In a sign that opponents of the Atlantic Yards development are going to continue to disrupt the progress of this project, despite the recent legal victories and financing handed over to developer/Nets owner Bruce Ratner, patrons at Freddy's Bar in Brooklyn, which is slated to be knocked down for the Nets new arena, chained themselves to the bar in protest.

Meanwhile, on the legal front, opponents are jumping on recent statements by New York state Senator Bill Perkins, who said the bonds issued for the project, may not be legal. From Saturday's Atlantic Yards Report:

Had the bonds been issued by an Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) subsidiary, they could be repaid via for payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs), but the issuance would have had to have been approved by the Public Authorities Control Board (PACB), Perkins wrote in a letter. However, in an apparent effort to avoid the PACB, the ESDC created the Brooklyn Arena Local Development Corporation (BALDC), and that murky entity--which issued $511 million in bonds--should not possess a property tax exemption, the letter said.

Here are some photos from the chaining event. There's also some video from YouTube:

Mark Ginocchio

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Forum Blue and Gold

The final score of this game won't show you how close this game actually was.  The Nets had a 48-46 lead on the Lakers at the half, and they effectively silenced the pro-Laker crowd.  Now all of the reporters covering the game are going to talk about how the Lakers took the first half off, and that was the only way that the Nets were in it.  I hate that excuse.  The Nets went out and worked their butt off in the first half, they can't control how hard the Lakers play.  But, maybe the Lakers were taking it easy on the defensive end, but that doesn't take away from the Nets' effort defensively, they only have up 46 points in the first half, including a 17 point quarter for the Lakers.

For at least one quarter last night, we saw glimpses of the old Devin.  In the second quarter he was 7-7 from the field including a 3, totaling 17 points.  Other guys for the Nets were scoring, Brook was doing his thing and CDR was effective as well, all of a sudden, Devin went off.  After his spurt though, he was effectively shut down for the rest of the game.  This just shows that Devin can't be the number 1 guy on a basketball team.  That isn't a bad thing though, and it doesn't mean that Devin is a bad player, it is hard though to get open looks as a PG when you are the guy bringing up the basketball.  Hopefully, when there is more talent on this team, this is how Devin is going to operate, distribute the ball and as the defense starts to focus on everyone else, he will be able to get to the lane and do his thing.

After the game, I thought I was going to have to talk about how Brook struggled, but then I looked at the boxscore to see he was 6-16 with 18 points and 11 rebounds.  I love how off-nights for Brook end up being double-doubles.  This was a game where it was hard for Brook to be dominant.  At first the Lakers were playing him straight up with Bynum, but after he got in foul trouble, they were matching Pau on Brook and sending Lamar Odom on a double.  That is two 7-footers, and that didn't allow Brook much room to operate.  He was patient when he got the ball, made his move, and was somewhat effective.  Oh and his passes out of the high post are awesome.  After the jump, check out a few bullets:

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Sebastian Pruiti

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Filip Bondy of the Daily News on the Nets relationship with the Knicks once they move to Brooklyn: No matter what, however, the Knicks better get used to the idea of having a very real rival in the city, competing both for fans and for talent. The Knicks have fared poorly enough without such a challenge. If they don't get LeBron James, they may well be the second-most popular NBA team around here within four years.

Wondering what's up with the Nets and their defense? Maybe they're not having enough practice writes Al Iannazzone: Vandeweghe, who believes in pumping up players and keeping them upbeat, has said the Nets haven’t had enough practice since he took over, but that seems to be an excuse. The Nets have had six practices and six shootarounds since he became coach. They have been banged up, but have had time to go over general sets and principles on both ends of the floor.

Kiki also has a simple approach to defense: “Obviously there are offensive-minded players and defensive-minded players,” Vandeweghe said. "But rather than focus on more rotations and things like that, we’ll focus on guarding your own man.

The Bleacher Report looks at the Nets roster and tries to determine who should be part of the future. An interesting nugget about Courtney Lee: Perhaps his injuries have held him back? Perhaps he’s still psychologically scarred from the abuse he took at the hands of Kobe Bryant during last season’s NBA Finals? Or perhaps he’s simply not as good as expected to be?

