nba draft – The Brooklyn Game

Lopez

Sustainably Sourced: Adding the Ingredients for an Efficient Nets Offense

By Charles Maniego

Peters

Nets

Nets’ pick swap continues to fall, but who could they target? Part II

By Benny Nadeau

Ferrell

Nets

The loss of Yogi Ferrell is a swing and a miss, not a strikeout for Nets

By David Follenius

Bogdanovic

Nets

Sources: Nets shopping Lopez, Bogdanovic, no deal imminent

By Benny Nadeau

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Nets

Jeremy Lin re-aggravates hamstring, out 3-5 more weeks

By Benny Nadeau

Chasson

Nets

4 Potential Nets Targets for 10-Day Contracts

By Andrew Hughes

Howard

Nets

Hopeless Nets look to stave off Hawks at home

By Andrew Hughes

Embiid

Nets

#TrustTheProcess vs. #TrustTheProgress: A Nets-Sixers Matinee

By Jesse Picarello

Lopez, Mozgov

Nets

Stein: Nets asking for two first-round picks in deal for Brook Lopez

By Benny Nadeau

Bridges

Nets’ pick swap continues to fall, but who could they target?

By Benny Nadeau

Atkinson

Nets

Greenberg: Nets are bad, but they’re playing like a playoff team

By Benny Nadeau

1. Joe Johnson (3 seasons, 231 games) Joe Johnson has been close to very good, and for the Brooklyn Nets, that’s enough to be the best. Throughout injuries and moping and 141 wins and low-impact playoff runs and four coaches and general disappointment, Joe has been the main reason that it’s not that bad here. While his stats have been as pedestrian as his name—15.5 points on 43% shooting, 3.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.7 steals per game—he has been the closest thing to a superstar the Brooklyn Nets have had for the most cumulative minutes. Deron Williams had a few games, Brook Lopez had a few games, Paul Pierce had his moments, Andray Blatche a few quarters. But Joe Johnson looked the part more often than anyone else. He was the most important player in the Brooklyn Nets' only playoff series win to date, where he beat up on Toronto's young wings like an older brother dominating pool basketball on a summer afternoon. He had the stretch of games in January 2014, starting with the OKC nail-biter that kickstarted Jason Kidd’s redemption run and prevented that second season from becoming too much of a disaster. In general, preventing the Nets from completely falling off has been Joe Jesus' main role. And for the most part, he's succeeded. The Brooklyn Nets are the Large Hadron Collider. I’m not sure what their purpose is, but the people involved claim they are important, and catastrophe always seems imminent. But Joe has been standing by, making sure every decimal point is in the right spot and everyone is wearing their safety goggles. Joe also hit a bunch of clutch shots after arriving in Brooklyn, cementing himself as the guy who kept getting the ball at the end of games. This is surely an anachronistic way to measure achievement (and a fairly nihilistic long-term strategy on the court), but it also says something positive about how the team has perceived Joe's talent and nerves. The guy who keeps getting asked to take the most important shots at the end of games is some sort of superlative, whatever that may be. While not the most advanced way of thinking, this gives Joe some "I know it when I see it" level of superstardom. And with the Brooklyn Nets' lack of actual superstardom, degrees matter. Spiritually, Joe Johnson has been the Nets true mascot—even before the Nets shipped the BrooklyKnight off to the big practice gymnasium in the sky. Coming to the Nets, Joe was couched in a stratospheric contract, six All-Star appearances and the promise of being the second half of a blue chip backcourt. This pedigree positioned him as a gaudy piece of Brooklyn's business model, but Joe ain’t gaudy. Despite his garish contract and any brash claims made by the Nets, Joe has been nothing but an efficient, consistent, blue-collar employee of the Brooklyn franchise. And this has been enough to make him the best player in Brooklyn franchise history. -Andrew Gnerre

Nets

Joe Johnson returns to Brooklyn, will receive video tribute tonight

By Jerry Kane

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Nets

Happy Birthday, Kenyon Martin!

By Jerry Kane

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Nets

Just What Could The Nets Get For Brook Lopez? Part II

By Jaymz Clements

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Nets

Just What Could The Nets Get For Brook Lopez? Part I

By Jaymz Clements

Dinwiddie

Nets

Nets waive Ferrell, sign Dinwiddie to partially guaranteed 3-year deal

By Justis Doucet

News from Around NYC

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Top dog: Joey Chestnut returns, wins 17th title at Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

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New York Family

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