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The Nets are working out free agent big men Eddy Curry and Hilton Armstrong today, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Spears, Nets GM Billy King is still seeking a center and a small forward, and is hoping to discover another "diamond in the rough," as the team did last season with Gerald Green.

We heard earlier today that Armstrong is interested in returning to the NBA, but the former lottery pick hasn't played in the Association since before the lockout. The 27-year-old big man, who participated in a minicamp for the Nets in May, appeared in 277 games for five teams in his five NBA seasons, most notably starting 29 contests for the Hornets in 2008/09.

Curry, meanwhile, saw limited minutes in 2011/12 with the Heat, but hasn't seen regular action for an NBA team in years -- since the end of the 2007/08 campaign, the former fourth overall pick has played in just 24 games. The seven-footer has had success in the past, averaging 19.5 PPG in 2006/07, but has been plagued by health and conditioning issues in recent years.

While Spears says the Nets are targeting both a center and a small forward, it appears a center is Brooklyn's more pressing concern at the moment. That's no surprise, considering the club agreed to sign Donte Greene last week, and still doesn't have a true backup behind Brook Lopez in the middle.

http://www.hoopsrumors.com/2012/08/nets ... trong.html

So, Eddy Curry is going to be a diamond in the rough? Meanwhile, we take a look at the "rough" :

Chris Anderson, Matt Barnes, Josh Howard, Josh Childress, Kenyon Martin, Andray Blatche, Lou Audmnson, Sean Williams, Micheal Petrius, Leandro Barbosa, Shawne Williams, Al Thornton, etc

What the hell?

Chris Andersen - Not sure if his legal issues have been resolved (believe he was falsley accused). Wants more than the minimum.

Matt Barnes - Like every year he wants more than the minimum what he ends up accepting is anyone's guess...

Josh Howard - Garbage.

Josh Childress - Not sure what his deal is, can probably get more than the minimum...

Kenyon Martin - Has been well documented he wants more than the minimum.

Andray Blatche - Hell no. Headcase extrodinnaire.

Lou Amundson - Is getting large contract offers from overseas, will he accept minimum?

Sean Williams - Had his chance. Has regressed as a shot-blocker. Is trash.

Michael Pietrus - Explicitly stated he would not return to the Celtics on a veteran's minimum contract.

Shawne Williams - Do we really want to go here again? He had one fluke season on the Knicks but other than that is a dime a dozen jack-of-all-trades master of none.

Leandro Barbosa - Not getting him for the minimum...

Al Thornton - Nick Young with less range and ball-handling (that's not a good thing)...

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It'd be nice to take a flyer on some of the guys listed above but there are valid reasons why the Nets and other teams have not.

I NEVER thought the day would come I'd say this, but if we don't sign Kmart (likely too expensive for some reason)...I want to sign Eddie Curry. He's big bodied (nice word for fat in his case), is 6 fouls, and would be our 15th roster spot. I'm fine having him as our end of the bench guy. Unless someone we invite to camp just blows us away with his hard work, I'm fine bringing Eddie Curry in.

Man my feet just got cold for some reason....

One more note...if we get any use out of him, we can use it as more ammo towards the Knicks fan base.

I don't even know what to say about the possibility of Curry on the Nets.

I am hungry though now.

Kidd goes to the Knicks, so we're going after Curry?

I rather take a chance at Blatche.

Paradise wrote:

The Nets are working out free agent big men Eddy Curry and Hilton Armstrong today, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Spears, Nets GM Billy King is still seeking a center and a small forward, and is hoping to discover another "diamond in the rough," as the team did last season with Gerald Green.

We heard earlier today that Armstrong is interested in returning to the NBA, but the former lottery pick hasn't played in the Association since before the lockout. The 27-year-old big man, who participated in a minicamp for the Nets in May, appeared in 277 games for five teams in his five NBA seasons, most notably starting 29 contests for the Hornets in 2008/09.