The Merced Sun Star lists Brook Lopez as an all-star you may not have heard of.

Could the Nets be interested in George Karl as coach next year?: With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh among those who could be free agents next summer, the Nets have cleared an enormous amount of room under the salary cap — potentially $30 million or more. Former Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe is interim coach of this year's stripped-down roster, but if a big-name coach is available, Prokhorov is not expected to be shy.

Mark Ginocchio

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Well, the Nets ended the first half with a 48-46 lead, but the Lakers really started to defend like they are capable of, and the Nets were only able to put up 36 in the second half.  A lot of people are going to say the Lakers took the Nets too lightly in the first half, and maybe they did on the defensive end, but you can't knock the Nets' defensive effort in the first half, especially in the 2nd quarter where they gave up only 17 points.  Courtney Lee played very good defense on Kobe (only 11 in the first half), and CDR did a great job stifling Ron Artest, who seemed to struggle all game.  It's funny, the score looks a lot like last night's Raptors' game, but the effort (and the way that I feel was much different).

• Devin was the Devin of old in the 2nd quarter, going 7-7 from the field, and scoring 17 points.  He finished the game with 21 points on 7-11 shooting.
• Kobe Bryant is really good, he went for 29 on 12-23 shooting.  A lot of his shots were well defended too, but he is just so freakin' good.  Oh, and he is playing with a broken finger on his shooting hand.
• CDR had a very nice game on the offensive end (20 points), but maybe more impressively on the defensive end.  Late in the game though, CDR sprained his ankle and it looked real bad.  Its good that the Nets only have 7 games in the next 18 days.
• The Nets' offense dropped off in the second half because of the Lakers' D.  They turned up the intensity, and they didn't allow the Nets to get in the lane, where they did their damage in the first half.
• Terrence Williams got 3 garbage minutes, but that was it.  I think Kiki is trying to protect him though.  He is a young guy, and the Lakers' defense is very good on the ball.  You don't want T-Will do resort back to jump-shooting mode, which is something that could happen if he played a bunch of minutes tonight.
• Keyon Dooling returned for a few minutes.  He hit a three though, showing he is still a threat from the outside.
• I think I found something in Courtney Lee's mechanics, check back Monday for that.

Sebastian Pruiti

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Well nobody said life is fair - and that's especially true in the NBA. Fresh off their embarrassing, no energy loss to the Raptors in Toronto last night, the Nets hop on a plane back to New Jersey to face the "Black Mamba" and the defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers (20-4). The last time these two teams faced on November 29, Lawrence Frank was freshly fired, Tom Barrise was the interim, interim coach, and the Lakers ambushed the Nets early en route to a 108-87 victory, sending New Jersey to a record-tying 0-17 start. Earlier this week, the Lakers survived a controversial game against the Milwaukee Bucks, when Kobe Bryant hit a game-winning, buzzer-beating 16-footer, putting the Lakers ahead 107-106. While the Lakers have plenty of firepower in Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest, where they really shine is on the defensive end, where they're second in the league in defensive efficiency, giving up 96.7 points per 100 possessions. Not to be Captain Obvious here, but that's a bad omen for a team that's been struggling to score the way the Nets have this season. The one silver lining for this matchup? Kobe Bryant's career 21.4 points per game against the Nets is his lowest against any other NBA team.The Nets last beat the Lakers November 25, 2007 in a thrilling 102-100 win in LA, back in happier times in Nets-land.

Derek Fisher vs. Devin Harris

If there's a soft underbelly to the Lakers, you could make a case that it's Derek Fisher, who's averaging 6.8 points and 3.2 assists in about 27 minutes of play this season. While he's still proven he can hit a clutch shot from time to time, Father Time is really starting to catch up with Fisher, who's point per 40 minutes and shooting percentages continue their steady decline. Devin Harris has really struggled the past two games, and he couldn't even get to the free throw line last night - the one thing he has been doing well all year - so now would be a good time for Devo to rise above the level of his opponent.

