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This is a must read article for every Nets fan: When 'all-in' backfires: How the Brooklyn Nets are rebuilding from nothing

TOS prevent us from posting the entire article here (you're allowed to post up to 3 paragraphs). It gets into many of the issues that have been debated about on this forum from Lin's decision to join the Nets to "Does Kenny really know what he's doing?" to "Does Marks really know what he's doing?" to how we're perceived around the league and much more.

For an article that digs into the bad times, it's amazing how Jackie MacMullen writes a piece of this length, highlighting the Nets struggles over the last few years, without uttering the name Billy King. She deserves a writer's award for that. The fact that she's based in Boston and has no sense of gloating over the Nets situation makes her work even better.

Feel free to discuss...I'll include a few highlights below:

"I'll be quite honest with you," Atkinson says. "There are people I really respect who told me, 'You're insane if you take this job.'"

Atkinson accepted the challenge knowing that futility would be his companion for the foreseeable future. But what Atkinson can't accept -- what he won't accept -- is when the players depart from the ethics Atkinson is determined to impart, in the name of building a Spurs-like winning culture. What Atkinson can't stand is when the players lose their resiliency, when an 8-0 run balloons to a 12-0 run, then 18-0, because in their haste to make it better, his team strives to recapture momentum all at once with a grand basketball gesture that falls literally and figuratively short.

In those situations, Atkinson pleads, "Get back to your habits!" Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't, so when Brook Lopez takes 12 dribbles from the 3-point line, or Randy Foye glides over the screen instead of going hard through it, or Trevor Booker fails to retreat quickly in defensive transition, the evidence awaits the coach at 4:30 the next morning, glowing on a laptop in a dimly lit office that should be dark -- and vacant -- at that hour.

SEAN MARKS HELD one of the most enviable positions in the NBA -- assistant general manager to Spurs Jedi master RC Buford. Immersed in the league's most lauded culture, Marks rebuffed Prokhorov's initial advances, but Prokhorov, who had long admired San Antonio, was persistent.

When they finally met, Marks outlined a vision that included a top-shelf analytics group, a performance staff that touches each player daily with designated individual sessions, regular interactions with mental health experts, revamping the family room to create a more welcoming environment for wives and children and parents, and expanding the already gleaming practice facility on 39th Street in Brooklyn with an additional $1 million in improvements. At the core of his vision, he explained, was a long-term plan of developing consistency and excellence that would require years, not months.

"I was clear in our meeting," Marks says. "I told them, 'If you are looking for a quick fix or similar to what you did before, I'm the wrong guy.'"

I'm reading this now... but just wanted to thank you for sharing the link. Hopefully a lot of people see this piece.

edit: I gotta say that after reading that, the word that comes to mind is inspired. Atkinson is busting his ass day in and day out and the players see it. Marks has also been consistent in his message. The culture is there but the winning isn't, and yes it sucks we don't our own pick this year or next. But the article did shine some light at the end of the tunnel.

again, I hope a lot of NBA fans read this so they have a good idea of what's going on here.

Kenny Atkinson wrote:"Atkinson's friends warned him to stay clear of Brooklyn. Laying the foundation for a new culture is one thing; the thorny problem of convincing players to buy in is quite another. Losing breeds losing, then it breeds misery, and then it breeds discord.

"So there's doubts," Atkinson concedes, "but then all of a sudden you hear yourself saying, 'Screw it!' Because you're in it. Because you believe in what we're doing here.

"Now, you could look at it and say, 'Well, that's dumb, Kenny.' I get it. I don't know if a calculating person would do this. Forget the math. You got to bet on humanity.""

That last bit is actually quite beautiful.

I didn't see Prokhorov's mea culpa the first time around, it's worth reading again as well. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba-u--lessons-learned-from-the-owner-of-the-brooklyn-nets-011805013.html

As one All-Star veteran sniffed, "He took the money. Some guys don't care about winning."

Hi Melo.

I read the whole article and it was refreshing to see somebody cover us in such an in-depth manner. I've always respected MacMullan's work and her perspectives, and my respect for her has gone up quite a lot upon reading this article.

You can tell that Kenny and Marks really want to make this work; they recognize the situation they put themselves in and have shown determination in overcoming it and eventually establishing a culture of winning. Marks didn't even want the job at first and all of Kenny's friends told him to not take the job, but they knew that this was an opportunity to revilitize a franchise that had been put under because of guys who simply didn't care.

Again, great article. It was good to see the Nets even mentioned on ESPN.

JohnStockton wrote:

Kenny Atkinson wrote:"Atkinson's friends warned him to stay clear of Brooklyn. Laying the foundation for a new culture is one thing; the thorny problem of convincing players to buy in is quite another. Losing breeds losing, then it breeds misery, and then it breeds discord.

"So there's doubts," Atkinson concedes, "but then all of a sudden you hear yourself saying, 'Screw it!' Because you're in it. Because you believe in what we're doing here.

"Now, you could look at it and say, 'Well, that's dumb, Kenny.' I get it. I don't know if a calculating person would do this. Forget the math. You got to bet on humanity.""

That last bit is actually quite beautiful.

