Kyrie Irving

Can the Brooklyn Nets make the playoffs without Kevin Durant?

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Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets

The new-look Brooklyn Nets have certainly gotten their fair share of praise given to them since the off-season has begun. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving found new homes here. Sean Marks and Kenny Atkinson have to be applauded. But that doesn’t mean we have been without our critiques. On the NothinButNets site, I wrote about some of the criticism we have gotten. Specifically as far as Jalen Rose goes. You can find it here: https://nothinbutnets.com/2019/07/25/jalen-roses-prediction-brooklyn-nets-next-year-spot/

ESPN’s The Jump had a conversation on teams most likely to underachieve and mentioned the Nets as a potential team to miss the playoffs.

There was no real push back on the notion that the Nets, despite adding Kyrie Irving, would miss the playoffs. I could be missing something, but I’d like to think they are the ones missing things. So here are some reasons why the Nets will make the playoffs.

1. Continued Growth of Players

The Brooklyn Nets have made their name of their youth movement, players, with promise, and grit. This coupled with Kenny Atkinson and the player development staff, many players should be in for leaps in their game. Since drafting Caris Levert, he’s improved gradually year after year. This 2018-2019 season he had his best showing. If not for injury, he probably would have had a good case for the All-Star game. During his best stretches where he was healthy, he was Brooklyn’s best player. This includes post-season.

Spencer Dinwiddie is another player who has come a long way. His play and late-game heroics have won the organization and fans over time and time again. He’s improved his jumper in his time under Head Coach Kenny Atkinson and despite playing slightly fewer minutes than he did last season, we saw an uptick in his production. In less time (and with D’Angelo Russell and for stretches Caris Levert having career years), his points per game jumped from 12.6 to 16.8 while his shooting percentage also went up from roughly 39% to 44%.

Jarrett Allen continues to put on weight and gain strength. Another year, especially mentored by Nets newcomer DeAndre Jordan, will help him on the defensive end of the floor. DJ and Kenny can also help him better position himself for easy buckets and his Summer League play may be signs of him ready to take that next step.

Since coming to Brooklyn, Joe Harris has calmly improved in almost every statistical aspect. Last season he had career highs in minutes per game, points per game, assist per game, rebounds per game, effective field goal percentage, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, shot attempts per game, free throw attempts per game, and tied his career-high in free throw percentage for the season. Joe has the chance to join players like Malcolm Brogdon or fellow Net Kevin Durant in the 50-40-90 club. This is a club that only 8 players in NBA history have access to. He only fell short last season by 8% from the charity stripe and last season he fell short by 1% from the field and that same 8% from the line. He is within reach. And I haven’t even added Musa, Kurucs, and Pinson who all look ready to take a step forward after summer league. Not to also mention, but Kenny Atkinson is improving as a head coach. With another year of experience and an improved roster, look for him to continue to figure things out. Speaking of improved rosters…

2. Improved Roster

Let’s see what the off-season has done for us.

D’Angelo Russell->Kyrie Irving (UPGRADE)

Demarre Carroll-> Taurean Prince (UPGRADE)

Ed Davis-> DeAndre Jordan (UPGRADE)

Trevor Graham-> David Nwaba (UPGRADE)

Jared Dudley-> Wilson Chandler (UPGRADE)

RHJ->Garrett Temple (PUSH)

Allen Crabbe-> Kevin Durant who isn’t 100% and later in the season (UPGRADE)

It’s clear to see that the Nets have upgraded and gotten better personnel in exchange for everyone that was lost this off-season. Many other teams in the east have remained stagnant or gotten worse (with a few exceptions such as the Pacers), but the Nets have taken a step forward. We haven’t even discussed the rookies and the potential impact Nic Claxton specifically can bring to the team.

3. Chemistry

I know many media persons are down on the Nets DUE to the addition of Kyrie Irving rather than DESPITE it. They question Kyrie’s ability to lead and continue to peg him as a locker room cancer. And as the days go on, many may realize that this is an unfair notion. Since Kyrie’s time has soured in Boston we’ve heard all kinds of chatter concerning the all-star guard. Here I wrote for Nothinbutnets.com that Kyrie Irving will prove people wrong for a plethora of different reasons.

https://nothinbutnets.com/2019/07/10/brooklyn-nets-kyrie-irving-prove-doubters-wrong/2/

It details the other side of the story to the Kyrie Cancer Saga where other players besides Kyrie are held accountable. Not only that, but Jason Tatum has recently come out and said that he and Irving are still close and Marcus Smart has continued to defend the perennial all-star, Kyrie Irving. Marcus Morris earlier in the year also said the team loved Kyrie and wished to have him back. His former GM, Danny Ainge, has come to Irving’s defense. The only player who has been super critical and never backed off it seems is Terry Roizer, who had no choice but to take a backseat to a healthy Kyrie Irving. Even when asked if he wanted to be back in Boston, he said he couldn’t see himself back with this same group of guys. Not to say that Kyrie is without sin, but maybe Scary Terry was more so the malcontent and source of problems vs Kyrie being that.