Advantage: Devin Harris

Kobe Bryant vs. Courtney Lee

Regular TrueHoop readers might remember this article from back in June, when Lee was matched up against Bryant during the NBA Finals. The two appeared to really irk each other, and I would expect Lee to bring his defensive "A" game tonight. Still, Kobe is Kobe, even with a broken finger, and Lee is still searching for the jump shot he had in Orlando last year. My guess? If the Lakers jump out early again, Kobe is going to get some rest, so his final stat line may not be mind blowing, but we know who's king in this match-up nevertheless.

Advantage: Kobe Bryant

Ron Artest vs. Chris Douglas-Roberts

These are the kinds of match-ups at SF that are going to continue to give the slender Chris Douglas-Roberts problems. The 6'9" Artest is not much of a scorer anymore, but the Triangle Offense seems to suit his abilities as a passer, as he's currently averaging a career high in assist ratio with 21.5 percent of possessions ending in an assist. CDR looked to be the only player awake against the Raptors last night, and then called his teammates out (again) in the locker room afterwards. My guess is Artest is going to frustrate him, and frustrate him good, defensively.

Advantage: Artest

Pau Gasol vs. Josh Boone

Speaking of nightmare match-ups, Boone, who did little to nothing against Chris Bosh last night, now gets perhaps an even better player coming in with the 7-foot Gasol. Gasol is coming off a season-high 26 points, and a career-high 22 rebounds in the Lakers' victory against the Bucks Wednesday. Like you even had to ask?

Advantage: Gasol

Andrew Bynum vs. Brook Lopez

We got a battle of the game's two best young centers not named Dwight Howard. Bynum is a great low post player and his points per 40 are up this season to a career high 20.2, though some of his other stats (rebound rate, assist ratio) are down. Because of early foul trouble, Brook only played 28 minutes last night, so he should be relatively fresh for this match-up. Still, he should probably expect to see a double-team everytime he gets the ball in the post.

Advantage: Push

Mark Ginocchio

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Just because the Nets are playing a "pitiful" brand of basketball right now, doesn't mean we can't get some insights about the incoming team, right? So, it's only fitting with the world champion Los Angeles Lakers facing the Nets tonight, that we'd get a world champion blogger, Kurt Helin from Forum Blue and Gold, to answer a few questions on the NAS hot seat.

Thanks, as always, to Kurt, and the past and future bloggers who help make this column happen:

NAS: While the Lakers are off to a great start this season, do you envision them having any problems as the season goes along, maintaining intensity as they gear up to defend their NBA title in the postseason?

So far this season, the Lakers intensity has been good, there has been very little if any championship hangover. That said, every team hits bumps, the Lakers will hit one this season. I think as a fan (especially of a team in title contention) all you can hope for are two things: 1) That it's not something serious, like Kobe fracturing his finger or something (well, maybe it has to be worse than that); 2) That the team handles the adversity, bounces back and grows stronger. Remember last year the Celtics had only lost a few games by Christmas, then the Lakers beat them pretty good on national television that day and the Celtics seemed to go into a little funk after that dropping six of their next eight. That would bother me. I think as a fan what you hope to see is a team that is resilient, one that fights and scraps. We'll see what this Lakers team has when tested.

NAS: How panicked were you when you heard Kobe Bryant's finger had been fractured? Could the Lakers withstand an absence of Kobe similar to what the Celtics went through with Kevin Garnnett last year?

I'm not sure panicked would be the right word, but pretty damn concerned. I was at that game and I think the severity hit me when Kobe spoke to the media after the game and was more subdued than I have ever seen him. This bothered him, even if he tends to view these kinds of setbacks as a challenge to overcome there still has to be some frustration. Simply put, the Lakers cannot win a title without Kobe. However, what I have said since before the season is that the Lakers have a larger margin for error than any of the other contenders, they can withstand Kobe's injury better than other teams. Pau Gasol is capable of carrying the team for weeks, Andrew Bynum can score plenty and even Artest has those hot nights. The Lakers don't need Kobe at 100% to win it all, and based on what he has done the last couple games he seems able to adjust to the splint. But if he is absent the way Garnett was last year the Lakers fall to just another good team.

