All, this morning I was surfing the NY Times website and reading different articles in the Sports section (also a great article on Derek Jeter). On the Fifth Down blog which I think is typically the best (ie. most intellectual and well thought out points) of the NYC Media sports coverage, there was an EXCELLENT article comparing Quinton Coples with Giants phenom Jason Pierre Paul.

While the concerns that most of you have is that he seemed to mail it in during his senior year (which quite frankly, I am happy he did - as otherwise he is a Top 5 pick and no way he falls to us at 16). Plus I really don't think that is a major concern with him considering the turmoil that happened at UNC over the past year plus. Just think to your own personal lives - if you are in a situation that is spinning out of control and you are not happy or do not see a possibility of true success - you subconsciously start to mail it in. This is not a concern of mine with Coples. I think him sliding in the draft to the Jets is a blessing in disguise for not only the Jets, but for Coples as well. I would not be surprised to see him end the season with 12+ sacks and a strong consideration as Defensive Rookie of the Year under Rex, Mike and Dunbar.

In any event, in the Fifth Down blog comparing QC and JPP - the author highlights the work of a Dr. Jene Bramel who is a staff write at Footballguys.com that is an absolutely fascinating read on the comparison of QC and JPP. And while Bramel confirms what everyone already knows (incredible athleticism, incredible size/speed combination) the only concern that he seems to have with QC is his sometimes lazy technique where he doesn't stay low and gets poor pad level. This lack of technique is what he thinks will keep him from becoming a beast of an NFL pass rusher.

Well, with Rex, Mike and Karl Dunbar as his coaching staff - I have very few concerns that QC is going to quickly develop and refine his overall technique under their tutelage, both in practice and in film study.

With that I leave you with the links to the following 3 part series on QC which I think is informative and a very worthwhile read for everyone; from the defensive masterminds like Crackback to the draft/scouting gurus like Tinley and David Wyatt and John B to the casual football fan (the rest of us!). I think this will make you both excited about the possibilities of QC in green and white and quickly calm your nerves about his selection at 16. \

Quinton Coples, Part 1: The Importance of Pad Level

http://mattwaldmanrsp.com/2012/02/13/unc-de-quinton-coples-the-importance-of-pad-level/

Quinton Coples, Part 2: Pad Level and The Pass Ru

http://mattwaldmanrsp.com/2012/02/14/quinton-coples-part-ii-pad-level-and-the-pass-rush/

http://mattwaldmanrsp.com/2012/02/16/quinton-coples-part-iii-stacking-up-to-jason-pierre-paul/

I had posted this as a comment under the character issues post, but I am somewhat intrigued by the idea as I think that it really serves to address our issues with both our pass rush and our gaping holes at the safety position, while truly getting the most value in the draft and addressing our lack of depth and was interested in seeing what you guys thought.

I will be the first to admit that this is an entirely unorthodox idea, and one that many of you will probably hate. But sometimes when you have multiple needs and play in a division with Tom Brady and 2 of the best pass catching TEs in the game today, it is necessary to think outside of the box and roll the dice. And when that unorthodox/non-traditional look is on a defense run and designed by one of the more innovative, non-traditional minds on the defensive side of the football in Rex Ryan, perhaps it is not as crazy as it seems. Crackback is usually the voice of reason for all things defense, and many of you are probably going to laugh at me and think I am retarded for what I am about to write, but I would be interested to see what you think.

Assuming that we were able to trade back from the 16th pick under what DW had written regarding the trade with Houston (we move back into the first and pick up an additional second rounder)…….I kind of like the idea of using our first (Houston’s first) and drafting Janoris Jenkins. Then go with a pass rusher (Bruce Irvin?) and Massie in the second – which addresses a pass rusher and our RT position – both positions of need.

Everyone here realizes that we don’t NEED a DB…..however, Rex is the most creative defensive mind in the NFL today. Traditional defenses are either 3-4 or 4-3 fronts with 2 corners and free and strong safety. However, the Jets biggest weakness (aside from RT and a second WR) is the pass rush and the safety position.

The pass rush is either a function of having a monster DL that collapses the pocket (and we have a very good DL that will only improve this year with Mo Wilk and Ellis in year 2), a speed rusher off the end (either DE or OLB) or a combination of the first two and a strong DB unit who create coverage sacks. The last year or two, many of our sacks have been coverage sacks due to the corner tandem of Revis and Cromartie. And this will only continue with the emergence of #3 corner, Kyle Wilson, giving the Jets potentially the best 3 man corner combo in the league. This is ideal for Rex’s scheme, as he is able to isolate Revis on one side of the field on the opposing #1 while using Cromartie and a safety to take away the #2 and utilize either nickel or safety blitzes to disrupt the offense. The biggest issue that the Jets defense has had has been in getting burned by the #3 WR in 3 wide out sets or by the TE in the middle of the field as we really don’t have strong coverage linebackers.

Everyone on GGN realizes that there is really not a top safety prospect that is available in the draft, so realistically the Jets are not going to address the safety issue in the draft, and aside from Landry, probably not in FA either.

So why not throw traditional defense on its ear and shake up your defense even more. We now have the personnel where we can switch between 3-4 and 4-3 fronts on a down by down or situational basis. Maybe making a 4 corner set a cornerstone of our defensive alignments with Revis, Cromartie, Wilson and Jenkins would actually make sense? You absolutely blanket opposing wideouts – with teams forced to try and run up the middle on you (which is really a strength of our front 7). Granted the Pats have 2 TEs which will give us problems – but is any move we make in FA or the Draft really going to help with covering Gronk and Hernandez?

Imagine having Revis and Cromartie blanketing the top 2 WRs with Jenkins playing a center fielder role to help out Cromarte while WIlson plays in a rover position all over the field? It is going to be very very difficult to pass on this defense and will lead to many coverage sacks for guys like Mo Wilk and Mayhem. While this is not exactly traditional or smart football logic – in a Rex Ryan system it might just work?

Jenkins is definitely somewhat undersized for this type of role, but is also considered one of the best cover corner prospects since Revis. My entire premise is 100% unorthodox and I realize that. My point however, is that the NFL is a copy cat league where what is traditional is oftentimes changed up for better results. 5 years ago, I am sure many people would have had serious issues with an offense featuring 2 pass catching TEs. Now after New England has had such success with it; it is all the rage.

The point is that we have multiple holes on our defense (pass rusher, safety position) but our strengths are our DBs and our DL (both of which should be improved upon this year from last). Drafting at 16, there does not appear to be any real high impact pass rushers or safeties available – so trading back into the later part of the first round (while picking up an additional second) has merits for a team desperately in need of depth. Combined with one of the best cover corners since Revis who has significant character issues (marijuana, multiple kids, kicked out of Florida) might make a ton of sense for this team. The Jets would have the ability to take him in the first (while picking up an additional second to go with a pass rusher and Massie (RT)). This is not an orthodox defensive alignment, but having the ability to mix 4 of the best cover corners in the NFL all over the field is going to confuse the hell out of opposing quarterbacks and will help the pass rush simply on the merits of cover sacks.

This could either be a move of brilliance that addresses our weaknesses while creating matchup nightmares for the offense to adjust to - or could be an absolutely insane, horrible idea. But sometimes innovation looks insane at first glance.

Personally, I have long been of the opinion that the Magic would not trade Dwight Howard at the trade deadline, and I think irrespective of recent media stories that Dwight is determined to get to the Nets come the summer; I still think the Magic won't trade Dwight.

The first thing people need to realize is that by nature of their jobs, the basketball side (coaching staff, front office) and the corporate side (team president, sales, marketing, etc) will oftentimes be at odds over what they think is best for the team and which direction they would like to go. For the basketball side - they are judged solely by their win-loss record (and maybe to a smaller extent how they develop the young players on the roster) while the corporate side are judged like anyone in business - how much money can you make, how well did you market the product, how much interest have you created, etc. So by nature of the differing job responsibilities, they will oftentimes be at odds with each other.

So while the basketball side (Van Gundy, Otis Smith) may tell anyone who will listen that they want to trade Dwight Howard immediately for whatever package they can get - this has to do with minimizing distractions within the team and being left with a foundation for next season. Yet the corporate side of the business by nature will be less concerned with next season - as their time is now. And selling/marketing a team that is in third place in the East (and last night's OT win over the Heat make this an even bigger gap) with the best big man in the NBA and a chance to make a deep playoffs or even Finals run trumps their concern about the future. Winning a championship sells tickets and sponsorships in advance of free agency. And remember, 95% of professional sports teams are not owned by former players or coaches, but by businessmen. This fact alone is why Dwight Howard is still a member of the Magic and not the Nets.

I understand and can emphasize with the basketball side. I really can. This entire situation not only creates a distraction that has constantly surrounded the team (and if he is not traded - will continue to surround the trade until July 1) but makes a mockery of their sport. And quite honestly, if you are evaluated based upon your win-loss record and you believe that Dwight is going to bolt in Free Agency - do you prefer to start all over with that roster and a late first round pick and some money in free agency (which clearly Otis Smith has not spent very well in years past) or do you prefer to restart with Brook Lopez, draft picks and maybe even Marshon Brooks? It's a no brainer.

But if you are Alex Martins (and DeVos) you look at what cards you have on the table at the moment; the top Center in the NBA, the #3 record in the East in what has been a crazy, unpredictable season, and you just came off a big win against the Heat. The playoffs are a lock (ie...playoff revenues, merchandise, concessions, etc) and the Cardinals are a very recent example of the potential benefit of NOT trading a pending superstar Free Agent and making a run to win the championship. Any Finals run (unless the team is located in NJ) generates much greater fan interest which leads to increased merchandise and sponsorship sales along with increase in season ticket sales. Fans want to be involved with a winning franchise. And on the flip side, ticket sales will actually increase following the trade deadline if Dwight is still on the Magic - as fans will want to get their last looks at him in Orlando. And, who knows - winning championship could lead to a change of heart for Dwight.

So while I understand that the Magic are truly between a rock and a hard place and that there are differing feelings/emotions/thought processes between the basketball side and the business side - I think ultimately the business side wins out and they roll the dice and make an effort to win a Championship and worry about the future this summer.

