Brooklyn Nets 2016-17 season Pick Watch Thread

[SmartWentCrazy]

Pelicans are 3-0 with Jrue back. Also, thank god Davis is okay.

[ConstableGeneva]

So who are left as the real threats to tank/stink? Lakers are doing more than fine. Pelicans are 3-0 with Holiday back. Sac will tread water as long as Boogie's there. Washington, Sota, Denver, and Milwaukee have enough talent.

Dallas, Miami, Phoenix, and Philly?

[SMTBSI]

It is possible that Brooklyn could be in sole possession of the 2nd worst record in the league by the end of the day Wednesday. If we beat Brooklyn, the Suns beat the Magic, and Philly beats Memphis (least likely), then, there you are.

Not great odds of all three of those coming through on the same day, but, it's amazing how fast things have moved - a few days ago folks were lamenting how unlikely it was that all ten or so teams below Brooklyn could surpass them.

[galipeautim]

Perfect 4 for 4 on the night in the Brooklyn pick watch with all underdogs - Pelicans, Nuggets, Lakers and Knicks winning. Now time to do our job and add another L to the Nets.

[pfm]

So who are left as the real threats to tank/stink? Lakers are doing more than fine. Pelicans are 3-0 with Holiday back. Sac will tread water as long as Boogie's there. Washington, Sota, Denver, and Milwaukee have enough talent.

Dallas, Miami, Phoenix, and Philly?

Dallas should be fine once they get Dirk and Deron back. Dirk, Matthews, Barnes, Deron, and Bogut is more than enough. I think Miami, Phoenix, NOP, and Philly are the main competition. Predictably, people here panicked when the Nets won a couple games, but the fact remains that, while they might be better coached this year, they are incredibly talent poor and that tends to win out in this league. If Brook goes down or gets traded (which ultimately probably makes sense for them), you could probably argue they'd have the worst roster in the league. Maybe they finish ahead of some obvious tankers, but they are still going to be a bottom team.

[robbie84]

I've been thinking a lot about where Brook might land. The one team I keep landing on is HOU. They have Sam Decker and probably a pick in the 20s to offer. Brook would give them a legit big to match up with OKC and SA and advantage against GSW. Decker gives them a young talented F who has been derailed by injury who at worst is a bench role player and should be able to land a very good player with that low to mid 20s pick. This trade only makes sense if done during the season.

As long as Dantoni is coach, Lopez will never end up there, he's just not built for a speed fest with Mike D.

[Homerclease]

I've been thinking a lot about where Brook might land. The one team I keep landing on is HOU. They have Sam Decker and probably a pick in the 20s to offer. Brook would give them a legit big to match up with OKC and SA and advantage against GSW. Decker gives them a young talented F who has been derailed by injury who at worst is a bench role player and should be able to land a very good player with that low to mid 20s pick. This trade only makes sense if done during the season.

As long as Dantoni is coach, Lopez will never end up there, he's just not built for a speed fest with Mike D.

Keep in mind that the nets are running top 5 in the league right now when it comes to pace. I don't think it's ideal for a guy like Lopez in any way but he has played well for them so far. The big issue is how he will hold up over an entire season if they keep this pace and playstyle. The nets seem to be concerned with it as well as they have been resting him on back 2 backs out of the gate

[SmartWentCrazy]

Dallas, Miami and Phoenix are the serious competition, IMO.

-Philly is improving quickly, and this will only continue. Embiid is growing by the game, and his minutes limit will soon uptick. Getting Simmons back will only help too. I see them as a 30 win team. I have a feeling they finish above Sacramento this year.

-New Orleans is getting healthy, and Anthony Davis is too talented to lament in the bottom 5. They will win 30+.

-Washington is too talented, and the minutes restrictions on Beal and Wall were just removed. Grunfeld will also get fired if they suck, so I can't see him intentionally punting this year. They should win 30+.

-Miami scares me. They're thinly talented and can trade Dragic pretty easily to really bottom out. Reilly is too smart an executive to not realize the benefits of tanking and creating max cap room-- he could easily trade a top pick for a star and attract another via FA for a quick rebuild.

-Dallas just sucks. Dirk is old and injury-ridden currently, and, outside of Barnes, they lack talent. Cuban already stated how he contemplated tanking after Jordan reneged on the deal, and he'd be foolish to not do the same now.

-Phoenix sucks. Bledsoe, Booker and Warren are decent, but their premier talent is too young and I'd be shocked if they didn't turn this year into a 'development year' and tank.

The Nets suck. They remind me of the 2013-14 Celtics where they lack talent, but play hard. Lucky for us, less teams are outright tanking this year. We should easily be staring at a top 5 pick with a decent chance of getting Fultz or Jackson.

[Homerclease]

So who are left as the real threats to tank/stink? Lakers are doing more than fine. Pelicans are 3-0 with Holiday back. Sac will tread water as long as Boogie's there. Washington, Sota, Denver, and Milwaukee have enough talent.

