Brooklyn Nets 2016-17 season Pick Watch Thread

[hood30]

They needed a career night from Lopez to beat the Pistons. Something tells me they're still trash.

Some of that had to do with Lin getting injured at the end of the second quarter and Whitehead, the rookie back-up PG, doing poorly...Whitehead should be in the D-League and when Lin, Foye and Vasquez come back, this is where he will go.

This game only tightened up because an undrafted rookie was forced into major minutes...If Lin hadn't gotten hurt, this would had been a 20 point blow-out...I also thought Atkinson was too slow to put Brook back in the game, allowing Detroit to make a deep run with Lopez still on the bench.

This new motion offense is looking very nice and they can at least put some points on the board, specially now that Brook is getting more comfortable with it..They've clearly been making a strong effort to feed Brook the ball through the motion-offense and he's getting stronger stats line.

As I've stated, this team is better than people think...Lin is a huge upgrade on anyone they had at PG last year and Kenny's motion offense is looking good...They still look bad on defense and this is probably what's holding them back at the moment..If they can improve slightly, I think this team can compete for the 8th seed..No doubt.

Of course, Lin and Vasquez and Foye needs to be healthy....They better pray Lopez stays healthy too.

The score was what it was because the Nets shot lights out, Lin not getting injured would have taken away from Kilpatrick's minutes, who was playing lights out. Two wins early on......they aren't close to sniffing the playoffs this season, let's be honest. Saying no doubt at the end of your comment doesn't make it true either. There team has shoot really efficiently to start the season, but that isn't the norm for any of them except maybe Bogdonavic. Lin is known for having a good start and tailing off.

Kilpatrick is a shooting-guard and play plenty of minutes alongside Lin already...Kilptarick simply was forced to play some PG because the rookie was turning the ball over left and right.

You are also underestimating Lin's impact and how much of an upgrade he is to Jarrett Jack, last year PG....So far, Lin has been huge for them and he's starting to develop a great chemistry with Lopez...If you had Lin's driving game and PnR prowess alongside Lopez dominance inside, and than mix in their 3point shooting ability, I truly believe Brooklyn will shock a lot of people.

By the way, the 3point has become part of their identity, so this is not a "one night" thing..They really have quite a few guys that can shoot it in Bojan, Kilpatrick, Harris, Hamilton, Scola, Lin and even Lopez has knocked down a few...They seems to have absolutely no problem scoring points, so be careful in under-estimating this Brooklyn team.


Also, I want to mention that Brooklyn identity in this new motion offense is to take as many 3point shots as possible..I think they've put up the most 3point shot so far this year, or at least top 5....and they have quite a few guys who can actually shoot it and Bojan, Kilpatrick, Harris, Hamilton, Scola, Lin and even Lopez is taking at least 3.

So even if these 3 falls at an okay cli

[Prokorov]

Remember last season when people here would freak out and claim the Nets weren't that bad every time they would win a game last year despite the fact that they pretty clearly sucked balls and would finish as a bottom team in the league? I have a feeling this season will be a repeat.

The nets arent nearly as bad as last year. that was an all time bad team. 3rd stringers and jags with poor coaching, inseason roster turnover, cancers (bargani, reed) and guys who really didnt want to be here. and alot of low iq players.

This years team, id agree is probably still bottom 2 talent wise. but its a different scenario. guys are here cause they want to be. several with chips on their shoulder trying to prove they can start in the league (Lin/Booker). we have alot of high iq guys now (lin, hamilton, scola, grevis, harris). and we have a coach who is playing a modern style, minimizing how awful we are defensively by trying to turn games into uptempo track meets, and removing things like lopez shooting 34% of his attemps on long twos.

will that equate into a ton of wins? i doubt it. probably within 4 or 5 of last years total (i predicted 25 i think), but certainly better then last years team on many levels. and probably more losses under 10 points and close games.