Curry, meanwhile, saw limited minutes in 2011/12 with the Heat, but hasn't seen regular action for an NBA team in years -- since the end of the 2007/08 campaign, the former fourth overall pick has played in just 24 games. The seven-footer has had success in the past, averaging 19.5 PPG in 2006/07, but has been plagued by health and conditioning issues in recent years.

While Spears says the Nets are targeting both a center and a small forward, it appears a center is Brooklyn's more pressing concern at the moment. That's no surprise, considering the club agreed to sign Donte Greene last week, and still doesn't have a true backup behind Brook Lopez in the middle.

http://www.hoopsrumors.com/2012/08/nets ... trong.html

So, Eddy Curry is going to be a diamond in the rough? Meanwhile, we take a look at the "rough" :

Chris Anderson, Matt Barnes, Josh Howard, Josh Childress, Kenyon Martin, Andray Blatche, Lou Audmnson, Sean Williams, Micheal Petrius, Leandro Barbosa, Shawne Williams, Al Thornton, etc

What the hell?

i dont really see the issue. its the 15th spot on the roster. whoever it is will not be in the normal rotation and will be looking at what, 3-5 minutes playing once every 3 games or so? if that?

in that situation why not go with a gamble on someone who might show some promise or turn things around. same idea as with donte green.

i just dont see the outcry over someone who wont be in the 9 man rotation

quote="drejeronfire"]Chris Andersen - Not sure if his legal issues have been resolved (believe he was falsley accused). Wants more than the minimum.

Matt Barnes - Like every year he wants more than the minimum what he ends up accepting is anyone's guess...

Josh Howard - Garbage.

Josh Childress - Not sure what his deal is, can probably get more than the minimum...

Kenyon Martin - Has been well documented he wants more than the minimum.

Andray Blatche - Hell no. Headcase extrodinnaire.

Lou Amundson - Is getting large contract offers from overseas, will he accept minimum?

Sean Williams - Had his chance. Has regressed as a shot-blocker. Is trash.

Michael Pietrus - Explicitly stated he would not return to the Celtics on a veteran's minimum contract.

Shawne Williams - Do we really want to go here again? He had one fluke season on the Knicks but other than that is a dime a dozen jack-of-all-trades master of none.

-Chris Anderson wants to play in NY actually. His charges were cleared up because they is no way in hell, he would be allowed to be sought after by other teams if he wasn't cleared.

-Matt Barnes is a question mark

-Josh Howard isn't garbage considering he had a small role with Utah and still had a solid PER and defensive efficient season. We are on his list still.

-Pietrus wants more than the minimum but nobody is going to offer him more, he will eventually take less.

-Martin wants more than the minimum but he will still have to take less eventually.

Point is, there is plenty of good names and players and they want more but nobody is willing to offer more and most teams can't offer more. We should be waiting it out instead of wasting the last 2 roster spots. SF/C is depth is crucial to the type of season we will have.

Preludepunk27 wrote:I NEVER thought the day would come I'd say this, but if we don't sign Kmart (likely too expensive for some reason)...I want to sign Eddie Curry. He's big bodied (nice word for fat in his case), is 6 fouls, and would be our 15th roster spot. I'm fine having him as our end of the bench guy. Unless someone we invite to camp just blows us away with his hard work, I'm fine bringing Eddie Curry in.

That sounds nice but they are signing him to make him the BACKUP center. That's the problem. I'd rather sign Armstrong and another big and pretty much stock up on size like the Clippers did by adding Turiaf, Hollins.

One more note...if we get any use out of him, we can use it as more ammo towards the Knicks fan base.

Okay, this has to stop. This fanbase needs to stop worrying about the Knicks fanbase, It's not relevant and it's pretty childish. If everyone believes we are better than the Knicks then there is no reason to try to attempt to diss or take shots at them. Acknowledging them shows, we are on their level and we aren't above.

