Category Archives: Brooklyn Nets

The Nets Are Looking to Trade and Rebuild

The Brooklyn Nets have been trying to become New York’s biggest draw since before they moved to Brooklyn. Nets owner, Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, tried to spend his way to a championship, but that didn’t happen. He ended up with dried-up veterans and other bloated contracts.

The Nets front office doesn’t like what they have seen so far and have put their three best players on the trading block. Brook Lopez, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson could all be headed out of town…but are any NBA teams willing to take on their large contracts?

Lopez, Johnson and Williams are the highest-paid trio in the NBA at $58.7 million combined. Not only will a trade partner need to worry about this season, but all three players are on the books for future money.

Let’s breakdown each player and if there’s a chance any team would take a shot on them.

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2014-15 NBA Team Preview: Brooklyn Nets

Brooklyn’s expectations have been through the roof since they moved to Barclay’s Center. The Russian has yet to really put a great team on the court. There are even rumors that he’s open to selling the team or arena…a rumor that Nets GM Billy King refuted.

The Nets are without a few familiar faces that moved on this offseason. Paul Pierce and underrated big man, Andray Blatche will certainly be missed. Did King sign adequate replacements?

The Nets have been in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference, but with the Pacers and Heat looking like they could slide, could Brooklyn take their spot as one of the elite teams in the conference?

We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.

Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Brooklyn Nets.

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Fantasy Basketball: Week 9 – Top 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

I hope you’re doing well in fantasy basketball this season. I’ve been taking chances on guys with big upside and stashing them away. That strategy has worked so far, but I’m still tweaking with my roster, in-between poker hands at 888poker.com. I just keep finding quality guys on the waiver wire.

I advise you to look at every box score, especially bad teams’ box scores. You can find a few gems on bad teams. Players aren’t as highly coveted and they can slip through the cracks. You will find bargains, trust me.

For example, the Milwaukee Bucks have a few players worth a pick up, you’ll find two in this post.

Most of these players are owned in less than 50% of leagues (and some are owned in less than 10%). You should pick these guys up or at least keep a close eye on them.

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Did Jason Kidd Spill Drink On Court To Delay Game?

Did Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd pull a fast one on the refs?

In the closing seconds of the Nets/Lakers game, Brooklyn found themselves trailing 96-94 with 8.3 seconds left in the game. They ran out of timeouts and that’s when coach Kidd pulled out a playground trick.

As Tyshawn Taylor headed to the bench, you can see Kidd mouth the words, ‘hit me.” Kidd had a drink in his hand and when Taylor bumped him, he spilled his drink on the court. This delayed the game while ball boys and other staff wiped the spill on the court. Kidd had enough time to speak to a few of his players.

I think he did it on purpose, but you decide for yourself. The video is posted after the jump…

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Jay-Z to Sell Ownership in Brooklyn Nets

It comes to no surprise that after rap mogul Jay-Z signed to be the sports agent for New York Yankees Robinson Cano, he will now sell his small (really small) ownership in the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets franchise.

Contrary to popular belief, Jay-Z only owns less than 1% ownership in the Brooklyn Nets. He is more of a figurehead than someone with any power. The majority owner is Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov.

He recently partnered with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to create his own company, Roc Nation. He hopes to complete the sell by the end of the season so he can sign upcoming players in this June’s NBA Draft.

It’s hard to say who used who between Jay-Z and the Nets. The then-New Jersey Nets eyed a marquee name to attached themselves. It helped Jay-Z had New York ties to help create a buzz about push the team’s future move to the area in motion. Continue reading →

Despite Poor Record, Lakers Betting Odds Still High

The All-Star break is over and the second half of the NBA season has officially started.

After looking for some possible bets to make, I found a few smart bets and many betting odds that have zero value. Many of those odds involve the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers are currently 25-29 and 3 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but still have the ninth best odds to win the NBA Championship this season.

I don’t want to pick on the Lakers too much, because those odds are no fault of their own, it’s the public’s fault. The bookmakers set the odds at the point where they get the most action and the public still thinks they have a shot at cashing. Since the Lakers are one of the most popular teams in the NBA, their odds are usually inflated.

What are the betting odds for the Los Angeles Lakers winning a 2012-13 NBA Championship? Also, should the people who bet on the Lakers look for another way to bet online? Continue reading →

Houston’s Latest Insane Trade Proposal for Dwight Howard

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is slowly going insane.

He has been trying to acquire Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard for months. The amount of trades he has offered/completed in order to gain pieces to entice the Magic would make any man snap.

It doesn’t make Morey’s job any easier when Howard publicly announces that he would only sign an extension with the Brooklyn Nets.

Well, ESPN reported that Morey is about to propose the Magic an offer they can’t refuse. How much can Houston afford to offer a team for a player who has no intentions on staying more than one season?

