About that tank...

[Keith Van Horn]

Here we go!

Ready for that 19-63 season?
Hoping to get a few positives that we can build on?
Maybe we find a few Dinwiddies or Joe Harrises off the scrap heap?

yet...

The Nets are 3-3, with some surprising wins and close losses.
They're playing some electric basketball.
Cam Thomas is DEALING.
Guys like Zaire Williams, Cam Johnson, and Dennis Schroder are stepping up big time.
We seem to have found our coach, finally!

and... uhhh

[x]

Read on Twitter

[/x]

I'm conflicted.

Of course I'm psyched about this draft and the dream of legit lottery talent on this team, and all the cap space we'll have for next year.

But...

I don't know

discuss

[Rich Rane]

Giannis and whomever else on this team isn't winning a championship. Stay the course.

[Papi_swav]

Z Williams, J Wilson and K johnson seem like they can be solid role players and makes winning plays on both sides of the ball. Clowney looks like he's going to be a tough defender. Shroder is playing well but he is what he is at this age. DFS and CamJ should be gone by the trade deadline for some type of value.

CamT is balling and seems like he's our hero this year, he'll win us some games and he'll lose us some games due to his shot taking and turnovers etc.. Jordi looks like he's our coach of the future. We've been playing well and coach has the guys playing hard and smart. I still see us winning below 30 games or so, I just hope the ping pong balls goes our way finally for once in our lives.

Bucks are done but I don't see a trade during the season. I feel like a Giannis trade will be too big to make during the season, so maybe during the off season. We shouldn't throw all our chips on it, we've learned our lesson on that and we need to stay the course and build this thing the right way. Giannis is looking to win so in order to get him we'll need to go out and get another star to go with him because this roster is not enough to appease him.

The next 2 drafts we need to scout hard and hit on those picks. I'm not into giving up top 5 picks to get Giannis. Maybe trading some of our later picks like the Suns/Mavs/Knicks picks but seeing that Bridges was traded for 5 picks, Giannis is easily worth double than that lol but nobody is giving that up. Anyway I say we stay the course, trade DFS, camJ and shroder at the trade deadline and draft well these next 2 years. We should be looking forward to 2026 FA

[Netaman]

im prepared for incoming on this but i'd be on board with Giannis. the guy is still a freak. i dont really expect it in season this year, but if the possibility materialized i'd give up a bunch of picks + simmons expiring for him. i dont see anything even close to as good as him in FA next offseason so why not? obviously not giving up the Nets owned lotto pick if at the time it looks destined to be top 10, but if they are in play-in range and can add Giannis id do it because they probably end up in the playoffs in that scenario any way.

ironically his situation in Milwaukee is sort of reminiscent of his teammate Dame that last year in Portland. I would think they get hot at some point and if so give it one last run this year, but if they are way out of it at the deadline maybe they decide to be proactive and cash in while that simmons expiring is in play? If Miami and Brooklyn are the 2 destinations of interest, Brooklyn obviously has a lot more assets to trade from.

Schroder
CamT
CamJ
Giannis
Clax

is actually a sneaky interesting team if - big IF - Schroder and CamT keep playing the way they are. it's certainly not boston level but i think they'd give the Cavs some issues with that frontcourt.

[Netaman]

Bucks are done but I don't see a trade during the season. I feel like a Giannis trade will be too big to make during the season, so maybe during the off season. We shouldn't throw all our chips on it, we've learned our lesson on that and we need to stay the course and build this thing the right way. Giannis is looking to win so in order to get him we'll need to go out and get another star to go with him because this roster is not enough to appease him.

During the offseason they should have cap space so maybe that's what the Bucks prefer, in-season they have the simmons+DFS expirings to trade.

I think like most superstar trades it comes down to what/when Giannis wants. If it's truly Miami/Brooklyn, Milwaukee may as well be proactive in assessing what the package is that they want from either team and try to get what they can before either team uses their resources in another way. Or before Giannis has an injury and they end up with very little leverage.

I agree with you though i expect they run off a 5-10 game win streak at some point in the next couple months and give it at least 1 more run together, then do whatever they are going to do in the Summer.

[Keith Van Horn]

yeah I don't know on this one.

maybe it's just smoke on the Giannis side, and it's hard to resist a guy of that caliber, but this team is working toward rebuilding their identity. I don't want to trade all those picks either. Isn't this Marks' chance at redemption? And the funny thing is I saw that Ben and Giannis want to play together, like, wtf.

stay the course for now I say. I know the Giannis type talents don't come around often, but I also don't want to gut the team for one guy. We've seen what superstars can do to us both on and off the court.

