Chuck Texas & PMOTT3's Early Off-Season Review: Brooklyn Nets

[Hawk Eye]

Chuck Texas Review

Losses:

Deron Williams
Mason Plumlee
Alan Anderson
Mirza Teletovic

All of these guys are useful NBA players so its going to hurt a little.  

Draft:

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Chris McCullough

Im not super high on either of these players, but the Nets desperately needed to add some young talent and RHJ looks to be a guy who can help defensively pretty quickly and McCullough certainly has some physical tools.   

Trades:

Plumlee for RHJ (essentially)

I'm okay with this.   Once the team committed so much money to Lopez I like turning Plumlee into a guy starting a rookie deal.   

Free Agency:

Deron buy out 
Brook Lopez
Thad Young
Bargnani
Shane Larkin
Thomas Robinson
Wayne Ellington

Obviously the Deron buyout is a huge deal.  The Nets definitely benefited from Jordan changing his mind because Deron was only going to leave that much money on the table if he could both make most of it up somewhere new and that he wanted to play for that new team.   Dallas was literally the only team he would want to play for desperate enough to pay him that much at this point.   Great move by the Nets.

Im okay with the Lopez deal.  You always cross your fingers with his health, but he's still pretty young and is a very talented player.    Im not as big a fan of the Young deal, but with their draft situation I get them wanting to keep a solid player like this.    I really liked what they did with their bargain shopping.  They bought low on some guys with upside in Bargs, Robinson, and Larkin and Ellington is a very solid pro who can help on the edges of the rotation.

Needs:

Develop some of this young talent to make up for the draft picks they won't have.   They could use upgrades probably everywhere but center.

Additional Thoughts:

I think moving Deron out will be addition by subtraction.  Who knows if the rumors of friction with Hollins and Johnson are true, but I think it was time for a fresh start and to be able to get all the way out of the tax at the same time was huge.  I liked the youth coming in.   

Win-Loss Prediction: 36-46

I think this team could win 45 games if Lopez and Johnson stay healthy and some of the young players prove ready to contribute.  But they can't afford to lose either of those 2 or Jack for any stretches.    I think they are moving in the right direction, but this feels like a long year.

Off-Season grade:  A-

Out of tax.  Deron gone.   Lopez retained.  Young talent added.   Attempting to mine something out of some players who have disappointed to this point makes sense.  A step back for this year, but moving in the right direction finally.

PMOTT3 Review

Key Losses:

N/A

Other Losses:

Deron Williams
Mason Plumlee
Alan Anderson
Mirza Teletivic

I kinda disagree here. Dont think D-Will is going to be missed that much at all. Plumlee/Anderson will be missed off the bench. Teletivic is a ? to me with his major health issues.

Draft:

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Chris McCullough

Love RHJ and think his defensive intangibles will translate from the get-go. Havent seen a lot of McCullough so i guess he's just meh to me.

Trades:

Basically Plumlee for RHJ

Plumlee is a nice energy big but a FT liability. Personally, i would much rather have RHJ with 4 years of control on the cheap than keep Plumlee. Solid trade.

Free Agency:

Bought out D-Will
Brook Lopez
Thaddeus Young
Bargnani
Shane Larkin
Thomas Robinson
Wayne Ellington

The Deron buyout was great. Saved million of dollars in taxes and i see it as an overall addition by subtraction move on and off the court.

Didnt love the money given to Lopez (especially with his injury history) but at least its only 3 years. Plus he is a talented big and the Nets weren't in a position to just let him walk.

Really didnt like the money given to Young and felt it was a clear overpay.

Great job bargain shopping. Liked the Larkin and Robinson pick ups. Adds youth to the roster and that should be something the nets are looking to acquire.

Bargs and Ellington are just guys to me but at least they didnt overpay for them.

Current Depth Chart (rough):

PG: Jack/Larkin
SG: Johnson/Brown/Ellington
SF: Bogdonavic/RHJ/Karasev
PF: Young/Robinson/McCullough
C: Lopez/Bargnani/Clark

Needs:

They need for Billy King to stop handing out draft picks and swap rights on draft picks. And also for someone to come in and fire King.

On the court they could definitely use upgrades at a lot of positions. But i really think their main focus should be developing their youth until they have full control of all of their draft picks again (because i really dont see them being competitive for the next couple of years anyways).

Additional Thoughts:

For a team that is kinda just stuck with no good draft picks or assets; they did a good job adding youth to the roster this off-season. RHJ, Larkin, and Robinson were all good buy low pick ups. Giving D-Will the boot and saving millions in tax dollars was the gravy.