What ammo exactly would we have? "Hey, knix we signed the fat scrub you guys laughed at for many years! look at us!"

Paradise wrote:That sounds nice but they are signing him to make him the BACKUP center. That's the problem. I'd rather sign Armstrong and another big and pretty much stock up on size like the Clippers did by adding Turiaf, Hollins.

reggie evans is our backup 5. we arent signing curry to play 15 minutes as a backup. he is bench fodder

PetroNet wrote:

Paradise wrote:That sounds nice but they are signing him to make him the BACKUP center. That's the problem. I'd rather sign Armstrong and another big and pretty much stock up on size like the Clippers did by adding Turiaf, Hollins.

reggie evans is our backup 5. we arent signing curry to play 15 minutes as a backup. he is bench fodder

Evans shouldn't be our backup 5 full time. I have no problem with Curry being the laughing stock bench cheerleader but the thing is, it clearly says backup center search and there is clearly indication, Curry if signed would see minutes depending on foul trouble, injuries and etc and that's my point.

I'd rather add Armstrong, Sean Williams and some other marginal player to fill out the roster over Curry. The Heat were looking to use him and ended up being forced to use 6'11 - 300 pound Dexter Pittman when their bigs got injured during the season. He's unreliable. Bench fodder or not.

That being said, I'm happy they are looking to address our bench depth but I'd hope they smarten up and go a different direction. 2 spots left open and we should be looking to aggressively persuade other free agents to take the minimum this year to have a spot in the rotation.

I think we're trying to push a versatile lineup often a la MIA.

LBJ is the only player who can really play 1-4, but a D-Will, JJ, Wallace, and MarShon can all play multiple positions.

SpeedyG wrote:I rather take a chance at Blatche.

It makes me laugh when anyone says...no way...dont want Blatche too much of a headcase.

Veteran's minimum for 10mil per year talent? When the prices are rock bottom..you throw everything out the window and say...what has the best upside potential...and go for it. What's the worst case scenario? He brings a hooker on the team plane and throws her out at 30,000 feet? He takes a dump on Avery's desk? What? No matter what this guy does...if its something you cant live with...CUT HIM. Its really not that complicated. We cut good guys who cant play all the time and we have drafted knuckeheads given them guaranteed 3 year contract who had talent. This is a guy with UBER talent for a one year deal costing less that the amount we will spend on waxing the floors at the Barclay's center.

Some people just needs to take their heads out of their asses when they have such a negative reaction on taking a shot on him.

The other side of the argument which you appear to be missing is that Blatche is a high-usage low-efficiency often aloof and uninterested immature headcase with a penchant for turning the ball over and laying down the red carpet for opponents to score...

Blatche can do a bit of everything but he can not consistently do any one thing well. He's the Ricky Davis of power forwards (except not as good).

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... can01.html

Also I think it's worth mentioning again (since some people are ignoring this fact) that the reason why a number of the players in the OP's post are currently unsigned is that they are looking for MORE than the Veteran's minimum.

Eventually some of the listed players will have to settle for the minimum or a more lucrative contract overseas, so I can understand the argument that the Nets should be waiting this out, but for the love of god - I've seen it on NetsDaily and I've seen it here - let's not make players like Andray Blatche out to be something that they're not.

E, mind explaining why you think Blatche is a guy with "UBER" talent? Because I don't see it.

If Eddy is still motivated I don't see the harm in a workout. Hilton has always been kinda weaksauce to me.

Sean Williams was just released...yes, no, maybe?

Eddy Curry... workout... Does not compute.

Well he'd be a roster filler like he's been the last how ever many seasons.

drejeronfire wrote:The other side of the argument which you appear to be missing is that Blatche is a high-usage low-efficiency often aloof and uninterested immature headcase with a penchant for turning the ball over and laying down the red carpet for opponents to score...

Blatche can do a bit of everything but he can not consistently do any one thing well. He's the Ricky Davis of power forwards (except not as good).