I mean as a purely hypothetical exercise, just place Giannis on this team as currently constructed, similar positions/rotations, with all of our picks still in the bucket:

Schroder / Simmons / Milton
Thomas / Wilson / Johnson
Johnson / Williams / Bogdanovic
Giannis / DFS / Watford
Claxton / Clowney / Sharpe

That would be something...

[Keith Van Horn]

From ESPN (I guess they have to stick with preseason narratives at this point???)

25. Brooklyn Nets

2024-25 record: 4-4

Previous ranking: 26

Next games: @ BOS (Nov. 8), @ CLE (Nov. 9), @ NO (Nov. 11)

For the second straight season, Cam Thomas averaged at least 30 points through his first three games. But there is ample room for his playmaking to grow. Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said as much after the Nets' loss to Detroit on Sunday. "If you're a scorer but they do certain things to you, then maybe it's a day that you score less, but you assist more," Fernandez told reporters of Thomas, who's averaging 26.6 points per night but has just 25 dimes through eight games. -- Herring

Bucks are 22nd
Bulls are 17th
Grizzlies are 10th

[Stone]

After last nights game they had a Richard Jefferson career retrospective as a Net. He said something that I either forgot or did not know. He said his first year with us the Nets we projected to end up second to last in the power rankings. He went on to say (paraphrasing) that no team that much of an underdog turned out to win the conference.

I am not saying that we are even close to being anywhere near finishing that close to the top of the conference (like we are now...lol). But I do see us going in that direction. We have to take our lumps and end up with some good picks like we did back then with Kenyon and KVH and then bring in some complamenty pieces. At least that is the direction that I would like to see us go in.

[vincecarter4pres]

Hypothetically, what if we keep it up and get even better as the season progresses?

Like what if we’re doing the unthinkable, we’re at the deadline sitting like 8 games above .500 with no signs of slowing down?

What does Marks do if something crazy is offered to him? Someone like Fox? Or Morant, or even Garland for something like Schröder and/Cam J, one young guy like Clowney and picks? Does he do it? Do we want him to? Especially if we somehow get to keep the Milwaukee pick, and/or most of the far out NYK picks?

[Jkam31]

Hypothetically, what if we keep it up and get even better as the season progresses?

Like what if we’re doing the unthinkable, we’re at the deadline sitting like 8 games above .500 with no signs of slowing down?

What does Marks do if something crazy is offered to him? Someone like Fox? Or Morant, or even Garland for something like Schröder and/Cam J, one young guy like Clowney and picks? Does he do it? Do we want him to? Especially if we somehow get to keep the Milwaukee pick, and/or most of the far out NYK picks?

Fox/morant/garland for cam and Schroeder that wouldn’t get done if Brooklyn added 5 firsts

[Netaman]

Hypothetically, what if we keep it up and get even better as the season progresses?

Like what if we’re doing the unthinkable, we’re at the deadline sitting like 8 games above .500 with no signs of slowing down?

What does Marks do if something crazy is offered to him? Someone like Fox? Or Morant, or even Garland for something like Schröder and/Cam J, one young guy like Clowney and picks? Does he do it? Do we want him to? Especially if we somehow get to keep the Milwaukee pick, and/or most of the far out NYK picks?

I think the only temptation is Giannis - and here's the kicker to that, we own the MIL pick 2025 pick only top 4 protected. If they are somehow below .500, and want that pick back, and even more want to try to tank to get it as high as possible to get a shot at Flagg or Bailey or whoever, that's sort of an interesting position to be in.

Despite the start to the season I'd bet against Nets being above .500 and Bucks being below a couple months from now, but in that scenario I think both sides would have to consider whether a bunch of the NYK picks (including MIL25) and someone like Clowney for Giannis is worth doing. And from the Bucks end, it's probably worth making that decision sooner rather than later if they do want to fully embrace a tank for Flagg/Bailey.

[vincecarter4pres]

Hypothetically, what if we keep it up and get even better as the season progresses?

Like what if we’re doing the unthinkable, we’re at the deadline sitting like 8 games above .500 with no signs of slowing down?

What does Marks do if something crazy is offered to him? Someone like Fox? Or Morant, or even Garland for something like Schröder and/Cam J, one young guy like Clowney and picks? Does he do it? Do we want him to? Especially if we somehow get to keep the Milwaukee pick, and/or most of the far out NYK picks?

Fox/morant/garland for cam and Schroeder that wouldn’t get done if Brooklyn added 5 firsts

Why?

[vincecarter4pres]

Hypothetically, what if we keep it up and get even better as the season progresses?