And as a Nets fan - that is EXACTLY what I want to see. The Nets doing nothing with Orlando between now and tomorrow afternoon and instead focusing on trading for a large expiring (a la Boris Diaw) and freeing up the contracts of Jordan Farmar and Johan Petro next season. In a perfect world - but nobody is this lucky - we would be able to move Shawne Williams as well. And while losing that Houston pick is not ideal in this draft - the draft is still a crapshoot (I know everyone is super confident following Marshon Brooks but the draft by nature is a crapshoot) and removing that cap hold could be the difference between Dwight and Brook and Dwight and filler.

Disclaimer - This is just a very random thought that I had while on the exercise bike in the gym last night watching PTI. And there is A LOT that has to happen for this to even be a worthwhile discussion (ie. Dwight Howard is not dealt before the deadline, the Nets fail to make the playoffs and the lottery gods smile upon them with the first pick, Dwight signs with the Nets in early July as a Free Agent and the Nets resign Brook Lopez to play PF next to Dwight in the reincarnation of the Spurs Twin Tower movement).

In any event, assuming that all of the above events were to happen, would the Nets draft Anthony Davis with the first pick? I know that many of you will say that if the Nets had the first pick that they would not resign Brook to play the PF position, or would resign Brook to use in trade for a SF. However, I am thinking about what that would actually look like - on a roster with Dwight, Brook and Anthony Davis; as I think this would be a wildly intriguing roster.

Irrespective of whom the Nets take with their first pick - I believe that the backcourt is set with DWill and Marshon Brooks, and the PF/C starting spots are filled with Brook and Dwight. It remains to be seen whether Gerald Green will have a long term role on this team (and until we see him play in more games it is impossible to answer) and if not, what moves the Nets might make in Free Agency to address that SF position.

Watching tape of Anthony Davis what really stands out to me is his length, athleticism and shot blocking skills. I believe he has become a historically top ranked collegiate shot blocker at this point in the season and his ability is a multi-functional result of his length, athleticism and instints (BBIQ). I have seen him blocking shots not just in the paint around the rim, but ranging outside of the paint to swat away jump shots. And what impresses me even more, is that oftentimes he has the ability to keep the ball in bounds and control the possession.

I do think that his body needs at least 1-2 more years of weight training and maturation to have the physicality necessary to compete in the post at the NBA level. This will most likely prove problematic for him when getting posted up in the paint and also on the offensive end. However, like rebounding, shot blocking is a skillset that translates directly from the NCAA to the NBA.

I think his ideal position in the NBA is not as a Center but as a true PF with the ability to get out in transition, affect shots on the perimeter and stretch the court - opening up the paint for penetration or another big man. However, under the above scenario (and the idea came from watching him rotate off his man on the low block and range up towards the top of the key to block a shot - which was purely the effect of his length and athleticism) we would already have not only our franchise center (Dwight Howard) but our franchise PF (Brook Lopez).

I have long been an advocate of a Lopez/Howard pairing, as I think that Brook's strengths will be complementary to Dwight's while Dwight's will be complementary to Brook's. Dwight is solely effective within 3-5 feet of the basket and is the best interior defender in the NBA. However, he is not effective playing away from the basket and becomes a liability in a hack a Dwight game - which is unfortunately going to be every team's strategy in the waning moments of a post season game. Brook has continued to develop an impressive post game but is just as effective operating in the high post or 12-15 feet away from the basket on the offensive end. And as his past few games have shown, it looks like he has added another foot to his range since breaking his foot. And while many fans have been critical of Brook's ability to guard PFs - his length will create issues for the stretch 4s and undersized PFs and he is capable of guarding in the paint. In the instances where an opposing PF gets a step on him and goes towards the basket - Dwight is perhaps the best help defender in the paint in the NBA. That mitigates that concern. And I can't think of very many PFs who are going to be able to guard Brook Lopez. A Dwight/Lopez combination is an absolute matchup nightmare for most teams.

So based on this scenario (where we keep Brook and get Dwight) and my excitement of seeing these 2 guys playing together in our front court; on the surface Anthony Davis would seem like a gratuitous pick for us - as using the 1st pick on a guy to come off the bench would be a waste of his talent and be a large portion of our salary cap allocated to 3 big men.

However, I think that we could absolutely crush teams from a match up perspective under this scenario and draft Anthony Davis to play at the SF position who can then slide into the PF position at end of games when Avery takes out Dwight and shifts Lopez to Center. Granted there are going to be significant growing pains as he adjusts to playing more on the perimeter - both offensively and defensively. However, his length is going to absolutely make it impossible for SFs to shoot over him and actually enables him to play 2 steps off his man. This gives him that extra second to minize an opponent's first step. And in the instances where he is burned off the ball; Dwight Howard is still going to be anchoring the paint while Brook can cheat a step towards the paint as well (again a benefit of his length). Offensively, he will have probably be more effective (at least initially) on putbacks (imagine a SF boxing him out?) and in transition. But with DWill at PG and Dwight commanding a double team in the post and Brooks/Morrow and Lopez stretching the floor - there are going to be considerable opportunities to slide towards the basket in pick and rolls/pick and pops.

On paper a front court of Anthony Davis, Brook Lopez and Dwight Howard might be incredibly unorthodox but creates mismatches from h*ll. And with potentially 2 of the premier shot blockers in the NBA - it is going to become much more difficult for opponents to get off a good shot - and I expect Brooks to continue to develop on the defensive end of the court and learn to use his length to his advantage. I am not suggesting that Davis would have the potential to be the next Kevin Durant at the SF position but this could really offer the Nets the most value at the pick and create a season full of sleepless nights for opposing coaches.

As mentioned in the disclaimer - this was simply the result of my mind wandering while riding the bike in the gym last night and I have not seen enough tape of Anthony Davis to definitively say that he has the ability to contribute at the SF position. But it is an interesting point of discussion and the depth of that team (with the ability of our 3 bigs to play at both front court positions) would be very difficult to game plan against. Interested to hear your thoughts on this.

After reading the earlier NetsDaily post that the Nets are unlikely to extend Brook - and seeing that many fans were upset about this, I thought a dedicated post made sense.

First, the Nets have zero incentive to extend Brook before January 28th. He is recovering from a fractured foot, and on a big man, you really have no clue how well he is going to recover and if he will have the same abilities as he had prior to the injury. The biggest mistake the Nets could make (or any team for that matter) is extending a player to a sizeable long term contract without knowing how he has recovered from a potentially career affecting injury. I am an optimist, and think that Brook is the model of durability in the post and will be fine (also good sign that his twin brother Robin had/recovered from same injury). But you have to realize it would be a bad business decision for the Nets to extend without knowing how he has healed.

Secondly, if the Nets were to extend Brook before January 28th, it makes him much harder to trade in a deal to Orlando for Dwight Howard. Perhaps Orlando prefers to own his rights and have the ability to match any deal for him - expecting market offers to come in lower. Perhaps Otis Smith then wants to use Brook as a trade piece and thinks will be easier to do this if he is a RFA. Who knows? There are also issues with the new CBA which I am not familiar enough to discuss.

All that said however, my biggest feeling is that the Nets (thru DWill) have a very good sense of what Dwight Howard is really thinking of doing. And based on comments from Orlando and from Dwight, I really get the sense that Dwight is going to play out his contract in Orlando and become an UFA this summer. Many in the media want to argue that the Magic owner (DeVos) would never chance losing Dwight in free agency for nothing, but the guy is 85 years old and desperately wants to win. He is not thinking that if the Magic obtain assets and rebuild, they can compete again in 5 years. He has a quality squad with the most dominant big man in the game - capable of 40-20 games. I think if any of us were in DeVos's shoes - we would roll the dice and go for the Finals appearance this year. Remember, DeVos killed the deal in the preseason when the situation with Dwight seemed toxic. Now they are winning and look like a strong competitor......why would he cave now and make a trade? Especially since you don't want to showcase your new arena to the world during the All Star game with D12 wearing a Nets jersey....and at that point, the Magic will be firmly entrenched in the playoff run - and I think you man up and hope for the best. If Orlando makes it to the Finals and wins - it becomes a lot easier to a) stomach him leaving and b) convince him to resign and look to defend the crown.

I think Dwight is adamant about leaving for a brighter market, and it seems based on his comments, media reports and his friendship with DWill that Brooklyn is where he wants to be. He will make bags of money in endorsements that he would never sniff in Orlando, and apparently Addidas has hinted that his deal is worth much more money in Brooklyn than in Chicago or Orlando, etc. So to take less for 4 years in contract money is easily made up for in endorsement money. He may already have that "difference" guaranteed by Addidas in a wink wink agreement with his agent. You and me will never know.

However, Dwight (or at least his agent and the sneaker reps) know that to truly maximize his value - he needs to be in a winning situation. Forcing his way out of Orlando in a trade is a PR hit (ask Lebron), and going to a team that does not win in Year 1 is another big hit to his image (ie. finances). So having seen what happened to the Heat when LeBron and Bosh went there to team with DWade - it creates a very watered down roster with little depth. Depth wins championships. That is why Dallas beat the Heat last year. Forcing your way to NJ in a trade will absolutely kill the assets that NJ has and you will have a worse supporting cast than Miami....meaning you won't win. So, the logical thing for Dwight (and everyone else) is for Dwight to compete for a championship in Orlando and become a Free Agent. DWill has to suffer thru a tough losing season (but at least it is only 66 games...). The Nets can exclusively focus on making small moves to improve the roster for next year (OJ Mayo?) while developing Marshon Brooks to become a star scorer at the 2 guard (seemingly DWill is onboard with playing alongside Brooks). The Nets also can guage the health of Brook Lopez once he returns from his injury and get a sense for the chemistry between him and DWill on the floor - remember they have very little minutes together. They will still control Brook's rights and have the ability to match any deal for him. And with Petro and Okur and Shelden Williams on the roster, the Nets can really start to use Brook in more of a PF role - to get a sense for how he will perform as a PF. Oh, and they are sure to have a lottery pick in a stacked draft where they can address their SF position (Barnes, Jones, Gilchrist-Kidd) for the future.

