So the common theme surrounding the New Jersey Nets is that after shipping out Rafer Alston, Sean Williams and Eduardo Najera, they’re not even close to being done with their roster makeover. According to numerous league sources, Josh Boone, Tony Battie, Trenton Hassell and Bobby Simmons could all be shipped out at any time, provided the Nets get what they’re looking for in return (younger players who won’t put in a dent in the cap flexibility for the summer). Heck, ESPN's Chad Ford suggested that even Devin Harris could be on the block if he nets the team a superstar.

But looking at more realistic roster scenarios, ESPN’s Marc Stein recently suggested the Nets are trying to dump their veterans and free up roster space for “fresh blood from the D-League.”

Whenever I see firesales of this magnitude it seems to indicate one thing – a team is tanking the season in an effort to secure a top flight pick in the draft. The fact that the Nets appear more interested in importing D-League players, who they can likely sign on super short-term 10-day contracts, in favor of winning a few more games with some of their veterans, is a clear indicator that they’ve officially given up on trying to salvage any respectability this season.

Or is it? There’s one huge whole in this logic that must be considered for fans and spectators who criticize the “tank” strategy. The Nets have been incredibly awful with their current mix of young up-and-coming players and veteran, playoff –tested guys. At 3-34, is there really any reason to believe the Nets are a better team with Rafer Alston and Eduardo Najera rather than Chris Quinn and Kris Humphries?

The Nets are in a unique situation that a “tanking” strategy could actually make them better. What’s better for a team that’s currently built around five 20-something guys in Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, Courtney Lee, Yi Jianlian and Chris Douglas-Roberts (provided they're not on the block too)? Picking up players for their bench who have been overlooked for playing time in playoff towns like Miami and Dallas, and filling out the roster using D-League guys who are trying to prove that their NBA-caliber? Or having a veteran guy like Alston who only seemed to succeed in New Jersey at alienating the immature young-uns like Terrence Williams and CDR. Eduardo Najera was supposed to bring toughness and grit off the bench, but he couldn’t keep his body from breaking down long enough to be an example for anyone.

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Mark Ginocchio

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Hey, I know that Sebastian Pruiti guy. Check out his breakdown of the critical possession of the Nets-Hornets game from Friday.

Rod Thorn on trades; more to come: "You’re probably going to see some major deals before it’s over with," he said. "We’ll be talking to people on a daily basis to see if there’s other things we can do that we feel will help, whether it be short term or long term."

Dave D'Alessandro profiles the two newest Nets, and wonders if their acquisitions makes the roster more "high-maintenance."

Eduardo Najera is one happy dude now that he's been traded; "Today is the first time I've been able to smile."

In Orlando, our old friend Vince Carter may be headed to the bench in favor of JJ Redick. Orlando Pinestriped Post (formerly Third Quarter Collapse) has the analysis.

Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn is trying to connect the dots between Gilbert Arenas and Mikhail Prokhorov.

Speaking of DDDB and Daniel Goldstein, he's "still not going anywhere." Hat tip NetsDaily.

Mark Ginocchio

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While most of the trade talk has focused on the Nets' expiring contracts, the ESPN's Chad Ford, over at the TrueHoop mothership introduces a brand new scenario where the Nets could potentially move Devin Harris and an expiring contract or two for an impact player that would help the Nets win now:

The thinking is that if the Nets can land two good players now, that might be better than having to overpay to good players this summer out of desperation.

This tidbit comes on the heels of reports that the Lakers and Rockets had both shown interest in Toronto's Chris Bosh - one of the big free agents to-be this summer. Such a trade could dramatically alter the free agent landscape this summer because of the "Bird Rights" which allows a player's current team to offer them the most money in free agency. By moving Bosh (or Wade or LeBron hypothetically) to another team, it lessens the Nets (and Knicks) ability to sign one of these marquee names, leaving those two teams with secondary players to spend their valuable cap space on.

According to the Ford report, only Brook Lopez is "untouchable" on the Nets.