[jrob23]

Keep thinking Nets is a bottom team...They really haven't utilized Brook Lopez properly until tonight and now, he's even knocking down 3Point shots, although I'd rather he only shoot maybe 1 per game.

So there're 2-3 now and there's plenty of team behind them..their first 10 games was suppose to be one of the toughest, so not bad so far..I'm sure everyone expected 1-10 or 2-8 in the first 10 games but not going to happen...They will compete every night..Believe that.

On a bad note, Lin got injured tonight with a left hamstring and he's really been good for the Nets so far...

Nets were 72/70% shooting at halftime tonight, ending up shooting 50% from three for the game. Kilpatrick, who was in the d-league last season, looked like Curry tonight. They will win games off of hustle and some nights were they have really good shooting nights but that's to be expected for most teams. It's way too early to jump the gun and say they haven't utilized Lopez correctly for the past three seasons, but even is he has expanded his offensive game that will just make him more likely to get traded this season. Everyone said they had no reason to tank and would compete every night last seasons that was with a better roster. That being said they might have found something in Kilpatrick who's never really been given a oppertunity to play big minutes anywhere, besides Lopez, he would be the one offensive player I'd worry about.

The Nets roster was NOT better last year. Not even close. Better G.M., coaching, system, mix of vets and youth.

[CelticsPride18]

Drummond got abused yesterday. The Nets are getting excellent production from the bench and playing with a lot of effort but I don't this see this type of production being sustainable.

[aim2please]

They don't have a ton of talent but they play smart basketball. They push it in transition, they spread the floor and they take a lot of 3p shots. Combine that with good coaching and guys who fight every game - it's a recipe for outperforming team.

Still, I can't see them winning more than 25-27 games. Problem is that there are some teams with slow starts that might decide to tank midway through the season. Dallas, Pelicans, and Magic are prime candidates.

When you add usual suspects: Suns, Sixers and Lakers, Top 5 pick is not a guarantee this season.

[Gant]

^agree

The Nets are better than expected because they managed to get a not-great-but-decent free agent in Lin, and generally have upgraded their talent a bit despite having no assets to work with. They're healthy so far (unlike last year). They play really hard for now. All this is a credit to them.

The downside is they're still not very talented and not very well-matched.


The following teams have started slowly but probably will surpass the mighty Brooklynites:
Orlando isn't good, but they're not THAT awful.
Washington certainly will be better.
Dallas? It's hard to see them tank early in what could be Dirk's shining farewell hour.
New Orleans (except for Anthony Davis) seems to be starting their second unit and bringing their starters off the bench for some reason, but that can't last. Over time Davis alone should get them past BRK.
New York is history's worst super team but they'll win a few.


As for the Nets' long-term competition for decrepitude:
The Lakers are pretty talented but very young.
The Sixers are one trade away from not being a punchline on the floor, but they have to get healthy first. (Philly HAS to make that trade sometime.)
The Suns are young and bad and probably hopeless.


It'll all be captivating to follow, and it's never too early to visit here: http://www.tankathon.com

[KGboss]

Im not ready to say this years nets team is better than last years. The team is very young with a lot of nobodies that may outperform their abilities in the first 5 games of the season as we have seen...but 82 games is a long season and to me this is a team that will try hard and win a few games early on but eventually they will collapse and drop down to their average. Most of the team is consisted of situational and specialist type role playera and dleague guys. Do you honestly expect kilpatrick to keep this up for 82 games? Ive got a bridge in brooklyn i could sell you as well....

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[chakdaddy]

Hello 6th pick in a 5 man draft. 2018...last exit off the treadmill coming up soon on the right...3 lanes of lottery rigging to merge through, good luck...

[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

The Nets are definitely improved from last season.
better coaching, talent, management,
but you would think some of these other clubs - Lakers, Philly, New Orleans, Dallas, Washington - would actually be better than last year,
the early results aren't exactly encouraging...

[London2Boston]

Lin out for 2 weeks due to Hamstring.