Want to know what Morey is offering? Check it out after the jump…

The rumored offer is so lopsided and ridiculous that it is hard to believe that a GM would ever offer this deal.

Orlando Magic would receive: Kevin Martin, Patrick Patterson, Marcus Morris, Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lamb, Royce White, Terrence Jones, and at least two future first-round & second-round draft picks, AND Toronto’s 2013 first-round pick (potential lottery pick).

Houston Rockets would receive: Dwight Howard, Jason Richardson, Glen Davis, Chris Duhon, and Hedu Turkoglu.

Let that offer sink in for a few seconds.

…WHAT THE HELL, DARYL?!

Houston would be sending the Magic a top-of-the-rotation guy (Martin), their last two draft classes, and their next few drafts will be worthless without first-round picks.

What’s sad is that I really like what the Rockets did in this year’s NBA draft. Lamb, White, and Jones are NBA-ready and could all be rotation guys in their rookie season. They would be throwing it away for a shot at convincing Howard that Houston is where he belongs.

Houston would just receive Howard, who may only stay one season, and a bunch of deadweight contracts. The Magic will have a clean slate to rebuild the team in the post-Howard era.

I have a feeling that Morey was a nerd in high school. He probably had a crush on the head cheerleader (Dwight Howard). He would stay at home and think up scenarios in which she would agree to go on a date with him. He finally put together the absolute perfect plan in which he would ask her out and there would be no chance she would say no. The plan would consist of Morey riding to school in a carriage with white horses. He would be dressed in a tuxedo with tails and have a dozen roses ready to give to her (trade entire team for Howard). He would ride in front of the entire school, gives her the roses and ask her out…she would say ‘yes’ (Dwight agrees to play one season with Houston). They would go out on a date, it goes alright, and he would drop her off at home at the end of the date. He would assume that a second date is right around the corner and his life is perfect (Howard contract extension).

Well, Morey wasn’t aware that the entire school was laughing at him when pulled up in a horse-driven carriage (every NBA GM & fans). The head cheerleader said yes because she didn’t want to seem like a bitch. Also, after their date, the captain of the football team was in her driveway waiting to sneak up to her room (Brooklyn Nets).

This is a move that can and will get a general manager fired. If this deal goes through and Howard doesn’t sign an extension, he will be responsible for two separate GMs losing their jobs (Orlando’s former GM Otis Smith was fired after the season).

Everyone knows that Morey is a smart guy. He speaks at the Sloan Conference at MIT every year about using advanced metrics in sports. He is helping to pave the way by relying on new statistics to build a professional basketball team…but, I don’t see how he could argue that this trade is logical by using statistics to back it up. “Dork Elivs” is getting a little too cute and maybe the eyeball test is all someone needs to know that this is a horrible deal.

I feel sorry for Rockets fans. You have a GM who clearly has a gambling problem and he’s playing with your money. This would truly be a ‘Dwightmare’ for Houston.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Brook Lopez Re-Signs With Nets, Kills Dwight Howard Deal

This should finally end all of the Dwight Howard to Brooklyn trade rumors…until January 15th.

According to the The Star-Ledger, Lopez and the Brooklyn Nets agreed on a maximum-salary contract of $61 million over four years.

The deal means the Nets are officially out of the Dwight Howard sweepstakes. Teams are not able to newly-signed players, other than sign and trade deals, until January 15th, 2013. Lopez will be Brooklyn’s starting center at the opening of the 2012-13 season.

What does this mean for Dwight Howard? Is this a smart move by Brooklyn? Will Howard’s asking price drop by January?

Howard appears to be the odd man out in Orlando. He has done everything but spit on the Magic franchise since he “injured” his back late last season and missed the playoffs. The big man has made it clear that he wants out and his relationship with the team is beyond fractured.

I look for Howard to realize he can’t put a Magic jersey back on and forces a trade to another team. Magic fans will no longer embrace him and he has to go.

The Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers have made it clear that they would like to trade for him, even if it’s a rental for one season. Those teams believe they could entice Howard to sign a long-term deal once he is within the organization. Brooklyn made a similar gamble when they traded with the Utah Jazz for Deron Williams…he just signed a long-term deal to stay with Brooklyn.

The Nets are looking more and more like a playoff team. Their team currently has Lopez, Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallce, MarShon Brooks (who’s underrated), and Mirza Teletovic in their rotation. This team looks like a top-five seed in the Eastern Conference.

I feel like this isn’t the last time we will hear Dwight Howard & Brooklyn Nets in the same sentence, but this should end that trade rumor for a few months.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Adam Morrison Looks Like a Homeless Man…Again!

A few years ago, I posted a picture of Adam Morrison in the stands at a Gonzaga basketball game. He was looking like a shell of himself and probably had a fatty blunt rolled up behind his ear.