I have to admit, I'm a bit surprised by this report. Not because I think Devin Harris is necessarily untouchable, but because I really didn't think the Nets would be willing to move one of their "core" guys and abandon their 2010 summer plans.

Total speculation here, but here are my two theories why the Nets would move Devin Harris now:

1. The Nets braintrust believe that his struggles are not linked to injury and that he's simply not a cornerstone player and that last season (where Devin was really only dominant through the first half) was a fluke.

2. The Nets are really, really panicked that they won't be able to land a free agent this summer because of the current trade market, and their current record. Remember, Bosh, Joe Johnson, and LeBron all indicated that a team's record matters. I also think money talks, but we'll see.

Still, trade talk around the Nets just got a lot more interesting.

Mark Ginocchio

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The trade has been made official, and the Nets have sent Eduardo Najera for Kris Humphries and Shawne Williams.  To make room, Sean Williams was cut.  Shawne Williams should also be cut, but it seems the Nets will keep him on the roster for a bit to get a "free look" at him.  Who knows, maybe this trade will help him perform up to his potential (probably won't happen).  The big acquisition in the deal is Kris Humphries.  The ladies of the Fort Worth Dallas area are taking it hard, but I am excited we have him.  I put together a little video of what Kris Humphries can bring to the Nets, and Mark talked to Rob Mahoney of The Two Man Game, and asked him a few questions about Humphries.

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NAS: Kris Humphries has some decent points/rebounding per 40 stats but didn't seem to get a lot of playing time in Dallas.  Any explanation for this?

For one, the Mavs have a lot of talent. At power forward, Dirk Nowitzki's logging almost 38 minutes per game, which only leaves table scrabs. At center, the Mavs had two superior options in Erick Dampier (the anchor of the Mavs' defense) and Drew Gooden (does everything that Humphries does well, only better) combining for an average of over 48 minutes. Throw in some minutes at power forward for Shawn Marion in small bill situations, and there's not much left for a guy like Humphries. To make matters worse, Hump isn't the best defender in the world. He's the kind of guy you hate to criticize because you know he's working hard out there, but he just doesn't have a very good grasp of where he needs to be on defense when his man doesn't have the ball. He's usually slow in providing help, disappointing on the pick-and-roll, and a bit undersized. He has defensive strengths (rebounding, rebounding, rebounding, and the occasional highlight reel block), but for a Maverick team that's trying to forge an identity based on their defense, Kris was often the odd man out of the rotation.

NAS: Do you think Humphries is the kind of player who can succeed with less talent around him?

Sure, as long as your definition of "success" is reasonable. Hump isn't ready to be a double-double guy, even with an increased role. But with extra minutes and more opportunities, he can provide some buckets cleaning up the offensive glass, energize the second unit, and hit the boards with the best of them. Those things are fairly independent of who's on the floor with him. After his time sitting on the bench in Dallas, Humphries will be ready and willing to play and to work hard, and provided he isn't discouraged by the lack of team success (sorry, but it needs to be said), he should definitely have a successful season filling in off the bench at either the 4 or the 5.

NAS: John Hollinger criticized his defense and his knack for taking ill-advised jump shots. What did you see?

I can see Hollinger's concerns about Humphries' defense, but I don't want to beat a dead horse. It definitely qualifies as a weakness, especially when considering how good of a defender Hump could be given his strength and athleticism.

Hollinger described Humphries as a "selfish offensive player," which just doesn't seem to be the case. He may be deceived by Humphries' high usage rate (21.4%, tied for fifth on the team) but that statistic is complicated by a few factors. First of all, a lot of Hump's shots come off of self-made possessions via offensive rebounds. He boards, and goes right back up for a put-back. Those are calculated as used possessions, despite the fact that in most cases, they're not even an honest to goodness shot attempt so much as a heavily contested tip attempt. Additionally, Humphries' finishing skills don't quite measure up to his rebounding, which often leads to sequences in which Hump gets three or four looks around the basket. Even though he's adding possessions with the boards, he's artificially inflating his usage rate. Plus, Humphries is a fan favorite and a garbage time all-star. When he goes in the game, his teammates look to get him points, regardless of who is in the game with him. That's going to inflate Hump's FGAs, and though he's legitimately taking those shots, it doesn't quite qualify as normal circumstances. I'm not sure if suiting up for this season's Nets qualifies either (Hump could very well go into "hero mode" and overstep his role in the Nets' offense), but see what makes Humphries a "selfish offensive player." Yes, he attempts shots around the basket. Yes, he attempts a little over one jumper per game, and in most cases, he's wide open. That's a far cry from what Hollinger's claiming.

