Zach Harper of the Kings' TrueHoop Network blog Cowbell Kingdom made up a real good highlight mix of Tyreke Evans game against the Jazz on November 7th. This was the Kings' first game without Kevin Martin, and he put up 32 points and 7 assists.
I have said it a bunch of times already but Evans vs. Harris (who is expected to start tonight) is going to be very entertaining.
Since NAS had so much fun reviewing John Calipari's new book a few months ago, we thought we'd continue the trend of reviewing new books about the game as we get to read them. Because remember kids, reading is fundamental, even if it's not always Nets-centric.
Bill Simmons, aka, ESPN's "The Sports Guy," has long been one of my favorite writers - with his fan's perspective and irreverent sense of humor that often incorporates pop culture references galore, I love it - but he's definitely an acquired taste for those who are looking for more serious, "insightful" opinions in sportswriting.
So I'm fairly certain that Simmons' new book "The Book of Basketball," is going to invite a whole range of opinions. There will be many who call the book overlong and self-indulgent, with way too much focus on the Boston Celtics, and an blatant disregard for some of the newer statistical metrics that have been embraced by many of us in the True Hoop Network. Those critics wouldn't be wrong, but I enjoyed this book anyway, because it reads exactly how I would expect a 715-page magnum opus about basketball written by Bill Simmons to read.
It's uneven and rambles a bit, and can't say I learned a whole lot about the game, except the fact that Michael Jordan is a deadly, cold-blooded assassin (duh), and that Bill Russell was clearly better than Wilt Chamberlin (I'm too young to have seen either of them play, so it's an argument I could care less about). But again, I don't think you ever read Simmons to learn anything new. A Simmons column is the equivalent of going to a bar with a bunch of sports-obsessed buddies and talking about the game for hours - with the conversation devolving into such things as Rocky movies or OJ Simpson references as more and more drinks are consumed. You read Simmons, because you're just as much a fan of the game as he is. This is the mentality that got me into sports blogging in the first place. While a game recap in a daily newspaper is usually informative, I've always found the best insight comes from fan observations. Fans are the ones who complain about a guy not getting enough playing time, and they're the ones who remember the otherwise inconsequential games in January where somebody made an incredible shot that makes us revere those players in such a way that it can sometimes defy logic. Sports blogging gives those of us who are lucky enough to have developed a regular audience an opportunity to share our own silly little observations about the game. I can only hope that my observations lead to additional observations and reactions from our readers. Simmons embraces this mentality, and for the most part, so does "The Book of Basketball."
The Nets actually come up in the book more than I expected - especially the ABA version of the team. Simmons appears to sympathize with how the NBA-ABA merger in the summer of 1976 decimated the Nets (then of New York). The Nets had to pay the Knicks $4.8 million over 10 for territory rights - a move that so financially crippled the organization, they had to unload their franchise player Julius Erving to stay afloat.
In another chapter, Simmons looks at the 2002 MVP race between Tim Duncan (who ultimately won) and then-Net Jason Kidd. Categorizing the MVP as "fishy but ultimately okay," Simmons sets up the argument where he sees the logic of a Kidd MVP: "Energized by the change of scenery, Kidd led the perennially crappy Nets to 52 wins, swung the New York media behind him and stood out mostly for his unselfishness and singular talent for running fast breaks …"
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While NAS just recently called last week's match-up against the New York Knicks the Nets best chance to avoid an 0-17 - or worse - start to the season, tonight's game against the Sacramento Kings also provides the organization with a glimmer of hope to avoid infamy as they face the defending champion LA Lakers on the road on Sunday and then come home to face the 11-4 Dallas Mavericks.
I personally thought the Nets matched-up better with the Knicks, which was why I was willing to go out on a limb last week and call it a got to have win last Saturday. The Knicks do very little right, but they obviously did just enough right (and got the right calls from the refs) to push the Nets losing streak onward.
As for the Kings, they are the worst defensive team the Nets have faced this season, currently 27th in the league in defensive efficiency giving up 107.6 points per 100 possessions. That's a good thing for a team that has trouble scoring as much as the Nets do - who will likely insert all-star Devin Harris back into the starting line-up tonight. However, the Kings can score - they're 11th in the league in offensive efficiency while the Nets toil at dead last in that category. So even if the Kings let the Nets score more than they've been able to do so far this season, the Nets still have to figure out a way to stop them on defense. That won't be easy.
