The Brooklyn Nets announced yesterday that Brook Lopez will surgery on his fifth metatarsal on January 4th.
Lopez broke the foot in last weeks lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. Billy King since announced that the center is out for the season.
The Nets stated that more details on the surgery will be forthcoming as is.
And we are all still depressed.
Rod Boone from Newsday interviewed Doc Rivers on the Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett trade, and Doc had some nice things, again, to say about his former players.
With Paul, Doc believed that the trade to the Nets would "rejuvenate his career."
There are tons of good quotes in the article, but here are some highlights:
"Brooklyn is trying to win it. They got that, so it’s a win-win for both teams. The tough part of that trade was Paul. That’s tough because he was a Celtic. Kevin was kind of from Minnesota and the other guy, Jason, had been there one year. But Paul, that was a tough one."
"I think (the Nets) will come together. Listen, anything comes together when a lot of people want it to come together, and they have a lot of guys that want it to come together. Paul, Jason and Kevin want to win another title and everyone else wants to win their first. So, if they all want to do that, then it all will work out.”
In today's worthless news story of the day, Jason Kidd revealed at the premiere of the movie Elysium (yeah, I've never heard of it either) that he plans to use the plot of the movie to help with his coaching style.
Okay.
Here's some quotes.
Growing up did you have any futuristic movies or books that made you think the future would look something like the world of “Elysium?”
Jason Kidd: I’m a big fan of the “Matrix.” I thought that was a classic, it kind of gave us something of what the future could be. But also some of the plot of this movie! He’s fighting for what he believes in and so it’s something that hopefully when I see them, now that I’m a coach, I can use this as one of my tools.
Speaking of which, how have the new members of the Nets meshed with the team?
Jason Kidd: They’ve been great, we got a great group of guys. And so I’m very excited about the veteran guys and I’m looking forward to it. But you know, when you come to movies like this you pick up different things. So I’m excited to see what this brings.
Yeah, I don't really know what any of that means either. Bring on the games!
Jason Kidd appeared at a season ticket holder event Monday and spoke about the upcoming season and upgrades to the Nets roster.
Not being a season ticket holder, I was not at the event, but lucky for us, there were some folks tweeting. And they got us covered on quotes. All of these are from Kidd.
Give @TheBKN3, @CowbellNets and @mgbushwick1 a follow to say thanks!
On the team's age...
"It's okay to be older and wiser."
On turning weaknesses into strengths, @TheBKN3 tweeted that, "Compared to last season, Kidd believes depth, b-ball IQ and mental toughness were weaknesses that have now become strengths with new roster."... MORE →
In an interview from Gary Washburn, Doc Rivers spoke at length about his former players in Brooklyn.
And if anyone knows what these two had left, it's Rivers. He believes they will have an impact in Brooklyn, but he didn't stop there.
"I get very emotional whenever I talk about Kevin and Paul. To see them somewhere else, our business sometimes it's tough. I leave (Boston) and people get upset at me and I don't think there's a lot of difference in their case but it was obvious the Celtics decided to move on."
"So Paul and Kevin had to go and that's a tough part of the business. But that will be strange for me, I want them to do well. For a lot of reasons I want them to do well, they could knock off Miami. But it will be interesting. It will be a whole different feeling."
Knock off Miami? I'd take it.
"I think obviously Paul's younger and in tune to play more minutes than Kevin. But I think they're still at the top of their games. I think Paul is still one of those guys who can go off for big nights and still have big scoring nights. Kevin is a culture change. He won't play but 20 to 25 minutes a night and there'll probably be nights when he doesn't play but his presence there alone will absolutely change the culture of Brooklyn. There's no doubt about it. I think for some of the young guys, even some of the veteran stars, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams, will learn and understand what a winner is and looks like and professionalism and being prepared."
"That's what I was most impressed with Kevin, how every game he prepared himself for games. That's what I told our young guys that I just wanted them to watch him prepare for games. It was why he was so consistent. I thought it was that important."
He also has great things to say about Jason Kidd.
"I think Jason will be fantastic in that because he probably when through that a little bit himself last year. He'll be able to relate to that 100 percent. I think Lawrence Frank will be so important for Jason as well. You think about Lawrence, he worked with (the Celtics) staff, so he's worked with Kevin and he's knows Kevin as well as anybody. So I think that combination will be great for Kevin."
Doc is a pretty respected guy in the NBA world, so this is definitely a worthy co-sign.