And lastly, for those of you who have questions about Brook playing the PF next to Dwight.......Brook's game is tailor made to be the complementary PF next to Dwight (and vice versa). Brook is more of a stretch 5 than he is a traditional back to the basket Center. His game is at his best when he is active on pick and pops, extended elbow jumpers and foul line extension jumpers. Brook also has the size to post up smaller PFs in the paint and has an array of offensive moves in the paint and is a good passing big man - meaning he can feed the shooter on the perimeter or dump the ball across the paint to Dwight for an easy bucket. Dwight on the other hand, is a beast in the paint - active on put backs, alley oops, and pick and rolls. But outside of 8 feet from the paint, he is a major offensive liability (ie...you don't want him shooting 15 foot jumpers). Offensively, their games are perfect complements for each other.

Defensively, Dwight is an absolute monster in the paint and will single handedly control the paint (and the glass). Brook has the length to flash out to cover stretch fours and even if athletically they can get past him, they are moving into a brick wall in Dwight. For those PFs who spend the majority of their time in the post - they are going to have to inch outside as the paint will be sealed off with Dwight - forcing them to play outside of their comfort zone and reducing their chances on the glass. And for those who consider Brook to be a poor rebounder - Hump is an excellent rebounder and limited his opportunities (nor did Brook need to focus as much on rebounding as he did on scoring). That is a good balance with Dwight. And remember, Brook has not played alongside any strong defensive PF or strong perimeter defenders in his career - so oftentimes he would have to step up to stop man in penetration and have nobody rotate to his man under the basket - resulting in easy bucket.

The moves (or non-moves) the Nets Front Office is making right now is exactly what they should be doing. Keep ultimate roster flexibility (cap space) while looking to acquire the right pieces to play a complementary role, possibly pick up extra assets (OJ Mayo, draft picks), and most importantly, focus on developing Marshon Brooks and creating the chemistry in the backcourt of him and DWill. There seems to be a plan in place, and tihs team is competing most nights. I really get the sense that Dwight will be a Net but he will come as a free agent and not as a trade - meaning the Nets keep their core in place and are instantly a favorite in the East Brooklyn Year 1. So keep your heads up, enjoy watching Marshon improve before our eyes, and the future should be very bright.

I had a small surgery yesterday, so I have not read any comments on this site in the past 2-3 days - so I apologize in advance if any of this has been discussed previously on these threads. That didn't affect my ability to watch the game last night, and there are/were some tremendous positives to take away from this game.

First and foremost, Marshon Brooks is going to be a player in this league. I think last night (his first start) started to show the full range of his abilities, and not just on the offensive end of the court. Offensively this kid can definitely score - and like the great scorers he has the ability to score in transition, off the dribble, catch and shoot, and behind the arc. I have also been impressed with his ability to post up smaller defenders - as this is a skill that many top scoring guards fresh out of college do not yet have. He also seems to possess a good basketball IQ and a decent court vision - he had a very nice pass out of the double team to the other block where Shelden Williams was unable to convert the bucket.

Defensively we are starting to see the effect that his octopus arms can have on the perimeter as he was able to affect passing lanes as well as reaching in to knock a ball loose. Ironically however, what impressed me the most was when he deflected a pass and went the length of the floor and simply laid the ball in for an easy 2 as opposed to attempting a crowd pleasing slam. While I will be in the minority on this - I think it shows tremendous awareness to conserve your legs and go for the sure 2 points when your team desperately needs wins and offense. Think back to Terrence Williams - he would have attempted (and most likely made) a thundering dunk - but it is still only worth 2 points and how often have you seen a guy clank one off the back iron attempting to MJ it on the break. Also in a stike shortened season - it is imperative for guys to conserve their legs at every opportunity and this rookie already understands that. He is definitely a mature rookie (another reason why drafting guys with 3+ yrs of college experience is so important) and understands that he is going to be relied upon heavily by the Nets this year to provide offense and defense and conserving his energy is paramount to team success.

This team is on the verge of boasting an excellent backcourt duo of Deron Williams and Marshon Brooks - that seems to be gaining considerable chemistry with each other and will be complementary ability wise. DWill is best suited to being a facilitator first, and a scorer as a second or even third option. He is not (nor will the team) be successful when he is forced to play off the ball as the primary scoring threat. While it is only 7 games into the season with a shortened training camp no less, Marshon is clearly proving that he is a capable scoring threat at the SG position and I would assume he starts the rest of the way. The team seemed to avoid their slow start in the first quarter with Marshon providing early and often offense - which when he is on the bench just does not exist. I commented a few days ago that this season is not just about us getting Dwight but on selling DWill on the potential for a backcourt of DWill and Brooks - and Brooks is clearly doing his part. I think Brooks is going to have a very good chance at winning ROY honors - as he is going to play big minutes and be a focal point of the offense the rest of the way out. And on the floor with DWill will open up scoring opportunities for Marshon even more.

I haven't posted in quite some time on this site, and quite honestly, that is really a function of just losing interest in the NBA on account of this lockout..... I am obviously a die hard Nets fan and love the team as much as you can love a sports team; and have been waiting anxiously for close to 10 years for Brooklyn to become a reality. And we actually are building towards a very quality core of players on this roster, which is starting to remind me of the Big 3 of yesteryear (Kidd, RJ, KMart) where it was impossible not to be excited about the roster. Perhaps I am drinking the Kool-Aid, but I think with the trade for Deron Williams, the continued growth of BLo, the Marshon Brooks draft pick, the outside shooting skills of Anthony Morrow, the evolution of Hump and the not so subtle comments by Dwight Howard about players he would like to play with, etc...this team really has the potential to be special. I have to temper that optimism however, as this lockout between owners and players has really started to cause me to lose interest as a fan. We are living in the midst of an incredible economic recession, which is only going to get worse in 2012, and we have millionaire players and billionaire owners arguing over how profitable the NBA is, and how many millions of dollars they are entitled to. Ultimately, the average fan will be priced out of attending games as ticket prices (and concessions, parking, merchandise, etc) continue to rise to pay for these inflated salaries for guys who are fortunate enough to play a game they love (or should love) as their profession. And it's a profession that pays them significantly more than the average American can hope to earn (and not just in a year, but for many, in a lifetime). Combined with the advancements in technology, the idea of watching a game from the comfort of your living room sofa as opposed to traveling to an arena where you are forced to deal with crowds and traffic and then commute home after the game (which is MUCH worse when you see an inferior product on the floor by well paid professionals who sometimes can't "get up" for a game) becomes a viable alternative. So as excited as I am by the future prospects of this Nets roster, I find myself having the least amount of interest in the NBA since I was 7 years old. Having discussed this with many friends (both Nets and Knicks fans), I find that most of my friends and colleagues find themselves in the same situation as myself. Perhaps it is my demographic (32 years old and more focused on my career and my soon to be fiance, than the prospects of a missed season), but I wonder if fellow Nets Daily readers/posters find themselves in the same position? I have essentially made up my mind that if there is a season missed by a year long lockout between owners and players, I will no longer have the season ticket package I have had since JKidd became a Net (I had just graduated from college). While I will still attend a handful of games a year, I will no longer be planning my winter calendar around Nets home dates. And perhaps the most ironic thing of all, is that I actually think a missed season would be the MOST beneficial thing to happen to this Nets team (you can check the archives for a post I authored on this particular topic). Would be very interested to hear your thoughts on the subject of a missed NBA season on account of a league wide lockout.

Was that just a mild earthquake in NYC or was that the tremors from Kenrick Ellis throwing a smack down on Powell trying to run up the middle in practice?  I can't wait to watch him smack down the Pats this season!

People are worried about a lack of depth, etc on this roster - but there is some scary talent up front on that D-Line and could very well be the most dominant in football this year. And have a feeling Maybin is going to be a solid contributor to this squad this year and finish with 5 sacks.

I posted this as a comment on another fan post, but I think this lays out a pretty good reason for Nets fans to be hopeful (granted no hoops but lots of championships loom in the future) for the entire season to be lost.

I don't see DWill leaving....if anything I think missing a season is a huge benefit for the Nets for the following reasons:
- The Nets can not overspend in Free Agency in 2011 or throw loads of money at veteran players (Nene, Prince, AK47) with the hope of building a team that DWill wants to stay with....the chances of that ending up with big money committed to veterans on downside of career and inability to improve team going forward is HUGE

- The price tag for Hump will drastically decline as he is 1 year removed from his double double season and him and Kim are entrenched in NYC/NJ for reality TV shows, etc...he not going to take more money to go home to Minnesota with her in tow.

- The 2011 rookies will be allowed to play either in Europe or in the D-League - so they will get a year of seasoning in the professional game.  This could be especially helpful for Jordan Williams and will also let the Nets know what they have in MarShon Brooks for planning the roster in 2012

- The new CBA is almost certain to have a lower salary cap - making it less likely DWill would opt out of that final year of his deal, as his next annual pay check would be lower (and remember he is going to need to recoup the lost salary of 2011-2012)...so the Nets get 1 more season to convince him to stay (in Brooklyn no less)

- Most likely the 2012 draft will be based on some sort of formula for the final records of 2011 season - so the Nets should have a high to mid level lottery selection. In a loaded 2012 draft at the forward position - they may conceivably walk away with their SF of the future in the draft. And even if the draft order is based upon a lottery of all teams - does anyone really think that the NBA would not want to (actually NEED to) have a stud top lottery pick end up in Brooklyn in the first year of basketball in Brooklyn?

- Any change to the salary cap would have to come with a 1 time amnesty clause to allow teams to get under the cap - without this - teams could be penalized for decisions in the future that no longer comply with the current league rules.  So an amnesty clause is essential....meaning that not only would the Nets be able to waive Travis Outlaw, but that the 2012 free agency class would be even larger - as there would be 30 "waived" players added to 2011 and 2012 available free agents.  The added bonus to this is that the team would still be liable for paying the player salaries (or perhaps there would be a buy out provision baked in) these waived players would be more apt to take less money to play in a "better" situation...A new arena in Brooklyn with DWill as your PG and a chance to be a competitive team is a better situation in my book.  Plus many of the smaller market owners who are struggling with cash flow would be even less aggressive with spending money in free agency as they would have to eat the cost of that waived contract plus sign another player to take that roster spot.....for a big spending owner like Proky - this could be a huge benefit to the Nets.