Fred Kerber in the New York Post today notes an important piece of coincidental history that could favor the Nets - when the Los Angeles Clippers got off to their 0-17 start in 1999-2000, a victory against the Sacramento Kings ended their losing streak. Of course, that was a Sacramento team that featured Oliver Miller and Jerome James.
Here's what Brook Lopez thinks about the losing streak, from Kerber:
"It's one game at a time. As good as those teams are, you've got to put it off," said Brook Lopez, who is coming off his career game: a personal high 32 points and 14 rebounds (an NBA season-high 10 offensive) in the 93-83 loss to Portland, defeat No. 15, Wednesday. "Either way, you have to focus on the game you're playing. You can't play tonight worrying about tomorrow."
For Nets fan looking for an injection of optimism, the Bleacher Report gives us five reasons why the Nets will win against the Kings. Some of the reasons include the aforementioned Kings' defense, and the starting lineup return by Devin Harris, but the list also includes the Kings' weak rebounding abilities, and the Nets "growing confidence" coming off a game where they battled the heavyweight Portland Trailblazers well into the 4th quarter before running out of gas.
Of course, the Nets have showed pluck and fight most of the season, with a few notable exceptions (hello Tuesday's game against the Nuggets). None of this has led to a victory. And the article's last reason doesn't exactly inspire confidence:
THE LAKERS AND MAVERICKS ARE NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE. The first of those two games is at Staples Center. That means Friday's game in Sacramento is pretty much New Jersey's only chance for salvation. The Laker game is an automatic loss and the Mavs game is close.
Update: Over at the TrueHoop mother site, Chris Sheridan talks about the Nets chances for tonight, Lawrence Frank, and three games the Nets should have won this season: against Minnesota opening night, the heartbreaker against Miami, and last week's second-half meltdown against the Bucks. I would have also added at least one of the two games against Philadelphia to Sheridan's list, probably the home game where the Nets had three chances to tie or go-ahead and couldn't hit a shot in the final minute.
Kiki Vandeweghe has been through a losing season like this before with the Denver Nuggets.
Randy Hill looks at the Nets and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are battling each other for the worst record in the league.
The Daily News and the Bergen Record, react to the recent eminent domain ruling that sets the stage for the Nets to move to Brooklyn.
Fred Kerber of the New York Post believes tonight's game against the Sacramento Kings is the Nets best shot to end their losing streak.
Brook Lopez credits his patience, along with some sage advice from assistant coach Roy Rogers and teammate Chris Douglas-Roberts for his good night against Portland on Wednesday.
Hoops World looks at franchises that are in big trouble right now.
Here is a pretty awesome video of the Nets helping out at a New Jersey Salvation Army before their trip out west:
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! See you all Friday.
GameFlow, Blazers Edge, Brook Lopez Interview, Lawrence Frank Interview
I am much calmer as I type this than I was after the Denver game. Why? The Nets showed effort, and they stayed competitive putting a scare into Portland. Portland simply had much more talent and while they were shuffling in guys like Rudy Fernandez and Andre Miller off the bench. The Nets responded with guys like Bobby Simmons. The gap in talent was very obvious. Like the Denver game, I sat down on the couch not really expecting a win, but unlike the Denver game, the Nets showed effort, a ton of it.
Most notably, Brook Lopez came out and showed fire. I was really worried about Brook going into tonight, mainly because he had a bad game yesterday and he was going up against a big center in Greg Oden. Brook has struggled against the bigger centers so far this year. Dwight Howard, Brandon Haywood, and Roy Hibbert all gave him problems. Not tonight though, Brook looked aggressive, and maybe most importantly, he showed much better body language. The only thing that has disappointed me about Brook has been his poor body language, whenever there is a foul he disagrees with, he shows his displeasure and usually picks up a cheap foul soon after. Not tonight, even when he picked up an early one against Greg Oden, he didn't react or anything like that, he just went back to work. You know Roy Rogers is getting in his ear.
Chris Douglas-Roberts had a bounce back game as well. It was apparently early that he wanted to get to the rack. He didn't start shooting jumpers until after he made a few line-ups. That is really good to see.