But moving on from that, this Nets cast seems as tight-knit as any of the fan favorite rosters we’ve had in years past since the move to Brooklyn. The familiar faces have already added the new players into the group chat. Many of the players are hanging out or have hung out or are planning to hang out. There’s already a web of connection, for example, Kevin Durant being cool with Kyrie, DJ, Levert, and Prince. He can be the familiar face that makes any meshing of new people easier. There’s already friendly banter and competition brewing. You can see an example of it here on Dinwiddie’s IG.

Kyrie walks into a situation with friends and open-minded players excited to play beside him. With the culture that Kenny Atkinson and Sean Marks help mold and with the players themselves, I don’t see any chemistry issues brewing yet nor in the near future. We will have to keep a close eye on this so that we, as Nets Nation, can “I told you so” all those who doubted. But in conclusion, there’s no way on round earth or a flat one that we miss the playoffs.

Brooklyn Nets: Kyrie Irving brings a consistency to the point guard position

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Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Kyrie Irving

The Brooklyn Nets enjoyed elite point guard play for the first time since 2012 when Deron Williams was still on the team and the organization was just relocated from New Jersey to Brooklyn. Fast forward seven years and the entire concept of Brooklyn lured both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to the smaller team in New York.

Irving, though, brings a consistency to the point guard position the Nets haven’t seen in quite a while. D’Angelo Russell was fantastic in 2018, averaging 21.1 points per game and 7.0 assists. He was an All-Star and helped carry the Nets into a playoff appearance, despite losing in the first round to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The influence of an everyday premium point guard is significant, and the team will see the benefits this year. Irving has only dipped below 20 points per game (season average) twice in his eight-year career, the last being in 2015-16 with 19.6.

The primary issue with Irving is that to be quite frank, he’s a little crazy, and players have a hard time developing chemistry with him. He’s a very self-centered player, never averaging over 6.9 assists per game throughout his entire career (has never been top 10 in this category). While a number of Nets players were actively recruiting Irving to the Brooklyn, including Spencer Dinwiddie, it seemed as if he was coming all along.

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Irving is more offensively gifted than D’Lo, recording fewer turnovers and more points per game consistently. But while Russell seemed to elevate the players around him, at times Kyrie only helps himself. With Durant not on the floor for a majority of 2019, we will see how influential Irving really is, and if he can will the newly built team to a second consecutive playoff appearance.

A question arises — should the Nets have kept the youthful D’Angelo Russell in favor of signing Irving to a max deal?

Why did Kevin Durant sign with the Brooklyn Nets after all?

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Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant

Was it the fans, the arena, the vibes of Brooklyn? Rarely, a superstar let alone of the best basketball players to ever step on a court comes to a small-market team. But then again, the Brooklyn Nets are in the biggest market in the world and are quickly becoming more relevant than the lowly New York Knicks.

Maybe it’s because the Knicks have “New York” in their name that they consider themselves the big brother — the tables have now turned as the Nets acquired Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving this offseason period.

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Why did Kevin Durant elect to come to the Brooklyn Nets after all?

It’s quite interesting that Durant has so much power he essentially placed himself on the Nets without ever having a meeting with them. GM Sean Marks waited like the rest of us to find out where he was going — the utter influence Durant has amazes me. And he’s earned it.

According to Marks, Durant decided to come to Brooklyn for their system, and the fact that they played their hearts out the entire 2018 season to no avail.

Marks told WFAN on Tuesday that when he first talked with Durant, he stated “I love the system. I love how you guys play. I see how hard you guys play. … You were never out of games. We could never take you guys lightly.”

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Finishing 42-40 on the season after starting 8-18, the Nets rose the occasion and took control of their destiny, and it ultimately landed them Durant, who will surely help them to another playoff appearance in the near future. The team’s tenacity didn’t only convince Durant to come, but it was enough to land Irving as well.

The signing of the two superstars attests to the influence Marks and Kenny Atkinson have had over the past two years. The future is bright for the newly claimed “older brother” of the Knicks.

New York Knicks theoretically all in on Dennis Smith Jr.

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New York Knicks, Dennis Smith Jr.

The New York Knicks had a chance, a slim chance, to bring in a superstar point guard to lead the team into the future. The organization struck out on every single one except for Elfrid Payton…jokes.

Whether or not the Knicks were serious about spending top dollar for a player like Kyrie Irving or Kemba Walker, the reality is, they don’t have a proven option at the point guard position, which can only mean one thing.

They’re completely confident that Dennis Smith Jr. can develop into a premier option at the position. Entering his third season in the NBA, averaging 14.5 points per game and 5 assists in his two years as a professional, Smith Jr. has the opportunity to take his game to the next level.