Now, if you want to talk about his lack of shot-creating abilities, nonexistent post game, or inability to put the ball on the floor...

NAS: How physically equipped is Humphries to play PF in the NBA?

Very. He's not the tallest at his position (listed at 6'9''), but in theory, Hump has the bulk to battle post-up forwards and the quickness to guard perimeter-oriented threats. But again, there's a gap between Humphries' physical skills and his actual performance. You'd think that both his muscle and and his quick feet would be quite helpful on offense, but Humphries isn't great at driving to the basket or capitalizing on poor post defenders. You'd think that his athleticism would make him an excellent and versatile defender, but something's missing. He can't capitalize on his leaping ability in a natural, organic way like Josh Smith, or compensate with superior technique like Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Hump just doesn't have a mind for the defensive end or the skills for the offensive end, and that's why he's essentially stuck in development limbo. He has everything he needs to be a very successful power forward, and maybe one day he'll get there.

Sebastian Pruiti

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Naje…Naje…Naje…Not Gonna Play Here Anymore

By Tony Maglio

Life is a funny thing.  One moment you’re in an Escondidos, drinking Modelo and thinking the Nets are going to win a very tough road game in New Orleans.  The next moment it is all taken away from you on bad switch defense and a touch-foul homer call.  You still have your Modelo, but the food kind of sucks and nothing else is the same.  Life and the Nets are similar in this regard, if you get your hopes too high, both can let you down.  I should have been a Lakers fan, and we should have gone to Chili’s.

But once in a while, both life and the Nets throw you a bone.  Some days you wake up and the world just feels right.  It doesn’t feel like New Jersey in January anymore.  You watch Paul Blart: Mall Cop – and it’s not even as bad as you thought it would be.  There are two NFL playoff games on later; and it’s a Saturday!  You turn on your laptop, head to NetsAreScorching.com, and you realize why everyone seems to have an extra spring in their step today, why neighbors are somewhat extra-neighborly - Eduardo Najera is gone.  He’s really gone.  And he’s (hopefully) never coming back.  I haven’t been this happy to see someone leave since that time in college when a blind date came over 40 pounds heavier than her picture.

I’ve wanted Najera out of the locker room like he was a gun owner with a gambling debt and bad knees.  I was hoping the Nets would send him to Brooklyn two years in advance on some made up location-scouting assignment.  Najera’s spent too much time in front of me in Section 114 making unathletic plays, too many evenings in my living room bricking jumpers – I wanted him out of my house like an abusive father.  I have been waiting for this day for what seems like forever, picturing every glorious detail prematurely like a little girl plans her future wedding.

Najera had endeared himself to casual Nets fans for some reason I really don’t understand.  He has a reputation of being a hard-worker and a “hustle player”, but so do I – that doesn’t mean you want either of us on your basketball team.  Now Eduardo Najera is Dallas’s problem.  I’m convinced this trade only happened because the collective Dallas community was distracted by the Eagles/Cowboys game, and that is just fine by me.  I hate the Cowboys, but they could have the Super Bowl so long as they take Najera.  I feel like I should send Mark Cuban a fruit basket.

Now, I don’t know anything about Kris Humphries or new-spelling Shawne Williams, but it doesn’t matter if they ever see the floor.  It really doesn’t even matter if they exist.  The important thing is that now Eduardo Najera only exists in our memories, and hopefully less often, our nightmares.