It just came down to the gap in talent, you had to know this was going to be a rough year, and though it has been a little rougher than most would have expected, this team is starting to put some things together and look better. If the Nets have this kind of game, they can put themselves to get a win on Friday. I tried to write down times and plays today so I can do some key plays, but when I looked at them after the game they were unreadable. Maybe it was because I was writing and watching the game at the same time. So no key plays today, but there are some bullets after the jump:
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Al Iannazzone explains why he (and we) should be thankful.
Lawrence Frank is trying to resist playing Devin Harris and Courtney Lee big minutes as they come back from injury.
Meanwhile, the whispers about Frank's future continue. If Frank gets fired, his replacement will likely come from in-house as the organization continues to pinch pennies.
Another article that gathers some reaction from the 88-89 Miami Heat and the 99-00 LA Clippers, aka, the two teams the Nets could soon be challenging for infamy.
Brett Yormark on WFAN yesterday.
There are still many steps that have to take place before Mikhail Prokhorov can take over as owner of the Nets.
The Atlantic Yards Report has some reaction from yesterday's press conference by Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn regarding the Nets planned move to Brooklyn. Here's some video as well:
You can't ask for much more than that from the Nets when they play a team like the Blazers. The real difference was the second unit. The Blazers were bringing in guys like Rudy Fernandez, Andre Miller, and Jarred Bayless. The Nets were bringing in guys like Bobby Simmons. Good effort though, and if the Nets play like that, they have a chance against the Kings.
Getting this one up pretty early because of some family obligations...
Last night sucked. The Nets were in that game for approximately 5 minutes, and after taking a 9-2 lead, it looked like the Nuggets decided to start trying and just pulled away. I am not going to talk about that game much, just because I want to forget about it. The Nets did not show any effort, but you know what? With so many guys playing 40 minutes early in the season, it was bound to happen once, so don't look at yesterday and say Lawrence Frank has "lost" his team. Look to see what happens tonight, that is going to be the key.
As for tonight the Blazers are another very deep team, and they have one of the best perimeter players in the league. Also, don't look now, Greg Oden seems to have "arrived." Here are the matchups:
Steve Blake vs. Rafer Alston:
When the Blazers signed Andre Miller, many thought he was going to be the starter, but Blake simply took the job from him. Blake has been playing very well. He isn't a guy who is going to out-quick you, but he is a smart player who can shoot the 3, and knows where to get his teammates the ball. Devin Harris isn't starting tonight, but it looks like this will be his last game coming off the bench. It is about time, I think I am the last one on the Rafer Alston is doing ok bandwagon, and I am about ready to jump off.
Advantage: Steve Blake
Brandon Roy vs. Chris Douglas-Roberts:
CDR had an off game last night, but like the rest of the Nets you can give him a mulligan here. CDR was on the bench because of foul trouble and just really never got it going. He is a young guy though and with his attitude, you know he is itching to get out there and prove everyone wrong again. I think he will. Brandon Roy is very good as well, he is probably the Blazers' best offensive option and he will have a very good game tonight.
Advantage: Brandon Roy
Martell Webster vs. Trenton Hassell:
Martell Webster is a quick guy with a smooth stroke, if he can get going, you have to watch out. That being said, with the rest of the lineup the Blazers are putting out there, you want to force Webster to score. You want to funnel the ball out of Roy or Aldridge's hands. If Webster beats the Nets, so be it, I'd rather see that then see Roy and Aldridge put up 20 each.
Advantage: Martell Webster
LaMarcus Aldridge vs. Josh Boone:
LaMarcus Aldridge is a match-up for every single 4 the Nets have on their roster. He is an athletic guy who can do some stuff from the outside, but his length really presents a problem in the post. Josh Boone is going to struggle against him mightily. It would be interesting to watch Sean Williams play against him, but Lawrence Frank just seems to refuse to play him at the 4, so it isn't going to happen.
Advantage: LaMarcus Aldridge
Greg Oden vs. Brook Lopez:
As I alluded to earlier, Greg Oden is having himself a pretty nice year. If you watch Sportscenter or the highlight shows, you just see him getting dunked on, but very quietly Oden is leading the league in FG% and he is third in the league in BPG (behind Brook). This is going to be a real fun matchup, but I do think Brook is going to want to prove himself and post a big game as Devin continues to get more minutes (Brook just looks like a different player when he and Devin are on the court at the same time).