- The Nets will have saved cap space from not signing free agents in 2011 (meaning didn't take on any bad contracts), and the Nets will also be free of salary obligations to Stephen Graham, Ben Uzoh, Sundiata Gaines - and will have a team option on Damion James (which I imagine they would pick up).  They will also have  stockpile of expiring contracts in Petro ($3.5m), Farmar ($4.25m) and Morrow ($4m) which could be used as trade chips...Oh and Dwight Howard will be a free agent so the Nets could conceivably sign Dwight Howard outright as a free agent, and will still control the rights to Brook (meaning they could potentially go over the cap and will have the ability to offer an extra year and higher raise percentage than other teams).

- And finally, Brooklyn i s no longer a dream but a reality!

So theoretically, if there is not a season in 2011-2012 the Nets roster could look like this for the 2012-2013 season:
PG - DWill, Farmar
SG - Brooks, Morrow
SF - James, Draft pick, Bojan Bogdanovic
PF - Lopez, Hump (at $4m per year), Jordan Williams
C - Dwight Howard, Petro

That is a championship contending lineup - and is MUCH MUCH MUCH better than anything you could conceive if we have a season in 2011-2012 and are forced to sign (and overpay) for veterans like Nene, Prince, AK47 and Hump which would then make the idea of Brook and Dwight as PF/C combo IMPOSSIBLE.

Dime Magazine has recently printed a story (online) about why the Nets should pursue Josh Smith as the SF of the future - and take on the remaining 3 years and $11m per year on his contract. 

http://dimemag.com/2011/06/why-the-nets-are-a-perfect-fit-for-josh-smith/

I don't think that anyone would argue with adding Josh Smith to this team, but many would argue with what we would have to trade for Smith and why would Atlanta do this deal. 

The first proposal that they float (Smith and Pape Sy for Outlaw, Farmar and Damion James) will not get done as the Hawks are trying to cut salary, not add to it (Outlaw).  The second proposal that they float (James, Farmar, Morrow and Graham for Smith) is not viable as Graham is not under contract and can't be dealt.  However, that would be a pretty decent framework for a potential trade with Damion James and Jordan Farmar being the main pieces.  And knowing that Atlanta's biggest need is a Center - perhaps either Petro or a pick would be the final piece. Is this enough to get a deal done, I am not sure, but it is a starting point.

However, Atlanta is very close to finding itself in a situation where they MUST trade Josh Smith.  They already have Marvin Williams on the roster who is strictly a SF (albeit not a very good one) along with Al Horford who they desperately want to move to the PF position.  This leaves a log jam with Smith - as they can't pay Williams, Smith and Horford who ideally play 2 positions - not 3.  Aside from this, when a player starts to tell "sources" he is looking for a trade and you have a relatively young team which as constructed does not appear to be any better than a 4 seed in the East - it becomes time to realisitically start looking at dealing that player.  Complicating the situation for Atlanta is the impending lockout, the uncertainty surrounding the salary cap and many teams' being unwilling to add extra salary until the CBA is finalized.  This means that getting fair or equal value back is going to be much more difficult. 

I think that some of the talk about the Nets looking to move up in the draft (or simply buy an additional first round pick) with Nikola Vucevic as the target - Vucevic is a pawn to trade to Atlanta for Smith or becomes the backup with Petro on his way to Atlanta.  The Nets are NOT dealing Brook Lopez for any player not named Dwight Howard - but to be able to include a Center in a deal for Smith could be the sticking point. 

A trade of Damion James, Jordan Farmar and either Petro or Vucevic for Josh Smith works on the ESPN Trade Machine.  The Nets can not afford to trade away Petro without having a backup on the roster (even thought I don't think that should be a hindrance to the deal) which is I believe the reason for the interest in Vucevic (who either becomes the backup or is the center dealt to Atlanta - my guess is Atlanta would prefer Vucevic over Petro due to youth and upside). 

Trading Damion James would be sad - as I truly believe he can develop into a very good NBA SF, but to replace him with Josh Smith becomes a trade you have to make.  Farmar I believe is bound to be in another uniform next year anyways (as the biggest trade chip the Nets have - along with being expendable with DWill) and Petro I would volunteer to pack his bags!

Pre-Draft a starting lineup of is enough to be a top 5 seed in the East:

PG - DWill, Gaines

SG - Morrow

SF - Josh Smith, Outlaw

PF - Hump (he will be resigned)

C - Lopez

I would expect that the Nets would then focus on supplementing their bench with a shooter at the 2 guard spot (Josh Selby anyone? or Malcom Lee,Jimmy Butler or Travis Leslie) and depth at the PF/C position (Jeremy Tyler, JaJuan Johnson, Justin  Harper, Trey Thompkins, Malcolm Thomas or Greg Smith). And I think the Nets will actively look to acquire at least 1 additional second round pick with additional targets potentially being Charles Jenkins, Bojan Bogdanovic, Keith Benson or Andrew Goudelock.

I actually think there is a very good chance that the Nets actively target buying a pick to draft Goudelock in the latter half of the second round - as he could be the deadeye assasin on the perimeter to supplement Morrow, and also can play PG with the second unit.

And if you do make this trade for Josh Smith - I think the necessity/likelihood of trading for Dwight Howard becomes marginal at best - as Lopez is one of the top centers in the NBA already - and offensively gives you more options while Hump and Smith make up for the defensive shortcomings. 

It's going to be a very exciting night tomorrow - and I wouldn't be surprised if we end up with Josh Smith and Goudelock and some other combination of draft picks on our roster by the end of the night.

As we continue to hear quotes and read stories about Billy King's itchy trigger finger and see the roster of guys who are being worked out - I have a feeling that the Nets will be trading up in front of the Knicks.  And I think the guy on their radar is Josh Selby.  Remember Billy King cut his teeth in Philly with a certain undersized scoring 2 guard (AI) and saw the impact of AI firsthand.  Just the fact that Selby worked out with the Nets (who are picking 27th) is telling. Projected to go in the top 20 - there is no reason his agent would have sent him to work out for the Nets without thinking that the Nets were poised to trade into the top 16 of the draft. 

This quote "He's a basketball player. He just knows how to play. You find these guys from New York or Baltimore that just have a feel for playing basketball. They just know how to get things done, get to the bucket. If they need to make a jump shot, they do. A defensive stop. Those are the guys that just basketball players and just know how to survive on the court and stay on the court."  This quote really tells a lot - as these are the kind of guys that you want to have on a team - especially one with championship aspirations. 

My thinking is that the Nets front office has realized that there are no impact SFs that are available in the draft (barring Derrick Williams) or in free agency who are going to be worth the price tag (irrespective of what Avery says about Young - he is a tweener).  The wild card being AK47 - who may give Proky a hometown discount to finish his career in NJ with DWill (which also may appease DWill). 

King realizes that we need offense, but not necessarily at the SF position (again if we were to sign AK47 - he is not going to transform our offensive production).  I think the Nets are going to actively look to get in front of the Knicks to take Selby and plug him into the backcourt as the starting SG.  Selby has the potential to be an AI/Jason Terry type of scorer in the NBA - and his lack of height is less of an issue in a backcourt shared with DWill.  This would give the Nets a slashing/scoring starting SG in Josh Selby and a jump shooting threat off the bench in Anthony Morrow. 

If the Nets are getting offense from the starting backcourt (DWill, Selby) and Brook down low - they are less reliant on offensive production at the SF position and instead need a 3 who can score in transition, rebound and defend.  That guy is possibly already on the roster in Damion James (providing he can stay healthy) and to a lesser extent Travis Outlaw (I don't think that we see an amnesy clause in the next CBA as the smaller market teams will be adamantly against this as it is a free out clause that will help the big market teams). 

Assuming that we keep our second round pick in a trade to move up (and if we do trade it - I think we purchase an early second rounder) and that the Nets take a very long look at Shelvin Mack.  He is a big PG with a highly successful collegiate career for a winning program in a pick and roll offense.  He would be the perfect understudy to DWill (and also provides a bit of a hedge in the event that DWill bolts in free agency).  This also frees the Nets up to package Jordan Farmar in a trade (possibly with our first round pick and cash to move up) to get Selby.  And while Mack may never be an elite starting PG in the NBA - I guarantee he becomes a 10 year veteran who plays a part on a championship team - as his intangibles are off the charts. 

Making a move to trade up for Selby is definitely high risk/high reward - but as you start to think about it - it makes sense for a team that needs to increase their offensive production on the perimeter and has a big PG who can check an opposing 2 guard if necessary.  Selby's game is also a perfect complement to Anthony Morrow's.

Regardless, I think Billy is going to find a player (or two) in this draft - and improve our roster.

While it is impossible to know who will be on the board when a team picks (outside of the top pick) or what every GM/Front Office is really thinking - it will be worth watching what the Knicks do at 17.  From everything I have read/heard - it seems that they like Faried, Selby, Jimmer and Brooks.  I hope they take anyone but Faried as he is my favorite player in the draft and I don't want to see him in NY.

But if they go with Selby, Jimmer or Brooks - Landry Fields may be on the market. He did not play well once Carmelo came to NY and looked out of sync playing with Carmelo.  Plus his minutes and effectiveness really dropped in the second half of the year.  He is very inexpensive (which actually  makes trading for him even more difficult) and would be a better option for the Nets to pursue as a SG (combined with Morrow) than CJ Miles or JR Smith. 

I'm not really sure what we could offer the Knicks outside of next year's draft pick (which is far too much) but perhaps a package of this year's second rounder, cash, and future considerations (swap of future picks, future second rounder, etc) could get it done.