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... can01.html

Also I think it's worth mentioning again (since some people are ignoring this fact) that the reason why a number of the players in the OP's post are currently unsigned is that they are looking for MORE than the Veteran's minimum.

Eventually some of the listed players will have to settle for the minimum or a more lucrative contract overseas, so I can understand the argument that the Nets should be waiting this out, but for the love of god - I've seen it on NetsDaily and I've seen it here - let's not make players like Andray Blatche out to be something that they're not.

Nothing you says changes the premise of the argument. In fact you made it. While you underrated Blatche's true ability....even if I accepted your premise? If you can add a 26 year old Ricky Davis for vet minimum over Eddy Curry? YOU FREAKIN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Blatche has much more talent than you gave him credit for. But to respect at least part of your premise..yes flawed. The point is...at 26 years of age...for the price you can offer...YOU OFFER IT! Let him turn it down.

The point you seem to be missing is...K.I.S.S. KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID.


We have a tiny contract to offer. There is a weak ass pool of guys left. Some of are weak because they are washed up. Some because of severe injuries. Some because their are undersized. Some because they are not talented. And some because they are a pain in the ass. Many because they fit multiple categories I listed.

He is a guy who is not old. Not severely injured or returning from a potential career changing injury. He is not undersized. And he is NOT without talent.

He is simply a pain in the ass! Now you cant make an old guy younger. You cant make an injured player healthy with a snap of your fingers. You cant make people grow and you cant hand someone talent.

But sometimes you can get through to a kid with a bad attitude. And if it wont cost us big bucks or big cap space...or take a job from someone with significant potential. Its the last man on the roster for a guy who two years ago was the best player on his team.

By no means am I preaching him as a cant miss. But the majority of what's out there has NO potential to be more than what they are. Washed up seat fillers. Blatche has the most UPSIDE of anyone out there. The most talent...and the kid is 26. The cost so low it offsets the risks.


And even if he never comes close to what he can do...lets just pause to look at what he can do. These were his stats 2 seasons ago. See month by month for February, March and April.

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/2746/year/2010/andray-blatche

The season to follow with Wall drafted he averaged 16.8 and 8.3 for the year. Disappointing for a kid who looked like an all star for half a year before that...but for the last man on our roster making vets' minimum at 26 years of age??????

Its just not that complicated. Keep is simple stupid.

jeff1624 wrote:E, mind explaining why you think Blatche is a guy with "UBER" talent? Because I don't see it.

Would it make you feel better if I said very talented?


We start Kris Humphries and we have no legit back up big man over 6'10.


If I said a 6' 11" guy in the NBA who is 26 years old that averaged 20 points per game and 3 rebounds for 3 months typically makes 10mil plus per year can be had for vets minimum?

I am not advocating we use our lottery pick on some questionable character guy when there is a queslity young big available at the same pick. Or give him a max contract when there are superstars to recruit. Or the last of our cap space when there is an elite proven role guy to be had.

I am saying in August there is a pile of trash out there. Our weakest position among our starters is at the 4. Our biggest need depth wise is a back up big man.

Age+past success+list of available talent= Are you freakin kidding me?

He should stick out like a sore thumb to you among the crop based on what he has done in this league for the price we can give him.


Talent?

Lin a nothing scrub who no one every thought had talent got 25 mil and a face of a franchise tag for 17 great games and good marketability. I want to give this kid who has had significantly more success 900K and a seat next to Jerry Stackhouse on the bench.

Lets take it another way. I can guaranteed you that Kmart, Anderson, Curry, Armstrong etc. will never have another NBA season better than we should expect from Kris Humphries this coming season. Can you honestly say that if Blatche put in the work showed some humility that it is impossible for him to become a better NBA PF than Hump?

I am not asking for him to be one of the top 5 PF's in the NBA. But yes...I think his talent for the role being offered is obvious.