Perhaps for no other reason to discuss something other than the Brooklyn debacle on here and because the point was brought up another post that it would be nice if the Nets honored past players, here is in my opinion your First-Team All -New Jersey Nets team. Please let me know who you would add or subtract. Keep in mind this team was compiled based on what they did as Nets only so while guys like Bernard King, Tiny Archibald or Alonzo Mourning for examples played for the Nets and were great players, they had little impact as Nets so would not be included on this list. We can re-visit best players to ever wear a Nets uniform at another time.

First-Team All New Jersey Nets:

Coach: This is truly a tough call. Byron Scott led the two teams to the the two unfathomable FInals and he had some strong attributes as a leader, but it was clearly Kidd's team and he called many of the shots as great playmakers in this game often do. Lawrence Frank has the most wins - but again many the product of Kidd and it would be hard to call him a great coach despite his passion and knowledge for the game. Chuck Daly or Larry Brown were clearly the best coaches the team could call its own but a 2-year stint in New Jersey and no playoff series wins hardly qualifies as greatness for us in terms of Daly. As for brown, we all know how that ended, the same way all his tenures seem to have - BADLY. Was ready to walk out on the team for Kansas right before the '83 postseason and so the Secaucus Seven sent him packing right before the team was swept in the 1st round that year. Has seemingly tortured us ever since (especially in '04 with the Pistons).  John Calipari was clearly on to something when he took the '97-98 team to the playoffs and his Nets gave the Bulls all they could and want more for 2 nights in Chitown but he rubbed the media and ownership (and many players) the wrong way and that was that. Still, it was clear he was building a program on the floor much like has done at 3 college stops now. Stan Albeck won the only postseason series in team history without Kidd so he gets honorable mention for that.

I guess when it all comes down to it, this honormust go to Byron Scott - whether or not he was a genius on the sidelines, no other coach can say they took the Nets to the promised land - or in his case, right on the cusp of it. In retrospect, if people knew we would be getting 5 years of Frank since ownership refused to pay for an established coach, I don't think many people would have been calling for Byron's head like they did in 2004.

Honorable Mention: Daly, Calipari, Albeck  Dishonorable Mention: Brown

PG Jason Kidd - there is no debate. Greatest player in the team's NBA history - BY FAR. As a reminder, the Nets won exactly ONE postseason series before Kidd's arrival, they won NINE with Kidd between '02-07 and of course none since. He gave the team credibility instantly and was absolutely robbed of the league MVP Award in '01-02 by Tim Duncan. Taking a 26-win team that was a perennial loser in the league to the top seed in the Conference in one year (never mind the postseason, which doesn't count) DEFINES what an MVP is.

SG Vince Carter - Was never a big fan, but you can't deny the numbers he put up and he can at least stake some claim in two playoff series wins with he team, which is much more than 90 percent of the players to play for the Nets can say. Still was very disappointing in clutch situations (namely vs Miami and Cleveland in Conference Semifinal series in '06 and '07 respectively). The greatest scorer in Nets NBA history, Vince lacked the fire necessary to put a team on his back and carry them when it mattered most, and didn't seemed to let it bother him much either as evidenced by joyous handshakes and hugs with opponents following big losses. Would have loved to have put Petro in this slot but his time was too short and VC obviously possessed more all-around skills.

SF Richard Jefferson - at a position that has become harder to make an impact at, RJ did just that. A valuable contributor to the '02 Finals team as a rookie, he became the starter on the team that came within 2 wins of an NBA Title the following year. Played with heart, passion and knowledge before being dumped to Milwaukee for Yi Jianlian in the disastrous Ratner clearance sale era. Gave the Nets one last moment to remember as he hit the winning bucket to eliminate Toronto in the 2007 1st Round, which stands as the team's last playoff series win to date.

PF Buck Williams - sorry K-Mart fans, look at the record books if you aren't old enough to have seen him play at the Meadowlands or on tv. Buck was the real deal - a true enforcer at the "4". Easily the team's all-time scoring and reounding leader (granted he played the most games) but he was clearly the heart and soul of some pretty decent mid 80s Nets teams. Sad he is not an ambassador for the franchise today.

C Brook Lopez - At first glance, this may look like a commentary on how bad the line of centers has been in the history of the team (Benoit Benjamin, Sam Bowie, Roy HInson anybody?) but in reality this is a testament to how good this kid already is and to how much better he will be in the years to come - hopefully as a member of the Nets. Winning attitude, great footwork and seemingly all the tools necessary to be a top 3-5 pivot man in the league for a long time. Needs to work on defense - would be nice if the Nets put a stud power forward next to him to handle some of the heavy lifting, maybe Favors will be that guy down the road.

