In the past week, a number of sources have reported that the Nets have been testing the trade market by offering some of their expiring contracts. First, there was the Nate Robinson/Darko Milicic for Rafer Alston/Tony Battie trade proposal, tweeted by Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski this past weekend. Then yesterday, in an ESPN chat, Chris Sheridan suggested that the Nets were "peddling" guys like Battie, Bobby Simmons, Josh Boone and Eduardo Najera. Sheridan speculated a possible match with the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for PF Boris Diaw, but he never says such a trade was ever floated by either team. Beat writer Al Iannazzone also speculated that Alston's name will likely be connected in more trade talk considering how his playing time has been dramatically reduced despite coach Kiki Vandeweghe saying the erratic PG "deserved to play."

Earlier this morning, Yahoo's Marc Spears talked about a couple of trades that have seemingly fallen apart: Eduardo Najera to Dallas for Kris Humphries and Shawne Williams - which would have given the Nets a monopoly on player's named some variation of Sean Williams, though the player from Dallas would have been bought out. To try and open a roster spot for these players, the Nets were looking to send Josh Boone to Denver for Joey Graham.

None of this news is surprising. The Nets are a last place team with a young core and most of the players mentioned in these trade scenarios could provide a playoff-bound team with a veteran piece on a short-term contract. However, depending on what these players may bring back in a trade - and considering that most of these players, especially Alston and Simmons, are experiencing miserable seasons - they may ultimately be more valuable to keep. Because once those contracts expire this summer, it equals salary cap flexibility for the Nets in one of the best free agent markets in recent memory.

Of the rumors being floated, the Robinson/Darko trade made the most sense for the Nets, since both are young players with expiring contracts who could essentially audition for supporting roles on the team next season, or be cast away come the summer for greener free agent pastures. Boris Diaw, on the other hand, makes no sense. While he was once a nice component of those exciting Phoenix Suns "7 Seconds or Less" teams, he's also owed $9 million in each of the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons and is not enough of a difference maker to warrant sacrificing valuable cap space for.  Kris Humphries has a player option worth $3.2 million is not guaranteed money next year, and the Nets would have been dumping Najera, who's owed money by the Nets for two more seasons due to the absurd contract he was offered before 2008-09.

So what are the Nets options? Whereas the Nate/Darko trades sounds great on paper, common sense says the Nets are more likely to be offered a player of Diaw's ilk - a salary dump that will clog their flexibility at exactly the wrong time. Humphries is mildly interesting, as he has above average PER 40 minutes numbers, but he's known as a "shoot first" guy, with poor defense and has been turnover prone throughout his career. I don't know how he's that much of an upgrade in the frontcourt over Josh Boone. Plus it would cheat Rob Mahoney over at The Two Man Game of his weekly "Hump Day" post. But I guess if you want change for the sake of a change, he's an option.

While Kiki may have a soft spot for guys like Alston and Battie - who probably deserve better than to be rarely used bench players on a 3-30 team in their contract years, this hopefully won't lead the GM to make an ill-advised trade in an effort to make right by then. As I preached last week, the Nets need to stay true to their commitment headed into this season, even if the losses keep mounting. This rings especially true if changing directions brings the Nets a Boris Diaw type-player and contract.

Mark Ginocchio

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Al Iannazzone talks about the Nets rebounding woes over at Nets Insider. NAS will also be taking a look at this later today so stay tuned: “Personally, I think it’s one, getting a body on everybody, but then it’s pursuing the ball,” Vandeweghe said. “To me, it’s a matter of desire, and you’ve got to want the ball and realize that rebounding is part of defense. The only way you get the ball back is either you get a rebound, you get a steal or the other team scores – and the last one’s not so good. So you’ve got to get rebounds.”

Talking about Courtney Lee and his shooting issues: “He’s got to become a better isolation player,” Nets president Rod Thorn said. “He has to get his shot off quicker, and there’s an adjustment there. And he needs to continue to work on his dribble-drive move. He’s good all the way to the basket, but his intermediate range is what he has to get better at — the one- or two-dribble pull-up.

Expect Jarvis Hayes back for real tonight: "He’s such a big part of our team," center Brook Lopez said. "He’s definitely one of the leaders on our team. We have been missing that leadership on the floor. Just basketball-wise, he’s a guy who can stretch the floor, really open things for us."

Marc Spears of Yahoo has some trade talk involving the Nets. First a proposed trade with Dallas offering Eduardo Najera for Kris Humphries and Shawne Williams are on "life support." It also looks like a trade deal dried up between the Nets and Denver that would have sent Josh Boone for Joey Graham. More on Nets trade talk in a few hours.