I would have made this trade at any cost.  I would have traded Najera for one red paperclip. I would have used my childhood best friend Kenny’s flawed system for trading baseball cards where he used to absorb tremendous losses, swapping good players with my brother and I simply to get cards of any player named “Ken”.  We were making impossible trades in the late 80’s like Gordon Gekko in Wall Street.  The joke was on us though when Ken Caminiti started doing more steroids than the Oakland A’s in the 90’s and won the NL MVP.  Although I suppose you could make the case that in the end Caminiti got the worst deal of all of us.

So goodbye Eduardo, it’s been real.  Real bad, much like your game.  I’d thank you for your service and wish you the best, but like most sentiments in my life – that would be insincere.  But I can tell you one thing from the bottom of my heart: I can’t wait to turn on the Sunday night game (and all subsequent games) and not see you and your stupid non-basketball-player haircut either sitting on the bench or on the court, redefining “garbage time”.  Now the only time I’ll have to see that butchered hairstyle and lame performance is in Luke Wilson AT&T commercials.  Life is truly beautiful (except for the aforementioned AT&T commercials).

Sebastian Pruiti

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Hoopdata Box Score - 48 Minutes of Hell - Pounding the Rock - Project Spurs

After Friday's heartbreaking loss to the New Orleans Hornets, I wondered  whether or not the Nets would be able to build on the game, despite the demoralizing outcome.

Results are inconclusive after last night's 97-85 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The Devin Harris-less Nets certainly looked good enough out of the gate, leading 22-20 after one and only trailing 49-47 at the half - which is a positive sign. But the Spurs are just so good, it was only a matter of time before they went on a run that was going to put the Nets in a legitimate hole. That run came in the third quarter, when the Spurs opened a double-digit lead and outscored the Nets 28-18, using a 14-4 run for most of the damage.

The Nets did a good enough job of not letting the Spurs pull full away in the fourth, though Tony Park and Tim Duncan were one the bench for most of the period. Duncan looked like he could have outrebounded the Nets by himself if he was out on the floor long enough, grabbing 17 rebounds in 27 minutes.

What the Nets weren't able to build on from Friday was their three point shooting and rebounding. The Nets were only 3-14 from long range, after going 9-17 against New Orleans. Courtney Lee looked especially off, following up his 28 point effort with four points on 2-11 shooting. Lee truly is an enigma. He did a great job dribbling around screens and getting himself open looks from about 15-feet. His form looks fine to the naked eye. The arc of his shot looks perfect coming out of his hands. But the shots aren't falling. And the Nets are proving that they're not going to be in position to steal games like yesterday's without a Courtney Lee or a Keyon Dooling hitting threes with consistency, drawing defenses away from the paint where Brook Lopez and Yi Jianlian live.

As for the rebounding, this was just a brutal game for the Nets. Perhaps the play that best summed up the Nets struggled on the glass came towards the end of third quarter. Trailing 75-65 with a chance to cut the lead to single digits headed in the fourth quarter, the Spurs were able to get to the ball three times on the offensive end, before Manu Ginobli slashed through the paint and tomahawked the ball.

Fortunately the Nets saw the good Brook Lopez last night, while treating him like the team's number option on offense. Brook was active around the post the entire game, dominating the undersized Dejuan Blair early, and still maintaining his momentum even after Duncan was switched over to guard him. Lopez ended with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks, and was a solid 10-17 from the field. He got consistent touches throughout the game, which is always a good thing to see considering Brook's usual disappearing acts in the fourth quarter.

More thoughts after the jump.

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Mark Ginocchio

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Rod Thorn recognizes that the Nets have to get better to attract free agents this summer: “People who are on the open market will see us as a team with some (problems), but the reality is that we have to play better the rest of the way.”

A quirky piece from Dave D. about Mikhail Prokhorov and the reporter who claims to be a target of Russia's richest man.

In a reveal that should shock someone, Devin Harris' tendinitis may have been affecting him for a few games now, according to Dave D'Alessandro.

Brook Lopez talks about his Tim Duncan matchup: “He’s definitely one of the best to ever play, so it’s definitely a tough matchup for me,” Lopez said after putting up a good line (28 points, 11 boards, three blocks) in 42 minutes. “It’s a very cerebral battle, there’s so many things he can do. You just have to be patient, because that’s what he’s doing on the block– he’s being patient, reading everything, and making the best read off of it.”

