The 2017-18 Brooklyn Nets: Who Cares?
- Thread starter Jed Zeppelin
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Go Nets go. Took care of the Hawks down the stretch.
The 2-1 record puts them over .500 for the first time in 3 years. Thanks for the picks guys, you can be good now.
Booker, Carroll, Crabbe, LeVert and Russell not that bad. They are in contention for the 8 seed.
The 2-1 record puts them over .500 for the first time in 3 years. Thanks for the picks guys, you can be good now.
Booker, Carroll, Crabbe, LeVert and Russell not that bad. They are in contention for the 8 seed.
I’ve never rooted so hard for a team to be mediocre.
Meanwhile, Lakers down big early at home to NOP. Another 30+ point quarter against.
Meanwhile, Lakers down big early at home to NOP. Another 30+ point quarter against.
I made this post last night in the C's game thread:
Don't look now, but the Nets are starting to take it to Orlando on the road. Trading away the Nets pick instead of the Philly/Lakers pick is looking about as good as getting Tatum instead of Fultz. Brooklyn could win 40+ games and make the playoffs in the East.
A few folks seemed to think it was crazy. After blowing last night's game in the 4th quarter, they go home tonight, and beat the Cavs. The Nets are now 3-2, and could easily be 4-1 or even 5-0. They blew a 9 point lead going into the fourth against the Magic (a team they already beat once), and they lost the opener to Indiana in a defensive slugfest 140-131.
I think it's pretty clear that if the Nets play any kind of defense, they'll be in many, many more games than they aren't in, and who knows. With half the East legitimately sucking, and maybe that many trying to tank at the end of the season, it wouldn't surprise me if the Nets come together and find a way to get into the bottom end of the playoffs. I really, really don't think 40 wins is out of the question. Danny's genius is going to be legendary when Cleveland ends up with a pick in the mid-teens, and the Celtics are picking in the top 5 thanks to the pick they kept.
Don't look now, but the Nets are starting to take it to Orlando on the road. Trading away the Nets pick instead of the Philly/Lakers pick is looking about as good as getting Tatum instead of Fultz. Brooklyn could win 40+ games and make the playoffs in the East.
A few folks seemed to think it was crazy. After blowing last night's game in the 4th quarter, they go home tonight, and beat the Cavs. The Nets are now 3-2, and could easily be 4-1 or even 5-0. They blew a 9 point lead going into the fourth against the Magic (a team they already beat once), and they lost the opener to Indiana in a defensive slugfest 140-131.
I think it's pretty clear that if the Nets play any kind of defense, they'll be in many, many more games than they aren't in, and who knows. With half the East legitimately sucking, and maybe that many trying to tank at the end of the season, it wouldn't surprise me if the Nets come together and find a way to get into the bottom end of the playoffs. I really, really don't think 40 wins is out of the question. Danny's genius is going to be legendary when Cleveland ends up with a pick in the mid-teens, and the Celtics are picking in the top 5 thanks to the pick they kept.
Well seeing how they get the Knicks, the Suns twice, the Nuggets twice, and theLakers in the next 6 games, they should keep rolling for awhile. However, the 5 games after that are POR, UTA (2x), BOS, and GSW and we should know more after that stretch.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2740859-lebron-james-on-nets-pick-from-kyrie-trade-it-might-not-even-be-that-good
Right about now the Cavs are starting to realize Ainge fleeced them. More importantly, LeBron is realizing it and is thinking about his 2018 options
Right about now the Cavs are starting to realize Ainge fleeced them. More importantly, LeBron is realizing it and is thinking about his 2018 options
Interesting speculation there about the Cavs trading the Nets pick and salary ballast (Frye and Shumpert) for Bledsoe (a Rich Paul client). Seems like an overpay, even given Brooklyn's feistiness this year, but if LeBron tells them they do the deal or he leaves, what do they do? Especially if indications are that IT's injury will really keep him from contributing this year.
Also, love this:
Except they left Dragan Bender on the table, who was rumoured to be part of the package for Irving.
Which is the package I personally would have chosen, but that and $3.55 might get you a cup of chai these days.
Yea, it seems weird, that the Nets pick sounds like way too much to give up. But if a trade of Kyrie Irving nets you Eric Bledsoe, Jae Crowder, a few months of IT, and you dump some bad salary, well that seems like a pretty good haul.
