The official Andrew Nicholson Thread

[Jagger-meister]

Nicholson is currently the 4th highest paid Net. We need to find a role for him and I think it might just be backup center.

Nicholson isn't that tall but he has a huge 7'4" wingspan. This allows him to shoot over the top of interior defenders. He has a array of interior post moves that allows him to shoot from a multitude of angles. Plus he has a strong base to establish post position on pin downs.

He also has an outside game with the ability to hit 3s. He has a big body to set solid picks aND shoots well enough to pop from the top of the key.

It's yet to be seen if he is good enough defensively but he has played PF for the majority of his minutes in the NBA. I was big on this guy when he came out so I'm pulling for this guy to work. We need a big who can play down low just to give teams a different look but Nicholson shoots well enough to meet the needs of Atkinsons system. The market for centers in free agency is very thin so we need this to work. While the PF minutes are hard to come by with Acy, Booker and RHJ, backup center is taking applications. Nicholson and Acy played well off each other vs Boston. I hope we have something here.

[MrDollarBills]

he did well last night. I'd like to see him take Hamilton's minutes.

[Jagger-meister]

he did well last night. I'd like to see him take Hamilton's minutes.

Me too. Hamilton is a shrinking violet when it comes to contact.

[NyCeEvO]

If you look at Nicholson, you'd think he'd be the world's tallest librarian.

Very unassuming and quiet. There was talk about his contract being dead weight or him being useless, but I'm glad that the Nets are taking the time to evaluate him.

I personally believe that there are a lot of players who would have remained in the NBA had they been afforded the same chances at development others received, so I often hesitate to condemn players before they're given ample chances to prove themselves.

When Nicholson first got in, he looked timid and almost out of place, but by the end of the game, he made several good moves and played within himself. Considering that we're not really battling for a playoff spot, I don't mind giving him some minutes that will help him get better.

If he doesn't get better then we can obviously talk about cutting him; but a lot of times, players just need an adequate number of chances to play through mistakes, get more comfortable with the offense, and more time to adjust to the speed of the NBA.

Why not give him a shot?

[Jagger-meister]

If you look at Nicholson, you'd think he'd be the world's tallest librarian.

Very unassuming and quiet. There was talk about his contract being dead weight or him being useless, but I'm glad that the Nets are taking the time to evaluate him.

I personally believe that there are a lot of players who would have remained in the NBA had they been afforded the same chances at development others received, so I often hesitate to condemn players before they're given ample chances to prove themselves.

When Nicholson first got in, he looked timid and almost out of place, but by the end of the game, he made several good moves and played within himself. Considering that we're not really battling for a playoff spot, I don't mind giving him some minutes that will help him get better.

If he doesn't get better then we can obviously talk about cutting him; but a lot of times, players just need an adequate number of chances to play through mistakes, get more comfortable with the offense, and more time to adjust to the speed of the NBA.

Why not give him a shot?

He was good in his last season with Orlando but then he signed for decent money with Washington and fell out of the rotation. My biggest fear with him is that he might not love the game and got passive after getting paid. Skillset wise, he's got the goods and can give us multiple looks. It remains to be seen if he is big enough to play center. He was playing a Boston team that is soft inside. I just want to see more of him.

I'm not a fan of Booker and I find it interesting that him not playing the last two games coincides with two good efforts. I have posted Booker's on/off numbers in the Lopez thread and he hurts us more then he helps us. I would rather Nicholson and Acy get his minutes because they fit more in the system Kenny wants to run.

[Ror1997]

Backup Center is basically wide open, so if he can impress enough, more power to him.

However, him being the 4th highest paid member of the team is irrelevant. Especially when you factor in us being under the salary floor and that Nicholson received a huge over pay in last years free agency.

Your role on a team is decided by your talent and not your salary.

[bws94]

If you look at Nicholson, you'd think he'd be the world's tallest librarian.

Very unassuming and quiet. There was talk about his contract being dead weight or him being useless, but I'm glad that the Nets are taking the time to evaluate him.

