Obviously, this is a New Jersey Nets blog, however, the NAS crew absolutely love the NBA in general. So, every week, Sebastian, Mark, Devin, and myself will answer questions regarding the L.

1) The NBA has a "super team" in Miami and Chris Paul is angling to be traded to join forces with an NBA superstar to form another power team.  Are these sort of teams good for the league?

Sebastian: I think with all of the talent in the league, seeing it happen to one team isn't really a big deal.  I think there are enough good teams and individuals to prevent teams like the Heat from going for 65-70 wins.  With that being said, I am probably going to be sick of seeing the Heat on national television after like the first week of the season.

Mark: I've already been on the record as saying "no." I'm a big fan of parity in sports and while I appreciate a team going out building a dynasty through the draft and smart trades, the idea that the NBA's top players are colluding to play with each other is something I don't think the league will ultimately be better for.

Devin: No. No, no, no. Before I launch into my anti-superpower tirade, I have to say that they probably make the league a lot of money, and in this instance we're going to be privy to a lot of amazing basketball next year in Florida. They've got perhaps the best 1-2-3 punch in NBA history, and if CP3 goes to Orlando, we'll have four of the top five players in the NBA (Paul, Howard, Wade, and LeBron) on two teams in the same state. Throw in Bosh, Rashard, and VC (if they don't move him for Paul) and these battles are going to be akin to basketball warfare. They'll be very, very fun to watch. That being said, I hate what this does for the league. As I mentioned in last week's NORT, parity is dwindling and friendships are dominating. I don't want NBA players to want to kill each other, or scream "F*** YOU, MAJERLE!" for no reason like Jordan did, but I would like some competitive pride. I just don't see any when you're conspiring to play with other superstars instead of pushing yourself to be better than them. I hope Oklahoma City wins the next four championships (the fifth, of course, to be won by New Jersey).

DV:I honestly don't mind there being one super team in the league like the one Miami has.  I think how it all went down is sketchy, but if David Stern doesn't have a problem with it (and he usually has a problem with everything), then I guess we need to move on.  I view the Heat like the New York Yankees in baseball at this point.  Love them or hate them, you're going to watch and pay attention to them.  Ask yourself this question if you're not a Miami Heat and/or LeBron James fan - do you want them to lose?  I mean, not just against your team, but lose as much as possible.  Or maybe in the first round of the playoffs when as the top seed in the east after they play the eighth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers?  Maybe you want them to lose in the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.  Well, the thing is, if you're anticipating them losing in whatever manner, and the trio of LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh haven't even played an NBA game together yet, you're paying attention... and the NBA loves it.  There's nothing wrong with having a team that other teams' fans hate and want to lose.

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Dennis Velasco

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I know a lot of Nets fans were grumbling after it was announced that former Sixers GM Billy King was coming in to run the team, but Al Iannazzone has an article up this morning that focuses on some King's good traits. The bottom line, some players liked how he made teams that worked well together, while Larry Brown, who coached the Sixers throughout most of King's tenure, liked how the GM worked with the head coach:

“His effect of what he gets done was always felt afterward,” said (Eric) Snow, the former Sixers point guard and now an analyst on NBA TV. “You may have looked at something and maybe questioned it, but it was typically right most of the times. He’s got a great feel for the unseen.

“We jelled and meshed. Some of it had to do with Larry Brown’s coaching but Billy King was the guy making those deals work.”

and

“The neatest thing is he’ll work with Avery,” Brown said. “That was the best part for me. If you’re going to be successful as a coach you’ve got to have a general manager that believes in you, is loyal to you and an owner that seriously wants to win. They got that.”

Personally, I'm still not bowled over by the choice, but articles like these let me give the guy a little more benefit of the doubt.