The Empire State Development Corporation talks eminent domain in Harlem today. No word on whether there will be any questions about their activity in Brooklyn.

Mark Ginocchio

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Against the Cavs in the first half, the Nets had a great first quarter.  The Nets held the Cavs to under 20 points in the first quarter and had a 7 point lead at the end of the quarter (this was the Nets biggest lead of the season after 1 quarter).  The Nets ended up losing the game in the second and third quarters though, getting outscored by 16 points in those two quarters before playing even with them in the fourth.

The Nets did a very good job on the offensive end, their ball movement looked crisp, and they were getting open looks.  But in what seems to be the theme of the Nets' season, they just couldn't knock them down.  Securing defensive rebounds were also a problem.  After the jump, we are going to look at a couple good plays and a couple bad ones, breaking them down.

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Sebastian Pruiti

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I don't really like to toot my own horn...ok, that's a lie...I love to toot my own horn.  Which is why I am posting about the new basketball blog that I started, NBAPlaybook.com.  This is a NBA blog that I started that will focus more on the Xs and Os of the game, which is why I think that it will be unique.

There is a lot of stuff over there that you might be familiar with, because in all honesty, it is the same kind of stuff I do here, just with the whole NBA in mind instead of just focusing on the Nets.  I'd really appreciate it if you took the time out to check it out, and if you like it, add it to your RSS reader.

One final note, this isn't going to take away from my posting here.  I am doing this new blog because I have a fair amount of free time (being unemployed helps with that), so I don't see the new site taking away from the time I have to focus on NetsAreScorching.  I have already told Mark to kick my ass if I fall behind in my duties here, so that won't be a problem.

Again, NBAPlaybook.com!

Sebastian Pruiti

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2nd Half Running Convo

By Tony Maglio

It’s Saturday afternoon I’m joined online by my buddy and fellow long time Nets fan, Crack.  We’re going to have a running conversation via AOL Instant Messenger for the 2nd Half of the Nets/Cavaliers game.  We’ll talk about the game as it transpires, some general Nets and NBA news and most likely touch on inside stuff that isn’t funny to anyone but us.  I had to re-download AIM just for this, and boy does it look differently than I remember.  One thing has not changed though - Crack has a very stupid avatar.

We come in at half time…

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Sebastian Pruiti

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In a great read from Dave D'lessandro, he talks about the Nets and their lack of an offensive identity: It’s one thing to have balanced shot distribution, which the Nets have had of late. Since this pairing of coach and point guard (15 games), a Nets player has taken 20-plus shots only six times, and four times, he has justified it by being the team’s top scorer that night.  But it is hard to know from game to game what the Nets are trying to accomplish – especially in the last six fourth quarters, when they have averaged 21 points on .373 shooting. And with yet another offensive player (Jarvis Hayes) coming out of the trainer’s room Tuesday to play against Milwaukee, it could get more confusing yet.

Kiki Vandeweghe says his team is still learning the little things: "You have to execute the little things that you drill on every day," Vandeweghe said. "I'm talking about executing your plays, executing your defensive strategies and realizing that down the stretch you've got to [increase] focus.

Prospective Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is hosting Russian leader Vladimir Putin at his French Alps chalet, as a thank you for clearing his name in the French prostitution scandal.

Net Income over at NetsDaily debates whether or not we're seeing the real Yi right now, or has his performance since his return from injury been an aberration: So now everyone waits to see if he’s the old Yi, the “eternal tease” as one fantasy expert called him, or the new one, the guy Nets broadcaster Tim Capstraw gushed was looking “looking like a potential all-star” in recent games. He’s played well in stretches before, but not at this level. So, it’s worth discussing: what would an aggressive, confident, productive Yi mean for the Nets?

The Atlantic Yards Report looks at the past year of progress for the project, but warns, "the arena's not a lock."

Mark Ginocchio

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Per a request in the comment's section, here's a second look at yesterday's basket and foul by LeBron James towards the end of the fourth quarter. Yes, LeBron being able to shake off two Nets defenders to power to the hoop and get the hoop is impressive, but take a closer look on the second and third replays of what James does. He clearly takes stiff arms Devin Harris on the way to the hoop. Should the basket have counted?

Mark Ginocchio

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Considering how LeBron James told the media a few months ago that he would no longer talk about his impending free agency, he certainly had some kind words about the state of the New Jersey Nets yesterday. Per Dave D'Alessandro:

“I’m not sure,” James said. “I think their record could definitely be better, but they do have some good pieces. I think Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, Courtney Lee and some of those guys — CDR — are some really talented players.”

and

“It’s a good team. It’s a talented team. They’ve got some really good players,” James repeated. “They’re going to play hard. They got a lot of guys that want to win, and they just have to keep working.”