Mr. Morrison is back! I now present you with ‘Adam Morrison looks like a homeless guy Part 2’…after the jump.

Let’s do an ‘America’s White Boy Fashion Breakdown’…

He is sporting a goatee that would make Scooby Doo’s Shaggy jealous.
Notice the ‘shit under the jersey’ look made famous by every whiteboy ever.
He looks like he would drink a Four Loko with dinner.
How many cases of dry shampoo does this hippie have in his bathroom?

I can’t bash on Adam Morrison too hard. He is one of the reasons why I named my blog ‘America’s White Boy‘ years ago. He has helped me fill the blog with content…humorous content.

In a perfect world, Adam Morrison would still be playing ‘Halo 2’ against J.J. Redick on Xbox Live. I doubt if Morrison has upgraded his system to an Xbox 360.

Before I go, I just want to let the Brooklyn Nets fans know that this will be the face of your franchise if the team can’t strike a deal with Deron Williams. Let that marinate tonight and see how many gray hairs appear by morning.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Gerald Wallace Declines Player Option, Becomes Free Agent

According to Legion Sports, Gerald Wallace will tell the Brooklyn Nets that he will decline his $9.5 million player option and will become an unrestricted free agent.

In what could be the worst trade this decade, the Nets traded Shawne Williams, Mehmet Okur, and a 2012 top-3 protected 1st round draft pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for Wallace. The Nets’ draft pick ended up being #6, so it will be sent to Portland to complete the deal. The Nets gave up all of that for roughly 20 games of Wallace.

Now that the Charlotte Bobcats all-time leading scorer is a free agent, will Wallace go back there and become an icon or sign with a contender? I name a few teams that currently need his services and have the cap space to offer him a contract.

Wallace has a weird NBA contract. His contract ends 15 days before the NBA Draft, so theoretically the Nets could use that information and draft to fill the need. Unfortunately, Portland owns their first round pick and the Golden State Warriors own their 2nd round pick (#35 overall). They do own the Miami Heat’s 2nd round pick (#57 overall) and Draft Express currently has the Nets using that pick on Mike Scott, a 6’8 power forward from Virginia.

Even though Wallace is a free agent earlier than the rest of the class, he will still be under the same rules. He cannot start negotiating with a team until July 1st and will not be able to officially sign until July 11th.

Which teams are in need of Wallace and could afford to pay him?

The first team that comes to mind is the Charlotte Bobcats. Unfortunately, they have three ridiculous contracts on the books for 2012-13: Corey Maggette $10.9 million, Tyrus Thomas $8 million, and DeSagana Diop $7.4 million. Diop and Maggette’s contracts will come off the books after next season, but the Bobcats will still owe Thomas $18+ million. Maggette could be a trade piece mid-season, since he is still productive, but Diop and Thomas are unmovable. Charlotte could afford to give Wallace a deal, even with a couple bad contracts on the books.

My fingers are crossed that the Bobcats sign Wallace this offseason. It has been a rough season for my friend Ben Swanson. He is SBNation’s Charlotte Bobcats blogger at Rufus On Fire. It could heal the pain he has endured by being a Bobcats fan the last few years.

Depending on their selections in the NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers could be in the market for Wallace. A lot of mock drafts have them selecting either PF/C Andre Drummond (UConn) or PF Thomas Robinson (Kansas) with the #4 overall pick. If Bradley Beal falls to them, Wallace could be in play for Cleveland. He would be a nice complement to both Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson.

The Dallas Mavericks could end up poaching both of the marquee free agents from the Brooklyn Nets. All of the rumors point to Deron Williams declining his player option and signing with Dallas. In order to sign Wallace, Dallas would need to use their amnesty clause on Brendan Haywood. He is due to make $27+ million over the next three seasons.

The final team that I believe could go after Wallace would be the Boston Celtics. If Danny Ainge decides to go in a different direction and opts to not re-sign Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, the money would be there for a few marquee signings. It is a long shot because of their need for a center and that Wallace does a lot of things that Brandon Bass could be doing for the Boston next season. Ainge is unpredictable and he could try to reconstruct the next ‘Big Three.’

The Brooklyn Nets find themselves in a bad situation. They are due to open their new arena in Brooklyn without a notable player to appear on billboards. Deron Williams is expected to decline his player option and will leave the Nets with MarShon Brooks as the face of their franchise. I would have said Brook Lopez, but the Nets have been throwing him out there as bait for both Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum over the last two seasons. I’m not sure if the fans actually see him as a player or just a trade commodity.

In the end, the NBA Draft will dictate where Gerald Wallace will end up. If a team misses out on a SF/PF scoring option, Wallace will end up on their wishlist.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.