With Minnesota winning the second pick in last night's NBA Draft lottery, it creates a very interesting scenario for the Nets.  ESPN has already reported that the Timberwolves are very interested in moving this pick, and looking at their roster and what will be on the board with the second pick - it makes a lot of sense to trade this pick for veteran players.

Minnesota is a young team with the majority of their roster having 2-3 years of NBA experience.  The Timberwolves clearly are stocked at the PF position with Kevin Love and are pretty much locked into Darko at the Center position (thanks to David Kahn).  And they have 2 former top 3 picks at the SF position in Michael Beasley and Wesley Johnson.  They also have backups under contract in the front court of Nikola Pekovic (Center), Anthony Randolph (F), Anthony Tolliver (PF) and Martell Webster (G/F). 

Everyone loves to make fun of David Kahn about aquiring PGs (Jonny Flynn, Ricky Rubio and Ty Lawson) - yet the best of the three (Lawson) was traded away, and Rubio seems unlikely to ever play for the Timberwolves. Jonny Flynn has been a major disappointment and it seems like he may never live up to his draft status.  Minnesota has Luke Ridnour under contract - but again he is nothing more than a stop gap PG in their system.  They also have severe needs at the SG position, with just Wayne Ellington under contract as their SG next year. 

At the second pick in the draft - you have to assume that Kyrie Irving will be off the board, and this will leave questionable PGs like Kemba Walker and Brandon Knight and SFs Derrick Williams and Kahwi Leonhard on the board.  There are no SG prospects in the draft who can be in the conversation for the second pick.  Minnesota also has the 20th pick in the draft (courtesy of Memphis) where there will be a number of talented SG prospects still on the board.  However, Minnesota finds itself in a difficult situation with the second pick - and strategically their best decision would be to move this pick for veteran players (already David Kahn has already suggested as much) as they do not need a third top 3 pick at the SF position on their roster.


The Timberwolves ideally look to find a mixture of veteran players, future assets (ie. draft picks), and cash for the second pick in the draft.  The Nets biggest need is two fold - they need to aggressively prove to Deron Williams that they are committed to improving the team and putting together a championship caliber roster while at the same time maintaining as much salary cap flexibility as possible as they will need to resign DWill, Hump, Brook and possibly make a run at Dwight Howard. 

While the jury is still out on Damion James - SF is our weakest position on the floor, and having an athletic SF who can play defense, run the floor with DWill, provide rebounding and knock down the outside jumper would really solidify our starting 5.  Unfortunately, the Nets thought they were getting this player with Outlaw last summer and that clearly has proven to be a huge mistake.  However, these types of players don't come cheap, and command a premium in Free Agency (and there is really nobody of a starting caliber at the 3 this summer anyways who will justify his contract). 

Minnesota winning the second pick (with Cleveland picking first) should have been an absolute wet dream for the Nets front office.  Derrick Williams is PRECISELY the player that the Nets need to solidfy their front court, maximize their salary cap (space vs production), and his ability to play minutes at the PF position provides the Nets with the versatility Avery Johnson loves.  He is a proven leader, has a huge heart, has improved every year in college and is a high character guy.  And his ability to attack the boards, provides the Nets with another strong rebounder (for their position) to complement Brook Lopez.  Brook is a great offensive center - but he is never going to be a dominant rebounder.  His ceiling is most likely 8 rpg.  Having Hump (10+) and Williams (8+) at the forward positions will inherently mask this weakness. 

The Nets should be aggressively calling David Kahn on a daily basis leading up to the draft to inquire about trading for the second pick in the draft (to take Derrick Williams).  The Nets will benefit from the overall weakness of this year's draft, the uncertainty surrounding the CBA and status of the 2011-2012 season and the expected strength/depth of the 2012 NBA Draft - as the combination of these factors will keep the price of this pick more affordable than it would be in a typical draft.  And we have one of the few (perhaps only) owner's in basketball who are unfazed by the economic recession (it's been a long term commodities bull market) who will have no problem dropping a few million dollars as a cost of doing business.

My trade proposal would initially be to deal Jordan Farmar, the 27th pick in the draft, next year's second round pick and cash (the maximum cash allowed) to acquire this pick.  Obviously, the trade can be tweaked to entice Minn but this is a good starting point.  Correct me if I am wrong, but cash included in a trade DOES NOT count against the salary cap. 

Farmar provides the Timberwolves with a quality young PG (who could start over Ridnour) with championship credentials, and the Wolves will still find rotation depth with the 27th pick in the draft and pick up a second round pick.  If necessary, I would include this year's second round pick and the right to swap picks in 2012 (no reason for Minnesota to look for that provision though). 

And by making this trade - the Nets signal to Deron Williams (and the rest of the league) that this is a new era in Nets basketball and that they will aggressively make moves to surround DWill with talent and are 100% committed to being a championship team.  This trade provides the Nets with a significant upgrade to their SF position, makes sense from a salary cap perspective, and has the psychological impact of creating a WOW statement heading into the summer. 

If the Nets get really lucky, and there is a 1 time amnesty clause in the new NBA CBA - we will be able to waive Travis Outlaw and not have his remaining $28 million count against the cap. 

This would lead to a rotation (entering the summer) of:

PG - DWill/Gaines

SG - Morrow

SF - Derrick Williams/Damion James

PF - Hump (Nets will resign him)

C - Lopez/Petro

This is a very strong starting 5 - and the Nets will need to sign some veterans to provide rotation depth - but is a team that can be expected to make it into the second round of the playoffs, if not the Eastern Conference Finals (matchup dependent).  Plus the Nets are keeping a large amount of salary cap flexibility - so that they can resign Hump, DWill and Brook and still be players in free agency. 

And in a perfect world, DWill would convince Dwight Howard to sit tight for 1 more season in Orlando and then sign with the Nets as a free agent in the summer of 2012 (dependent of course on lack of franchise tag in new CBA).  Depending on the cap, the Nets may be able to absorb the cost of Howard under the cap and move Lopez to PF with Howard the starting Center.  Hump is the perfect backup big off the bench, with Petro available to provide 6 fouls a night. 

And a starting lineup of DWill/Morrow/Derrick Williams/Lopez/Howard with a bench of Damion James and Hump is the start of a dynasty Year 1 of Brooklyn. 

I hope the Nets aggressively pursue a trade for the second pick in the draft - as the opportunity to acquire Derrick Williams is something that they can not pass up if they are truly interested in winning multiple championships.

The more I look at the draft board and how things will likely shake out (again too early to really have a handle on things though - with the lottery still not decided) I am starting to think that the best draft strategy for the Nets might be the most unlikely position strategy.  Just looking at the roster, you could make the argument that the Nets really need to bolster the 2 and 3 spots, and a backup PF and Center would be excellent targets as well. 

However, as I look at mock drafts and think of how this draft might shape up - at 27 it might make the most sense to go with a backup PG. This is going to be met with a lot of skepticism, but there is really nobody at 27 who is going to make a difference on this team on the wing.  We needed to be picking 10 picks earlier for that.  And the best PF propsect (Kenneth Faried) will only end up returning to Newark if we package our 2nd rounder and 27th pick and some cash and move up into the top 16. With the lack of true talent in this draft, I have to agree with Chad Ford's latest mock that there is no way the Knicks pass on Faried.  And if they do, he won't fall past the Blazers at 21.  My preference has always been to get Faried on this team - as the backup to Hump to give us a 1-2 combination at the 4 position which will dominate the glass against 90% of NBA matchups. Unfortunately, barring a trade, this won't happen.

Conversely, there are no backup Center options who are an improvement over Petro (and that says A LOT)!

And, there really isn't anyone who is going to be step into the rotation at the 2/3 position in this draft (outside of the lottery).  The only exception to that is Chris Singleton - who could be a very impressive defensive stopper - yet I don't see him being on the board at 27 either (that Lakers hot streak before the playoffs really hurt us - even being at 25 would have been a big benefit for us). 

And most of the other guys are going to be projects (Jeremy Tyler, Lucas Nogueira, etc) who could very well still be available in the second round (read non-guaranteed contracts).

The NBA is clearly becoming a PG driven league - and assuming that the Nets are able to deal Farmar this summer (which I firmly believe is the plan) the Nets are going to open camp with DWill and a gaping hole with either Gaines or Uzoh behind him on the depth chart.  Having a PG like DWill definitely makes the backup PG position a bit less relevant than on most teams - but we witnessed first hand in the Kidd era - the lack of a quality backup PG really hurt us at times. 

There are a couple of veteran PGs who are certain to be on the board at 27......Shelvin Mack and Charles Jenkins.  Both of these guys have had tremendous college careers (2 Final Fours for Mack, +2,500 points for Jenkins), and have big power PG bodies and are adept at attacking the basket, knocking down the outside jumper and dishing to teammates. 

In a draft devoid of sure fire starters or even rotation players in the latter half of the first round - solidifying the PG position for the next 5 years would not be the worst decision for Billy King and Avery Johnson to make. And with that early 2nd rounder - to focus on a project player like Tyler, Nogueira, Parsons, or Malcolm Lee). 

Crack - I posted a comment on the bottom of your 3-3-5 base post from last week - but chances are it won't be noticed as doesn't appear to be showing up as a new comment.  I really liked that post and think you are very knowledgeable about the defensive scheme (and the necessary players) that Rex wants to implement here.

Your premise was really based on beefing up the Defensive Line and finding a hybrid pass rushing linebacker to move around the middle of the field and disgusing looks where his primary responsibility is to get to the QB and create havoc in the backfield. 

You never mentioned a pass rushing Defensive End or the type of Defensive End who could take up 2 blockers at the point of attack - my guess is because at 30 we weren't expected to have any of the top flight Defensive Ends be available - hence better to focus on the NT with that pick and then look for the hybrid LB with our second pick.

Obviously it is too early to know what our DL will look like come Opening Day - as we may or may not bring back Shawn Ellis (I think we do bring him back), Trevor Pryce (I think he comes back for a very reasonable 1 year deal - to have a chance at winning the Super Bowl in NY), Kris Jenkins (I think zero shot he is back - nor do I think would make sense to have him back) and even Jason Taylor (don't be shocked if he comes back for 1 more year to try and win a Super Bowl and to be a tutor to Wilkerson).  Plus you don't know who is going to be available in Free Agency or via trades. 