The New York media is going to continue to paint the LeBron situation as Knicks-or-bust. Take for example Mitch Lawrence's article yesterday with Knicks color-man Walt "Clyde" Frazier, who believes: "LeBron would gain in stature by coming to the Knicks ... I think if he signed with the Knicks, he'd be right up there with Kobe."

The idea of LeBron James needing New York City to raise his status in the NBA is beyond ridiculous. More than enough people believe James is the best player in the league and a once-in-a-generation talent. The only thing that currently separates him from Kobe Bryant  is the fact that Kobe has won a championship. If the Cavs ever paired LeBron with a talent on the level of Shaquille O'Neal circa 2000 or Pau Gasol, I'm sure James would have won a championship by now.

With that said, I would take LeBron's comments about the Nets yesterday as a positive. No, he's obviously not going to say that he's planning to play side-by-side with Devin Harris and Brook Lopez next year, but the fact that he acknowledged the talent currently on roster is a nice nod to the organization. It's certainly a lot better than what Chris Bosh said about the Nets last month.

When it comes to LeBron's free agency plans, I think he's going to go where he believe he'll have the most lasting legacy - is that sticking it out in Cleveland to bring a championship to his hometown team? Is that taking the challenge of coming to the team like the Knicks or Nets and building them into winners? Is it where he could play with a good friend like Dwyane Wade? Only LeBron knows the answer.

I still put the Nets' chances of landing LeBron this summer as very slim, but I'm glad the beat writers are still floating this idea out there, instead of deferring to the Knicks guys to carry the conversation.

Mark Ginocchio

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Remember that sex scandal involving prospective Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov? Nevermind, according to today's London Times: Three years after his arrest in the ski resort of Courchevel on charges of pimping, Mikhail Prokhorov, Russia’s richest man, has received an apology from the French authorities for embroiling him in one of the most ill-judged sex scandals of recent times.

Fred Kerber reminds us that Yi Jianlian did not have a good day yesterday: “I missed a lot of shots, man,” said Yi, who bricked 11-of-13 attempts yesterday in the Nets’ 94-86 loss to the Cavs — after shooting 33-of-61 (.541) in his previous four games after his return from injury. “The shots did not feel good. They did not allow me to drive to the basket, and just very good chance at making me think about it. It’s different from the other teams — they always have two bigs inside. That makes it hard to get to the basket.”

Terrence Williams talks about his good buddy Nate Robinson's 41-point performance the other night against the Atlanta Hawks: “It’s a good lesson for everybody,” Williams continued. “You kind of see what his work ethic is. For the month he wasn’t playing, he could have been a typical player and pout and not really work on his game, and when you’re thrown in there and you shoot 3-for-14, it looks like, ‘See, that’s why the coach didn’t play him.’

Bleacher Report features a positive spin on the Nets: Let’s play the stat game. Chris Bosh leads the league in 20 point, 10 rebound games, tallying 20. Who’s second in the league you ask? That’d be Mr. Lopez with 14 through 33 games. That’s more than Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, Al Jefferson, Tim Duncan, Zach Randolph, Carlos Boozer and David Lee; impressive enough for a second year player?

Daniel Goldstein, of Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn fame, is one of the final holdouts in his condo in Brooklyn, where Bruce Ratner is looking to build a new arena for the Nets: "I made a commitment to myself that I wasn't going to be forced to sell. ... I wasn't going to be pressured or bullied," he said. "I didn't know what that would mean. But I knew I was committing myself to it."

Mark Ginocchio

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Hoop Data Box Score - Cavs the Blog - Fear the Sword - View From the Couch

If Kiki Vandeweghe has an ounce of Stanley Kubrick in him, I hope at practice he sits the Nets down "Clockwork Orange" style - strapped in, eyelids clamped open, so they can rewatch their performance in the first quarter yesterday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Because it was some of the best Nets basketball we've seen all season.

The Nets did a lot right in those first 12 minutes. They played crisply on the offensive end, totaling 26 points on 52 percent shooting, moving a lot without the ball, leading to some pretty-looking baskets like the backdoor cut by Brook Lopez which led to an alley-oop from Devin Harris at the 7:27 mark and then a thread-the-needle backdoor bounce pass from Brook to Chris Douglas-Roberts, which led to a reverse slam at the 4:46 mark. The Nets also played solid defensively, holding the Cavs to 19 points and 42 percent shooting in the quarter. LeBron James, didn't score the first of his game high 28 points (along with 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 blocks), until just past the 6 minute mark of the first. The Nets were getting beat up a bit inside by Zyldrunas Ilgauskus and Shaquille O'Neal, but overall, the first quarter just felt like a tremendous effort, and after beating the Knicks Wednesday night in a game where they controlled from the second quarter on, I hope I'm not overstating things when I say I feel like maybe this team is starting to come together, even though they ultimately fell to Cleveland 94-86.