Mark Ginocchio

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There seems to be two camps of fans regarding the New Jersey Nets and their offseason.  The first are those that are mired in the negativity of recent Nets seasons, particular this past 12-win 2009-10 season, and the inability to sign any big free agents, particularly LeBron James and/or Chris Bosh.  What stings even more to those in this camp is that secondary stars were not even wooed enough to join the Nets and those free agents that were actually signed do not measure up to those players the Nets "should have" signed.  The other camp recognizes the positive strides the Nets have made with a new owner in Mikhail Prokhorov, a new and excellent coach in Avery Johnson, and see the free agents signed - Anthony Morrow, Travis Outlaw, Jordan Farmar, and Johan Petro - as a welcome change in direction towards athleticism, improved three-point shooting, and defense.  Count myself in the latter camp, but for the sake of the extreme tempering of expectation, let's say the Nets don't make the playoffs and find themselves in the NBA Draft Lottery again.  Who will potentially be available and how would they fit in with the team as it's currently composed?... MORE →

Dennis Velasco

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In a letter to USA Today, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov defends LeBron James' decision to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, calling it an exciting time for the NBA:

We are seeing the birth of a new, dynamic team with such star players, and all of us can await the new season with great anticipation. I wish them success and give them my moral support. I will be happy for us to beat the Miami Heat in the conference finals, maybe not this season, but in the very near future.

Funny dig at the end aside, sorry Proky, can't share in your optimism. I am neither excited nor curious to see LeBron and the Miami Heat next season. Similar tactics/dominance from the Yankees nearly killed my love for baseball in the 1990s and quite frankly, I've always been a more die hard baseball fan than basketball. Unless the Heat experience some kind of karmic meltdown, making the whole thing a colossal failure, I'm really not excited to see a bunch of egomaniacs pretend like they earned anything if/when they win it all.

Mark Ginocchio

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Derrick Favors told FanHouse in Orlando during the Nets summer league games that he had no idea who his father was or knew anything about him.  However, Favors' father got in touch with FanHouse and the result is a really interesting article on the situation, including the fact that his father was a basketball player as well, even playing in college:

What Favors, 19, is doing now is embarking on an NBA career with the New Jersey Nets after being the No. 3 overall pick in last month's draft. The 6-foot-10 forward will start a basketball season this fall for the first time knowing who his father is and believing he inherited some talent from Parker, who was a high school star in St. Louis before signing in 1976 with St. Louis University, where he averaged 10.3 points as a freshman.

The whole article is really interesting and I urge you to check it out.  A really good read on a slow Nets' news day.

Sebastian Pruiti

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In a Ben Couch interview with Derrick Favors, a common recurring theme kept coming back to the rookie's strength and conditioning. Favors seemed pleased with his summer league performance and progress, but knows where he needs to make improvements:

NJNets.com: What did you take away from your week at Summer League in Orlando?

Derrick Favors: That I need to work a little harder, in the post, on all things. Get a little stronger.

I'm obviously pulling for the kid, but I hope given his rawness that fans cut him a little slack in his rookie season.

Mark Ginocchio

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In a great write-up on the Chris Paul situation in New Orleans, CBS Sports Ken Berger lists the Nets as among three teams who the New Orleans Hornets are in discussions with regarding a trade. Berger believes talks with the Nets could "advance" in the coming days.:

There are indications that the Hornets believe the Magic, Bobcats and Nets would have equally, if not more attractive assets to offer. The positive spin emanating from Monday's meeting allows the Hornets to "keep working on it," and puts them in "a better negotiating position to do so," said one of the sources

"They don't want to let CP3 dictate the teams," the person said. "And they can't look like they are being held hostage by his trade demands."

The problem here (ignoring CP3's potential health problems), is that the Nets were not part of Paul's wish list of teams, and with the same folks who orchestrated LeBron's PR trainwreck  chirping in his ear about going some place with an established "superstar" to win now, I can't see a scenario where CP3 comes to New Jersey and is a good soldier about it. My guess is NOLA is probably using teams like the Bobcats and Nets as leverage to get a better deal from a contender like Orlando.

