Day 3 at setback is a setup for a comeback WSOP here I come pic.twitter.com/6BsCdtPMIM

— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) July 10, 2014

While the NBA world sits in a holding pattern awaiting the future of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, Paul Pierce might as well be on another planet. Oh, sure, he's in Las Vegas, just like James was earlier this week for his camp. But he's not there for basketball, not there to talk to executives about free agency, not there to watch Summer League. He's there for an entirely different purpose. Or, at least he was.
... MORE →

Jarrett Jack (AP)

New Brooklyn Nets guard Jarrett Jack learned about the next major step in his professional basketball career in somewhat of an unconventional manner.
... MORE →

Finally had a chance to see my restaurant in action!:) thanks Hooters had a great time... Наконец то удалось увидеть свой ресторан в действии, было здорово !!! Спасибо всем друзьям за компанию. @frulia12 @a0gr8 @uliana12 @frizi7 @mashalopatova @seawind777 @russianhky и всем кто был с нами ,сорри если забыл кого то:)

That's Brooklyn Nets forward Andrei Kirilenko, just kicking it with his newest employees in Russia.

No, really: in April, it was reported that Andrei Kirilenko would open the first Hooters restaurant ever in Russia.

Weirdly, the business is also a political statement: Russia has some "antipathy" towards US-based companies, and Kirilenko is a prominent celebrity in Russia opening a US-based franchise in his home country.

Kirilenko lives in Russia in the offseason with his wife and family.

Farewell, creepy thing.

Per Zach Lowe of Grantland:

Actual news: Nets have informed their mascot he will not return next season, may place Brooklyn Knight character on hiatus...or worse.

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 10, 2014

Official Nets statement: "We put a lot of effort into the BrooklynKnight, but we've decided to go in a different direction." #RIPKNIGHT

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 10, 2014

A team official has confirmed the statement to The Brooklyn Game.

The ridiculousness of the mascot aside, there's a small part of me that'll miss the BrooklyKnight's competely misfired charm: the way he scared kids with his oddly sociopathic mask, the way he shot t-shirts into the American flag by accident, the way the Nets hastily threw together a comic book about him that put Amar'e Stoudemire in the Nets locker room, the way he was accidentally named after a porn star, the way he tried to pump up the crowd during time-outs usually to no avail...

There's a shred of New Jersey Nets-dom that'll be gone with his departure. Oh, well. Bring back Sly.

Credit: Mike King

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and Brooklyn Nets officially announced the three-team trade that sends Marcus Thornton away from the Nets for Jarrett Jack and Sergey Karasev Thursday morning.

The Nets will also send the draft rights to Eden Bavcic, Christian Drejer, and Ilkan Karaman to the Cavaliers. None of them are expected to make it to the NBA, though Karaman has the best shot. Drejer was a 2004 second-round pick that retired from basketball in 2008, and the Nets acquired Bavcic's rights from the New Orleans Pelicans in the deal that sent away Tyshawn Taylor.

Thornton goes to the Celtics, along with Tyler Zeller and a first-round pick from Cleveland. The Celtics send a conditional second-round pick back to the Cavaliers.

"Jarrett is a proven NBA veteran who will add versatility to our backcourt," Nets general manager Billy King said in a prepared statement. "The team had a need in that area and we are excited that we were able to secure Jarrett to fill that role. Sergey is a player who we have followed closely for several years. He is a versatile forward and will be a welcome addition to our roster."

Jack will fill the backup point guard hole left by Shaun Livingston, while Karasev is a 20-year-old Russian prospect the Nets hope fits in a backup swingman role.

The big winner in this trade is dreams. The Cavaliers open up enough cap space to offer four-time MVP LeBron James, an Ohio native, a maximum contract in the city he played the first seven years of his career. The Nets get a backup point guard, a decent prospect, and preserve cap room for the summer of 2016, when Kevin Durant will be a free agent. The Celtics add another first-round pick to their incredible arsenal of first-round picks, in the hopes that one of them strikes lottery gold in the next few years.

Welcome to Brooklyn, Jarrett and Sergey!

Longtime NBA coach Paul Westphal will join Lionel Hollins on the Brooklyn Nets bench as his most experienced assistant, according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports:
... MORE →

In his introductory press conference Monday morning, new Brooklyn Nets head coach Lionel Hollins stressed that his staff wasn't going to come together right away, and that he and GM Billy King would take the time needed to put together the right staff.

But it looks like we've got some things cleared up.... MORE →

After a lavish spending spree during the last two offseasons and a record payroll, the the Brooklyn Nets will officially pay close to $91 million in luxury tax payments alone, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN:
... MORE →

The Nets have acquired Jarrett Jack. (AP)

The Nets are on the verge of acquiring Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jarrett Jack and forward Sergey Karasev in a three-team deal that would send away Nets guard Marcus Thornton, according to a report from Marc Stein of ESPN.
... MORE →