There is the 1% Pollyanna-ish side to me that believes in this bet on humanity and Markinson (as well as my belief in Lin as the messiah, of course ), and sees the Nets in the finals in 2021. Otherwise, what hope is there in this cruel world?

Excellent article, not that I'm surprised considering who the author was.

This just reaffirms why i have some faith in this new regime. People just need to be patient and realize that there is no easy way out of this mess. These dudes actually have a plan, and take this very seriously.

One positive about this season is that I cannot say that the team has been unwatchable or hasn't competed. It hasn't resulted in wins yet, but we'll see how next year and after go. Worst team in the league yes, but they definitely give you reason to keep watching night after night.

MrDollarBills wrote:Excellent article, not that I'm surprised considering who the author was.

This just reaffirms why i have some faith in this new regime. People just need to be patient and realize that there is no easy way out of this mess. These dudes actually have a plan, and take this very seriously.

One positive about this season is that I cannot say that the team has been unwatchable or hasn't competed. It hasn't resulted in wins yet, but we'll see how next year and after go. Worst team in the league yes, but they definitely give you reason to keep watching night after night.

One thing for sure is, that even though it is likely we won't reach our 21 wins total from last season, the players this year a lot more likable than the ones from last season.

Jkim18 wrote:

MrDollarBills wrote:Excellent article, not that I'm surprised considering who the author was.

This just reaffirms why i have some faith in this new regime. People just need to be patient and realize that there is no easy way out of this mess. These dudes actually have a plan, and take this very seriously.

One positive about this season is that I cannot say that the team has been unwatchable or hasn't competed. It hasn't resulted in wins yet, but we'll see how next year and after go. Worst team in the league yes, but they definitely give you reason to keep watching night after night.

One thing for sure is, that even though it is likely we won't reach our 21 wins total from last season, the players this year a lot more likable than the ones from last season.

And the players actually want to play for this head coach.

I know we've joked about D-Will wanting to go after Lionel Hollins, but the discontent was widespread. Last year was a disaster.

Yeah, Hollins was an ass hole and he shares the blame. At the same time, if we have to lose games to get to the next step, i'd rather lose with guys who buy in instead of mercenaries who don't care.

The Nets have to get innovative.
I mentioned this in another thread, this article speaks to this way.

1) Sign Euroleague players to help build the competitive Spurs/Euro style ethos.

3 pt shooting the last 3 years
Thomas Heurtel PG (1989) - 40%, 40%, 40%
Anthony Randolph PF/C (1989) - 39%, 34%, 37%
Nicolo Melli SF/PF (1991) - 32%, 44%, 40%
Joe Ragland PG (1989) - 40%, 38%. 38%
Derrick Brown SF/PF (1987) 44%, 37%, 46%

2) These players improve 3 point shooting. Shooting. Free Throw Shooting. Transition scoring. Passing. Length. Depth. Maturity. Athleticism. Rim protection.

3) The players can become assets to trade for assets.

4) These players do all this while saving cap flexibility.

5) Attempt to acquire Cedi Osman's rights from the Cavs by using one of the picks from this year:
33%, 40%, 42% (3 point shooting)

6) Acquire more rim protection depth at a reasonable cost see: Alexis Ajinca (or not)

7) Use Long island train young players on a NBA skill and role like major league baseball does.

8) Change your attitude, change your Karma

Heurtel/Lin/Ragland
LeVert/Whitehead or Dinwiddie or Harris
Hollis Jefferson/Melli
Brown/Acy/Nicholson/Booker
Lopez/Randolph/Hamilton or Ajinca

I could care less about fluff articles like this. This is a bottom line business. If we are in the same spot this time next year, I don't want to hear about how we are doing it the right way. Last place is last place. We didn't even beat last year's record despite last year's team shutting down our front court with approximately 10 games left to play. You can't be two years into a rebuild and still only winning 20 games. Marks has to land free agents this off-season. Atkinson needs to get his suspect rotations in check. Anything less is a failure.

what would you do in offseason with this roster?

I honestly don't care what our record is, as long as our philosophy has changed.

I really wouldn't care if we were winning 34 games and contending for a 10th seed.

Would we be in any better position than we are now?

Of course not.

There's no point in trying to win just to avoid giving Boston a higher pick.

I think Marks and Atkinson have the right vision to build this team for the future in the way we haven't done before.

If we can organically draft a superstar player and draw some Free Agents to Brooklyn, that is all we need to one day bring a championship to Brooklyn.

Jagger-meister wrote:I could care less about fluff articles like this. This is a bottom line business. If we are in the same spot this time next year, I don't want to hear about how we are doing it the right way. Last place is last place. We didn't even beat last year's record despite last year's team shutting down our front court with approximately 10 games left to play. You can't be two years into a rebuild and still only winning 20 games. Marks has to land free agents this off-season. Atkinson needs to get his suspect rotations in check. Anything less is a failure.

id be fine if we were in the same spot in 2 years never mind next year. wins dont matter now or anytime soon. its about building something sustainable. if it takes 5 or 6 years so be it. i dont care about beating last years record. who cares. there is no consolation for sucking less then a bad team.

atkinsons rotations are to best develop and evaluate, not win. and thats how it should be at this point

MrDollarBills wrote:Yeah, Hollins was an ass hole and he shares the blame. At the same time, if we have to lose games to get to the next step, i'd rather lose with guys who buy in instead of mercenaries who don't care.

