Nenad Krsti?

[big L]

do we have to wait the seven days even if NJ renounces their right immediately?

[wizkid27]

I believe that if they explicitly renounced his rights, then we would get him now. But I think that theyr'e just letting the 7 days expire, as most teams do.

[theokie]

So, anyone have any idea when hes gonna be eligible for his first game?

Hopefully he can play up to his level from two years ago. Having some sort of inside presence will really help Durant, Green, and Westbrook

[wizkid27]

I think he would potentially miss out on the road trip to Detroit and D.C. and maybe be around for the Suns game. Would actually be an ideal game for him to start with, his ability to hit the mid-range jumper could draw Shaq out from under the basket. That's assuming there aren't any issues with getting away from his club in Russia, haven't heard anything about that either way though...

[london sonic]

Sorry has he signed if so when and is this still a possibility or virtually a done deal.

[wizkid27]

I believe that he officially signed the offer sheet and NJ has until Friday to match. If they don't match at that point, he would officially be on our team.

[SpeedyG]

I figure I'd go ahead and post it here since one of your fans asked for an evaluation on Krstic on our board. It's a pretty lengthy evaluation, so hopefully this sheds some light for you guys on what to expect out of him as a part of your team.

Thunder fans, I honestly think that if Nenad Krstic is healthy and has regained his confidence, that you guys are getting a top 10-15 Center (as bad as that crop is in the NBA nowadays). Krstic was my 2nd favorite Net, behind Jason Kidd. Here's a breakdown of his game (and keep in mind this is the healthy and confident Krstic):

Strengths:

- Automatic from 18 ft in. He really was the best shooter, regardless of position (which includes Carter, Kidd, House at the time) that the Nets had. There were even rumblings that Nenad had range past the 3pt line, though we never saw it in games.

- Good footwork and post moves. He uses spin moves to the baseline, turn around jumper (which he mixes well with his up and under move, and the Hakeem-like up-fake, turn and hook with right hand move), and a developing running right handed semi-hook. Soft touch around the basket.

- As you can see from that last point, Nenad is an old-school center who likes to play in the post, even though he has a very good outside shot. Also, as some have said, he was our best player in that Miami series. Also, in our match-up against the Pacers, he too was our best player. In fact, he was soo good that our offense ran through him. We had Kidd, we had Carter, we had Jefferson, and our offense ran through Krstic (against Jeff Foster and Jermaine O'Neal even). And that included late in the 4th when the game mattered. And we won because of him. There were even times when he was really playing well that the Orlando Magic doubled him in the post. Yes, the Orlando Magic who had Dwight and Tony Battie (two good post defenders) sent help on Krstic. When his confidence is high, he really is that good offensively. Good passer too (not great passer, but good enough to know where double is coming from and who to get it to when it comes)

- Tough kid. Doesn't mean he's strong, but physically tough. He'll bang around with guys like Shaq and Okafor (in fact, his best games have come against Emeka IMO), even if he gets pushed around in those match-ups a bit. It won't be for lack of effort and trying.

- Works hard. First in the gym, last one to leave. And this was in a team with hardworkers such as Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd. The kid loves to play hoops.

- Great, great, and I can't stress it enough, great kid. Everyone in the Nets organization loved him, and really hoped that he could turn it around after his ACL.

Now, before you call me a "homer" or you get ready to send him to the HoF, here are his weaknesses:

- Lack of aggressiveness. He's more of a finess player in the post, especially offensively. He rarely finishes with a dunk, which causes him to get blocked more often than not for someone his size, even by smaller guys than him.

- Lack of strength. He'll bang around, but he'll get pushed around, defensively and offensively. Keep in mind that this was before the surgery. Since then he's supposedly put on more weight and gotten stronger, so who knows what size/strength he'll be with the OKC.

- Mental toughness. This was the biggest thing that prevents him from reaching his full potential (and recovery from serious injury that he had). Perhaps not mental toughness, but more of self-confidence. He's such a nice kid and he's so humble that often, he doesn't realize just how good he is (or can be). That last line was by Richard Jefferson by the way, when he talked about Krstic a couple of years ago.

- Maybe this goes along with the lack of aggressiveness, but he's not a shotblocker. He might get you a block a game, but that's it. He is however, not afraid of getting in the way of ball handlers who are attacking the basket and take the charge. At one point, he led the Nets in charges taken, and that's when we had Jason Collins, who's career in the NBA became a reality because of his ability to set screens, take charges, and do the little things.

- Somewhat indecisive in the post. He has some tendencies at times to back his man down too much instead of making a move immediately after he catches the ball.

Anyway, I think that's a fairly good wrap on Nenad's strengths and weaknesses. If anyone has anything to add or correct, let me know. And for you Thunder fans (lmao, I just realized I said Sonics in the early part of my post, which I'll now correct), we wish Nenad all the best. You might even see me pop in here and there in your forum to check in on "Curly" (that's his nickname, which comes from his Serbian nickname "Krle" (spelling be damned)).

