Mavs fans have been all over us before about who won in the J-Kidd for Devin Harris trade. Some of them will probably get on us even more if they do finish off the Heat and win a championship. But despite all this, I WANT THE MAVS TO BEAT THE LIVING SNOT OUT OF THE HEAT. Why?

J-Kidd brought some of the best basketball I've ever seen since I fell in love with the game over 25 years ago. The former savior of the Nets deserves his ring. I see no better way to complete his illustrious career than to finish off the 3 clowns that thought they would take over the NBA by joining forces. The fact that Lebron spurned us last summer and having a former Net crush his championship aspirations will make it ever more gratifying.

I'm writing this post to gauge opinion about this. I know some of you had some words for a recent Mavs fan coming here to rant about the Devin Harris trade. But a true Nets fan would want J-Kidd to get this. Should we all be Mavs fans come Sunday night?

Kris Humphries is by far the biggest surprise of the year for the Nets. Yet, it seems everyone wants to write off this year as an anomaly. The consensus seems to be "this is a contract year and there is a concern that his numbers go down once he signs that big contract". I would argue otherwise. Humphries has always been a very good rebounder. His per 36 minutes rebounding for his career has always been solid.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/humphkr01.html

Thus, I don't think his rebounds would necessarily go down after he signs a big contract. What you may find even more surprising is that his shot-blocking is right around what he is doing now. He's also had some surprisingly good games defensively against some top PFs like Zach Randolph and Blake Griffin. This is because he is nimble and athletic for his size.

That being said, due to his limited offense, he does not deserve a max contract. In fact, giving him an Outlaw deal is probably as far as I would go. However, I would not look to replace him with another starter. We probably should be looking at another big with size to backup the 4 or 5 spot ... DeAndre Jordan comes to mind.

The biggest threats to steal Deron Williams away in 2012 are the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets. You can be sure the Knicks have their eyes dead set on CP3 regardless of the CBA situation. One way or the other, they'll find a way to do it. It doesn't hurt to have David Stern, an avid Knicks fan, and the NBA currently owning the Hornets either.

So why are the Mavs and Rockets the biggest threats? Williams grew up in Texas and has mentioned that his main desire is to be on a team that is committed to winning. While acquiring him may be a step in the right direction for us, we have a tough road ahead of us in being able to acquire another star to play alongside of him. The 2011 free agent class is rather thin. The biggest star in 2012 will be Dwight Howard. Dallas has a perrenial playoff team, although they are aging. You can never rule out Mark Cuban's ability to make a big splash though. The Rockets have a good young piece in Kevin Martin and a capable big in Luis Scola, a need for a good young PG, and a determined revolutionary GM in Darryl Morey. 

If we want to retain Williams, we need to make some smart moves and not overpay this offseason ... assuming a new CBA can be agreed upon. That means being careful with Kris Humphries and Sasha Vujacic, both of whom are unrestricted free agents, finding takers for Travis Outlaw, and not overusing the potential cap space we are expected to have for 2012. For Outlaw, my feeling is that the only possible deals we can work out are for "fallen angels" with big contracts (a la Richard Hamilton or Brandon Roy). We're not going to have a chance of pulling off something like what the Clippers did with Baron Davis to Cleveland due to limited assets.

Lastly, a lockout would actually benefit the Nets because it'll buy them time to get the new arena built and use it as a recruiting tool along with Williams. As much as I hate to agree with the media, Newark has done nothing to help the Nets appeal. Its really Brooklyn or bust.

With the Melo drama coming to an end, I wanted to express my disappointment of this team. Not so much that we did not get Melo ... that's something that the losing over the last two seasons has caused and is simply the result of a team wanting tear down (Ratner) and rebuild too quickly (Prokhorov). I'm willing to understand that this is going to be a long drawn out process now. My disappointment falls on the inner turmoil on this team. We, as Net fans, joke about how hilarious it is to see so much turmoil in the Knicks front office with Jim Dolan overriding Donnie Walsh in his pursuit of Melo. However, what we see on our team is significantly more harmful. Ratner's cost-cutting moves and Prokhorov's failed pursuit of stars has destroyed the perception of this team among players and media. We are looked at as a joke of a franchise. Players perceive us as the ugly guy going after the hot girl. The media hype over our pursuit of these big names has taken its toll on our players as seen with the case of Devin Harris. Avery Johnson has continue to build an image of a difficult coach having twice driven away Harris. 

