The Nets are back on the board! News broke today that they have signed back-up point guard Shaun Livingston to a one-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum. Livingston will likely fill CJ Watson’s role. Or will he back-up Tyshawn Taylor? We don’t know for sure yet, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have opinions.
Check them out…
1. All right! Shaun Livingston! One-year, vet-minimum deal. Grade it.
- Chris Hooker: B+. I like the signing. As a rule, I generally like signing any former high draft pick for a low, low cost, regardless of bust-ness. We’ll never know what could have been with Livingston if he didn’t destroy every centimeter of his knee, but that doesn’t mean he can’t help the Nets. He’s a big, long dude who can provide a little offense and defense off the bench. I think he’s a good first option after Deron Williams. Livingston is an abomination from the three-arc, so he won’t replace Watson in that regard, but I think it’s a solid pick-up.
- Max Weisberg: B+. At this point in his career (post-injury), Livingston is a solid backup. His main objective is to pass the ball which is quite the polar opposite from the Nets’ other backup point-guard Tyshawn Taylor. With C.J. Watson bolting for Indiana, the Nets needed some veteran insurance to backup Deron Williams and Livingston will give them that (going into his 9th NBA season). Low-risk, average reward.
- Benjamin Nadeau: B+. And it’s not an easy grade to give for a few reasons. The first being that I really, really wanted Tyshawn to get a shot at being the backup PG immediately. I understand that he’s got issues, but how many second round picks don’t? That’s why this grade only isn’t an A– because of my selfish desires. That being said, given that Livingston was the best distributor out there, this is the perfect guy. He’ll run the offense and set others up before himself, something that Tyshawn, no matter how much time he gets, might never learn to do.
- Hooker: I mean, it’s probably not a good thing for his minutes. Not saying Kidd knows where everyone is going to fit in where already, but you don’t sign a veteran back-up PG who could probably make more money elsewhere to sit him behind a Tyshawn Taylor. Or maybe you do. I think the Taylor back-up PG-era is going to be on hold for another year.
- Weisberg: This signing just means that Tyshawn Taylor will have to prove himself to the Nets’ new coaching staff. After not getting many minutes last season, it was difficult to gauge what type of player he will be. You could say he’s a ball-hog — but who wouldn’t be when all they’re playing are garbage minutes. I believe that he and Livingston will each head into training camp with a chance to earn the backup point-guard role, but the early edge will go to the veteran.
- Nadeau: Tomorrow, Djokovic and Murray face off in what should be an amazing finish at Wimbledon. However, I can tell you with certainty that the best show on tomorrow night will be The Tyshawn Taylor Show in Orlando. We’ve seen what Taylor can do when he gets some consistent minutes in the D-League. I think that tomorrow night, Taylor will leave everything out there on the court as he desperately tries to stay in the backup PG spot. Unfortunately, I don’t think the decision, no matter how well he plays, will be up to him.
- Hooker: I would say so. Prokhkorov is going to be paying approximately eleventy-trillion dollars in luxury tax next season and I would be stunned if he wanted to bring in another vet-minumium player who won’t do anything on the court. Keep in mind, with how much over the cap the Nets are, a vet-min guy who might see two seconds of court time in a game will cost Proky something in the range of $5M out of pocket. Maybe, if he’s feeling generous, he’ll sign someone else. But I’d be surprised.
- Weisberg: Yes, they are done. Unless Dwight Howard changes his mind once more and decides that instead of playing for Houston, that he will come to Brooklyn for the minimum, the Nets are done acquiring players this off-season. The maximum amount of players allowed on an NBA roster is 15 — the Nets are at 14. As detailed here, one minimum salaried player will cost the Nets nearly $5 million when taking luxury tax into account. Will Mikhail Prokhorov want to spend $5 million on a player who may be wearing street clothes most nights? Unlikely. Keeping the roster as is will also allow Billy King to maintain flexibility heading into the season — something every GM loves.
- Nadeau: Well, we’ve got some issues with Bogdanovic, right? I guess that. Once that is done, I imagine we’ll finally let the dust settle and Coach Kidd can get to work.
2. What does this mean for Tyshawn Taylor?
3. Are the Nets done?