Win/Loss Prediction: 31-51

I'm just not seeing a 40 win team on paper. I think 30-35 wins is much more realistic.

Off-Season Grade: B+[/b]

The only thing i really hated was the Thad Young contract. Didn't love the money given to Lopez but the nets couldn't just let him walk for nothing. D-Will buyout was excellent. Good drafting/trade(s) Solid bargain shopping in FA.

[bondom34]

A-, and going against my usual MO of if you improved on paper you get a good grade. They did the opposite but it sets them up so much better for the future, shocked about D Will, had a nice draft, kept the 2 guys they had to. Pretty darn good overall.

[Trader_Joe]

Blake for Q.Miller was also a trade they made to shed money and potentially free a roster spot as he is only 50k guaranteed until sometime in the fall.

They also traded Charlotte two future 2nds for the rights to Argentine Juan Vaullet who some think the Spurs were targeting and who Manu was hyping.

More to say and on phone but...
Losing D.Will IS big in the court...especially when Jack and Larkin are his replacement. Check D.Will's +/- the last few years and then Jack's wherever he has been.

But they had to do it and I think they did about as well as they could given their objectives.

Grade B/B+
Predicted record: 32-50

Expanded:
Draft night -
Plumlee + Connoughton for RHJ and Blake (later turned into Q.Miller)
Moving Plumlee left a gaping hole at back-up C, but with Lopez signed long term, he risked losing further value. Nets should have sold high on Plumlee earlier on, but this was a nice salvaging of value. The team was said to be in love with RHJ going into the draft and they ended up getting a guy with point forward skills, great athleticism, D and rebounding. His shot is a work in progress, but he won't be asked to score much.

#29 - Chris McCollough
McC may miss much of the season, but expect to see him for some of it. He's the type of risk the Nets were looking to take on draft night. A fallen talent who's stock fell after a major injury. He could offer some needed spacing and shot blocking at the 4 if he pans out in a few years.

Trade with Charlotte for Juan Vaullet (2 future seconds)
An Argentine who has been compared to Manu and is coached by Manu's brother. Nets are keeping him overseas and hope he is ready in roughly a year for a serious look.

Free agency -
Lopez - 3/63
He was going to get the max from someone and I'm glad it's a. from the Nets and b. only for 3 years with injury protection written into the contract to safe guard the Nets should he go down again. He looked good once he shook off the rust (he did have to relearn how to walk) and Hollins let him play his game. He had the same procedure Big Z had and played several seasons of 70+ games afterwards. Durant also had the same procedure done by the same doctors on the same part of the foot.

Thad Young - 4/50 (last year PO)
Been a big debate on the Nets board about this signing. An overwhelming majority of us are fine with it, while a very small but vocal minority thinks it comprimises free agency next year. My take... Thad is the best PF the Nets have had since K.Mart (sadly) and the team (specifically Brook) thrived once he was inserted into the starting line-up. He is making a smaller percentage of the cap than he did on his last contract starting next year and he will be in his prime. The last year is also a PO. Might have been a slight over pay but the Sixers were able to move a quasi-expiring Thad (PO) again on a larger percentage of the cap overall for a 1st so I'm not too worried about the value or being able to move him later on if wanted/needed.

Wayne Ellington - 2/3 (2nd year PO)
He's not the defender AA is, but his three point shooting will come in handy. I expect him to see plenty of time.

Shane Larkin - 2/3 (2nd year PO)
Apparently Hollins is big on this guy and loves his PnR potential, which is what he was known for out of college. His size and shooting are issues, but he seems to be a pesky defender.

T.Rob - 2 year vet minimum (2nd year PO)
The love affair continues. T.Rob wanted to be drafted by the Nets, and they would have liked to have drafted him if they didn't make the ill-fated G.Wallace trade. They almost landed him last year but we know what happened. Finally he's here. Nets hope he can be the next Reggie Evans (or a better version) and may pair well next to Bargs in the 2nd unit.

Willie Reed - 1 year minimum deal
Was doing very well for Miami in SL when some Miami writers were wondering if they had the next Whiteside. He's another one that's been with the Nets in various forms for a couple years (D.League, SL, camp) and may be ready to finally play in the NBA. Good size, strength, rebounding and touch inside.

Andrea Bargnani - 2 year vet minimum (2nd year PO)
Supposedly Bargs approached the Nets last minute about playing here and wants to prove himself. By far the most polarizing minium signing I've ever seen. As long as he doesn't play much, he can't hurt the team too much.. can he?

Ryan Boatright - partially guaranteed
He will be brought to camp to fight for a final roster spot along with probably Q.Miller and at least another PG. Nets could use his shooting, but his size remains a major concern, especially with Larkin in tow.