The Najera-Humphries trade should become official today.

Mark Ginocchio

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The Nets played the Spurs tough in the first half, but San Antonio was able to use a 28-18 third quarter to pull away and beat New Jersey 97-85.

Brook Lopez had his best game in weeks, scoring 28 points on 10-17 shooting, grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking 3 shots before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

Yi Jianlian on the other hand wasn't afraid to shoot, but he probably should have practiced more restraint, going 4-17 from the field and scoring 16 points. He did do a good job of getting to the rim and drawing fouls, shooting 10 free throws (making 8).

Courtney Lee followed up his great night on Friday with a dud, scoring 4 points on 2-11 shooting.

Tim Duncan is insane, scoring 14 points and grabbing 17 rebounds in 27 minutes. He sat most of the fourth quarter with Tony Parker, who struggled from the field, scoring 8 points on 3-12 shooting.

Manu Ginobli scored 21 points, including 2 on a rim shaking dunk towards the end of the third quarter.

Nets were outrebounded 48-35, but only turned the ball over 6 times.

Mark Ginocchio

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Quick note on Friday night's game.  Chris Paul's play was just a great player doing a great thing there.  Not really much they could have done since defending Chris Paul coming off a screen is one of the hardest things to do in the NBA.  Also, that "moving screen" call on Yi is something that needs to not get called.  You watch a basketball game, you see screens set like that 3 or 4 times a game, and they don't get called.  So why did Yi's screen get called?  1) It's late in the game so the refs are looking at everything very closely.  2)  It's the Nets.  When you are a 3-32 team as the Nets were going into the New Orleans game, people think that they have no business being in the game, and when they are, the refs start looking for stuff to call to make things make sense.  Don't take this as me blaming the officiating, because I am not doing that.  I know this happens, and I accept it.  Just stating what I think happens.

As for tonight, Harris is a game time decision with a hurt wrist.  From Dave D:

Point guard Devin Harris had an MRI taken on his achy right wrist, and for now, the Nets are calling it tendinitis, but it's enough to make him a game-time decision tonight against San Antonio.

Harris wore a wrap on the wrist Friday at New Orleans, and he was clearly struggling with it, finishing with four points and four assists in 34 minutes. He shrugged it off as "a little sore," and said a doctor would take a look at it when the team got to Texas.

Keyon Dooling stepped up mightily against the Hornets that night, going for a season-high 21 points and hitting four 3-pointers. The 3-33 Nets also have Terrence Williams and Chris Quinn in reserve for the 7 PM game against the Spurs.

If he doesn't play we could be in trouble.  I know Dooling is a better defender than Harris, but Harris' speed matches up well with Parker, and he makes Tony work on defense, which makes him less effective on offense.  Onto the lineups.

Devin Harris vs. Tony Parker

According to Dave D, Devin's wrist has been bothering him since before the Hornets game.  His wrist was wrapped up, and he wasn't really playing well with it.  Dooling played great offensively against the Hornets, but on the defensive end Harris/Dooling combined to allow Paul to get 18 assists.  Tony Parker could have a similar stat line tonight.

Advantage:  Tony Parker

Courtney Lee vs. Manu Ginobili

Courtney Lee is another guy coming off of a big game.  Now he won't be going 5-7 from 3 every night, but this is the kind of effect he can have on a team when he is shooting well.  He also chipped in with 6 assists.  I don't think he will ever be a #2 scorer on a team (unless his shot starts falling consistently), but he is a guy that can make a shot or two, play good defense, and be smart with the basketball.  As for Ginobili, he has struggled returning from injury, but he is at his best when he is very aggressive with the basketball and forcing the issue.  I think Lee can do a decent job of slowing him down.