NAS: How intrigued are you by the Brook Lopez/Andrew Bynum matchup? While Bynum's development has been stunted the past two years with late-season injuries, both are really establishing themselves as some of the league's best post players. Who will you give the edge to?

Just for the record, I would still call Dwight Howard the league's best young post player. But this will be a fun matchup, I saw Brook play at Summer League this year and liked the growth he had shown in his game. As for the matchup tonight, I'm not sure either guy can stop the other if they get the ball where they want it. Denying position will matter. Bynum's length will disrupt shots, but Lopez has a lot of tools in the toolbox to work with.

Bynum has been in a bit of a funk lately and a variety of factors (illness, being pulled away from the basket by defensive assignments) has sapped his energy and rebounding. He still scores when he gets the ball on the block, but the bounce in his step seems gone. Bynum still plays immature at times — not terribly, but not what he is capable of — and this is one of them. If he comes out still in a fog against the Nets, Brook could have a very good game.

NAS: What has Ron Artest brought to the Lakers so far this season? After watching him for the first quarter of the year, do you envision him falling back to some of his old tricks that end up distracting the team he's playing for?

Ron Artest has brought a couple things. One is a physical presence on perimeter defense that just makes the Lakers tougher. He hustles every play, if you are his defensive assignment you have a hard time getting the ball, let alone a good shot from a spot you like on the floor. The second thing Artest has brought is a willingness to fit in on the court, to work to find his role (and he's doing that more and more). He's doing that, he runs the plays and does not break out of the mold. He's also become a reliable three point shooter.

Everyone in Sacramento and Houston and Indiana are waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the crazy Artest to return and disrupt the Lakers locker room and on the court. But I don't see hat happening. First, because he is not the Alpha Dog in this locker room — this is Kobe's team, make no mistake. And he would not tolerate antics that could damage the team. Second, believe it or not, Artest is maturing as a person. The final thing is, the entire culture in Los Angeles is different, and he fits in. Look at it this way, if he went on a national talk show wearing short shorts while in Sacramento, it would have been the biggest topic on sports talk radio and newspaper columns there for a week. His sanity would have been questioned. But here, a guy who drinks Hennessey who walks around Hollywood in his underwear is called Tuesday. You've got to do better to shock and offend us.

The thing is, the only proof of how will Artest fits in or doesn't will not come until June. Supporters and detractors of Artest can make all the points they want, it will be his play in the playoffs that will decide who is right.

Mark Ginocchio

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Raptors Republic, Chris Douglas-Roberts Interview

Last night there was a basketball game scheduled between the New Jersey Nets and the Toronto Raptors. I don't think anyone alerted the Nets, because they never showed up.

As for the guys wearing Nets' jerseys in Toronto and participating in some kind of athletic exhibition last night which featured the Raptors scoring 70 points in the first half, and getting 60 of their total 118 points  in the paint - it's hard to seriously sit here and recap their performance. The Nets had a very winnable game on their schedule, with the downward spiraling Raptors losing 4 of their last 5, and came out of the gate with no energy, no defense, no offensive cohesion, and no fundamentals. Brook Lopez (14 points, 8 rebounds), who has looked like an emerging superstar as of late, resembled a struggling youngster, picking up two quick fouls in the game's first two minutes. He left with the Nets trailing 9-4, he returned in the second quarter with his team down 39-15. The Raptors had shot 67 percent from the field while the Nets struggled to hit 37 percent of their shots, and turned the ball over 7 times to boot.

Starting at the 5:16 mark in the first, the Raptors made six consecutive shots starting with a 17-footer by rookie DeMar DeRozan (16 points). The Nets called a 20-second timeout, and came on the floor looking confused on offense and ended up settling for a missed 16-foot jumper from Sean Williams - who was only in the game because Brook,  Josh Boone and Eduardo Najera had picked up two fouls each. While Williams ended up having a nice game (10 points, 5 rebounds), I'm guessing that Kiki Vandeweghe and the rest weren't planning on riding him in that fashion to stem the tide of the Raptors' onslaught.