[165bows]

Lin out for 2 weeks due to Hamstring.

Mentioned it multiple times upstream in this thread but Lin was a risk as a starter. He's played starter minutes once in his career and that was next to Harden, one of the true possession eaters in the league.

tl;dr I thought he was a good bet to at least wear down this year if not break down, but obviously this early was not expected.

[Vae Victus]

Well enjoy your Top3 pick. With Lin and budding chemistry the Nets were cruising towards a ~30 win season good for a top 8-12 pick, but without him and injury to their other PGs (Vazquez, Foye), theyre now gonna hit a massive losing streak due to overplaying their rookie PG (Whitehead) and forcing a non PG into the role (Kilpatrick). 2nd half of the Pistons game sure as hell showed what missing Lin does to the offense.

Damn what a nut punch to the team's season. If things go badly enough their morale with hit rock bottom after getting annihilated night in and night out. At least with Lin they wont get blown out as easily and thus maintain morale better. Lucky break for the Celtics future.

[CelticsPride18]

Well enjoy your Top3 pick. With Lin and budding chemistry the Nets were cruising towards a ~30 win season good for a top 8-12 pick, but without him and injury to their other PGs (Vazquez, Foye), theyre now gonna hit a massive losing streak due to overplaying their rookie PG (Whitehead) and forcing a non PG into the role (Kilpatrick). 2nd half of the Pistons game sure as hell showed what missing Lin does to the offense.

Damn what a nut punch to the team's season. If things go badly enough their morale with hit rock bottom after getting annihilated night in and night out. At least with Lin they wont get blown out as easily and thus maintain morale better. Lucky break for the Celtics future.

He's out for 2 weeks not the whole season.

[shawn unkempt]

Well enjoy your Top3 pick. With Lin and budding chemistry the Nets were cruising towards a ~30 win season good for a top 8-12 pick, but without him and injury to their other PGs (Vazquez, Foye), theyre now gonna hit a massive losing streak due to overplaying their rookie PG (Whitehead) and forcing a non PG into the role (Kilpatrick). 2nd half of the Pistons game sure as hell showed what missing Lin does to the offense.

Damn what a nut punch to the team's season. If things go badly enough their morale with hit rock bottom after getting annihilated night in and night out. At least with Lin they wont get blown out as easily and thus maintain morale better. Lucky break for the Celtics future.

He's out for 2 weeks not the whole season.

Lin will be in and out of the lineup the whole season. He's the type of guy who gets nicked up easily.

[Vae Victus]

Lin has been mostly durable and willing/able to play through minor injuries. Missing 23 games in the past 4 years, that he has received real PT, is a mark of a good durability and willingness to play through injuries. Him missing at minimum 6 games and possibly more (hamstrings are tricky) on a team so utterly depleted of talent and destroyed at PG depth due to injury, will mean very bad things in the short term and long term not looking too rosy if morale collapses.

The Nets offense was having a good groove, now it'll be all for naught. Which as i said, is great for you guys, theyre coming up to a soft part of their schedule with 5 winnable games in the next two weeks (i had em pegged to go 3-3), and some early wins would be huge for chemistry. The Nets will be lucky to win 1 now.

[Gant]

Lin has been mostly durable and willing/able to play through minor injuries. Missing 23 games in the past 4 years, that he has received real PT, is a mark of a good durability and willingness to play through injuries. Him missing at minimum 6 games and possibly more (hamstrings are tricky) on a team so utterly depleted of talent and destroyed at PG depth due to injury, will mean very bad things in the short term and long term not looking too rosy if morale collapses.

The Nets offense was having a good groove, now it'll be all for naught. Which as i said, is great for you guys, theyre coming up to a soft part of their schedule with 5 winnable games in the next two weeks (i had em pegged to go 3-3), and some early wins would be huge for chemistry. The Nets will be lucky to win 1 now.

The picture you have painted is very pleasing.

