With the draft, free agency, and now Summer League all more-or-less over, the most interesting portion of the NBA session (the offseason) is at an end. Before a weary nation shifts its sports attention almost exclusively to football come August, let us take a look at some Nets news before the white raven signaling the arrival of basketball winter lands on Flatbush Avenue.
Quincy Acy is Staying in Brooklyn
On July 17, it was all-but confirmed that Quincy Acy will stay on with the Nets for another season at the Veteran’s Minimum. Is this news? Yeah, I guess so. The veteran power forward put up 6.5 points and 3.3 boards while averaging 16 minutes a game for the Nets last year. Likely the most important factor in Acy’s getting a new deal was the impressive 43 percent he averaged on 2.5 three-point attempts per game. While neither Acy’s presence nor absence was likely to alter the Nets win total next season, the hard-nosed character he brings to the locker room is likely as important as that one three-pointer he can be depended upon to contribute to the stat-sheet each night. Finally, Acy is said to have received his new deal on his wedding day. Mozel tov Quincy, mozel tov.
Ian Eagle Hints the Nets May Have “Another Move Up Their Sleeve”
The voice of the Nets, like most of us, is impressed with how GM Sean Marks has attempted to bring the Nets back Lazarus-style from the land of the dead. In recent remarks made on SI’s Richard Deitsch’s podcast, Eagle praised Marks for making the most out of the terrible hand he was dealt. And just what might be hiding up that sleeve? Sadly likely nothing. With free agency more-or-less concluded, the Nets once again were unable to pry restricted free agents away from their current teams despite offering them completely unwarranted sums of money. While it may hurt to miss out on Otto Porter Jr., the Nets’ failed pursuit of Tyler Johnson and Alan Crabbe last year now looks like a godsend. As the old saying goes, be careful of the restricted offer sheet you tender, someone may just accept it.
Jeremy Lin Tells Fans in Taiwan the Nets will Make the Playoffs
Breaking news! Star player tells rabid fans their unreasonable expectations will come true! What, did you expect Jeremy Lin to give fans awaiting him at the airport a reasoned, realistic forecast of the Nets chances next year? No, I didn’t think so either. What was noteworthy from his remarks was how he anticipates playing next to new acquisition/reclamation project D’Angelo Russell will go next season. Lin told fans he expects to play the one and D’Angelo the two, with each taking over when the other is out. Lin compared Brooklyn’s new backcourt to the one he used to share with Kemba Walker in Charlotte. While the hope is still that D’Angelo’s ceiling is higher than that of the diminutive Kemba, it will be interesting to see just how the two guards coexist in Brooklyn next season.
The Advertisement on the Nets Jersey Will Not be Red
That breaker of stories only interesting to marketing departments Darren Rovell unleashed another “bombshell,” revealing that the advertising patch on the Nets jersey will be black and white instead of red. The patch is for some company called “Infor.” I don’t know what Infor is, I don’t know what they do, and I am likely to never interact with them, least of all because they paid $8 million to put their name on the Nets’ jersey. To paraphrase Ferris Bueller, I’m not an Infor customer, I don’t plan on being an Infor customer, they could be fascist anarchists for all I care, still doesn’t change the fact that I don’t have a car. Now if Totonno’s Pizza took out an add anywhere on that jersey, that would really be something to tweet about.
Infor logo on @BrooklynNets patch has changed. All black & white. Much better look by getting rid of red. pic.twitter.com/hYWJdCyMHX
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 11, 2017