[wizkid27]

SpeedyG, thanks for sharing that in depth breakdown with us. It's pretty consistent with the bit I've seen out of him. Hadn't heard much positive or negative about his character or work ethic before, so it's always good to hear good things in that category.

Do you think Okur would be a good upside comparison for him? I just feel like I've seen similarities in both the strengths and weaknesses of their games in the past...

Downside would probably be that he continues to struggle rehabing his injury and he gets added to our long list of increasingly worthless 7-footers.

[SpeedyG]

SpeedyG, thanks for sharing that in depth breakdown with us. It's pretty consistent with the bit I've seen out of him. Hadn't heard much positive or negative about his character or work ethic before, so it's always good to hear good things in that category.

Do you think Okur would be a good upside comparison for him? I just feel like I've seen similarities in both the strengths and weaknesses of their games in the past...

Downside would probably be that he continues to struggle rehabing his injury and he gets added to our long list of increasingly worthless 7-footers.

To be honest, I've not seen Mehmet play extensively in awhile, so I can't really make a fair comparison between the two style wise. But if you're mainly asking as far as "tier" or "will he be as good as Okur"? Yeah, I think if healthy and his mind set is good as far as injuries, yeah he's as good if not better than Okur.

Had Krstic not torn his ACL, the Nets would have given him a $10M a year contract without batting an eye. Of course, that was pre-injury. Oh and as an added FYI, before he got hurt in 06/707 season, he was actually the #2 option on that Nets team behind Vince, not Richard Jefferson. That I think shows a lot as to how good and efficient scorer he can be (despite his shortcomings in lack of elite athleticism/strength, physical traits, etc) that he'd be the #2 option on a team with Carter and Jefferson.

One other thing to like: 15 playoff games with averages of 16/7/1 (two series with Miami/Zo/Shaq, and one against Indy), so you know he can produce even when the intensity goes up a notch like it does in the playoffs.

[babyjax13]

I am a Jazz fan, but have seen Krstic play 10 or so games (so take this for what it's worth). Nenad seems to be real similar to Okur in that he has a really nice touch on the jump shot, and is sort of passive in the post putting up a lot of hooks, layups, etc. and not often finishing over players with authority. His defense I'm not to sure about, I've just noticed some similarities between he and Okur on the offensive end. I can't see Krstic being terribly effective in Oklahoma when there is no true low post threat next to him (of course he didn't really have that in New Jersey either). I think that to make a verdict you will have to wait till next year when you have someone like BJ Mullens or Blake Griffin next to him. Paired with a long strong power forward I think he would be very effective.

[wizkid27]

thanks for the breakdown babyjax... that's pretty much what I was thinking. Okur, at this point, seems to be a decent rebounder and also really benefits from having boozer on the floor with him at the same time. I can see Kristic needing to be in a similar role.

[theokie]

The 7 days are up, we got em. It will be interesting to see how Brooks works him into the lineup

[wizkid27]

I would guess that eventually he'll be worked in as a starter... but how quickly that comes remains to be seen. Should definitely add a piece that could be our 3rd option behind Green and Durant. Westbrook is developed enough to be a 4th option and still handle his PG duties. From there you just throw a perimeter defender in there, and the team doesn't look too bad. Still a long ways to go, but it's at least a lineup that should prevent us from making the worst kind of history

[Hawkman]

Any idea of when he will finally see game action?

[Cruzeirao]

Any idea of when he will finally see game action?

He will be out for 10 days because of Visa issues.

[ZenBaller]

In surprising news, Nenad Krstic's work visa has been approved, meaning he can start playing in games for the Thunder immediately.
Coach Scott Brooks didn’t say when Krstic will play but he's expected to be in uniform on Tuesday and Wednesday. "He’s a smart player," Brooks said. "He makes good decisions with the ball. He’s not just a shooter. He can be a playmaker at his spot."

[wizkid27]

Just saw that... VERY nice! Be good to see him and how he complements our other players. Also interesting to see the kind of shape/health he is in. NY may be a good game for him to start out playing, as their offense doesn't really revolve around a post-up threat, and therefore our lack of inside D might not be as badly exploited.

[vincecarter4pres]

Good luck with Curly.

If he gives you the same that he did for us pre-injury, you guys got the steal of the year if not better.

[GrapeApe]

I haven't had a chance to see him play yet, but he has had a couple of real good lines.

14 pts, 11 rebs 2 blocks last night. If he can do that nightly he is the steal of the season.

[wizkid27]

Last night he looked very impressive. He's not a guy we're going to be able to depend upon for blocks... but he is exactly what many thought he would be (on the good side)... a guy who can go out and consistently knock down the 20 footer and do alright on the boards. I've been happy thus far