A lot of people voiced their opinion at the time of the trade. There have been long thread posts on the subject now that the ping pong balls have spoken. The odds were always against retaining our top pick but we have one less asset (a potential top 3 pick) today than we did yesterday. We don't know what the team will ultimately look like when the season starts. But, here's a poll asking how we Nets fans feel now.

Last year Denver's GM was called dumb but he did the best he could under the circumstances. Now the same derogatory names are being applied to Otis Smith. I'm sure any guy on this site would love a chance to play real life GM. It's easier to throw stones from the corner. Being cautious and working the best deal for your team, thinking you can do better and being patient doesn't make them "dumb."

Also, underperforming expectations doesn't make players trash. We couldn't kick him "Outlol" out the door fast enough, the butt of everyone's jokes. Yes, he was terrible last year so that precludes the possibility of him realizing the potential Avery saw. I'm sure some of his haters will curse him for doing much better on his new team. "Grahamvp" is mocked every time he touches the ball and called a bum. He's not an MVP but neither does he deserve hate. He's a role player, every team has them. If we had better players, he wouldn't be on the floor as much. But that's not Graham's fault. Same for Petro. Apparently, the men work hard, do their best, try to be good guys on and off the court. So, why is venom hurled on them?

I love this site, the Nets and everyone that come here to root for the team. I can't imagine this makes me a popular poster but I'm just curious about the attitudes, the negativity, the sky-is-fallingness, the 'we suck' perspectives. Maybe its just part of being a sports fan for some, the trash talking our own team down, etc.

Go Nets!

First, let me say that I'm a NetsDaily junkie and am grateful for the efforts of NetIncome and those responsible for making this site available to all of us.  I also appreciate the breadth of Nets-related articles that are posted here.  

That said, I really really really (three 'reallys') do not want to see reality stuff here and encourage NI to steer clear of the slippery slope (admittedly, part of this comes from the Who the Hell is Kim Kardashian? perspective).  I realize that NetsDaily is not a democracy but I am personally interested in seeing people's views on this.   Poll posted below. 

"In 2008, the NBA Players’ Association claimed that 60 percent of pro basketball players go broke within five years of retirement."

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ys-cnbc_athletes_gone_bankrupt_042611

"Basketball player Latrell Sprewell first made headlines during his tenure with the Golden State Warriors. During a 1997 practice, he choked his coach, P.J. Carlesimo, and earned a 68-game suspension. Sprewell still went on to a substantial career, earning almost $100 million.

It all came to an end when he turned down a three-year contract extension from the Minnesota Timberwolves worth $30 million. According to Sprewell, this was simply not enough money. He said, “I have a family to feed … [team owner Glen Taylor] better cough up some money. Otherwise, you’re going to see these kids in one of those Sally Struthers commercials soon.” (Sprewell was referencing ChildFund International commercials, which provided sponsorship to deprived children around the world.)

The Timberwolves’ upper management, unmoved by his family’s tragic situation, didn’t offer him one more cent, and by the end of the 2005 season, he was unemployed. By 2007, his yacht, “Milwaukee’s Best,” had been repossessed by federal marshals after missed payments and insurance worth over $1 million. In 2008, he defaulted on the mortgage on his Milwaukee home, sending it into foreclosure. His Westchester mansion went into foreclosure two years later."

Just interesting information I thought would interest our guys. 

In Trade for Howard, Brook would love Orlando Disney!  Plus, he would re-unite with his rookie buddy Ryan Anderson. That would be an ideal trade for him.  Makes everyone happy … like a cinderella ending.

[Now, I am just going to be lame and fill this space to put enough words in to qualify the entry as a fan post.  Yes, I know that the fan shots are for the shorter entries but does any one really read those?]

We all believe our new roster of "impact role players" (Outlaw, Morrow, Farmar, Petro), developing young talent (Brook, TWill, Lee, Favors, James), better health (Harris, etc.)  and solid coaching staff (plus a new arena with better player facilities) will translate into more wins than our perfect bad storm '09-'10 season.   But how many wins better than 12 will the team win this upcoming season?

(please forgive this filler sentence that I'm writing just to get me to the "75 word" requirement of the fan post.  thx)

Net Income just noted the expiration of the Nets' $1.37 million trade exception, the remainder of the Vince Carter trade exception, on draft night. Do you think we will let it expire?  If not, how will we/should we use it?  

I know we've done draft day deals the past two draft evenings (RJ deal then the Carter deal), are there any deals that you see on the horizon taking advantage of this exception?