Keep in mind, I'm not even a big fan of Harris but even I know this inner turmoil cannot be good for the franchise. With Brook Lopez a year away from being a restricted free agent and Kris Humphries and Sasha Vujacic becoming unrestricted after the season, you have to feel somewhat concern about this perception of the team.

I'm hoping this is just me over-analyzing the situation. But deep down inside, I am not feeling a positive vibe with this team. Prokhorov's vision of building a team with global reach is about to go in reverse and implode.

Fred Kerber, Adrian Wojnarowski, Al Iannazzone, Ken Berger, Chris Sheridan, and Chris Broussard ... you guys are terrible. I've never seen such a sorry bunch get pawned by their sources so badly before. You are constantly feeding into this Melo frenzy and reporting bad information, even going so far as to standing by it as fact despite the guy that you are writing about completely denying all these rumors and making you guys look bad. The way you are reacting makes LeBron's "The Decision" look like a good decision. At least we knew when that was going to end.

Woj - special call out for you since you've been the biggest culprit of them all. I use to respect you tremendously as a writer and loved your eloquent writing style. However, your recent articles have been ridiculous. Your accusations on Melo's agents and Mikhail Prokhorov have been downright poor ... making you look like a bitter person that got fooled by bad sources. You're reacting to the team and Melo's agents the same way I'm reacting to how bad you guys are spreading these illogical rumors and exacerbating the problem. 

It may be best for all of you to rethink how good your sources are and start writing legit material. Frankly, the way you guys are reporting things lately, it makes me surprise you still have a job.

I know there has been a lot of talk lately about Brook Lopez and how bad he is. However, I don't think he is the real problem. I think the offense and the way its setup is flawed. After watching almost all the games so far this season, there are some things I'm starting to notice:

1) We slow down the tempo. So much so that it takes 15 of the 24 seconds off the shot-clock to setup a play. Thus always leaving less than 10 seconds for the play itself.

2) The PG dominates the ball. The offense requires the play to be setup by the PG. In previous seasons, we run a motion offense which focuses on back door cuts and a lot of passing ... a significant difference from what we're running now. The flaw here is that Devin is not a pass-first PG and doesn't have the greatest court vision. Thus, its not a good offense to run when the PG has questionable decision-making ability. Countless times, you see a lot of indecision and thus the overdribbling and the clock always near expiration.

3) This offense is built for a dominant big man with effective perimeter shooters. For example, this works very well for the Spurs when Tim Duncan is dominant in the middle and when Ginobili and Jefferson are on top of their game out on the perimeter. Lopez isn't quite there yet in the role of a dominant big. His ineffectiveness tends to stick out more because he has to be a force in order for the offense to work. When he's not on top of his game, it makes Outlaw and Morrow look like they are just standing around waiting for the ball.

Here's a list of reasons why we should keep Lopez. Feel free to comment and debate.

1) He's 22 years old. Why are we in such a hurry to expect superstar ability from this kid?

2) Centers don't grow on trees. There are many teams in the NBA that literally use trees as their centers. Why trade a developing young center away? 

3) He makes $2.5 mill this year, still has another year on his rookie contract, and will be a restricted agent in two years. Why are we treating him like Keith Van Horn, a guy that should never have been given a max contract for underachieving?

4) He has put solid career numbers so far. Compare him to the rest of the NBA, he's definitely a top 10 center in the league.

5) He's a viable second scoring option NOW. What justification do we have to label him a franchise player? He doesn't make the money of a franchise player? He doesn't put up the numbers of a franchise player? Just because Yormark puts his face on some posters, the media puts the franchise label on him, and some fans act like he's the best player in the league doesn't mean he has to be LeBron James. If we're trying to get Melo, what makes you think the Nets aren't just ok with him being the #2 option which he is very capable of doing NOW?

Honestly, some of us are really expecting too much right now and I really don't understand why. Also, some of the things on Kittles30's post are things a young player is expected to develop over time.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=2du2hej 

It was rumored that the Nuggets were trying to get the Cavs involved in a possible trade and it seems to make sense. Cleveland had the necessary assets to make them a good trade partner in a 3-way deal.