Advantage: Brook Lopez
Prediction
Current Record 8-6
The Blazers are going to take this one, it is up to the Nets to decide how long this game will be watchable.
Victories have been extremely hard to come by for the Nets this season. But after an assist from the New York State Court of Appeals yesterday, the Nets earned a victory that could go a long way towards changing the fortunes of the franchise.
Yesterday's ruling by New York state's highest court still does not make the Nets proposed move to Brooklyn a definite - financing for the project is still a necessity for this move to happen, and this ideally must be accomplished before the end of the year, all in a down economy.
But make no mistake. Though opponents of the Atlantic Yards Development and the Barclays Arena will continue to talk about the number of lawsuits they have filed and will continue to file, yesterday's ruling in favor of the developer's use of eminent domain to acquire the property they need in Brooklyn to build this project was a critical blow to the opposition. Opponents can try attacking the way state agencies like the Empire State Development Corporation or the Metropolitan Transportation Authority do business, but if Bruce Ratner is able to get the financing his need to qualify for tax exempt bonds, Brooklyn will finally become a reality for the Nets organization.
In our comments section yesterday, one of our readers, calling all toasters, wrote: "LeBron or no, this is the most important day for the Nets in the last 3 decades. They should have a permeant home, a larger fan base, a wealthy owner, and (for once) some sparkle."
While there are still a good chunk of Nets fans who would rather the team stay in New Jersey, those who believe that it's in the organization's long-term interest to build their future in Brooklyn likely shared this level of enthusiasm. In a season that has already seen its lion-share of frustration, anger and disappointment, the state's court ruling was the most silver of linings. Brooklyn brings new possibilities to the organization: a state-of-the-art arena that, even without the grandiosity of architect Frank Gehry, should still be impressive. There's also the ability to promise current players and free agents an opportunity to shine in the world's biggest media market, in that market's hippest borough.
Then there's the promise of Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. While there has been some buzz as of late that Prokhorov's takeover of the team is not totally contingent on Brooklyn, having details of the move finalized by the end of the year, would certainly make the transition to new ownership a lot simpler. With Prokhorov, the Nets will have an owner who has a track record of spending to win - something the organization has sorely lacked during the Ratner era. While I agree with calling all toasters about the magnitude of yesterday's decision, I think the organization's most important day will ultimately be decided by NBA owners if and when they approve Prokhorov as the new Nets owner in the near future.
But until then, the focus remains on Brooklyn and the Atlantic Yards. As a resident of New York, it's certainly disconcerting that there is legal precedent that a private developer can grab someone's home for the sake of project that may, or may not "improve" the region. But from a basketball perspective, this ruling is as big as it gets. Now it's up to Ratner and his team to push this project over the finish line - get the financing he needs so this organization can get out of the purgatorial state it has been for the past six years. The ball is now firmly in your court Ratner, and with the season sinking around you, it's on you to finally deliver on your promises to bring the Nets to a better place.
Chris Douglas-Roberts makes John Hollinger's all-underrated team.
Ben Couch hosts a Q+A with Trailblazers.com.
Mark Miller of Yahoo blames Bruce Ratner for the poor start.
Marc Stein of True Hoop looks deeper into the bad start for Lawrence Frank.
Courtney Lee's return was a lone bright spot for the Nets last night.
Despite the bad start, the Nets are doing a lot of charity work, making them winners off the court.
Bergen Record earns the best headline award for "Ratner a winner in court, a loser on one."
In the aftermath of yesterday's court victory, the New York Times looks at how the Nets still have their foundation in place with Brook Lopez and Devin Harris.
The Star-Ledger jokes that this could be a loooong good-bye for the Nets and New Jersey.
Daniel Goldstein, head of Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, wants NY Governor Patterson to stand by his position as a state senator to put a moratorium on the use of eminent domain.
Kenyon Martin is not a big fan of Bruce Ratner.
HoopsWorld says the Nets compare favorably to the 88-89 Heart and the 99-00 Clippers, the two previous teams that went 0-17 to start a season.
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