Advantage:  Push

Chris Douglas-Roberts vs. Richard Jefferson

CDR only made 3 shots last game, but he still finished with 10 points because he was able to get to the line.  It is important for the Nets to get to the line, because there are times where the shots just don't fall.  If the Nets don't get to the foul line during these stretches, they just aren't going to score.  Plain and simple.  Richard Jefferson is back playing in New Jersey.  I never really like Richard Jefferson.  Didn't have a reason, but I always thought that he was overrated.  Wasn't his fault, but just never liked him.  Anyway, Al Iannazzone has a real nice piece on Jefferson, you should go check it out.

Yi vs. Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan is an all-time great, and I agree with a lot of other experts who say he was the best of the last decade.  People call his style "boring" but he is one of my favorite players to watch, so I will be paying attention to him.  Yi may get a good amount of open looks from 3 tonight though, because I just don't see Duncan coming out to challenge Yi's outside shot (until he starts making it).

Advantage:  Tim Duncan

Brook Lopez vs. DeJuan Blair

DeJuan Blair is the steal of last year's draft in my opinion (narrowly edging out Casspi).  I know he had health issues, but he at least deserved someone taking a flier on him early in the second round (he lasted until the 54th pick).  The Nets' didn't have a second round pick, but I would have loved to see them buy one and try to scoop Blair.  It figures the Spurs get him, they always win on picks like this.  Brook should be able to have a big game though.  Blair is strong and a hard worker, but Brook has such a size advantage that he is just going to be able to turn and shoot over him.  I wouldn't be surprised of Duncan ends up defending Brook and Blair picks up Yi.

Advantage:  Brook Lopez

Sebastian Pruiti

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When the Nets picked Sean Williams 17th in the 2007 Draft, there were red flags immediately. He was kicked off the Boston College basketball team for numerous infractions involving marijuana use. But the Nets were seduced by his athleticism. This was a guy who had 75 blocks in a college season where he only played 15 games.

But now that he's on his way to being out of New Jersey, I think we can safely say that it never worked out for Sean Williams. And this shouldn't surprise anyone. One of the lessons learned from the Sean Williams experience is that freakish athletic ability can't be taught to players. But in the same vain, it's incredibly difficult to try and redeem someone with so many character issues. Swat had draft lottery talent, but his penchant to make serious mistakes on and off the court will likely keep him from catching on with another team and finally realizing his talent.

Fred Kerber wrote a spot on sendoff of the Sean Williams era. Naturally, the article focuses on a lot of the bad - the D-League disaster, the arrest in Denver last season, and Swat's knack to infuriate his superiors:  "Watch Sean warm up,"  Kerber quotes on Nets executive. "Have you ever seen him work on things he actually can use in a game?"

But Kerber also captures another wrinkle in the saga:

It is a shame because Williams has never seemed like a really bad guy. Immature, sure. Bad, no. There was a time last year when the Nets talked about their young players, Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, then-Net Ryan Anderson, when he said sadly, "I guess I'm not one of the young players they want to develop."

When Sebastian and I attended our first practice before the season started in October, one of the things we were immediately taken by was Sean Williams, working on his post game with assistant coach Roy Rogers. Wasn't this the guy who was supposedly a flake and a bad seed? What was he doing practicing while everyone else was either talking to reports, or launching half court shots? But like Kerber says here, I don't think Williams was a "bad guy." Just one who couldn't get his act together.

Unfortunately, the Daily News gossip duo, Rush and Molloy, have a story today that most people will likely relate to when they talk about Sean Williams' career a few years from now.

A battalion of security guards recently carried the 6-foot-10 power forward out of Chelsea's M2 UltraLounge after he allegedly annoyed female patrons, hurled an ice bucket at a busboy and threw a punch at a bouncer, sources tell us.

Trying to be an optimist, my lasting image of Swat will be his post-game interview from November, after the Heat edged the Nets by a point off a Dwyane Wade three-pointer. Williams wasn't getting much game action, but Lawrence Frank subbed him in against Miami, and Swat responded with 12 points and a huge block on a Michael Beasley three-point attempt. After the game, Williams looked inconsolable. He played his heart out and the team still lost. It was almost as if he knew another opportunity came and went, even if the team's struggles weren't his fault.