Like what if we’re doing the unthinkable, we’re at the deadline sitting like 8 games above .500 with no signs of slowing down?

What does Marks do if something crazy is offered to him? Someone like Fox? Or Morant, or even Garland for something like Schröder and/Cam J, one young guy like Clowney and picks? Does he do it? Do we want him to? Especially if we somehow get to keep the Milwaukee pick, and/or most of the far out NYK picks?

I think the only temptation is Giannis - and here's the kicker to that, we own the MIL pick 2025 pick only top 4 protected. If they are somehow below .500, and want that pick back, and even more want to try to tank to get it as high as possible to get a shot at Flagg or Bailey or whoever, that's sort of an interesting position to be in.

Despite the start to the season I'd bet against Nets being above .500 and Bucks being below a couple months from now, but in that scenario I think both sides would have to consider whether a bunch of the NYK picks (including MIL25) and someone like Clowney for Giannis is worth doing. And from the Bucks end, it's probably worth making that decision sooner rather than later if they do want to fully embrace a tank for Flagg/Bailey.

Milwaukee loses that pick no matter what, it goes to New Orleans if it’s top 4 and we get zilch.

[Netaman]

Hypothetically, what if we keep it up and get even better as the season progresses?

Like what if we’re doing the unthinkable, we’re at the deadline sitting like 8 games above .500 with no signs of slowing down?

What does Marks do if something crazy is offered to him? Someone like Fox? Or Morant, or even Garland for something like Schröder and/Cam J, one young guy like Clowney and picks? Does he do it? Do we want him to? Especially if we somehow get to keep the Milwaukee pick, and/or most of the far out NYK picks?

I think the only temptation is Giannis - and here's the kicker to that, we own the MIL pick 2025 pick only top 4 protected. If they are somehow below .500, and want that pick back, and even more want to try to tank to get it as high as possible to get a shot at Flagg or Bailey or whoever, that's sort of an interesting position to be in.

Despite the start to the season I'd bet against Nets being above .500 and Bucks being below a couple months from now, but in that scenario I think both sides would have to consider whether a bunch of the NYK picks (including MIL25) and someone like Clowney for Giannis is worth doing. And from the Bucks end, it's probably worth making that decision sooner rather than later if they do want to fully embrace a tank for Flagg/Bailey.

Milwaukee loses that pick no matter what, it goes to New Orleans if it’s top 4 and we get zilch.

Didn't realize the protection but the point doesn't change much since bottom 4 was super unlikely even if they try to tank.

the point remains if they are in the 11 slot of the lotto outside the play in and they get a chance to get that pick back, which could easily end up #5-10 in a really strong draft, that's a somewhat unique asset. Add in Clowney and a bunch of NYK picks, and that's an offer that's probably worth thinking about for both sides since we know the offseason offers are probably going to skew more towards likely to be bottom 10 draft picks over an 8+ year period.

he has enough time left on his contract that if traded open market in the offseason, i suspect a team like OKC or SAS would take their shot with offers mostly built on a bunch of the future picks they own (as opposed to young players of potential impact they already have rostered or potential lotto picks). But I could be wrong because I think SAS has some potential lotto picks coming their way from other teams.

[Decipher]

Sure, it’s possible but Giannis has hardly been a picture of health for a few years now

It would never happen but Jokic is a far more attractive target for mine if we’re going down that route

[Rich Rane]

Yes, it's early. How is this team in 4th place? Why is this team in 4th place?

[Decipher]

Yes, it's early. How is this team in 4th place? Why is this team in 4th place?

Eastern Conference sucks atm

[Netaman]

Yes, it's early. How is this team in 4th place? Why is this team in 4th place?

Jordi is doing the thing that a handful of coaches do every year, he's getting the team to compete hard every night and they have enough talent to squeak by when teams take games off.

the part that's been most surprising is the end of game execution where they've won some close games they didnt win last year even with bridges, but i think that's mostly because Schroder has been a better offensive initiator than dinwiddie (by a mile).

[Netaman]

Yes, it's early. How is this team in 4th place? Why is this team in 4th place?

Eastern Conference sucks atm

yes but they've beaten MEM twice and took DEN to OT. DFS hits an open 3 they win that one. They've competed well every game except Orlando and 2nd half vs DET.

[Decipher]

Yes, it's early. How is this team in 4th place? Why is this team in 4th place?

Eastern Conference sucks atm

yes but they've beaten MEM twice and took DEN to OT. DFS hits an open 3 they win that one. They've competed well every game except Orlando and 2nd half vs DET.

Nets are well coached, play hard & deserve credit as they probably should have a better record

However, there’s some really poor teams in the East