Utah Jazz – The Brooklyn Game

Harris, Kidd

Nets

The Brooklyn Nets’ Top 5 Trade Deadline Deals

By Andrew Hughes

Billy King, Deron Williams

Nets

Patience is Paramount: Revisiting Billy King’s first year with the Nets

By Charles Maniego

Hill

Nets

Lowe, Windhorst reveal a guard-focused free agency plan for Nets

By Benny Nadeau

Wall

Nets

Scorching Wizards visit sunken Nets

By Andrew Hughes

Thaddeus Young

Nets

The Nets look for first win of New Year against the Pacers

By Andrew Hughes

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

Trevor Booker

Nets

TBG Player Previews 2016-2017: Trevor Booker

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Chase Budinger

Nets

Woj: Nets agree to deal with Chase Budinger

By Benny Nadeau

Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) reacts after a foul call in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Nets

TBG’s Far Too Early Fantasy Basketball Cheat Sheet

By Simon Harrex

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Nets

Update: Nets sign Trevor Booker

By Benny Nadeau

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Nets

Report: Jacque Vaughn hired as Nets assistant coach

By Devin Kharpertian

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Nets

Nets aim for two in row against the Jazz

By Sean Flattery

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Nets

Nets begin long road trip against the scorching Blazers

By Sean Flattery

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Nets

Bojan Bogdanovic on Team World for Rising Stars Challenge

By Devin Kharpertian

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Nets

Can Brook Lopez and the Nets pounce on the Heat?

By Sean Flattery

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