This seems right to me. Ignoring returns for other teams, if the Cavs had been offered Jae, IT, and Bledsoe for Irving and contracts, people would've loved that trade for Cleveland. The Nets pick has become less valuable, but Bledsoe's cost seems suppressed too. Flipping a devalued asset for an undervalued one makes a lot of sense. The Cavs need talent for a title run, not a slight headstart on a likely long and painful rebuild.
Ha Ha. I've not watched the games but from random internet chatter, it sounds like Bender is having some impact on games on the defensive side.
Don't forget that Bender is still the 14th youngest player in the NBA. He's younger than Lonzo Ball by 21 days. He's older that Tatum but only by 79 days. He's one of only 15 nineteen year olds in the NBA and the only one with a year of experience.
It won't mean much if he can't shoot or pass as well as some anticipated, but this play shows why people were high on his defensive upside:
He's shooting 1.00% on FTs so that should translate, right?
All joking aside, shooting a 3P for him is like shooting a long free throw so I'd be shocked if he doesn't get his percentage up. I don't know how many shots he's going to be able to generate for himself and others but to me his defense at his size is something that CLE could use on occasions.
It's also Rudy Gobert setting the screen he goes over. Maybe he merely contests the shot of most other swing men there, but the lateral quickness to recover is impressive nonetheless.
That's giving up on a player way too soon. As others have said, he's still 19 years old. Add in the fact he's 7'1, has a ton of defensive upside and a developing 3 point shot and it's hardly a "pro."
I've noticed that as a trend on the C's board though. Seems people on here sour on other team's young players far sooner than our own. I'm guessing because we see our own players develop with the ups and downs while other teams players we only see the downs. I'm guilty of this too, as I was trashing on Brandon Ingram a few weeks ago but he's looked considerably better so far this year and just turned 20. All these guys are so incredibly young we can't really judge any of them yet.
Yeah Bender was always going to be a project. I still think he's going to be good. The only guys you worry about in the second year is the lower ceiling guys who are supposed to have a higher floor.
Can Eric Bledsoe and IT4 play together? I guess they have before, but I thought part of the reason IT4 was traded was because he wasn't a good fit alongside Bledsoe... of course the Suns also traded for Brandon Knight the same day who isn't exactly a fit either.
Besides that, is Eric Bledsoe even really that good? His contract gives him some added value but he seems like a run of the mill PG who puts up numbers on a bad team. He's an average shooter at best, somewhat turnover prone, and not all that great defensively. If the Nets pick is in the lower half of the lottery, it would be an ok trade. The only problem with that is the Nets pick could be considerably more valuable than a lower half lottery pick. That and if LeBron James does walk, what good is Eric Bledsoe to the Cavs next year when they are rebuilding?
Besides that, is Eric Bledsoe even really that good? His contract gives him some added value but he seems like a run of the mill PG who puts up numbers on a bad team. He's an average shooter at best, somewhat turnover prone, and not all that great defensively. If the Nets pick is in the lower half of the lottery, it would be an ok trade. The only problem with that is the Nets pick could be considerably more valuable than a lower half lottery pick. That and if LeBron James does walk, what good is Eric Bledsoe to the Cavs next year when they are rebuilding?
There would be some good ball movement at least. I really don't get the Bledsoe love though. There are talks of Brogdon for Bledsoe and I'm not sure Bledsoe is even that much better than Brogdon, if at all. It's possible Bledsoe may be a better fit, but I don't buy that either. The Bucks biggest advantage over other teams is their insane length.
There is some truth to that but I think we do the exact opposite in baseball.
Does it matter? It seems iffy at best that IT4 returns this year, and even if he does, what are they expecting out of him?
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Before Bledsoe put up numbers on a bad team, he was putting up numbers on good team. He also used to be pretty good defensively on the Clippers (wingspan!), back when he was carrying a lesser load on offense (which playing with LeBron, Love, and possibly IT would allow him to do). You're right he's not a transformational guy, but he seems to have a pretty versatile and valuable skillset. He seems like a good fit for almost any team trying to contend.
Bledsoe has been a good defender in years past, and when motivated he can even be a great defender; His defensive rating for his career is 107, and has consistently come out as a net positive for his career when it comes to DWS and DBPM. He's really strong for a PG and has good athleticism and hands. He's about a league average shooter but not much of a playmaker as a PG; which would be fine if he was going to a CLE/Milwaukee situation where the top distributor isn't the PG. The big question with him is his mentality and his health; he's injury prone and flaming out with Phoenix can't be seen as a positive.