I personally believe that there are a lot of players who would have remained in the NBA had they been afforded the same chances at development others received, so I often hesitate to condemn players before they're given ample chances to prove themselves.

When Nicholson first got in, he looked timid and almost out of place, but by the end of the game, he made several good moves and played within himself. Considering that we're not really battling for a playoff spot, I don't mind giving him some minutes that will help him get better.

If he doesn't get better then we can obviously talk about cutting him; but a lot of times, players just need an adequate number of chances to play through mistakes, get more comfortable with the offense, and more time to adjust to the speed of the NBA.

Why not give him a shot?

I thought he had a pretty mixed game. He missed some bunnies and didn't really play with confidence. But then he got into a nice rhythm and can be a significant contributor on the team. I'd love to see more of him, to see what we have over a period of consecutive games and hope KA works in a decent amount of minutes for him in the remaining games.

[NyCeEvO]

If you look at Nicholson, you'd think he'd be the world's tallest librarian.

Very unassuming and quiet. There was talk about his contract being dead weight or him being useless, but I'm glad that the Nets are taking the time to evaluate him.

I personally believe that there are a lot of players who would have remained in the NBA had they been afforded the same chances at development others received, so I often hesitate to condemn players before they're given ample chances to prove themselves.

When Nicholson first got in, he looked timid and almost out of place, but by the end of the game, he made several good moves and played within himself. Considering that we're not really battling for a playoff spot, I don't mind giving him some minutes that will help him get better.

If he doesn't get better then we can obviously talk about cutting him; but a lot of times, players just need an adequate number of chances to play through mistakes, get more comfortable with the offense, and more time to adjust to the speed of the NBA.

Why not give him a shot?

I thought he had a pretty mixed game. He missed some bunnies and didn't really play with confidence. But then he got into a nice rhythm and can be a significant contributor on the team. I'd love to see more of him, to see what we have over a period of consecutive games and hope KA works in a decent amount of minutes for him in the remaining games.

Yeah, me too. I don't know if it was increased confidence, more comfortability, or both but he definitely showed enough to warrant more PT.

While I wasn't fond of the 6 min straiht runs (:lol:), he should definitely get in there and show what he can do.

[Jagger-meister]

Backup Center is basically wide open, so if he can impress enough, more power to him.

However, him being the 4th highest paid member of the team is irrelevant. Especially when you factor in us being under the salary floor and that Nicholson received a huge over pay in last years free agency.

Your role on a team is decided by your talent and not your salary.

I don't see it that way. You don't want your top paid guys not playing. Salary is a reflection of production. You don't want to pay for DNP-CD.

PF is a log jam. RHJ isn't a PF in my opinion but that's where Kenny wants him. I prefer Acy to Booker also. There isn't a lot of minutes left for Nicholson there.

Backup center is a different story. Hamilton has been awful defensively and on the glass.Nicholson needs to give us some presence inside as a shot blocker with those long arms and get on the glass. He should easily be better than Hamilton at that. I'm not worried about his offense.

[Ror1997]

Backup Center is basically wide open, so if he can impress enough, more power to him.

However, him being the 4th highest paid member of the team is irrelevant. Especially when you factor in us being under the salary floor and that Nicholson received a huge over pay in last years free agency.

Your role on a team is decided by your talent and not your salary.

I don't see it that way. You don't want your top paid guys not playing. Salary is a reflection of production. You don't want to pay for DNP-CD.

PF is a log jam. RHJ isn't a PF in my opinion but that's where Kenny wants him. I prefer Acy to Booker also. There isn't a lot of minutes left for Nicholson there.

Backup center is a different story. Hamilton has been awful defensively and on the glass.Nicholson needs to give us some presence inside as a shot blocker with those long arms and get on the glass. He should easily be better than Hamilton at that. I'm not worried about his offense.

Being a top paid guy on a team where 11 players make less money than the MLE means absolutely nothing. After Nicholason, the top paid guys are KJ, Hamilton and Foye. I don't see you applying the same logic to give Hamilton and Foye playing time. KJ should be getting more PT, but that's because he's a kid with upside we should be evaluating, and not because He's the fifth highest paid player on the team.