The Nets, who apparently stole Entertainment 720's money printing machine, have signed G/F Alan Anderson to a two-year deal worth an, as of right now, unknown amount of money.
This is borderline crazy because a vet-minimum deal (which is probably what this is) would cost something around $5M out of pocket for Mikhail Prokhorov due to the absurd luxury tax the Nets are at.
This is also crazy because Anderson isn't a bum. In 65 games last year, Anderson averaged 10.7 points and 2.3 rebounds, while being known as a excellent wing defender off the bench. How do the Nets keep doing this?
My take: after the playoffs, it was clear the Nets were lacking steady play at the 3 and 4, any and all defense, physical/emotional/mental toughness and a deep bench. They addressed and fixed every one of those -- before adding Anderson. Bringing in yet another piece who can help, all while way over the luxury tax, is simply amazing.
I love this.
The moment you've all been waiting for!
Sort of.
The Nets announced their preseason schedule today. It features home and away games against Miami. Cue the excitement.
Here it is:
10/8/13, Tuesday, 7:00 PM, at Washington (Verizon Center)
10/12/13, Saturday, 7:30 PM, vs. Detroit (Barclays Center)
10/14/13, Monday, TBA, at Philadelphia (Wells Fargo Arena)
10/15/13, Tuesday, 7:30 PM, vs. Boston (Barclays Center)
10/17/13, Thursday, TBA, vs. Miami (Barclays Center)
10/23/13, Wednesday, 7:30 PM, at Boston (TD Garden)
10/25/13, Friday, 7:30 PM, at Miami (American Airlines Arena)
In the wake of head coach Jason Kidd pleading guilty to a DUI in July 2012, with a sentence of probation and a possible NBA suspension, Billy King has released the following statement:
Jason has taken responsibility for his actions, and fully realizes that he needs to grow from this experience. We are confident he will make these strides on a personal level and have a positive effect on others as well.
Stay tuned for more information on this as we get it.
Andrei Kirilenko has spoken with a Russian publication on why he chose talking less with the Nets. It's all about the rings.
Here are some of his quotes on the "dream" of playing in Brooklyn.
I got a unique chance to play for a team that is a real title contender. To step on the court with stars like Pierce and Garnett – one can only dream about it! This is a chance to join a crusade. This is the first time in my 12 seasons in the NBA that I will be playing for a team which is now one of the main title contenders.... MORE →
In a report that I tweeted about yesterday, and was written about in a story today from Yahoo! Sports' Kelly Dwyer, Kevin Garnett will don jersey number 2 in honor of late Minnesota teammate Malik Sealy.
Sealy died in a car crash a few hours before tip-off of Game 1 on the 2000 Western Conference finals between the Lakers and Blazers. Sealy was a widely respected teammate of KG and was driving back to his house after celebrating Garnett's birthday when a drunk driver hit him head on. Garnett was the last person to see him alive.
The story, as told by Dwyer, is as follows:
Sealy was an inspiration to KG, as the young forward sported the number 21 as a member of the Timberwolves in response to Sealy wearing the same number while at St. John’s. So when the Timberwolves traded for Garnett’s idol in 1999, KG was through the roof. Sealy spent two seasons as Garnett’s teammate, and though the team failed to get out of the first round in 1999-00, perhaps their season’s top highlight came when Sealy banked in a game-winning three-pointer in a nationally televised game on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Some 13 years later, Garnett is still grinding away. Now a member of the Brooklyn Nets, he’s paid tribute to his late in 2000-01, in an emotional, stirring game that saw KG score 40 points as the Timberwolves won their 11th straight contest.
At around 4:30, the Nets sent an emailed press release confirming the signing of Andrei Kirilenko.
Kirilenko agreed to a two-year contract worth $3.1M with a player option in year two.
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome Andrei to the Nets,” said Mikhail Prokhorov. “He is a true talent with tremendous versatility. As a fellow countryman, I am especially proud that the best Russian player in the history of the NBA will be wearing a Nets jersey.”
“We are very pleased to add Andrei to our roster,” said Billy King. “He is a proven NBA veteran with a unique skill set, and his addition provides our team with increased frontcourt flexibility.”
Last season, his lone with the Timberwolves, the Russian native averaged 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks.
In Brooklyn, Kirilenko reunites with point guard Deron Williams. The two were teammates with the Jazz for five-and-a-half seasons in Utah between 2005-06 and 2010-11, before Williams was acquired midseason by the Nets. In 2006-07, the duo led the Jazz to a Western Conference Finals appearance.