SECOND-TEAM ALL NETS

PG Stephon Marbury - Shameful to honor this man in any way - he was a terror in the locker room, alientated teammates, fans and media while in Jersey and like everywhere he has been in his NBA career,his great numbers meant little by the end of thes season (his only career playoff series win came last year as a bench player for the Celtics). Still hard to leave off a player that made an All-Star team for the Nets at a vital position and averaged 23.0 PPG and 8.1 APG in 2 1/2 seasons with the team.

Honorable mention: Mookie Blaylock, whose Nets stint was unfortunately cut short by the poor decision to draft Kenny Anderson and his trade that followed shortly after to Atlanta

SG Drazen Petrovic - yes, it was too brief a run for perhaps the most popular player in team history. But in the 2 1/2 years he wore the uniform, Petro established himself as the best pure shooter the team has ever seen and gave people in the NYC metro area a reason to believe in the Nets after years of insignificance in the late 80s. Michael Ray Richardson would have seriously challenged for this spot if not for his career being shortened by numerous drug suspensions and ultimately ruined.

SF Keith Van Horn/Albert King - can't say that Van Horn ever really lived up to his hype and it would be hard to flat-out call him the 2nd best player to play his position for the Nets but in all likelihood, that is the reality. Hit some big shots in the playoffs for the Nets in the '02 run before being shipped out before '02-03 season so we'll never know how he would have performed against the Spurs with the title on the line had they made it with him on the roster. King was a nice complimentary player on the aforementioned successful teams of the mid 80s although nowhere near the caliber of his brother, St. Bernard (who began and ended his career with the Nets). Career numbers for King as a Net: 13.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG in 410 games.

PF Kenyon Martin - This is truly a toss-up between K-Mart and Derrick Coleman. Coleman was clearly the more talented player with ebtter numbers and attibutes but Martin played with heart almost all the time whereas Coleman rarely did and the results were evident of that. Martin made the most of the skills he possessed and took advantage of the fact that Kidd was doing everything he could to make him look like an all-satr (and Martin did indeed get slected once). Coleman and the team's semi-star at the point Kenny Anderson simply couldn't seem to co-exist and neither player could be bothered to better themselves despite their obvious gifts for the game. Coleman's shining moment was carrying the team in a memorable Game 4 vs Cleveland in the '93 1st round before bowing out on the road in Game 5 (in a game that Donaghy clamimed had suspicious officiating no less). That would be the last game of Drazen Petrovic's NBA career.

C Darryl Dawkins - "Chocolate Thunder" best remembered as a Sixer and for shattering backboards wherever he went certainly made an impact at the "5" for the Nets. part of the core with Buck Williams, King, Mike O'Koren and the troubled Richardson in the 80s. He posted 14.3 PPG and 5.5 RPG in parts of 5 seasons with the team. Again, the list of players at this position is not exactly mesmerizing. Jason Collins gets honorbale mention for his valuable defnese during the Kidd era, Todd MacCullouch had potential as a solid offensive player before his foot trouble forced him to retire and Mourning and Mutombo were the best centers to wear a Nets uniform to date but obviously their contributions while in New Jersey were minimal (at-best).

Anyway, there you have it folks. Hoping you might have some comments regarding this list as well as the players you would like to add or remove.

from CBSSportsline: "Rod Thorn is telling colleagues that his impending departure from the Nets is “not about the money,” but that horse has left the barn. It’s well known in front-office circles that Thorn was asked to take a massive pay cut on a new contract, perhaps as much as 80 percent, according to two sources. It’s possible that after a cooling-off period, Thorn could be retained in some sort of advisory capacity while owner Mikhail Prokhorov pursues the young, dynamic voice he’s said to be seeking."

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If any of you actually think Thorn is just stepping down to be with his family, you must be kidding yourselves. Prokhorov obviously low-balled Thorn because he wants him out as President/GM and didn't have it in him to outright fire him just like the Yankees couldn't pull the trigger on Joe Torre and instead offered him what he considered to be an insulting offer to come back with an incentive-laden deal.

Nobody ever called out Bruce Ratner until it was much too late and now the same will happen with Prokhorov apparently.

Based on the results as of this writing, its overwhelmingly clear based on the sampling of Nets fans (what little there apparently are of us) that we would prefer to keep the team "Nets" whether it be as Brooklyn Nets or New York Nets. Only 11 percent of Nets fans that have voted thus far want a new name - so what does that tell you? Now the question is could Prokhorov care less what we the fans think?

My second question is why "NEW JERSEY" Nets was not an option on this poll. While Prokhorov obviously has every intention of making that choice impossible, it still would have been more fair if you gave those of us that want the team to remain in Newark the option to vote as such. I think you would find that many people would have chosen this if indeed the New Jersey fans still frequent this site and I don't think the moderators would have liked it either.