What is your take on Wilkerson as a Defensive End in our defense and what do you see us doing going forward? I find it very hard to believe that the Jets don't aggressively pursue Kendrick Ellis with their next pick as I think plugging him into the NT role is going to really give Rex the horses he needs.

And in your view, does Wilkinson fit into this 3-3-5 base defense that you are expecting?

Not sure if anyone saw this on ESPN today.....Florida kicked off star senior cornerback Janoris Jenkins for getting arrested for the second time with possession of marijuana.

He was a 3 year starter at Florida and was All-SEC First Team this past year.  He was projected to be a high first round pick in this draft, but chose to return to school instead of declare for the draft.  With him kicked off the team, I would think he is available in the supplemental draft (but with the uncertainty of the CBA - not sure this will even exist).

He could be an interesting target for the Jets to pursue in the supplemental draft however, as Rex loves his corners and the Jets as an organization have shown a willingness to take character risks. And due to the character concerns - the cost of signing him might not be as high as people would expect - as seems teams are very hesitant to sign guys with marijuana issues.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=6431674

 

Guys – Following yesterday’s playoff defeat by the Knicks I thought this was an interesting perspective to look at:

 

Over the past 10 years (from the 2001-2002 season to the 2010-2011 season) the Knicks have won 321 games and lost 499 games in the regular season.  They have made the playoffs 2 times over the past 10 years and have won a combined total of 0 games – having been swept in 4 games by the Nets in 2003-2004 and having been swept in 4 games by the Celtics in 2010-2011.  The last playoff victory for the Knicks was on April 29, 2001.

 

Over the past 10 years (from the 2001-2002 season to the 2010-2011 season) the Nets have won 384 games and lost 436 games in the regular season.  This equates to 63 additional wins (or roughly 6.3 wins per season more).  During this stretch, the Nets have compiled a post season record of 43 wins and 35 losses – having lost in 2 NBA Finals, 3 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals and having been swept in the First Round in 2004-2005 once.

 

Over this timeframe (including regular season and post season), the Nets have won 106 more games than the Knicks. 

		Regular Season		Post Season
		W	L	W	L
2001-2002	Knicks	30	52	0	0
	Nets	52	30	11	9	Lost in 4 to Lakers in NBA Finals
2002-2003	Knicks	37	45	0	0
	Nets	49	33	14	6	Lost in 6 to Spurs in NBA Finals
2003-2004	Knicks	39	43	0	4	Swept in 4 by Nets Round 1
	Nets	47	35	7	4	Lost in 7 to Pistons in Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
2004-2005	Knicks	33	49	0	0
	Nets	42	40	0	4	Swept in 4 by Heat Round 1
2005-2006	Knicks	23	59	0	0
	Nets	49	33	5	6	Lost in 5 to Heat in Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
2006-2007	Knicks	33	49	0	0
	Nets	41	41	6	6	Lost in 6 to Cavs in Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
2007-2008	Knicks	23	59	0	0
	Nets	34	48	0	0
2008-2009	Knicks	32	50	0	0
	Nets	34	48	0	0
2009-2010	Knicks	29	53	0	0
	Nets	12	70	0	0
2010-2011	Knicks	42	40	0	4
	Nets	24	58	0	0
	Knicks	321	499	0	8
	Nets	384	436	43	35

 

I think as Nets fans the greatest thing that you can do is offer any Knicks fans the number to the Nets ticket office and a log in to this web site. It is inhumane for any sports fan to go an entire decade without winning 1 playoff game. By doing this, you can spare the Knicks fans the humiliation of going another 10 years without a playoff victory.

This postseason proved that the Knicks will NEVER win with Carmelo and Amare and no bench and no defense.  Oh, but that's right, the Knicks are going to sign DWill and Dwight Howard and guys will choose to come to play in NY for the minimum because the Garden is the world's greatest arena! My bad!!!!

I rarely saw much Pac 10 play this season due to the time difference and the fact that I am usually asleep by 11pm. Plus I don't really have a strong rooting interest in the Pac 10 and just don't watch many of their games.  So I don't know a lot about Malcolm Lee (and apologies if someone has already discussed him); but I do know that UCLA guys have had big time impacts in the NBA after being drafted, and typically are better than their collegiate careers indicate. 

I am not sure if he is in or out of the draft at this point, but I happened across this article from Chad Ford while reading lunch and the talk of his defense made me want to draft him immediately.   Having a guy who is 6'5'' who can guard 1s and 2s and has the ability to run the point is a huge impact type player for our squad - especially becuase DWill likes to play off the ball at times.  And in the Eastern Conference, having elite wing defenders is a MUST. The quote "He is probably as good a wing defender as there is in this draft and has teh potential to be special at the next level" is exactly what we should be looking for.  Also if true that he is better at attacking the lane off the dribble than Collison, Westbrook or Holiday is a huge positive for us.

If this kid is in the draft - and we could come away with a mixture of him, Jeremy Tyler or Kenneth Faried we should be ecstatic.

This has become almost an annual event at this time of year -- deciding whether a talented player from UCLA who does not own eye-popping stats will be better in the NBA than he was in college. That is because of the way UCLA plays. Kevin Love, Darren Collison, Russell Westbrook and Jrue Holiday have been better than anticipated. Can Lee follow in their footsteps as a guy who is going to be a better player in the pros?

This much is certain, Lee is better at getting into the lane off the dribble than any of the three guards on the above list were coming out of college. He attacks with the quickness and craft of a little guy, probably because that's what he was until a late growth spurt sent him to the 6-foot-5 height he is now. The question of position is already answered, in that he may be able to guard 2s, but he's been a point all his life. Why change now?

Speaking of guarding, this is where we have to begin when evaluating Lee. He's not just long and athletic; he has a natural disposition to defend. He is probably as good a wing defender as there is in this draft and has the potential to be special at the next level if (and it's a big "if") he maintains that desire. Forgetting about that side of the ball so he can instead focus his energies on his dribble attack game would be a big mistake, both in draft workouts and as an NBA player.

Teams know of that dribble-drive game, and unfortunately they know of his shooting troubles as well. He was never a good shooter while in college, pretty typical for a young guy who's so adept at driving (think Tyreke Evans, John Wall and Derrick Rose coming out of school). But he also wasn't a big-time scorer in college or capable of leading his team far into the NCAA tournament like those guys. So, proving he can project as a good shooter, which can happen by making progress through workouts, is Step 1 for Lee. Lee, as a 40-plus percent 3-point shooter, was a likely lottery pick. That didn't happen, but if he can approach that range in the next few years, he'll come close to reaching the huge potential he's had since arriving at UCLA.

On March 30th, I wrote a post "Name To Keep in Mind Second Round" about Jeremy Tyler. 

http://www.netsdaily.com/2011/3/30/2080855/name-to-keep-in-mind-second-round

When I wrote this post, I do not believe he was getting any draft publicity whatsoever, but I was familiar with him mainly due to his trailblazing the idea of leaving HS to play (and get paid) professionally overseas.  Initially he was in Israel and it was a disaster and he left when not getting playing time.  He had the opportunity to work with Bob Hill in Japan (and Robert Swift) and is now training with Hill in Texas after the earthquake in Japan.

The NY Times ran a great story on him in today's edition:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/sports/basketball/21iht-BASKETBALL21.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=sports

Over the past few weeks, I have seen his name discussed more in regards to the draft, and with so many of the big names pulling out of the draft - it is possible this kid ends up in the mid to late 20s....I am not sure I would take him that early and give him a guaranteed contract - solely because he really has not played against top tier talent in the past 2 years.  That said, the positive from this experience is that he realizes how hard you have to work to make it, and is more mature from these experiences than the average 19 or 20 year old.

NBADraft.net is actually projecting him to us with the 27th pick in the draft - and he could very easily rise in workouts. I think he is an intriguing name but ideally we would get someone with that 27th pick who could make an impact on our rotation in his rookie year.  But with guys like Kenneth Faried and Alec Burks unlikely to fall to us - he begins to make a bit more sense.  And if we could get him with our 2nd round pick - it becomes a huge steal.

Another name (I know very little about him) to keep in mind with our second rounder is DeAndre Liggins from Kentucky.  He was a defensive specialist who just declared today but will not hire an agent. He is a 6'6'' guard from Chicago who recently had a child - so my guess is that the financial pressures will force him to remain in the draft as second rounder.  Plus in a weak draft - this is probably his best shot at going high in the second round. I know very little about him - but if he is an elite defender at the wing position - could be worth a look.  Probably our second round pick would be far too high for him - but in a weak draft, you never know how things play out.  And the importance of having at least 1 defensive stopper on a roster is something you can not overlook if thinking about deep playoff runs and championship aspirations - particularly in the Eastern Conference.

I also am a real big fan of Jacob Pullen as an undersized guy with a huge heart who can score in bunches with the second unit.  Again - scoring bench players are very important pieces to acquire in the second round.

The more I think about the upcoming June draft and the labor uncertainty, I think that the decision to stay in school is going to become a real thought for many of the top prospects.  The NCAA/NBA is not doing them any favors either with the deadline to withdraw from the draft for underclassman on May 8th..

Jared Sullinger (who would have been a top 5 pick) is already returning to school.  I think other top prospects could be likely to follow.  If you think about this logically - if you enter the draft and are drafted at the end of June - with the uncertainy surrounding the labor situation (and it appears everyone is preparing for a lockout that will at least run into training camp) these kids will get no organized basketball until at least the middle of the fall.  They will be barred from working out with their team and barred from using their team's training facilities throughout the duration of the lockout.

Consider this - if you are drafted in June but the lockout stretches into November (considering how far apart the sides appear to be - this is very likely to happen) these guys will not be getting any paychecks nor will they be able to train at their team facilities.  So without any money they will have to hire a coach, etc to stay in shape and workout on their own.  Kind of a lonely existence when you consider what college has to offer. 

