Marshon Brooks

Cincinnati Bearcats 81 Providence Friars 66 | Hey Guys, This Was REALLY Familiar

The Nets have already gone through a couple of practices while the rest of us monitored Twitter feeds and worked the ESPN Trade Machine to within an inch of its life.

The Nets have all their first round picks from 2012 forward and the Rockets' pick, lottery protected next year. They also have a 2012 second rounder, the Heat's, then none until 2015, having traded their 2012 (Brandan Wright), 2013 (Bojan Bogdanovic) and 2014 (Marshon Brooks). And Bogdanovic's draft rights could be as valuable as a first rounder.

Remember that little tiff over the summer when MarShon Brooks posted a picture of himself in a Nets T-shirt as his Twitter avatar? Deron Williams objected, tweeting "@Marshon2 needs to take off that nets shirt... They take us off everything during the lockout don't give them any pub," D-Will tweeted, adding, "LOL... What up tho?" It's over

Wednesday night would have been the Nets opener in Washington, an opportunity for Marshon Brooks and Jordan Williams to launch their professional careers and relive some college memories. As Al Iannazzone writes, Washington is where Brooks hit for 43 vs. Georgetown last season and where Maryland's Williams has plenty of friends.

MarShon Brooks expressed his frustration to Fred Kerber Tuesday, putting it all in one simple sentence: "I just want to play." It is that simple for the 22-year-old who's making good use of the lockout nonetheless, earning his degree in Social Sciences at Providence while playing some pick-up with the "fellas", this year's Friars.

Stefan Bondy spoke to Marshon Brooks and Travis Outlaw Monday on the lockout, which now looks like it will carry deep into the season. The two are in far different positions as a highly anticipated rookie and a disappointing veteran (who could face amnesty) but both expressed frustration at the prospect of lost games or even a season.

Just before he headed north to Providence, MarShon Brooks spent time in Miami with his agent, Seth Cohen, attending Cohen's son's bar mitzvah and talking to Go Avant Garde, a local blog. In it, Brooks talks about what he's looking forward to the first game he plays in New Jersey, front of family and friends.

MarShon Brooks needed only two classes for his degree after last season, but postponed graduation to work out for the draft. Now, back at Providence, he's a few months away from fulfilling requirements for a degree in social sciences. The school paper has taken notice of his success and his return to academia.

MarShon Brooks is back at Providence College, where he started taking classes Wednesday. He's also working out and training. And in a tweet Thursday, the Nets pick disclosed what his goal is for the coming season: "Been in that weightroom with one thing on my mind....ROY" That's Rookie of the Year.