1) They have a massive trade exception from the LeBron James sign and trade with Miami. This will allow Denver to shave salary from the current season. I know they want to rid themselves of K-Mart's contract but its more likely they can get rid of Nene's in a deal with the Cavs.

2) The Nets wanted a young PG in return for any trade of Devin Harris. Cleveland has two young PGs - Daniel Gibson and Ramon Sessions. Devin would have been an upgrade for the Cavs.

3) It was likely that the Nuggets wanted a more proven young prospect than Derrick Favors. Anderson Varejao was likely who they asked for. Cleveland probably countered with the offer I mentioned above in the ESPN Trade Machine link - Antawn Jamison and J.J. Hickson. Taking Jamison would not have accomplished what Denver wanted to do ... namely getting under the luxury tax threshold and cutting salary this season.

If they can get another team willing to take on Jamison's contract, a revival of the Melo to Nets trade (without giving up Favors) could be possible.

Hawks-Nets-Hornets 3-way deal

In addition to the names mentioned in the ESPN Trade Machine link above, the Hawks would include their 2011 first round pick to the Hornets.

Why each team would do it?

Nets

Advantages: They add that much needed superstar and still retain their cap space to pursue Melo this offseason. You may be asking how with David West also included in the deal? David West has a player option for next season. The beauty of this deal is that even if he decides to opt out, since we retain his Bird Rights, we can still go over the cap to re-sign him even if Melo signs with us.

Disadvantages: The Nets are taking a risk with CP3 having 2 years on his contract and West having 1 year remaining. This deal could backfire if both decide to leave when their contracts are up. We're giving up a lot in the deal

Summary: You have to at least give it a shot despite the disadvantages. Its out best chance of accomplishing Prokhorov's 5 year plan.

Hawks

Advantages: They get 2 starters in Okafor and Harris and still get a good sixth man in return for losing their own. The argument may be that Crawford is too valuable to them but with Joe Johnson signed long term, they're not going to give Crawford a big contract after this season to come off the bench. Courtney Lee gives them a younger player off the bench with some defense and perimeter shooting. Al Horford moves to his more natural position at PF.

Disadvantages: This is an expensive lineup. With Al Horford becoming a restricted free agent, they could easily have 3 players making over $10 mill next season.

Summary: They certainly get a lot better with this trade filling two of their biggest holes - PG and a real C. The pick isn't a major loss since they will be a contender.

Hornets

 Advantages: They get a young rising star in Josh Smith. They get another potential stud in Derrick Favors who some project can play C a la Al Horford. Jamal Crawford is an expiring contract thereby clearing the salary dump requirement. They get the Hawks first round pick, although likely a low pick but could be use as a future trade asset.

Disadvantages: They could potentially get more back in return for CP3 alone in other trades.

Summary: Although the disadvantage is a little concerning you'll be hard press to find a better way to dump Okafor's albatross of a contract considering what you get back in return. David West is a different story.

“In the free agency this summer we missed out on the top guys. We made our pitch to the top guys plus Boozer but we didn’t get any. We obviously had holes to fill on our team. I think we filled some of them. But be prudent with your cap space and be ready when, like most teams, if you could drop a really top flight player on this mix of guys, now you’ve got a chance to be good. So just try to make sure you’re ready when that day comes.”
                                                                                                                                                   Rod Thorn

In terms of which top flight players are on the block or could be on the block by midseason, here's a list: 

GROUP A - Franchise Players

Chris Paul - He could be traded by midseason. Rumor was Bower got fired because he couldn't pull off a deal and Paul is supposedly frustrated with the Hornet's inactivity this offseason. 

Carmelo Anthony - If he doesn't sign his contract extension, his name could also come up by midseason. Similar to Paul, he's also pushing the Nuggets' front office to improve the team but with little success. Unlike Paul, the Nuggets have cap flexibility next offseason to surround Anthony with a proper supporting cast. Can the Nuggets do what the Heat did this offseason? Not likely with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Danny Granger - Although the Pacers will have cap room next season, you did hear his name being floated around often during this year's draft. Are the Pacers having doubts about building around him? Granger is borderline for this group.