Salary Is important but if you're building a rotation based on salary and not skills then you're not building hour rotation the right way.

Nicholson was a throw in. If the nets signed him themselves to that deal, then I would agree that he should start the season in the rotation. But they didn't sign him, they just took on his contract in exchange for a pick. He has no business being handed a rotation spot. He has to earn it.

[Vae Victus]

Nicholson needs all the burn possible for the rest of the season. The team's not fighting for PO seeding so need to know asap how he'd fit with the rest of the roster, even if you gotta eat a few more losses (although still, get to 20 win, cmon u can do it!).

If Nicholson has the size/girth to be a smallball 5, then it opens up a world of possibilities, as one of his strengths is outside shooting. Having multi faceted PF/Cs who can reliably post smalls, stretch the floor, and adequately defend 1-4/5 PnRs via hedging or switching is HUGE. Who knows, he might be the main backup 5 next year if JHam doesnt get any better. Also it opens up the possibility of trading Booker and RHJ for assets or moving up in the draft. Nicolson's contract is simply too toxic atm to be easily moved, but if he plays some solid mins and get his numbers up, who knows.

[NyCeEvO]

Backup Center is basically wide open, so if he can impress enough, more power to him.

However, him being the 4th highest paid member of the team is irrelevant. Especially when you factor in us being under the salary floor and that Nicholson received a huge over pay in last years free agency.

Your role on a team is decided by your talent and not your salary.

I don't see it that way. You don't want your top paid guys not playing. Salary is a reflection of production. You don't want to pay for DNP-CD.

PF is a log jam. RHJ isn't a PF in my opinion but that's where Kenny wants him. I prefer Acy to Booker also. There isn't a lot of minutes left for Nicholson there.

Backup center is a different story. Hamilton has been awful defensively and on the glass.Nicholson needs to give us some presence inside as a shot blocker with those long arms and get on the glass. He should easily be better than Hamilton at that. I'm not worried about his offense.

Being a top paid guy on a team where 11 players make less money than the MLE means absolutely nothing. After Nicholason, the top paid guys are KJ, Hamilton and Foye. I don't see you applying the same logic to give Hamilton and Foye playing time. KJ should be getting more PT, but that's because he's a kid with upside we should be evaluating, and not because He's the fifth highest paid player on the team.

Salary Is important but if you're building a rotation based on salary and not skills then you're not building hour rotation the right way.

Nicholson was a throw in. If the nets signed him themselves to that deal, then I would agree that he should start the season in the rotation. But they didn't sign him, they just took on his contract in exchange for a pick. He has no business being handed a rotation spot. He has to earn it.

Especially considering that the cap now exceeds 100mil. $6mil per year is peanuts.

[Curns13]

We will have RHJ, LeVert, Whitehead and the two rookies on rookie scale deals for as long as he's here. Add in another couple of future picks and half our team will take up 1/5 of the cap. Who cares about a 6 million dollar contract? We can stretch him at any moment anyway.

[jbeachboy]

do you guys think we will keep nicholson throughout his contract? are we stuck with him? i hope we give nicholson some playingn time to see how he fits. i hope we can give him minutes although he probably has to wait to get injured. he deserves justin hamiltons minutes.

[Curns13]

do you guys think we will keep nicholson throughout his contract? are we stuck with him? i hope we give nicholson some playingn time to see how he fits. i hope we can give him minutes although he probably has to wait to get injured. he deserves justin hamiltons minutes.

I think we will. He has no trade value so unless he is needed to make up salary, he isn't going anywhere. Honestly, I think he becomes a better Scola over the next 3 years. He's pretty good for a 3rd string PF or C. His money really doesn't matter but if we need to free up some cap after next season, we can stretch the 13 million he's owed over 5 years so he only costs us 2.5 million a year. No problem with our cap situation moving forward.