Chris Douglas-Roberts was trying his damnedest out there to keep it competitive, going for 16 points on 7-12 shooting. He even had the honor of shooting the first free throw for the Nets for the evening - at the 4:12 mark in the second quarter. At least he was taking it inside and drawing contact. The same can't be said for anyone else who suited up for the game.

On the bright side, Nets fans got to see Chris Bosh up close tonight, who absolutely killed the Nets in the opening 4 minutes, scoring 8 points quickly, all on the inside. He finished the game with 16 points and 8 rebounds in 26 minutes, leaving Nets fans dreaming about how much money it might take to get him over here next season as the starting four, flanking Brook Lopez. Hey, a boy can dream.

A few final thoughts of the atrocity after the jump:
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Mark Ginocchio

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Chris Bosh after last night's game on whether or not he'd consider coming to the Nets in free agency next summer: “Nah,” he said. “Not me.” Eh - money talks, and for all the renovations Toronto has done, their still a terrible team.

Meanwhile, on whether or not Bosh felt sorry for the Nets and their rough start to the season: "Nobody felt sorry for me," Bosh said. "It's part of the gig."

Chris Douglas-Roberts on his injury and his upcoming opponent tonight: "Kobe [Bryant], I think his finger’s broken," Douglas-Roberts said. "I can do this. He’s playing with his finger broke. The best news I ever heard was [that] it can’t get worse by playing on it."

Mark Ginocchio

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Don't fret loyal readers - there will be a "Thoughts on the Game" column in the morning, but I was so struck by some postgame comments from Chris Douglas-Roberts, I felt inclined to share and react a bit, after watching the Raptors absolutely drub the Nets 118-95.

After calling their performance "pitiful," I thought CDR made some very thoughtful and telling comments in front of the cameras:

"There's no one to point the finger at, it's us ... We're playing and it's not like we don't know how to play. We know how to play ... As a team we all  need to just look in the mirror and evaluate ourselves. Don't point the finger - pointing the finger can contagious. That can be poison for a locker room."

Now, I'm not going to take wild guesses as to who CDR was possibly accusing of poisonous behavior in the locker room (cough - Rafer Alston - cough), but the outspoken Douglas-Roberts has a point.

While I'm certainly not some old curmudgeon here who can recall the glory days of Dr. J., I've been a Nets fan for nearly two decades and as I've recapped here in the past, I've witnessed some pretty  bad seasons, and some pretty bad individual performances. Given the fact that coming into tonight's game, the Raptors were struggling nearly as badly as the Nets have been, I would rank tonight's first half as some of the worst basketball I've ever seen played by this franchise. For a 2-24 team to come out of the gates as flat and disinterested as the Nets did tonight is just inexplicable. I tend to think we, as fans, are too quick to jump on athlete's for not showing enough effort, because it's not always clear, to the naked eye, how hard a player is trying out there. But I can definitively say the Nets showed no effort early-on tonight.

CDR is right - the pointing of fingers must end now. The Nets have already scapegoated one head coach, and if this level of poor play continues, I'm sure Kiki will follow Lawrence Frank to the bread line by the end of the season. Still, it's the players who are the ones who are failing. I can accept failure if the team gives 100 percent effort, and is entertaining and showing signs of growing together through the adversity. I am completely turned off by failure that's a result of players phoning in games, and teams failing to form any kind of bond or chemistry with each other. It's nice that Devin Harris took everyone out to eat earlier this week, but there is still rampant dysfunction throughout this entire roster. It's so rampant, I'm starting to doubt if this team really has what it takes to learn how to win with each other.

While it's nice to dream of Russian billionaires, free agent bonanzas, and Kentucky point guards, there is still a season to play now, and the Nets owe it to their fans, their coaches and themselves to at least show up and compete. Otherwise, the season will remain nothing short of pitiful.

Mark Ginocchio

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Don't be fooled by the final score, folks. This was actually a lot worse than it looks. The Nets were down by as many as 40, and were completely embarrassed by the Raptors in Toronto tonight, falling 118-95.