This draft is already considered a weak draft.   With Sullinger already saying that he is staying in school, I think that there is a good chance that Harrison Barnes returns to UNC for his sophmore year for a chance to win a championship (he has been said to be a good student and to love school). With Terrence Jones dropping so much in the draft over the past few months - it is not inconceivable that he chooses to return for an extra year of college as well. Tristan Thompson is rumored to be returning to Texas to play with a Canadian friend. And there are rumors that both Derrick Williams and Kawhi Leonard might both return to school as well.

It is hard to believe that the Nets could end up being that lucky - but if these guys choose to return to school - that 2011 draft pick got a whole lot weaker (now owned by Utah).  And that 2012 draft just got stacked....If Golden State's pick can fall in the 8-13 range - we could add a guy who would be a top 5 pick in that draft positioning and still get great value with our own 2012 pick....

Plus the CBA may make it a whole lot easier to retain Deron Williams - so perhaps a lockout, CBA expiration could actually benefit us more than most teams.

I was reading the comments about the Quinton Ross/Mario West replacement - and halfway thru I read this comment from Chakroot which I think is worth discussing....

thats the problem with saying things like...

“the season is already over for us” and “the remaining games are meaningless”

there are a ton of guys that are still trying earn spots on this team… guys like humphries are going to be playing their hearts out down the stretch even though its a foregone conclusion. some of these guys will never get the chance to play with the caliber PG they have right now

The "guys like humphries are going to be playing their hearts out down the stretch even though its a forgeone conclusion..." describes to a T the type of guys that you want to build a team around.

I am unabashedly one of the biggest Hump (perhaps the biggest) Hump supporters on this site, and have probably written hundreds of comments and fan posts arguing how important Hump is to this team and how he should be resigned ASAP and sharpied in as our starting PF for the next 5 years.  There are a lot of detractors on this site who want to argue that we should offer big money to guys like Zach Randolph, David West, Tyson Chandler, etc....

I have argued about the importance of a salary cap and how the production of Hump vs the production of Randolph or West does not justify the salary differential between Hump and them.  I have argued about the importance of rebounding, and people will either say that he "steals" rebounds from other teammates or that he has empty rebounds (never understood what is an empty rebound as if you don't get the ball your opponent will), and that he is only performing this way because it is a contract year, yada yada yada etc.

Look the fact of the matter is that aside from being a talented scorer or a strong rebounder or possessing a high basketball IQ - the guys that are going to lead you to the playoffs and ultimately a championship are warriors and are going to fight all season long. 

On this team we have Hump, DWill, Morrow and perhaps James (as he was this player in college but has been hurt most of his rookie year).  Anyone who thinks that the salary cap differential is irrelevant when replacing Hump with Randolph, etc fails to understand a) building a team with a salary cap and b) the need for players with heart who are warriors on a playoff team.  Think back to our Finals run - we had K-Mart, JKidd, RJ and role players like Jason Collins who always played hard (guy took more charges than anyone in the league i think). You will not succeed without those types of players........I would go so far as saying that our front office and coaching staff should watch every guy on this team - anyone not playing hard day in/day out in practice and in games is expendable and should be shipped out.  And this should be as much of our focus in free agency and the draft as a player's stats, size, athleticism and position.  

Put a team of warriors on the floor who have heart - and even if they are less skilled than the other team - they will find a way to win 70% of the time.   

A name to keep in mind for our 2nd round pick (assume mid to late 30s at the moment) is Jeremy Tyler.  Chad Ford mentioned him today as a player automatically entered into the draft because he has played professionally overseas and is 19 years old or older (will be 20 June 1). 

Most of you have heard of his story before - he was one of the top HS prospects in the country and chose to drop out of HS after his junior year and play professionally overseas.  Overall was a disaster of a decision as he was said to be immature and home sick, etc.....Not surprising when you quit HS and move to Israel to play hoops.

He has been working with Bob Hill in Japan apparently and I would highly doubt that anyone looks at him in the first round.  But in the second round..........he could be a very interesting pick for us....Especially with our own D League affiliate now.....

The purpose of the second round is to find diamonds in the rough...and the purpose of the D League is to develop players who could one day help your team at the NBA level.  Jeremy Tyler seems like the perfect second round pick for a team with a D League squad.

Use this FanPost for any discussion regarding the NCAA Tournament and draft prospects.

-- NetsDaily

Kiss Visions of Faried Good-Bye

This game cemented his status as the most dominant rebounder in college.  Win or lose to Louisville at this point (1 point game with 3 min left) - Faried is a lottery pick in this draft.  There is no way he is there at 25 or 26 and most likely is long gone by the 20th pick.  Huge shame - him and Hump paired together would be dominant on the glass. Only thing that could make Faried drop though....is that his jumper is awful and very raw offensively.  But his ability on the glass is unrivaled. In a draft devoid of superstar talent - you could do much worse than a bonafide blue collar PF in the mold of Dennis Rodman.

Why was my fan post deleted and I was issued a warning for that post?  There was nothing offensive in that post.  There was nothing that was not true.  There was nothing that wasn't thought out. 

The homepage can post gossip page links to Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries and I can't for a second question if Lebron would think over his decision and be better suited to winning Championships with the current Nets roster than with the Heat? 

Please explain to me the reason that this was a) deleted and b) I was issued a warning

I know there are still a lot of fans out there who want to downplay Hump's greatness/contributions this year as stats put up in a contract year, empty stats due to lack of supporting cast, etc and claim that he is not a great defender or rebounder. 

Actually the best comment I have read about him not being a great rebounder is that he will fight off or jump over his own teammates as a sign that he is a selfish player and not a good teammate or efficient rebounder.  That was probably the most illogical and naieve comment I have ever read - and was clearly posted by someone who has never played a game of basketball before in their life.  Rebounding is an art and if you were to scan the boxscores of every basketball game, I bet that the team that wins the rebound battle (most total rebounds when summing up each player on both teams) wins the game.  The great rebounders just see the ball and aggressively pursue the ball and will do whatever it takes to come down with the ball.  This is not a mentality that can be taught - and is a mentality that every championship team NEEDS to have at least one player with on their roster.

Hump is now the 6th leading rebounder in the NBA on a RPG basis.  However, unlike the 5 guys ahead of him on this list, he has not been a starter all season and has had games where he played very low minutes (minutes being devoted to Favors and Murphy and Joe Smith being starters early on). On a Rebounds Per Minute basis, Hump is actually tied for second with Dwight Howard at .37 minutes per game - with Kevin Love the leader at .43 Rebounds Per Minute.

Player	RPG	MPG	RPM
Love	15.7	36.3	0.43
D Howard	14.0	37.4	0.37
Z Randolph	12.7	36.8	0.35
B Griffin	12.2	37.8	0.32
P Gasol	10.2	37.1	0.27
Hump	10.0	26.9	0.37

It is not only conceivable, but highly likely, that Hump surpasses Pau Gasol for the 5th leading rebounder in the NBA this season.  Whether fans want to admit this or not, Hump has become one of the most dominant rebounders in the entire league and is an essential cog in the wheel going forward. And unfortunately for the Nets, his price tag is increasing on a daily basis at this point.

But when you consider the importance of rebounding to a team with championship aspirations, he is quickly becoming an essential part in the Nets Big 3 of DWill, Lopez and Hump.

Anyone who believes that he is never going to be a starting caliber PF on a playoff/championship level team does not understand basketball. Assuming that Hump is the starting PF for a full season - he would average roughly 37 minutes per game (based on other starting PF average MPG) which would equate to 13.69 RPG (nearly 1 full RPG better than ZBo).

We have a starting Center who looks like he will be a lock for 23-25 PPG with DWill at the PG. We do not need a starting PF who can score 20 PPG. It is fair to assume that next season we have a PG in the Top 3 in Assists, a PF in the Top 3 in Rebounds and a Center in the Top 10-15 in scoring.  That sounds like a pretty balanced Big 3 to me.

The best thing the Nets could do would be to anoint Hump the starter and resign him, make a move in the draft to get Kenny Faried as his backup at the PF (remember Hump can play at the 5 if needed) and concentrate on upgrading the SF position (which could become less of an issue depending on how Damion James develops over the course of the year).  This team is not far off from being a Top 5 team in the East - and I think Deron Williams is quickly realizing that.  The future is bright - and a lot of it starts with the players we have at the PF and Center positions.

After witnessing the start of the Deron Williams era, I am interested in knowing what everyone thinks about the moves the Nets made (trading for Deron Williams) and the moves the Nets didn't make: failing to sign Lebron or Bosh or Wade in free agency and failure to trade for Carmelo Anthony. 

I think the best move was trading for Deron Williams as JKidd proved earlier in the decade - building around a top 3 PG is the quickest way to improve your team. 

Incidentally however, I think Hump failing to opt out of his contract was the best thing that happened to this team this year.......

Poll

What Would Have Been the Best Move For The Nets?

51%

Trading for Deron Williams?

147 votes

1%

Trading for Carmelo?

4 votes

34%

Signing Lebron in Free Agency?

100 votes

3%

Signing DWade in Free Agency?

10 votes

0%

Signing Bosh in Free Agency?

1 votes

8%

Signing Outlaw for $7m per year?

25 votes

287 votes | Poll has closed

Something I realized last night while watching this game was that a lot of fans would have been very happy signing David Lee to a long term deal to be our PF of the future this summer. People questioned his defense and his jumper which progressed/improved every year that he was in the league. Lee was drafted by a horrible Knicks team and really never had any competition in front of him at the PF or Center position, and was basically the Knicks featured player so his development was early on in his career.   He also played heavy minutes over the majority of his tenure with the Knicks.  David Lee signed a near max contract this summer with Golden State. 

Kris was drafted after 1 year of college and has had the misfortune of playing behind some pretty elite NBA PFs in the early part of his career - Carlos Boozer (max player), Chris Bosh (max player) and Dirk Nowitzki (max player) and played relataively limited minutes before coming to the Nets last season. People question his defense, but has definitely improved immensely this season - and he has had some very memorable blocks (last night possibly saved the game with that blocked shot on Wright). He is a better rebounder than David Lee.  His jump shot has definitely improved since coming to the Nets and if Kevin Love did not have a historic season - Hump would very well be a favorite for Most Improved honors. 