[ChokeFasncists]

Magic fan here. What do you guys think the future holds for Nicholson? I've always been a big fan of him and thought he had great potential as a scorer, if partnered with a defensive C. Any chance he takes up a fair chunk of Lopez's scoring load now that he's gone? (Obviously Russell and Lin are options #1 and #2).

I liked Nicholson in Magic as well. However, he played really bad for the Nets last year. I suppose the 2nd unit in Washington last year pre-trade was terrible and it might have affected him. Or maybe he got paid and became lazy. At the end of the season, they were trying to evaluate the younger/newer players. They let him play for long stretches but he usually didn't produce, whereas guys like Acy, KJ or Goodwin would improve gradually and made nice plays. They were saying they wanted to let him play more but it didn't really happen; probably cuz he was playing too poorly. I hope he gets his head straight, with another offseason/camp under Kenny he should get better if that's the case. We do need low post scoring and he probably can't be traded. Seriously hope he can get back to his Magic play or even improve next season.

[Vae Victus]

Ive a feeling Nicholson is gonna get traded soon for a better player with a higher average annual value contract (my hope is Valancius, but other possibilities like Carroll exist) from a team looking to drastically reduce salaary.

However if Nicholson isnt traded, then he'll get a full camp with the team and be given plenty of chances to prove himself to get into the rotation. A fully realized Nicholson is a perfect fit for this team. A player with size that can come off the bench and man the PF/C, able to stretch the floor and score on the inside against smaller players. Not sure about his defense.

Regardless the team is in no rush on how to deal with him, hopefully he pans out, otherwise there are trade options.

[Prokorov]

Ive a feeling Nicholson is gonna get traded soon for a better player with a higher average annual value contract (my hope is Valancius, but other possibilities like Carroll exist) from a team looking to drastically reduce salaary.

However if Nicholson isnt traded, then he'll get a full camp with the team and be given plenty of chances to prove himself to get into the rotation. A fully realized Nicholson is a perfect fit for this team. A player with size that can come off the bench and man the PF/C, able to stretch the floor and score on the inside against smaller players. Not sure about his defense.

Regardless the team is in no rush on how to deal with him, hopefully he pans out, otherwise there are trade options.

ugh... Valanciunas? you really want to take on 3/48 for a much worse version of lopez who doesnt fit our style?

i mean to take on mozgov we got russell. you want to take on a worse contract in val and all we get is to dump nicholson?

id need multiple firsts and maybe OG they need to take hamilton as well.

id rather hope nichsolon can show something like you said. he is a much much better fit then Val.

[Vae Victus]

He's quicker, rebounds, and defends more than BroLo. He's paid less and is still very young with the chance to improve under good coaching (Casey imho is garbage). Also its highly likely he can be stretched out to add a 3pt shot to his game.

He's a double double player even at 25 mins a game, hate on him all you want. Val can ball and he can start or come off the bench, depending on his development.

And as i said 3rd year PO and its more like 2/32 (he's still so young and can ball so he's def opting out), so that lines up perfectly when all the deals start falling off the books.

By all means hopefully Marks can shake Ujiri down for an extra 1st round pick and dumping Nicolson on them.

Or more likely Booker for Val + 1st.

[Shark]

He's quicker, rebounds, and defends more than BroLo. He's paid less and is still very young with the chance to improve under good coaching (Casey imho is garbage). Also its highly likely he can be stretched out to add a 3pt shot to his game.

He's a double double player even at 25 mins a game, hate on him all you want. Val can ball and he can start or come off the bench, depending on his development.

And as i said 3rd year PO and its more like 2/32 (he's still so young and can ball so he's def opting out), so that lines up perfectly when all the deals start falling off the books.

By all means hopefully Marks can shake Ujiri down for an extra 1st round pick and dumping Nicolson on them.

Or more likely Booker for Val + 1st.

I think the possibility of Valanciunas adding a 3pt shot to his game is very slight. Compared to Lopez he has had a much lower percentage of his shots coming from the perimeter (from 10ft+ away from the rim).

Lopez: http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lopezbr01.html#shooting::none

Valanciunas: http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/v/valanjo01.html#shooting::none