Dallas, Miami, Phoenix, and Philly?

Dallas and Phoenix give me the most concern, even with Dirk and Deron back that team is pretty bad. Dirk is a wonder of nature but he can't keep his level of play up forever. The Suns on the surface have a lot of talented guys but much like the Twolves they don't know how to win yet. You would think with Booker and Bledsoe they could outpace the nets but they are defiantly a concern.

Miami with dragic back doesn't scare me all that much and neither does philly with Noel and eventually Simmons being added into the fold. Their tank is over IMO, the only way they pose a threat is if something happens to Embiid which id hate to see. He's so damn talented and it would be an absolute shame to see him go the way of the Oden

[reload141]

So Kilpatrick & RHJ are injured... any update on these two?

[Green89]

So who are left as the real threats to tank/stink? Lakers are doing more than fine. Pelicans are 3-0 with Holiday back. Sac will tread water as long as Boogie's there. Washington, Sota, Denver, and Milwaukee have enough talent.

Dallas, Miami, Phoenix, and Philly?

Dallas should be fine once they get Dirk and Deron back. Dirk, Matthews, Barnes, Deron, and Bogut is more than enough.

More than enough to maybe not end up with the worst record in the league? Deron is done and Dirk is nowhere near enough to get them out from a 2-12 hole. They're done.

[pfm]

So who are left as the real threats to tank/stink? Lakers are doing more than fine. Pelicans are 3-0 with Holiday back. Sac will tread water as long as Boogie's there. Washington, Sota, Denver, and Milwaukee have enough talent.

Dallas, Miami, Phoenix, and Philly?

Dallas should be fine once they get Dirk and Deron back. Dirk, Matthews, Barnes, Deron, and Bogut is more than enough.

More than enough to maybe not end up with the worst record in the league? Deron is done and Dirk is nowhere near enough to get them out from a 2-12 hole. They're done.

As this is the Nets thread, I think it's pretty implied that we are discussing who will be better or worse than the Nets. If saying "done" a bunch of times is in reference than the playoffs then fine, but that's really not the subject being discussed. They lost Parsons, but add Barnes and a fully healthy Matthews to a 42 win team last year. They're in a hole due to injuries, but over the span of the season they are far more talented than the Nets (and a well coached team on top of that), which is ultimately matters. I'd be stunned if they finished below the Nets.

[Dave_From_NB]

Dallas are 2 wins behind the Nets with 68 games left to go to catch them - I think even at this stage in his career Dirk is worth a couple of win improvement over what they've done so far.

What a difference a few games make in the overall standings - Nets at 4-5 slipping to 4-10 sure makes the outsourced tank look a lot more back on track.

[Gomes3PC]

Dallas are 2 wins behind the Nets with 68 games left to go to catch them - I think even at this stage in his career Dirk is worth a couple of win improvement over what they've done so far.

What a difference a few games make in the overall standings - Nets at 4-5 slipping to 4-10 sure makes the outsourced tank look a lot more back on track.

Dirk, Devin Harris and Deron have all missed time. Assuming those guys come back, they will pick up a few wins.

Nets have the 3rd-worst scoring differential in the NBA. Simply put, that's the leading indicator that they're going to really struggle this year. Maybe Lin helps solve that issue, but barring that they're headed to 20-24 wins this year and a top-5 pick. Honestly anywhere in the top 5 this year is a bonanza - all of Fultz, Jackson, Tatum, Smith and GIles could be franchise cornerstones. Even guys below that like Anunoby, Jarrett Allen and Malik Monk could become All Stars.

[celtxman]

Dallas are 2 wins behind the Nets with 68 games left to go to catch them - I think even at this stage in his career Dirk is worth a couple of win improvement over what they've done so far.

What a difference a few games make in the overall standings - Nets at 4-5 slipping to 4-10 sure makes the outsourced tank look a lot more back on track.

Dirk, Devin Harris and Deron have all missed time. Assuming those guys come back, they will pick up a few wins.

Nets have the 3rd-worst scoring differential in the NBA. Simply put, that's the leading indicator that they're going to really struggle this year. Maybe Lin helps solve that issue, but barring that they're headed to 20-24 wins this year and a top-5 pick. Honestly anywhere in the top 5 this year is a bonanza - all of Fultz, Jackson, Tatum, Smith and GIles could be franchise cornerstones. Even guys below that like Anunoby, Jarrett Allen and Malik Monk could become All Stars.

I keep seeing this about the Top 5, but usually it doesn't end this way, like say the 03/04 draft where you really wind up getting many star players. Also, as we know, statistically and in our own history, you tend to drop a spot from your actual position.
So this nice Nets losing streak hopefully will be the norm and wind us up in at least the Top 3 picks and hopefully all the way to the top. And certainly, should the Celtics look to make a blockbuster trade, these two Brooklyn picks are trending upward after a "scary" 4-6 Brooklyn start.