Tale of the Tape:

Kris - 6'9'', 235 pounds, just turned 26

Lee - 6'9'', 240 pounds (much less imposiing of a build than Hump), 27 years old

A lot of people want to downplay what Hump has done this year as being done in a contract year, on a bad team, etc etc etc.....but the guy just turned 26 years old and is getting his FIRST shot at consistent playing time in the NBA. Hump is already a better rebounder and defender than David Lee and his jump shot is coming along.  Having played limited minutes early in his career (and with a short collegiate career) is actually a positive - as it means that he does not have the high mileage on his body that many NBA PFs have as they enter their mid to late 20s.

Combined with what looks to be an evolving chemistry with Deron Williams and a desire to be here in NJ/Brooklyn - it blows my  mind that people look at him as an energy guy off the bench.  This guy is developing into a legit starting caliber PF and is going to be a reliable double-double machine on a nightly basis - especially when combined with DWill finding him for easy buckets.

Unfortunately, nobody in the organization saw this coming and failed to sign him to an extension LAST summer as he would have been one of the biggest long term values in the league.  My guess is that Hump commands $8m per year and is going to be a legit double-double threat at the PF positoin for the next 5-7 years (barring injury).

The talk of David West, Zach Randolph, etc makes little sense.  Hump is going to provide similiar production, and is 3-4 years younger, with much less mileage on his legs at a far more reasonable contract.  Plus he has become a fan favorite in NJ and wants to be here.  There are much worse decisions that could be made than making Hump our PF of the future to pair with Brook and Deron - and to focus on upgrading our SF position with that money instead.

It's funny - with everyone talking about what we should do/shouldn't do in building this team.....I read the Rebuilding the Nets in 2011 post a few moments ago.  And stripping out Dwight Howard and Chris Paul (would take DWill over CP3 any day of the week) there really is not that many "game changer" talents available in the next 2 years in free agency (both unrestricted and restricted).  I am being lazy - but according to fellow blogger gambi99 the following guys are available:

PGs - Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Raymond Felton, Russel Westbrook, Derrick Rose

SGs - Vince Carter, Jason Richardson, Eric Gordon, Landry Fields, Jamal Crawford

SFs - Michael Beasley, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Caron Butler, AK

PFs - Zach Randolph, JJ Hickson, Kevin Love, David West

Cs - Dwight Howard

We have Deron Williams at PG, so assuming that you are going to build a team around Deron, there is no way you are going after a PG, so remove them from your list. At SG - most likely LAC keeps Gordon as a restricted and Fields will also be a restricted. At SF, both Gallinari and Chandler will be restricteds.  At PF - Love and HIckson will be restricted and Randolph and West are both 30 or older. And Dwight Howard is obviously a stud but we would obviously have signficant competition for him.

One of the biggest comments that I have read from Deron Williams is that he likes that the Nets are committed to making moves, taking chances, listening to his input and spending the money to surround him with a winning team. But honestly, outside of Dwight Howard - do you really think that anyone of those guys is a true game changer who is going to change the franchise? 

Is Gallinari or Chandler worth big money?  Is Fields a real upgrade over Morrow?  Is Randolph or West that much better than what we have in Hump when you factor in money (salary cap implication) vs production?  And remember Hump is 5 years younger with much less mileage on his legs.

As crazy as it sounds - but perhaps the smartest thing that the Nets could do is gamble heavily on the 2011 NBA Draft.  This is known as a very weak draft and is in front of a possible lockout in 2011-2012. There are plenty of teams who are making moves to prepare themselves for a work stoppage, cost cutting and who are not sold on more than 1 or 2 prospects in this lottery. 

We have an owner who has the money to spend, and is apparently 100% committed to putting a winning team on the floor and surrounding Deron with talent to keep him as the cornerstone of the franchise.  However, the options in free agency are really not that enticing, and it is very possible that you need to severely overpay for each guy. I am not sure that adding anyone on that list (save for Dwight Howard) truly makes this team better for the future.

A radical idea this June would be to aggressively make a move to trade into a high lottery pick to take a guy like Jared Sullinger, Harrison Barnes, Derrick Williams, Kawai Leonard or Terrence Jones. This type of move shows Deron Williams by June 25th that the Nets are nothing like the Jazz and will do anything that they think will make the team better. This signals to free agents that the Nets are committed to putting a championship caliber team on the floor and will make any move possible to make that happen.

I always thought the Nets should have been active (or publicly active) trying to trade up to the #1 spot for John Wall - and by doing so - would have perhaps been more enticing to Lebron (who most likely still would have gone to Miami - but at least signals to the league that the Nets are for real).

I actually think Barnes is going to be a special player in the NBA, and with a dominant PG like Deron Williams would be the SG/SF that we are hoping to find in free agency.  Kawai Leonard from San DIego State is the RJ type player who could fly down the floor with Deron in transition. And more importantly, it shows that the Nets will stop at nothing to build a winning franchise.

When the free agency options outside of the PG position and Dwight Howard are not exactly game changers - an aggressive move like this will at least signal the franchise's committment to building a winner.

I'm confused why everyone so quickly wants to dump Brook Lopez for Dwight Howard. First and foremost (as Rod loved to say) Brook is 7 feet all day every day.  He is also only 22 years old (soon to be 23). Brook is averaging 19.4 and 5.8 this year and is a career 17 and 8; having spent much of his career on a rebuilding team with nobody sure if they were coming or going. Now, with Deron Williams at PG - he is probably good for 24-25 points per game. 

As for his rebounding numbers being down this year - I see 2 primary reasons for this:

1) He finally has had a strong rebounding presence at the 4 (Hump, Favors) who are highly gifted rebounders. It is misleading to look at Hump's overall rebounding numbers because of his limited usage earlier in the season - but if you look at him from a rebounds per 40 minutes he is averaging 17.6 which is fifth behind Reggie Evans (who has only played in 15 games so skewed numbers), Kevin Love, Dwight Howard and Marcus Camby. And Favors has contributed with 13.1 rebounds per 40.  In contrast last year Yi's rebounds per 40 minutes were 10.8 and the year before they were 11.0 rebounds per 40 minutes (or 7.2 and 5.3 per game respectively).  Lopez got more rebounds strictly because more rebounds were available as he did not play alongside a rebounding PF.  I think this is the most overlooked aspect of the declining rebounds in his game this season.  Hump is routinely getting double digit boards per game - that significantly reduces the number of potential rebounds available to Brook.

2) In this offense, Brook is routinely sealing his man and once he sees Hump or Favors in position to grab the board, he releases and heads upcourt to get himself in position for the offensive set.  People tend to forget that he is a cornerstone of the offense and until he is set on the block, the offense is typically stagnant as this is not a high octane fast breaking offense.  Therefore, he needs to release and get upcourt once he sees that the rebound will be secured by his PF.

People tend to forget how much better guys become with a true pass first PG.  I do not mean to disrespect Devin Harris' game at all - as he was a very good trooper considering all that happened here and all the transition. But Devin is really more of a combo guard or even a straight SG.  Deron is a pure PG in the mold of Jason Kidd and Steve Nash. He is a throwback type of player.

I would argue that the Nets will be much more effective WITH Brook at center than they would be with Dwight Howard because it allows Avery to open up the playbook and run various pick and rolls and pick and pops.  With Dwight Howard in the middle, you can NOT run any pick and pops as he does not have a mid range jumper.  If you notice, Orlando has always tried to employ a true stretch 4 around Dwight in order to create spacing on the floor (and they also have a pass first PG in Jameer Nelson). The Nets do not have to worry as much about spacing in the paint, as they have a Center who oftentimes moves to the 12-16 foot area on the court while the PF is under the hoop. 

Deron Williams is going to create easier scoring opportunites for everyone (dump offs to Hump under the hoop, kick outs to the perimeter shooters, pick and rolls/pops with Brook, and transition scoring).

For comparison purposes lets also look at Brook's season stats in year 3 (with constant trade rumors swirling around a team in transition without a true pure PG) vs Dwight's stats from year 3 along with year 5 (as Dwight came straight to the NBA from HS):

Player	Year	PPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	BPG
Lopez	3	19.4	0.475	0.798	5.7	1.4	1.5
Howard	3	17.6	0.603	0.586	12.3	1.9	1.9
Howard	5	20.6	0.572	0.594	13.9	1.4	2.9

As a scorer they are virtually equal in scoring ability, however they have different types of offensive games.  Dwight is strictly a low block power scorer who rarely goes more than 5 feet from the basket, and has always played with a pass first PG in Jameer Nelson.  Brook scores many of his points from mid-range and is very affective in the pick and pop game.  He also has not had the privilege of playing with a pass first PG as typically the offense was run thru Devin on the perimeter, whereas in Orlando the offense is run thru Dwight in the low block.  This explains the disparity in the FG% of each guy, however Dwight is a black hole at the FT line and frequently is fouled late in games by teams who dare him to beat them at the line.  Brook is a very capable shooter from the stripe, and will rarely be intentionally fouled in close games.

Howard is a dominant rebounder, however much of this comes from playing under the basket and also being paired with a stretch 4 for much of his career.  Brook on the other hand, is playing with a dominant rebounding PF (as outlined above -hence there are less rebounding opportunities).

When you factor in the discrepancy in salaries and in what a max deal would be for Dwight vs Brook (due to difference in years of service) - Brook is a much better value for this team and is going to be better suited to playing alongside of Deron Williams than Dwight Howard.  Remember a $3m per year difference can be the difference between another star player and a lesser tier player. 

The Nets best plan of action should be to hope that Brook continues to develop with Deron Williams at the PG and to focus on finding a top tier SG or SF to pair with a Deron/Brook combo - with a competent bench featuring shooters (like Morrow, Sasha, Farmar, etc).  And I can not stress this enough - but the absolute best case scenario for our first round pick (Lakers pick) would be to land Kenny Faried in the draft to provide Brook with what would be the best rebounding PF duo in Hump and Faried.