Mark Ginocchio

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Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld.com had a post yesterday that got me thinking.  In the post he ranked the Nets at 15th, last in the Eastern Conference, his reasoning is as follows:

While the young talent in New Jersey is a few years away from making them a competitive team, the additions this offseason were puzzling and won't help the Nets improve the product they put on the floor in the immediate future. Jordan Farmar, Anthony Morrow, and Travis Outlaw are talented role players but they're not the big acquisitions that Nets' fan were hoping for when this summer started. The team wanted to make a splash after missing out on James, Wade, and Bosh but their backup plan didn't stack up to the ones put in place in Chicago or New York. The Nets will win more than twelve games this season but they're still a couple years away from climbing up these rankings.

After praising the Nets for their young core, Kennedy moves on to the Nets offseason', calling their moves puzzling.  Kennedy's reasoning is something that I have heard a lot from media members fans alike, and it is starting to bother me every time I read it (This isn't just a personal attack on Alex Kennedy, love his stuff on Hoopsworld).  What Kennedy does is he looks at where the Nets are at, and compares them to what Nets could have been (John Wall, LeBron, or at the very least Chris Bosh) and then says "look what they could have been, they have been awful this offseason!"  They ignore the fact that the Nets have improved at just about every position while still having about $15 million in terms of cap space.

Look, the Nets have been unlucky this season, I get it.  If the Nets end up winning the #1 pick and get John Wall, they perhaps sign LeBron James and are instant contenders.  From that moment on, I assumed that LeBron wasn't going to take his talents to Newark, and I was hoping for Chris Bosh.  However, the stars aligned an all three of the big free agents signed with the Heat.  While LeBron James (or to a certain extent Chris Bosh) on the Nets would have been fantastic, I think it is important not to judge the team the Nets have now to what could have been.  What people should be doing is looking at the Nets from game 82 of last year and compare them to where they are at now, and that is a huge improvement.

While reading this, you guys can probably guess that I have been in favor of most of the team's signings.  The one I haven't been is the hire of new GM Billy King.  Billy King was pretty inept as the GM of the Philadelphia 76ers before being fired by them a few years ago.  King was a surprise hire, especially with guys like Cho and Pritchard available.  However, if you think about it for a moment, the hire does make some sense.  First, there are reports that King is basically going to be a figurehead for the Nets with Avery Johnson actually calling the shots.  I am ok with that, Johnson is the man coaching the team and he knows what their style will be, so it makes sense for him to have a hand in who the team brings in (in terms of personnel).  The second thing to remember is that Billy King is basically going to be a stopgap for the Nets.  Everyone knows that Mikhail Prokhorov wants to bring in his own GM from Russia, so why will Prokhorov bring in a guy like Cho or Pritchard who would be a longterm hire?  The plan originally was going to be Rod Thorn staying aboard for another year or two and then transferring to Prokhorov's guy.  However, Thorn's retirement threw a wrench into the plan, and the team was forced to scramble, leading to the hiring of King.

I guess what I am getting to in this rant is that the Nets are on the right track.  Look from point A (the end of last year) to point B (right now) and the Nets are not only improved, but are younger, with cap space left over (for midseason acquisitions or next year).  While the playoffs might not be in the plan for this year, the team is on their way to being a playoff team (and maybe even a contender) two to three years down the line.

Sebastian Pruiti

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Just for a little bit of fun and positivity this morning, thought I'd direct you to a slideshow at Bleacher Report. The article lists the Nets as one of the five "sleeper" teams to watch in the NBA this season:

With a core of Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, and Derrick Favors, however, the Nets shouldn't have to worry about having less than 25 wins in a season for at least the next decade.

Hey guys, as disappointing and bizarre as this summer has been, I still think this Nets team is going to be a lot better than it was last year and could surprise people. Not NBA Finals surprise, but let's be patient here.

Mark Ginocchio

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What seemed like an obvious choice earlier in the week is now maybe less so. With Brook Lopez coming off mono and having some conditioning issues and Team USA Coach Mike Krzyzewski looking to go small and athletic in his rotations, Brook looks like he only has an outside shot to make the Team USA roster this summer, according to John Schuhmann and NBA.com.