Other moves:
Deron Williams bought out
Had to be done. He wanted out and apparently no one in the organization has liked him for some time. Pierce wasn't a fan, JJ is rumored to be elated he is gone as are most fans. It will hurt on the court, but should help in the locker-room. Of course after buying him out and stretching him the biggest bonus was getting out from the tax altogether.

Blake for Q.Miller
mentioned above. A nice money saving and potentially roster spot clearning move.

Earl Clark wavied
He was completely unguaranteed and supposedly was pushing the team to waive him so he could look for other offers, potentially overseas

Corey Jefferson waived
A limited big man with great athletcism but not much else. He might find another gig in the NBA as he seems a decent guy and hard worker.

Losses

D.Will - the biggest loss by far on the court. He'd become so disliked as a player and because of his contract he actually became underrated. I expect a semi-bounce back year from him in Dallas where he doesn't have to be scrutinized like he was in Brooklyn.

Alan Anderson - the 2nd biggest loss as he was leader on and off the court, could catch fire from 3 and played the best perimeter D on the team.

Mason Plumlee - Had a dissapointing sophmore season where he regressed in most areas, but still showed he has a place in the league as a spot starter or 20-25 minute back up. He was a total flop in the PO two years in a row as he is a major liability from the line.

Mirza Teletovic - Another player with a dissapointing 2nd season, though he was still a fan favorite with his competitive nature and beautiful stroke (even if it rarely went in 2 out of 3 years..it still looked good).

Darius Morris and Jerome Jordan rarely saw the court.


If I had to guess the minutes:

Jack (30) / Larkin (18) / Boatright or Third PG (DNP)
Bogdanovic (28) / Ellington (20) / Brown (DNP unless D is needed over Ellington)
Johnson (32) / RHJ (16) / Karasev (DNP)
Young (32) / T.Robinson (16) / C.McC (inj)
Lopez (32) / Bargnani (8) / Reed (8)

There are some rumors that JJ will be coming off the bench per Ian Eagle (who hinted to the D.Will buyout about a week before it happned) but Hollins said he can't see that happening. I can see JJ playing with the 2nd unit plenty and maybe coming off the bench in spot situation where he needs rest, but certainly not for a majority of the season or at the end. Nets would like to keep JJ after this year on a reaosnable deal and alienating him on the bench is not the way to do it.. unless JJ suggests it or openly endorses it.

Also, I'm not sure if we will play 5 bigs or not, but I hope Bargnani isn't just handed the back-up C role without earning it. Someone young and hungry like Reed will hopefully be given a chance and he adds superior everything from a big man other than shooting, but he might not pair well with T.Rob. On nights they need D, Reed may get the minutes, on night when they need O, Bargs might.

As the season goes I would expect RHJ to get more and more minutes probably at the expense of JJ, Bogs, Ellington and maybe some small ball PF time.

The biggest hole in the line-up is by far PG, but the Nets don't have the means to really upgrade there and are probably best served waiting until next summer (Conley, Rondo, Jennings or trades) or 2017 (Curry, Teague, Holiday, Westbrook, Rose). Nets also need to figure out who their third PG is. Originally they hoped M.Brown could fill that hole, but I don't think he's ready.

The bench is obviously lacking but, again there isn't much to do about it unless JJ is broken up into smaller pieces perhaps around the deadline if the Nets get some sort of long-term assets out of a deal.

Also, Reed is only 500k guaranteed, Brown is only partially guaranteed as are Q.Miller and Boatright so there could still be some changes coming, but I don't expect the 1st two to go anywhere. Brown showed glimpses as a starter last year with his D, played well in Vegas and is RHJ's best friend already.

Prediction: 32-50
Nets have been calling this year a bridge year for some time. They know they had no real way of improving the team so they did the next logical steps.. slashing payroll, getting younger, taking chances and keeping the FA's of their they wanted to keep. Their biggest weaknesses will be PG, the bench and 3 point shooting. Their strengths will be post scoring with Lopez, JJ, Young and having two go to scorers in JJ and Lopez. On a good night, they will look like a good team, but given their weakness and how young they are, I don't expect them to be consistent in their play, especially their shooting. They could also struggle on the glass, despite Brook's great improvement there post ASG. I also how much ball movement we can expect between Jack and Johnson. There are plenty of offensive players on the team, but efficient offense only happens if the ball is moving.

[Laimbeer]

This team that had to subtract to get better in the future. Financial flexibility is a crucial tool, given the Celtics own their picks. B+

[Trader_Joe]

Added more to my post and would like to see more feedback from others.