Mark Ginocchio

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Hornets 247 - At The Hive

So you're the New Jersey Nets. You're 3-32 and fresh off two very embarrassing losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks earlier in the week. You're facing a team that's a great home team and has won their last four games. You manage to hang around most of the game but are still down 9 with about three minutes to go. Then, through a series of bizarre calls and fortuitous bounces, you find yourselves up 1 point with about 12 seconds left. You look at the stat sheet and you realize two areas that have absolutely killed you all year - rebounding and three-point shooting - are in your favor.

And you still lose. You lose because one of the league's best player's made a bucket and a foul with 7 seconds left off a bread and butter pick and roll play, and you can't even get a final shot off because of a nickel and dime offensive foul call off a "moving" screen by Yi Jianlian. Most of the time, I bet the refs ignore what Yi is doing on the screen, but when you're 3-32, the refs are looking for you to shoot yourself in the foot.

So my question to you, the Nets, is how are you going to respond? Is this a team-building experience where you emphasize the fact that you came back and nearly pulled what would have been one of the best comebacks in the NBA this year? Or does this become just another demoralizing loss, a belt that already has enough notches this season?

With the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets, you just don't know. I thought their gritty loss to Cleveland last Saturday was a turning point, and it set the stage for one of the most frustrating 5-day stretches for the Nets this season, which says a lot. Obviously, I hope last night's 103-99 loss to the New Orleans Hornets is a stepping stone. The Nets were down 94-85 with 2:46 left in this game when Brook Lopez was fouled and hit a free throw. Devin Harris was actually taken out of the game and I had figured the Nets were going into shutdown mode, destined for another innocuous 12-point loss.

But I guess the Nets have a little spirit after all. With Harris struggling (4 points, 2-9 shooting), Brook Lopez and Yi Jianlian having so-so nights (14 and 8 points respectively), it was going to have to be one of the Nets wingmen who stepped it up, and Courtney Lee answered the bell. He had been deadly from long-range all game, finishing with 28 points including, 5-7 from three. But what was more impressive was how Lee just took over in the closing minutes. He hit a three to cut the Hornets' lead to seven, and then was 5-5 from the free throw line down the stretch, finding his way there through bizarre circumstances.

First, with the Nets were inbounding the ball, down 3 with 20 seconds left, James Posey made a foul away from the play, giving the Nets a FT and the ball. A layup by Keyon Dooling, who also seemed determined to carry this team, scoring 21 points in 23 minutes on 8-11 shooting (4-7 three), cut the Hornets lead to 1. Then Lee made a steal off the inbounds pass. Was there a foul on the play? Who knows. Lee actually missed a makable layup, but got awarded FTs and hit them both.

Freeze it in time, and the Nets have an improbably comeback. Of course it didn't work out that way. It never does. Now, I wait anxiously to see which Nets team show up on Sunday.

More thoughts after the jump.
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Mark Ginocchio

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In addition to the Najera-Humphries trade, here are a few additional news tidbits:

Chris Douglas-Roberts on the new no gambling rules for the Nets: "A couple of guys gamble, but it’s nothing that’s going to affect anybody," said Chris Douglas-Roberts, who excluded himself from that group. "I relax, listen to music," he said. "That’s time to get some rest. It depends on how much we’ve been traveling. But I don’t gamble at all. I don’t gamble, period."

The neighboring Knicks, on the other hand, won't ban gambling on flights.

Dave D'Alessandro continues to talk to the Nets about their "Twin Towers" approach with Brook Lopez and Yi Jianlian: “To me, that’s something we need to look for, because it’s a huge advantage for us: two 7-footers who can shoot and score,” Vandeweghe said. “You want to maximize that with a high-low game that (emphasizes) interaction together. Unfortunately, I wish you could snap your fingers and it would happen. That’s a work in progress.

Next up for the Barclays Center: $50 million in steel.

Atlantic Yards Report looks at a stretch of Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn that was declared "blighted" by the Empire State Development Corporation. Good rule of thumb mention here: But a friend suggested an easier measure: "If you're within five minutes of getting decent capuccino, there can be no blight."

NetsDaily explores all of the team's draft picks (10) in the next three years.

Mark Ginocchio

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