Hollins also had said some questionable things in several interviews, indicating his poor attitude and lack of willingness to lead the team. He was also honestly too old-school.

The 2014-2015 season didn't seem too bad because we made the playoffs and somehow made it a series against the Hawks. When we acquired Thad we became a better team and it seemed like Hollins had gotten his team back (even guys like Lopez started to warm to him). But we did have a losing record and looking back, it seems like we made the playoffs in spite of Hollins. I guess we should have known that D-Will and Hollins was a disaster waiting to happen; their personalities cannot work together at all.

Jagger-meister wrote:I could care less about fluff articles like this. This is a bottom line business. If we are in the same spot this time next year, I don't want to hear about how we are doing it the right way. Last place is last place. We didn't even beat last year's record despite last year's team shutting down our front court with approximately 10 games left to play. You can't be two years into a rebuild and still only winning 20 games. Marks has to land free agents this off-season. Atkinson needs to get his suspect rotations in check. Anything less is a failure.

You might not care about the article, but if you actually read it, then you would understand what Marks in doing. Its not hard to understand at all.

When they finally met, Marks outlined a vision that included a top-shelf analytics group, a performance staff that touches each player daily with designated individual sessions, regular interactions with mental health experts, revamping the family room to create a more welcoming environment for wives and children and parents, and expanding the already gleaming practice facility on 39th Street in Brooklyn with an additional $1 million in improvements. At the core of his vision, he explained, was a long-term plan of developing consistency and excellence that would require years, not months.

They aren't prioritizing winning because they see the long term benefit. Seriously. Read the article before you criticize it.

Ror1997 wrote:

Jagger-meister wrote:I could care less about fluff articles like this. This is a bottom line business. If we are in the same spot this time next year, I don't want to hear about how we are doing it the right way. Last place is last place. We didn't even beat last year's record despite last year's team shutting down our front court with approximately 10 games left to play. You can't be two years into a rebuild and still only winning 20 games. Marks has to land free agents this off-season. Atkinson needs to get his suspect rotations in check. Anything less is a failure.

You might not care about the article, but if you actually read it, then you would understand what Marks in doing. Its not hard to understand at all.

When they finally met, Marks outlined a vision that included a top-shelf analytics group, a performance staff that touches each player daily with designated individual sessions, regular interactions with mental health experts, revamping the family room to create a more welcoming environment for wives and children and parents, and expanding the already gleaming practice facility on 39th Street in Brooklyn with an additional $1 million in improvements. At the core of his vision, he explained, was a long-term plan of developing consistency and excellence that would require years, not months.

They aren't prioritizing winning because they see the long term benefit. Seriously. Read the article before you criticize it.

Not prioritizing winning SMH That's pretty much the point of sports. If winning didn't matter then why keep score. Must be nice when you can tell your employer, "Business is not about making money". I don't know how any of the fans are OK with this. Rebuilding around the 20th best player in a draft class for 3 consecutive years is only going to get you to the same place. Levert is a league average guy, not some savior. RHJ is a situational player. These aren't building blocks for the future. Marks is doing an awful job as shown by the record and our lack of any longer term, significant assets.

Jagger-meister wrote:

Ror1997 wrote:

Jagger-meister wrote:I could care less about fluff articles like this. This is a bottom line business. If we are in the same spot this time next year, I don't want to hear about how we are doing it the right way. Last place is last place. We didn't even beat last year's record despite last year's team shutting down our front court with approximately 10 games left to play. You can't be two years into a rebuild and still only winning 20 games. Marks has to land free agents this off-season. Atkinson needs to get his suspect rotations in check. Anything less is a failure.

You might not care about the article, but if you actually read it, then you would understand what Marks in doing. Its not hard to understand at all.

When they finally met, Marks outlined a vision that included a top-shelf analytics group, a performance staff that touches each player daily with designated individual sessions, regular interactions with mental health experts, revamping the family room to create a more welcoming environment for wives and children and parents, and expanding the already gleaming practice facility on 39th Street in Brooklyn with an additional $1 million in improvements. At the core of his vision, he explained, was a long-term plan of developing consistency and excellence that would require years, not months.

They aren't prioritizing winning because they see the long term benefit. Seriously. Read the article before you criticize it.

Not prioritizing winning SMH That's pretty much the point of sports. If winning didn't matter then why keep score. Must be nice when you can tell your employer, "Business is not about making money". I don't know how any of the fans are OK with this. Rebuilding around the 20th best player in a draft class for 3 consecutive years is only going to get you to the same place. Levert is a league average guy, not some savior. RHJ is a situational player. These aren't building blocks for the future. Marks is doing an awful job as shown by the record and our lack of any longer term, significant assets.

You're like talking to a wall. You won't even read the article because you dont even want to listen to a counter arguement.

I don't think its a coincidence that the last time Net Sentence was active was a few days before this account was made.