
Nets center Brook Lopez was the leading vote-getter among players who didn't make any team, earning seven first-team All-NBA votes and 132 total points. He finished with more points than the two forwards that made the third-team All-NBA, George (79) and Lee (73).
The voting, done by 119 sportswriters and broadcasters, was totaled by position. Voters were asked to vote for two guards, two forwards, and one center per team. Had the voting been done as two guards and three forwards, as it was for the All-Star Game this season, Lopez would have landed on the third team.
Deron Williams was the only other Nets player to receive a vote, tallying six points.
The New Jersey Nets traded for Deron Williams on a whim in February 2011, gambling that he’d want to be the face of the Brooklyn Nets. After 18 months slogging through Newark, Williams signed a maximum five-year contract with Brooklyn in the offseason, eschewing Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in favor of making a home in Brooklyn (except that he lives in Manhattan).
But Deron Williams was more than just the face... MORE →
What's next for Mikhail Prokhorov's Brooklyn Nets? (AP)
After a first-round exit to a decimated Chicago Bulls team, the Brooklyn Nets have an eventful offseason ahead of them. Even though they don't have the cap room to sign any major free agents or add any salary in trades, they've got a lot of decisions to make that will significantly alter the future of the franchise.
It's a misconception that Nets general manager Billy King, freshly re-upped with a contract extension, has done his work and just needs to sit on his hands through 45-50 win seasons with the team's core. There's work to do, and I've taken a look at what I feel are the five biggest offseason questions -- and decisions -- the Nets need to make.
(Warning: tangential rant forthcoming)
One you won't see here: whether or not the Brooklyn Nets have some chance at acquiring Dwight Howard, who can be a free agent this season. The Nets would have to cut about $30 million* in salary without taking any salary back to even consider acquiring Howard. No team is taking on Joe Johnson's salary for draft picks. Stop it.
*-It's not entirely clear exactly how much they'd have to cut, since it all depends on what the "tax apron" is set at in July. It's expected to be around $75 million, which is where I've based my estimate.
(End tangential rant)
Anyway, the five biggest questions of the Brooklyn Nets offseason. Start below. Start Here: 1 of 5
As a rule in the past decade, the NBA has generally done everything possible to shift away from its reputation as a fighter's league, cleaning up its image with a barrage of stricter rules and harsher punishments. It's done wonders for the league's image and style of play.
Yet Jerry Stackhouse, former Brooklyn Nets guard and favorite superhuman here at The Brooklyn Game, lives in a world outside of this new reality. He's a relic from the NBA's past, a player we can celebrate with equal parts universal fear and respect.
On "Dan Le Batard Is Highly Questionable" with Dan Le Batard and Bomani Jones, Stackhouse cheerfully reminisces about these important times in his personal and professional life, when he beat the living snot out of a teammate or opponent. With a giant smile on his (and everyone else's) face, Stackhouse laughs about his infamous run-in with Kirk Snyder (and Snyder's odd reaction a year later thanking him), giving Christian Laettner a black eye and frying shrimp with him the next day, and more.
I can't tell the stories any better than Stackhouse. Watch above.
C.J. Watson is an unsolvable riddle. All year, I've tried to decipher the veteran PG, figure out exactly how much value he had to this Brooklyn team. Is he reliable? Is he unreliable? Should he take important shots that could make or break a game? After 89 games, I still don't have an answer.... MORE →
If the Brooklyn Nets want Phil Jackson in their organization, it won't be in a coaching capacity. Jackson's reiterated many times that he's not interested in a return to coaching. But in an interview with the Hall of Fame coach on The Dan Patrick Show, Jackson says the Nets offered him the opportunity to coach, not an opportunity in the front office.
Jackson expressed that the Brooklyn situation was the most appealing coaching offer to him, calling it "a good situation," but turned it down. Jackson has said before that he's interested in a return to basketball in a front-office capacity, but the Nets only offered him the head coaching position.
The Nets coaching search has stalled while two candidates (Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw and Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins) complete playoff runs.
Brooklyn Nets forward and Pensacola, Florida native Reggie Evans likes the atmosphere in New York City, the excitement, the buzz, the hustle. But he doesn't forget where he came from.
Evans, home in Pensacola, hosted his eighth annual Reggie Evans BBQ For Pensacola this past weekend, feeding hundreds in his home neighborhood of Pensacola Village. Evans hosted the BBQ on the weekend of his 33rd birthday.
“I pretty much feed everyone there,” Evans told Bill Velona. “That was me growing up. Sometimes you may need help with a meal, sometimes you may need help with a piece of clothing. Just knowing somebody made it, I think it means a lot. A lot of kids in the area know me personally, so if they see me doing things like that, hopefully it will rub off on them.”
His charity doesn't stop there. On July 13th, Evans will host the first annual Reggie Evans Pro Athlete Charity Softball game in Pensacola.
Athletes slated to play include teammates MarShon Brooks and Andray Blatche, Miami Heat forward Rashard Lewis, as well as fellow Pensacola native athletes Derrick Brooks, Justin Gatlin, Johanna Long, Trent Richardson, Michelle Snow, Fred Robbins and Tyronne Green.
Evans says he thought of the idea before training camp this season, and the proceeds from the game will go back into the Pensacola community.
BecknerSports: The #Nets have got to have the worst front office. Firing Carlesimo after a turn around seeing then thinking they can get Doc? Get real 2 hours ago
