RealGM

Nets' Meeting With Kanter Is Side Benefit of
Globalization, Brooklyn
by Net Income on May 23, 2011 9:15 PM EDT in 2011 NBA Draft
James Crisp - AP

Enes Kanter, the 6'11" Turkish center, is likely to be picked near the top of the draft and the Nets' pick is at the opposite end of the draft, down at #27, the Lakers' pick. Yet, the draft's top big man decided to meet with the Nets in Chicago last week. It's about Mikhail Prokhorov's globalization effort ...and the move to Brooklyn.
Asked why Kanter would want to meet with a team so low in the draft, his agent, Max Ergul, told Sports Illustrated, "New owners [Russian Mikhail Prokhorov] have European ties, and they're moving to Brooklyn -- which has the No. 1 Turkish population -- so I wanted them to get to know Enes a little bit."
"Know", as in be tempted to move up in the draft? Ergul wouldn't say, but his client met with the Nets and Spurs, who are at #30, but declined a meeting with Sacramento at #7. Sounds like the agent would like to pick the NBA team Kanter will play for.

I really doubt that this would happen but it's a story.
BK wants to move up in the draft. How far? We don't know. Looks like we would have an in with Kanter and his agent already, but trading into top 5 territory would be very difficult.

Not without Lopez leaving.

Jersey Generals wrote:Not without Lopez leaving.

I was about to say the same thing. I mean Kanter is a Center, we're covered at that position. Now if Derrick Williams wants to go global, then I'd all for it.

What should hit home with this story is not if we can actually get this guy.

Its that our culture is officially changing. I have said it the last few years in all the fights about the Brooklyn move.

THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO MOVE FROM THE SMALL MARKET TO THE BIG MARKET.

Add Proky to Brooklyn move...and instead of begging...they will be coming to us. Big market teams have an advantage. To be able to enjoy those advantages would be fantastic. Now lets just hope that the stupid CBA issues do not scew us! Wouldnt it suck to finally have big market advantages and not have the leverage to use them? Franchise tag??? SUCK IT!!!!

Unless Kanter pulls a Bryant & flat out refuses to join anyone but us I can't see us drafting Kanter.

The only player I'd be interested in making a move for would be Derrick Williams but it would cost us a fortune to move up to the 2nd pick. What do you reckon the 2nd pick would cost?

Could we buy a pick or 2 & send it without having to give up Lopez?

Pull a Kobe

@E Yeah that's so true. I didn't even really think about that change. Now that we people are actually starting to see our footprints in Brooklyn with the arena going up and all of the billboards, they're finally believing that we're actually in a big market. Now, agents and players are looking at us now despite the fact that we only won 24 games last season. In hindsight, I'm really glad that BK made the trade for D-Will because that makes our profile even more attractive as we get closer to Brooklyn.

@N.I. Nets If reports were true that Indiana was going to give up Granger to get the #2, we'd most likely have to give up Lopez for it.

No shot we can move up to two with what we have in tradeable assets to get up that high without giving up Brook. The cupboard is a bit bare after the Deron deal...giving away Twil for squat, etc.

enetric wrote:What should hit home with this story is not if we can actually get this guy.

Its that our culture is officially changing. I have said it the last few years in all the fights about the Brooklyn move.

THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO MOVE FROM THE SMALL MARKET TO THE BIG MARKET.

Add Proky to Brooklyn move...and instead of begging...they will be coming to us. Big market teams have an advantage. To be able to enjoy those advantages would be fantastic. Now lets just hope that the stupid CBA issues do not scew us! Wouldnt it suck to finally have big market advantages and not have the leverage to use them? Franchise tag??? SUCK IT!!!!

I'm glad he is the owner and the possibilities of having a big market point of view. However, it has been a waisted decade of dealing with budget conscience owners.

DECADE???

That comment is simply not true.

Budget wasnt an issue until the initial sale of the team where Ratner did not have the backing of his investors year 1...the year we didnt match th Kmart offer. And the reality was...THAT WAS THE RIGHT MOVE. That trade which got us Vince Carter was absolutely in our favor.

And I will point out that even as the team declined...Ratner ket the payroll right at the LTT. WAY over the cap for several seasons. He gave VC the big extension. RJ the big extension....these came after we had already maxed out Kidd. And used the MLE every year.

So budget conscious? And I will point out...sales were in the toilet in a lousy NJ market that wasnt supporting the team despite having gone to two NBA finals.

The idea that ownership was cheap even during the years of trying to get Brooklyn done...Ratner was unfairly ripped.

This was the best decade in franchise history despite having to go through a rebuild at the end of 6 great seasons. I really do not see how anyone can fairly say ownership was tight with the cash. And please do not point to trades late in the contracts of our stars. It was time. Those trades were the right thing to do. Our window had closed and getting Brook and Deron today were a result of realizing it was time to rebuild.

E - don't know how far back it went, but the more troubling stories of 'cheapness' were the ones that came out last year re: the front office. Cutting back amateur and advance scouts, support staff, assistant coaches, training personnel, etc. That's setting a team up for failure.

Your 100% correct that they were committed to the team itself through the years we actually had a chance to go somewhere. They spent $ on Rogers, Mourning, tried for SAR, etc. The KMart and Kittles trades were good trades that stand on their own merit regardless of financial savings.

Things went south in the Rodney Buford/Ron Mercer era - but that was more because we became a middle of the road overall.

Right. People are looking to scapegoat things financially. And our local beat writers are the best at it. They pander to our need as fans to have an excuse. Someone to blame.

Here is the reality. When we had something to compete for DESPITE US the fans not supporting the tam with a consistent revenue stream...ownership including the one led by Ratner...DID NOT simply shed players or walk away from guys that were key parts of this team.

What did happen? The team was bought...the owner had bigger vision that required us to move. That was a costly undertaking. What did our fans do? Supported the team even LESS. And that was to be expected since those fans have watched a lame duck franchise for several years now. NJ residents barely supported this team during its best years. Why should they come out and support it once they heard they were losing it?

So like it or not...it was inevitable that at some stage you say...hey...we arent winning. Fans arent coming out. Legal costs alone for the Brooklyn move were staggering. And the guy was losing millions each year. At some point...yeah...wouldnt you do the same? Wouldn't you say...OK....time to cut costs.

Being angry at ownership for what happened is simply short sighted. It was time to rebuild anyway. And if we didn't have extra in the front office to support our under .500 team the last few seasons.. big deal. If the choice was padding those jobs or making sure Brooklyn got done? I say...great job Ratner. You made good choices and in the long run...fans shouldn't be ripping you. They should be praising you. Now? We have the richest owner in sports to follow up what he created.

This evolution was necessary. You have to break a few eggs if you want to make an omelette.