The Nets Offseason: In Their Own Words

While the Nets have only made a handful of roster moves since the end of the 2008-09 NBA season, their summer has certainly been an eventful one. With training camp kicking off this week, NAS is looking back at the events of the past three months, using the Nets own words to tell the tale.

June 25 – Rod Thorn on trading Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson (news release): “On behalf of Nets ownership and management, I want to wish Vince only the best as he moves on to the next phase of his NBA career.  He was a true professional in his time with us, and we thank him for his efforts both on and off the court. Ryan worked extremely hard during his rookie season, and we thank him for his contributions last season and wish him well with his new team.”

June 25 – Terrence Williams on being drafted by the Nets (New York Post): “It shows you the direction where the team is trying to go. They’re putting more into me and Courtney Lee to fill what Mr. Carter has done. It shows the type of direction we’re going, as far as running. I think we can fill that spot, that void.”

June 28 – Rod Thorn in an e-mail to season ticket holders: On Thursday, we made some critical personnel decisions to secure financial flexibility for player moves now and in the future in order to give you the best product on the court. That being said, I feel very good about the players we received in return, talented players that will have a positive impact for us in the short and long term for our franchise.”

June 29 – Brook Lopez on Vince Carter/Ryan Anderson trade (Star-Ledger): “Those were two of the top guys who made the transition easier for me. It’s definitely going to be difficult without them. We still got a strong group and loads of good friends on the team. Devin was always there for me, Keyon, Chris, it goes down the list. So it will be good for me.”

July 1 – Rafer Alston on his trade to New Jersey (Bergen Record): “I love the chance and the challenge of helping a team, a ballclub, turn things around.”

July 22 – Kiki Vandeghe on the state of the team (Ben Couch): “Improving in these challenging economic times, it’s about flexibility, and I would say we’ve got as much flexibility as anybody.”

July 23 – Anonymous team official on the possibility of Bruce Ratner selling the team (Star-Ledger): “Bruce has looked into several options. He’s had offers, he’s made counteroffers, and at some point in time – probably by the time the season gets under way – something will transpire.”

July 29 – Chris Douglas-Roberts about the team’s chances via Twitter: “I feel great about it playboy. I feel we can be the sleeper. We’re young, but nice.”

August 7 – Brook Lopez on why he’s not on Twitter (The Baseline): “I’m too lazy to do it. I’m busy writing actual books and stuff like that rather than Twittering.”

August 7 – Terrence Williams on his versatility (NAS): “You continue to work on what you do good.  A lot of people want players that can do one thing great and a lot of things good.  But if I can work on everything I do good, it can become great.”

August 12 Kiki Vandeweghe on Chris Douglas-Roberts (NBA.com): “We had CDR, who was very good, he showed once again that he really can score the basketball, and worked very hard. He’s really trying to expand his game, work on his ballhandling and outside shooting. You can see the work he’s put in over the summer.”

August 13 – Dwight Howard on teammate Courtney Lee (New York Post): “He’s hurting. He’s not just upset, he’s hurting. He found a home in Orlando. He was like my ‘big little brother’ so we were always together. He was sad about it.”

August 13 – Devin Harris on becoming a team leader (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel): “It’s my team now … Obviously, they wouldn’t have moved Vince until they felt I was ready.”

August 17 – Chinese journalist Wang Meng on Yi’s performance in the FIBA Asia World Cup (NAS): “He was very aggressive this time, really taking advantage of his body. He knew he could jump higher, his strength was better and he could win under the basket.”

August 18 – Brett Yormark on reversible jersey promotion (CNBC): “There’s only been a few people who unfortunately have not embraced the matchup plan”

August 27 – Courtney Lee on his trade to the Net s (HoopsWorld): “I wouldn’t say ‘bitter-sweet.’ I would say, ‘sweet and sweet’ … It’s a better opportunity for me up in New Jerse. (We have) a young team, an energetic team that likes to get up and down and that’s the style I like to play in. Coming in, being the second and third option definitely opens up a lot of possibilities for me and I’m looking forward to that.”

September 2 – Brook Lopez on the Nets playoff chances (Daily News): “We’re coming together and we’re expecting to play well. There are a lot of guys who want to prove themselves and get out there and play basketball and show what we can do. I think we have a really good goup of strong-minded, strong-headed guys who see where we should be and see where we can be and want to attain our goals.”

September 9 – Bruce Ratner on the new Barclays Arena renderings (release): “The Barclays Center will quickly become an iconic part of the Brooklyn landscape. The design is elegant and intimate and also a bold architectural statement that will nicely complement the surrounding buildings and neighborhoods.”

September 9 Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn on the renderings (release): “It’s all lipstick on a corrupt pig, window-dressing on a boondoggle.”

September 17 – Keyon Dooling on Terrence Williams (Star-Ledger): “He’s playing really well – a freak of nature athletically. In the moments I’ve watched, he’s really unique. What you don’t see from the great athletes is a high basketball IQ. But he has a nice floor game – a really nice floor game.”

September 22 – Lawrence Frank on the inexperience of his team (Star-Ledger): “We’re getting away from this ‘Big Three’ bull … Okay? We are going to be about the team. Now, if you’re a bona fide Hall of Famer, you can be part of a Big Three. But we have to be about the team.”

September 22 – Russia’s richest man, Mikhail Prokhorov on his interest in buying the Nets (blog post): “For our Onexim group the realization of this very lucrative business project, whose participation was made possible by the world crisis (never in history have foreigners owned an NBA club), is another interesting sports development.”

September 23 – David Stern on the announcement that Prokhorov was buying the Nets (press release): “We are looking forward to the Nets’ move to a state-of-the-art facility in Brooklyn, with its rich sports heritage. Interest in basketball and the NBA is growing rapidly on a global basis and we are especially encouraged by Mr. Prokhorov’s commitment to the Nets and the opportunity it presents to continue the growth of basketball in Russia.”