At 3-30 for the season now, moral victories feel like overtime losses in hockey - the Nets should get partial credit. While I petition the NBA for such a rule adjustment, consider that even when Cleveland stormed back in the second half, and had a 12-point lead early in the fourth quarter, the Nets wouldn't go away, like they've done in similar games this season (see last week's loss to Oklahoma City). A free throw by Yi Jianlian, who was not at his best, shooting 2-13, but still managed to total 11 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks, cut the Cleveland lead to 81-77 at the 4:39 mark. Cleveland followed that up with an 8-0 run, capped off with a LeBron James layup and free throw with 2:40 left, where he managed to get the bucket despite CDR and Courtney Lee hanging on the King (though LeBron also looked to push CDR off him during the continuation).

Yes, the Nets still had a hard time rebounding the ball. This time, they were outrebounded 52-38 and they gave up 16 on the offensive end, including 4 to the always annoying Anderson Varejao. And yes, after the hot shooting start to the game, the Nets end up shooting 33 percent for the remaining three quarters and 38.7 percent for the game. The Nets bench continues to be a black hole for the offense, only totaling 8 points on 3-13 shooting.

But here are some positives. The Nets were one Courtney Lee point away from having all five starters in double digit scoring for the second consecutive game, showing that this group of guys is starting to get the handle of playing together. I was impressed with how, with their offense struggling in the third, the Nets rode Brook Lopez in the third quarter, who totaled 10 points for the period, and got to the free throw line 10 times (converting 8).

The difference between the Nets and Cavs yesterday boils down to one very great player, doing just enough to carry his team over the top. LeBron James is that guy, and while I continue to have my doubts that he'll leave Cleveland at the end of the season, he just commands so much attention and effort, that it allows players like Varejao and Mo Williams to total 15 and 18 points respectively. It's because Cleveland has LeBron James, Daniel Gibson, who's struggling for playing time, can hit a dagger of a three-pointer at the 3:05 mark in the fourth to stretch Cleveland's lead back to 9, as the Nets were desperately trying to hang in this game.

More thoughts after the jump.
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Mark Ginocchio

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The Nets hung with the Eastern Conference's best team for three quarters, and were within four points with about 4:40 left in the fourth before the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away to win 94-86 in a matinee game at the Izod Center today.

• The Nets played a nice game defensively today, holding the Cavs to 39.5 percent shooting, including 4-14 from three-point land, but after shooting 52 percent in the first quarter and, the Nets only shot 33 percent for the rest of the game.
• The rebounding woes for the Nets continued as they were outboarded 52-38, and gave up 16 offensive rebounds.
• LeBron James had 28 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 blocks on Chris Douglas-Roberts.
• Solid game for Devin Harris, who finished with 22 points on 7-13 shooting, along with 6 assists and 5 rebounds. Brook Lopez also chipped in 20 points, getting 8 of them from the free throw line.
• Lopez had 4 assists, including a great backdoor pass to Chris Douglas Roberts, threading the needle between LeBron and Zydrunas Ilgauskas for the dunk. CDR was hanging tough with LeBron James early, but injured his ankle in the third quarter and looked to be hobbling around throughout the rest of the game. He finished with 16 points on 8-14 shooting.
• Yi Jianlian probably had his worst game since returning from injury, scoring 11 points on 2-13 shooting as the Cavs were playing him to drive most of the game and he couldn't get his jump shot going.  Yi also had 8 boards and 3 block shots.

Mark Ginocchio

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Apparently they did.  Check out this tweet from Adrian Wojnarowski, a very credible source in my opinion:

Prior to Christmas, Knicks turned down a Nets offer of Rafer Alston and Tony Battie for Nate Robinson and Darko Milicic, league sources say.

That's...well...interesting to say the least.  Rod and Kiki have said a number of times that they weren't going to take on any new salary for next year to make this year's team better.  A deal like this makes sense for both teams because all of the names involved are expiring contracts.  If anything, this just confirms that Rafer doesn't really have a place on this team anymore and they are looking to move him.  I doubt that they can get a pick for him due to his poor play this year, but if they can get someone who they think will help this year, and won't count against next year, I say they move him.

Sebastian Pruiti

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