This clearly should have been linked here. An outstanding piece by David Roth that really sums up exactly how I feel about the entire debacle that David Stern has allowed to transpire for the last 6 years and his sentiments as a New Jersey Nets fan in general. Please take the five minutes to read it and hopefully provide some feedback here as well:

http://www.theawl.com/2010/04/byrne-to-run-the-new-jersey-nets-exit-the-meadowlands

Having followed the team religiously for the past 20+ years and enjoying every moment I had watching the team play at one of the more underrated arenas there ever was, the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, NJ, I present what I feel were the 10 most pivotal moments in Nets history at the old barn.

Would love some feedback here - what's too low or high, what is missing (especially from the '80s)? Without further ado...

10.  1/24/93  Drazen Petrovic  torches the Rockets for a career-high 44 points in a 100-83 win –  He would be killed in an auto accident in Germany less than 5 months later.

9.  4/19/98 The highlight of the brief John Calipari era, the Nets defeat the Pistons 114-101 on the final day of the season to clinch the 8th spot in the playoffs. New Jersey would give the MJ/Pippen Bulls quite a scare in the 1st round, losing by 3 and 5 pts respectively in the first two games of their series played in Chicago.

8.  5/5/84   After advancing past the 1st round for the only time in Nets history without Jason Kidd on the team,  the team evens its Conference Semifinals series with the Bucks 2-2 with a 106-99 win behind 24 pts from Michael Ray Richardson (before falling in 6 games). In knocking off the defending NBA champion Sixers in the 1st round, the Nets lost both of their home games.

7. 5/4/94 Nearly exactly 10 years later, the Nets take Game 3 of a heated 1st round series vs crosstown rival Knicks 93-92 in overtime to cut the series deficit to 2-1. New Jersey had won 4 of 5 meetings in the regular season and felt it could knock off the mighty Knicks, at the height of their success in the Ewing era.  New York would go on to clinch the series vs the Nets in game 4 but lose the NBA Finals to Olajuwon and the Rockets in a grueling 7-game battle.

6. 5/7/93 Derrick Coleman compiles 21 pts, 14 boards and 8 assists to lead the Nets to a 96-79 blowout of the Cavaliers leading him to join the crowd in post-game celebration as the Nets drew even 2-2 in the 1st round series. It would be the closest the Nets would come to advancing in the playoffs until Jason Kidd’s arrival almost a decade later (and one of the only times DC rose to the occasion during his time as the team’s star).

5. 10/30/01 No one knew it then, but the greatest period of New Jersey Nets basketball had just begun. Jason Kidd makes his debut at the Meadowlands with a 103-97 win over the Pacers in front of just  8.749 after declaring at his introductory press conference that the Nets could rebound from a 26-56 season the year before to finish .500 with him.  The Nets would open up 7-1 behind Kidd and never looked back on their mind-blowing run to the NBA Finals after winning just ONE playoff series in their NBA history without him.

4.  5/4/07 The Nets’ last stand. Bruce Ratner had already gotten his claws on the team and the good days of the Kidd era were clearly numbered. Behind Kidd’s magic , a revved up Richard Jefferson and the old Raptor himself, Vince Carter – “The Big Three” got back to the Conference Semis one last time as 6th seeded New Jersey eliminated 3rd seeded and Atlantic Division Champion Toronto in a back and forth 6-game series.  RJ was the hero getting the go-ahead basket and the steal to clinch the game and the Nets’ final playoff series victory to date.

3.  6/9/02 The outcome wasn’t a fairytale ending but the impact can never be taken away. The Nets were hosting an NBA FINALS game. After 25 years of laughingstock status in the NBA, the team had finally arrived.  After being clearly out-played in LA in games 1-2, the Nets gave the Lakers their best shot before falling 106-103 and creating an insurmountable 3-0 series hole. This was a series in which the team, its coaches and even the fans felt simply being there was good enough – and this was a rare case where they may have been right.

2.  6/11/03 – Game 4 of the NBA Finals.  While this championship series has been long forgotten even by many NBA enthusiasts, this was clearly the biggest win in New Jersey Nets history. After blowing a chance in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead with another two games in their building, the Nets manage to draw even with the heavily favored Spurs via a 77-76 win and essentially forced a Best of 3 for all the marbles. San Antonio would go on to take Game 5 in NJ before closing out at home for their 2nd NBA Title in the Tim Duncan era. Jason Kidd’s loyalty to the franchise would be tested that summer – he chose to re-sign with the Nets rather than join the defending champs, who heavily courted him.

1.5/2/02 It may have only been a first round series, but this was the greatest and perhaps most crucial game in Nets history. After taking the world by storm, entering the 2002 postseason as a  #1 seed in the East, the Nets listened to all the naysayers and almost saw it all fall apart right off the bat. Reggie Miller banks in a three at the buzzer to force overtime, dunks over seemingly all 12 Nets to force a second extra session before Jason Kidd officially made his mark on the Nets and began to etch his place into franchise lure for eternity.  The Nets roll over the Pacers  120-109 in double ot, setting up series they would win over the then Charlotte Hornets and Boston Celtics en route to an NBA Finals date with the Lakers.