Obviously, Phoenix hasn't been a great situation; so I think Bledsoe (and all Phoenix players) needs to be looked at with a grain of salt.
Obviously, Phoenix hasn't been a great situation; so I think Bledsoe (and all Phoenix players) needs to be looked at with a grain of salt.
I think you'd have to be pretty down on the Nets pick to be happy with the player you described. The Cavs are in a pretty unique situation though so it would make sense to go for one last run. I just think they could get a better return for the pick, but maybe not at this point in the season. It's possible when things settle down, the Nets really are competing for the 8 seed and the pick loses a lot of value too but it's 5 games in. Russell has looked really good, though.
Bledsoe for Brogdon makes some sense but I don't think that's all that big of an upgrade. As you noted, he's not that big of a playmaker and that would be fine since that skill isn't really needed in Milwaukee... but if that skill isn't really needed, why are they rumored to be looking for a PG anyway? That's like the one advantage he has over Brogdon and it's not by that much.
Yeah I definitely wouldn't trade the Brooklyn pick; it's tough because everyone figures at this point retaining Bledsoe isn't an option for Phoenix; plus through in concerns about his health/makeup and they don't have a ton of leverage.
Yes and you also must consider the lack of motivation for Bledsoe playing on awful teams in a situation that he clearly despised. Not exactly the type of situation to bring the best out of a player especially from a defensive/effort perspective. Bledsoe is a damn good player in this league.
Is it lack of motivation or all the injuries taking their toll? I didn't mean to sound like Bledsoe sucks, I just don't think he's worth the Nets pick atm in time. He's a starter in the NBA and on a cheap contract but he also plays at a stacked position. Of course, his value changes a lot if he's hitting 37% of his 3's instead of 33.
Pretty tough schedule though. They blew the Portland game Friday and they should have beat Phoenix on Oct 31st but they’ve played tough in a number of games. Schedule lets up a bit next month. Wouldn’t be surprised in the least if they ended up with 2-3 more total wins than the lakers by the end of December.
Yeah, Memphis is terrible without Conley and Parsons has been out of the game since the 1st half.
So the Nets are currently 13th in the East. It's pretty clear that the Hawks and the Bulls are the two worst teams in the league and will battle each other for the "top" spot. Both SAC and DAL have some talent but it's looking like they will be #3/#4.
As for the rest, there are currently three other teams with 7 wins (BRK / PHO / MEM / LAC) and 4 teams with 8 wins (CHA, ORL, OKC, and LAL).
Will be interesting to see how this separates out.
As for the rest, there are currently three other teams with 7 wins (BRK / PHO / MEM / LAC) and 4 teams with 8 wins (CHA, ORL, OKC, and LAL).
Will be interesting to see how this separates out.
Nets will be trading Trevor Booker for Nik Stauskas, Jahlil Okafor and a second round pick. I like that trade for both teams, although it is clear that Philly really blew the Okafor pick. For Brooklyn, you are just trying to garner assets that might turn into something due to the lack of first round picks, so I think a gamble on Okafor is the right move.
I like that from the angle of the Nets pick improving. They'll be better with the additions of Okafor, Stauskas, and a healthy Russell.
It's fringe, but I think this makes the Nets worse, not better. Booker is an NBA player. Neither Okafor nor Stauskas belong in the league presently.
I think it's still a little too early to write off Okafor, who was clearly unhappy in Philly and they had no intention of really developing him this year or once they realized Embiid was a winning lottery ticket. He is only 22 and his rookie year he did average 17-8. I think thing ceiling is still there for him to turn into an Al Jefferson-like player if he stays healthy. He could help Brooklyn's bench.
Yeah, this is clearly a gamble to see if they can get anything out of Stauskas and to pick up a #2 on the cheap, while from Philly’s perspective they pick up a useful player at the cost of a second round pick they have no room for anyway.
I think Okafor has outs to becoming a useful player still. In the short term however, I don't think he can help anyone's bench. Here in particular, he's mostly taking minutes that were otherwise going to a real NBA player in Trevor Booker.
2nd round picks is the Knicks pick so not totally worthless.
Also, Nets apparently will release Sean Kilpatrick. Didn't he have like a six-week run where people thought he was a NBA starter level player?
Also, Nets apparently will release Sean Kilpatrick. Didn't he have like a six-week run where people thought he was a NBA starter level player?