GROUP B - Second Tier 

Josh Smith - Al Horford becomes a restricted free agent next offseason. Jamal Crawford becomes unrestricted then as well. Since Joe Johnson signed, they may need to clear money to keep the others. There are also indications that the Hawks want to move Horford to PF and get a real center. That's why they want to trade Marvin Williams and possibly move Smith to SF. If they can't trade Williams, would they trade Smith?

Andre Iguodala - The Sixers are loaded at SF/SG with the additions of Evan Turner and Andres Nocioni. They would love to purge some of their bigger contracts and Iggy is more likely to get moved than Brand. 

GROUP C - Fallen stars

Zach Randolph - Memphis is cash strapped since signing Rudy Gay. Marc Gasol becomes a restricted free agent next offseason so they will likely shop Randolph. But does anyone really want him? 

Gilbert Arenas - If he doesn't gel with John Wall, don't be surprise to see him be the first big name traded.

There are three types of maximum contracts (numbers below are rounded):

• Zero to six season veterans = 105% of previous contract or 25% of salary cap, whichever is greater. Free agents in this category: Rudy Gay ($13 mill but restricted), David Lee ($13 mill)
• Seven to nine year veterans = $105% of previous year’s pay or 30% of salary cap, whichever is greater. Free agents in this category: LeBron James ($16.5 mill), Dwyane Wade ($16.5 mill), Chris Bosh ($16.5 mill), Amare Stoudemire ($17 mill), Joe Johnson ($16 mill), Carlos Boozer ($16 mill)
• Ten plus year veterans = 105% of previous year’s pay or 35% of salary cap, whichever is greater. Free agents in this category: Dirk Nowitzki ($20 mill)

With the Nets currently having around $26 mill in cap space, with a possibility of increasing to $30 mill if Kris Humphries opts out, the Nets can add two max contract free agents as follows:

OPTION 1: Sign and trade for one top tier free agent, Sign another top tier free agent to the max

This is probably the only way we have any chance of landing two top tier free agents. Since LeBron is probably the primary target to sign to the max, here are the possibilities for a sign and trade.

1)      Send Yi Jianlian plus picks to the Raptors in a sign and trade for Chris Bosh.

OR

2)     Send Yi Jianlian plus picks to the Suns in a sign and trade for Amare Stoudamire.

Yi needs to be included in the sign and trade because moving his $4 mill contract, in addition to Kris Humphries opt out, will give us roughly $34 mill in cap space. That will allow us to absorb the $16.5 - $17 mill for either Bosh or Stoudamire and still be able to sign LeBron for $16.5 mill. The downside to this is that it would not give us much flexibility to add or have any depth to our bench. Also, its likely other teams can offer better sign and trade options to these teams.

OPTION 2: Sign and trade for one top tier free agent, Sign a second tier free agent to the max

1)   Send the #3 pick (plus other picks if necessary) to the Raptors in a sign and trade for Chris Bosh.

OR

        2)     Send the #3 pick (plus other picks if necessary) to the Suns in a sign and trade for Amare Stoudamire.

AND

3) Sign Rudy Gay to a max contract.

Once again, this only works if Kris Humphries opts out of his contract. This has the same drawback as Option 1 due to the limited ability to add depth to our bench. However, I think this would be a more appealing sign and trade option for both the Raptors and Suns and would probably give us an edge over other teams making sign and trade offers to them especially if the #3 pick is Derrick Favors. Further complicating this option is the fact that Memphis could possibly match our offer to Rudy Gay.

OPTION 3: Sign one top tier free agent and sign one second tier free agent

Again, assuming LeBron is our primary target and Kris Humphries opts out:

1)      Sign LeBron James and David Lee.  

The benefit of this is that we do not have to give up either the #3 pick or Yi thus helping our bench depth. The drawback is the uncertainty of whether David Lee would be desirable enough to lure LeBron to the Nets.  If not LeBron, Joe Johnson may be a stronger possibility in this case.

OPTION 4:  Sign two second tier free agents.

1)      Sign David Lee and Rudy Gay

There would be no dependency on Kris Humphries opt out and we retain the #3 pick and Yi. If Humphries does opt out, this gives us the flexibility of adding another shooter to our bench, say Mike Miller or Kyle Korver. The drawback, of course, is that we'll be overpaying these guys and our defense may suffer.

Given these options, which one would be best for the team?