[cellar-door]

The Nets are definitely improved from last season.
better coaching, talent, management,
but you would think some of these other clubs - Lakers, Philly, New Orleans, Dallas, Washington - would actually be better than last year,
the early results aren't exactly encouraging...

Lakers are improved, I could see them finishing with a better record than Brooklyn.

Philly is better than last year, but they also were 11 games worse than Brooklyn last year, tough to make up that gap when Brooklyn improved too.

N.O right now is a mess, AD is finally healthy, but Tyreke is out, Holliday has missed a ton of time w/ his wife's health issues, and they lost Anderson. I think they'll turn it around eventually, but question is how long are Tyreke and Holliday out and how far back do they fall in that time (also do they tank if it's bad enough).

DAL- Depends a lot of a 38 year old, but still should have talent to finish better than Brooklyn.

WAS- Prime candidate to be the surprise terrible team, but again on talent they should easily surpass the Nets.


I like the Nets' roster more than most, but even I think they are still in a group w/ PHI/PHO/LAL/(mystery team) as the 5 worst in the league by the end of the season.

[chakdaddy]

You're kidding yourself if you think the league willet the Lakers fall out of the top 2 lotto picks until they're in the playoffs.

[2Mas]

Remember last season when people here would freak out and claim the Nets weren't that bad every time they would win a game last year despite the fact that they pretty clearly sucked balls and would finish as a bottom team in the league? I have a feeling this season will be a repeat.

The nets arent nearly as bad as last year. that was an all time bad team. 3rd stringers and jags with poor coaching, inseason roster turnover, cancers (bargani, reed) and guys who really didnt want to be here. and alot of low iq players.

This years team, id agree is probably still bottom 2 talent wise. but its a different scenario. guys are here cause they want to be. several with chips on their shoulder trying to prove they can start in the league (Lin/Booker). we have alot of high iq guys now (lin, hamilton, scola, grevis, harris). and we have a coach who is playing a modern style, minimizing how awful we are defensively by trying to turn games into uptempo track meets, and removing things like lopez shooting 34% of his attemps on long twos.

will that equate into a ton of wins? i doubt it. probably within 4 or 5 of last years total (i predicted 25 i think), but certainly better then last years team on many levels. and probably more losses under 10 points and close games.

I think the biggest difference this year is theres structure. There's no more throiwng **** on a wall hoping it sticks. Starting from the FO, to the coach, to the rookies, to the FA's you signed. Theyre pieces. Yeah they're not the most talented, but the structure is there.

I hope you guys get us a top pick (obviously), but next year that 2018 pick isn't going to be great. Another year of adding cheap, smart FA's, you guys will be scrappy enough to look decent. It seems like there's a breathe of fresh air in BK.

[Prokorov]

Im not ready to say this years nets team is better than last years. The team is very young with a lot of nobodies that may outperform their abilities in the first 5 games of the season as we have seen...but 82 games is a long season and to me this is a team that will try hard and win a few games early on but eventually they will collapse and drop down to their average. Most of the team is consisted of situational and specialist type role playera and dleague guys. Do you honestly expect kilpatrick to keep this up for 82 games? Ive got a bridge in brooklyn i could sell you as well....

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Well, last years team was also made up of specialist role players and dleague guys. Ellington, Larkin, Sloan, Bargani, Reed, Markel brown.

the nets basically replaced:

-Jack and Young with Lin and Booker. at worst a push.

-Sloan and Larkin with Grevis and Whitehead. again about a push.

-Brown and ellington with Harris and Foye. probably an upgrade, probably no worse then a push.

-Reed and Bargani with Scola and Hamilton. probably an upgrade.

-lionel hollins with kenny atkinson.

From a talent standpoint, most pessimistic view is we are no less talented then last year and are better coached with more shooters. As i said earlier, does that equal more wins? probably not many more. but hard not to say this team isnt more talented and is certainly "better" when you consider this team was built to fit a system and guys who want to be here and not guys dying to leave