• This game was over early tonight. Brook Lopez was sitting two minutes in with two quick fouls, and the Raptors were leading 39-15 at the end of the first quarter. The Nets did very little right, allowing the Raptors to shoot 59 percent (including 6-9 from three), and turning the ball over 23 times. The Raptors also had 60 - count them, 60 - points in the paint. The Nets did happen to outscore Toronto on fast break points 31-30.
• Brook Lopez's streak of double-doubles came to an end as he scored 14 points and 8 rebounds in 28 minutes. Devin Harris struggled again, scoring 8 points on 4-12 shooting.
• The Nets only attempted 1 free throw in the first half. They were 20-22 overall.
• In his return from a knee injury, Chris Douglas-Roberts was working out there, scoring 16 points on 7-12 shooting, but his teammates didn't match his intensity early.
• The Raptors had seven players in double figures. Chris Bosh looked like he could have scored 50 on the Nets if he wanted to, but mercifully scored 16 points in 26 minutes on 7-11 shooting. Rookie DeMar DeRozan had 16 points on 6-8 shooting. Amir Johnson led all scorers with 18 points off the bench.
• Nice night off the bench for Sean Williams who had 10 points and 5 rebounds in 16 minutes. He also only committed one personal foul.

Mark Ginocchio

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Ah Chris Bosh.  Take notice guys, this is what a real PF looks like.  Is that a bit of a cheap shot on Josh Boone?  Sure, but man Chris Bosh is good, and he is the guy I am really pulling for in Free Agency next year.  As for this year, the Raptors are not good on defense.  Looking at defensive efficiency, the Raptors are the worst in the NBA, giving up 113 points per 100 possession.  No other team in the NBA gives up more than 110.  For a reference, the Nets defense with Kiki coaching the Nets has been 111.  The Raptors have been worse than the Nets defensively. It is a little odd to see, but when you look at their guys, it makes more sense.  Andrea Bargnani is a great offensive talent, but I think he is a little soft on the defensive end.  Same with Hedo Turkoglu.  Onto the matchups!

Devin Harris vs. Jarrett Jack

Jose Calderon is out tonight, leaving Jarrett Jack to be the starter.  Jack has been wildly inconsistent, but when he is good, he has been very good.  From watching the Raptors, I think their biggest flaw defensively is that they allow for too much dribble penetration, look for a big game for Devin.

Advantage:  Devin Harris

Courtney Lee vs. DeMar DeRozen

It is funny, I was against selecting DeMar DeRozen because he was too raw.  Turns out Terrence Williams is just as raw, but DeRozen has worked his way into the Raptors' starting lineup.  He is still inconstant, but the flashes are there.  Courtney is attacking the ball better and still playing good defense, but the outside shots still aren't falling.  It is so frustrating, because his stroke looks so smooth, but they just don't go down.

Advantage:  Push

CDR vs. Hedo Turkoglu

Don't know if CDR will be starting, but he is back tonight, and he will be playing with a knee brace.  Offensively, you can expect the same CDR, and I see him putting up some big numbers, but on the defensive end he will struggle with the larger Turkoglu, who is solid with his back to the basket.

Advantage:  Hedo Turkoglu

Josh Boone vs. Chris Bosh

Chris Bosh would compliment Brook Lopez so well it isn't even funny.  If the Nets don't take a PF, I really think they should throw a max contract at this guy.  He is going to make Josh Boone look silly...

Advantage:  Josh Boone

Brook Lopez vs. Andrea Bargnani

I don't know if some of you guys remember, but when Mark did our season preview on the Raptors, he gave the edge to Brook Lopez, and many Raptors' fans weren't happy.  I haven't been watching Bargnani closely, but Brook has been having a hell of year.  If Brook does well, he is going to make Mark look like a very smart man...

Advantage:  Brook Lopez

Quick Note:

Daily Dime + Me = You should go check it out...

Sebastian Pruiti

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It has been 8 games since Kiki took over, and I think that there has been enough games to start comparing him to what Lawrence Frank has done.  Below is the game by game data for each coach.  I have included Offensive Efficiency, Defensive Efficiency, and Pace.  After the jump, we are going to examine these numbers further.

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Sebastian Pruiti

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