[SmartWentCrazy]

Dallas are 2 wins behind the Nets with 68 games left to go to catch them - I think even at this stage in his career Dirk is worth a couple of win improvement over what they've done so far.

What a difference a few games make in the overall standings - Nets at 4-5 slipping to 4-10 sure makes the outsourced tank look a lot more back on track.

Dirk, Devin Harris and Deron have all missed time. Assuming those guys come back, they will pick up a few wins.

Nets have the 3rd-worst scoring differential in the NBA. Simply put, that's the leading indicator that they're going to really struggle this year. Maybe Lin helps solve that issue, but barring that they're headed to 20-24 wins this year and a top-5 pick. Honestly anywhere in the top 5 this year is a bonanza - all of Fultz, Jackson, Tatum, Smith and GIles could be franchise cornerstones. Even guys below that like Anunoby, Jarrett Allen and Malik Monk could become All Stars.

I keep seeing this about the Top 5, but usually it doesn't end this way, like say the 03/04 draft where you really wind up getting many star players. Also, as we know, statistically and in our own history, you tend to drop a spot from your actual position.
So this nice Nets losing streak hopefully will be the norm and wind us up in at least the Top 3 picks and hopefully all the way to the top. And certainly, should the Celtics look to make a blockbuster trade, these two Brooklyn picks are trending upward after a "scary" 4-6 Brooklyn start.

This draft is atypically talented. I have Fultz as a clear #1, but Tatum, Giles, Jackson and DSJ are all supremely talented and on the same level (and potentially above) as Simmons and Ingram. Obviously you want #1 and being higher is better, but top five is where you want to be.

[Gant]

Brooklyn probably would be THE worst team in the league if not for inevitable tank maneuvers by others.

Dallas will hesitate to tank in Dirk's last year, and why should they? They could still threaten to make the playoffs with his return.
Philly's better than Brooklyn with Ilyasova and will be better again when they make a trade or get healthy and when Embiid is able to play more minutes.
Washington, Minnesota, Orlando, and Denver all are better than the Nets as is New Orleans as long as Davis plays.

That leaves:
Miami, who is better unless they tank, though tanking would be easy for them with a fake Hassan injury dictated by the Sarumanlike Pat Riley.
Phoenix. But the Suns play to win, don't tank when they should, and have enough talent to be better than the Nets too.
Sacramento. No guesses on them. They are volatile and hard to predict both on the court and regarding front office decisions.


Right now without knowing about future injuries, it looks like somewhere in the 1-3 ping pong positions for the Nets going into the lottery, which probably would mean at least a top 5 pick for Boston.

[peachbucket]

Dirk, Devin Harris and Deron have all missed time. Assuming those guys come back, they will pick up a few wins.

Nets have the 3rd-worst scoring differential in the NBA. Simply put, that's the leading indicator that they're going to really struggle this year. Maybe Lin helps solve that issue, but barring that they're headed to 20-24 wins this year and a top-5 pick. Honestly anywhere in the top 5 this year is a bonanza - all of Fultz, Jackson, Tatum, Smith and GIles could be franchise cornerstones. Even guys below that like Anunoby, Jarrett Allen and Malik Monk could become All Stars.

I keep seeing this about the Top 5, but usually it doesn't end this way, like say the 03/04 draft where you really wind up getting many star players. Also, as we know, statistically and in our own history, you tend to drop a spot from your actual position.
So this nice Nets losing streak hopefully will be the norm and wind us up in at least the Top 3 picks and hopefully all the way to the top. And certainly, should the Celtics look to make a blockbuster trade, these two Brooklyn picks are trending upward after a "scary" 4-6 Brooklyn start.

This draft is atypically talented. I have Fultz as a clear #1, but Tatum, Giles, Jackson and DSJ are all supremely talented and on the same level (and potentially above) as Simmons and Ingram. Obviously you want #1 and being higher is better, but top five is where you want to be.

Because of the exceptional talent up top, I think you guys are vastly underestimating the tanking maneuvers in the 2nd half of the season by teams out of the playoff race. As bad as the talent is on the Nets, they are well coached and are going to play hard till the end. I think those hoping for bottom three finish will be disappointed...I'm thinking unfortunately Nets will end up in the 6-9 range (even if Lopez gets moved).

[peachbucket]

Dallas are 2 wins behind the Nets with 68 games left to go to catch them - I think even at this stage in his career Dirk is worth a couple of win improvement over what they've done so far.

What a difference a few games make in the overall standings - Nets at 4-5 slipping to 4-10 sure makes the outsourced tank look a lot more back on track.

Mark Cuban is on record as saying they almost tanked last year but decided not too....they are tanking this year and will have the worst record in the league.

[Falstaff]

I think we all ought to know how this goes by now. The Nets will end up somewhere 3rd-5th worst and the pick will drop a spot or two, so the Celtics will be picking somewhere 5-7. My hope is they can pick up a solid starting big in that range, although I'm not familiar enough with the prospects to know if that's realistic.