That's a little disappointing, but I think my biggest concern is that Lopez be ready and healthy for the 2010-11 regular season. When it was announced that he had mono earlier this summer, I was kinda shocked how nonchalant the organization was about it, especially since Lopez lost so much weight. Just keeping my fingers crossed.

Mark Ginocchio

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NAS linked to some rumors a few weeks that had the Nets possibly making a play for disgruntled NOLA point guard Chris Paul. Now that he's openly demanded a trade, thanks in large part to the influence of World Wide Wes and LeFraud, the Nets, in a distant way, are getting linked to CP3 again. ESPN's Chris Broussard says the Magic are Paul's "preferred" destination, though the Nets could possibly make a play for him.

Two things:

1. If the Nets have to dump Derrick Favors and take on Emeka Okafor's contract to make this deal happen, as NetsDaily is speculating, then no thanks.

2. For the sake of the NOLA franchise and the NBA, it would serve Paul right if they either kept him or shipped him to Siberia (Minnesota, I hear Kahn could use a PG). Remember when I said a few weeks ago that "Miami thrice" was going to be bad longterm for the NBA? CP3, who if you believe the Woj report is being heavily influenced by LeBron's (no)braintrust, appears to be the first bit of fallout. This idea of concentrating all of the elite talent in the NBA into very small focal points, is going to kill whatever parity is left in the NBA. Maybe I'm speaking out of turn, but quite frankly, I'm tired as it is of the last three years of Lakers and Celtics. If I have to watch the Magic and Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals for the next six years, that might be enough for me to lose interest in this game completely. Dynasties, when they're built through lopsided trades and players holding their teams hostage, are no fun. Sorry to be a buzzkill.

Mark Ginocchio

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Obviously, this is a New Jersey Nets blog, however, the NAS crew absolutely love the NBA in general. So, every week, Sebastian, Mark, Devin, and myself will answer questions regarding the L.

1) If you were an NBA GM and your owner mandated multiple titles in the next five years, and you had a choice of any player to build your franchise around, who would it be?

Sebastian: It has to be Kevin Durant.  I'm not saying he is the best player in the league (though he will be soon), but when building a team, I don't think there is anyone better.  Not only is Durant a superstar, but he is a guy who does things the right way and he is a good teammate.

Mark: Well, up until a few weeks ago, I would have said LeBron James, because he struck me as the multi-talented do-it-all guy who could carry a team on his back and beat you in so many different ways. I guess he still is, but now that his talents are in South Beach with the Superfriends, it's clear he doesn't have the alpha dog gene and I want my building block to be a cold blooded killer... which given how the game has changed doesn't leave me with many players to pick anymore. For the sake of making a choice, let me go with who I think is going to be next season's MVP and say Kevin Durant. He's a unique player who finds ways to score without having the kiss of death "Next Jordan" moniker or the egomania of Superfriends.

Devin: It hurts me to say it, but the answer is LeBron James. It's possible that somebody like Kevin Durant becomes the Russell to his Chamberlain, but everything I said in my LeBron James FA Targets piece still holds true, regardless of how creepy free agency seems now. LeBron is the most talented basketball player walking this earth right now and at 25 he's entering his prime years. If he doesn't win multiple championships, especially now with his current line-up, he becomes the "biggest" loser in NBA History. I just don't see that happening.

DV: I know that he's "old" and by year five, he might not even be playing anymore, but I'd take my chances with Kobe Bryant.  (Awaits the boos at the choice).  Bryant is hands down the only closer with that crazy desire to win now that LeBron James went down to South Beach, thinking that he needs Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to win championships.  Because of that, he loses testicular fortitude points, which is something you want in a franchise player.

I don't think there can be any argument that Kobe doesn't want NBA titles, he needs them.  I believe that he has two more years of being a dominant player, followed by two more years of being very good to excellent.  I think by then his experience will help his teammates and the team - the wily veteran factor, if you will.  There is no doubt that LeBron is the best talent, but Kobe is the best player.  Over five years, particularly at the beginning, I think Kobe can will himself and his team a couple of titles.... MORE →

Dennis Velasco

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