In fact, he’s been working all offseason to improve his perimeter shot, something he’s struggled with in the past, relying heavily on his elite athleticism to shine.

However, the expected starting PG for the Knicks stated, according to the NY Daily News:

“I think we can hit the playoffs. Everybody do a lot of talking and things like that,” he said, “I’ve never really been one to feed into it on social media and things like that. But I think we have a really good team, and especially with the way I’ve been working this summer, I think I’m going to take my game to the next level and it’s going to put us in the playoffs.”

Since this comment, the Knicks pried Marcus Morris, a bonafide starter in the league from the San Antonio Spurs on a one-year, $14.8 million deal.

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Morris improves the team instantly, and it increases the chanced of Smith’s dream coming true — a playoff berth. The $70 million in cap space the Knicks had this offseason was used to sign free agents on short contracts, which wasn’t a bad idea given the fact they missed out on every big-name possible.

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It’s clear they’re expecting to be more of an enticing destination once the youth on the team develops and proves it’s capable of winning games and making the playoffs. A good season in 2019-20 could prove to superstars looking to switch teams that the Knicks have a good thing going, and Dennis Smith Jr. could be a big part of that.

How will Kevin Durant play into the Brooklyn Nets plans in 2019?

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Brooklyn Nets, Kenny Atkinson

If there’s anything the Brooklyn Nets can guarantee, it’s that they’re not sure whether superstar signing Kevin Durant will play during the 2019 season. The question is — how will he influence the team from the sideline?

On an interview with WFAN’s Mike Francesa, Kenny Atkinson stated “It’s way too early” to tell when Durant will return. The evaluation process is still in progress and a timetable for a potential return is not yet set.

However, the New York Nets’ head coach commented on the role Durant will play next season:

“I know I need his basketball acumen around and his leadership. First and foremost is his rehab and getting that right. We are going to use him. We might have to give him an assistant coach’s salary.”

“You need to use guys like that. We’re going to need his leadership this year. I know I have talked to him about it. He’s excited about that. We have already started our conversations.”

With some younger players still looking to break out and make a bigger impact, Durant is the perfect mentor and leader to help them reach their potential and make the most out of the boat-load of money Brooklyn dropped on Kevin and Kyrie Irving.

Using Durant once he returns has Atkinson staying up at night:

”I have a ton of things in my mind how we can use Kevin to his best abilities. He can play all five positions. When Kyrie is out, you can play him at the point. He’s maybe the best wing scorer, him and LeBron, in our era. It’s going to be exciting to try and fit him in into these different spots and use him as well as we can…”

Convincing one of the best basketball players of all time to skip over the New York Knicks and come to a smaller team in Brooklyn is the male version of the “Notebook.” While sitting out injured is unfortunate, his return will be something special for an organization preparing to take the leap to big brother.

Would Marcus Morris make the New York Knicks a playoff caliber team?

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New York Knicks, Marcus Morris

It seems as if the New York Knicks actually do have some pull in free agency, as they’re nearing a deal to pull Marcus Morris away from the San Antonio Spurs after already having an agreement in place.

While Morris is no Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving, he’s an extremely physical player in the paint and can make an influence for the Knicks in 2019. After restructuring Reggie Bullock’s deal, the team is in a position to offer $15 million-per-year to Morris, a bit more than the Spurs were offering.

While there is optimism that Morris will stick to his original plan of signing with San Antonio, it’s not off the table that he will elect to take his talents to New York.

Last season, he averaged 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Celtics and his defensive rebound totals per game have been increasing consistently over the past three years.

Adding Morris to a free agent class including Julius Randle, Elfrid Payton, Bobby Portis, and Wayne Ellington, surely helps sooth the minds of Knicks fans still feeling the hangover from the Brooklyn Nets superstar festival.

My question is — will Marcus steal playing time away from the Knicks youth?

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I believe that head coach David Fizdale is keen on keeping his youngsters on the court and providing them with ample opportunity to succeed and progress. Of course, RJ Barrett will be a starter along with Mitchell Robinson, Dennis Smith Jr., and Damyean Dotson, but where will Marcus fit in?

The Knicks have gone on a power forward signing spree, but Marcus will likely take playing time away from Bobby Portis down low, which is acceptable. While the forward is efficient in the paint, he’s also a proficient shooter, connecting on 37.5 percent of shots from three-point land.

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It’s likely he could pass on the Spurs’ deal of two-years, $20 million in a favor of a one-year, $15 million deal with the Knicks. In fact, if he’s confident in his abilities, there should be no question in coming to the Big Apple.

His skill-set would be a big boost for the team, but I don’t believe it would be enough to help the Knicks to a playoff appearance. They’re simply still too young and don’t have a consistent point guard to lead the offense. There are still too many question marks that need answers and unproven talent. Morris will help, but not that much.

How the New York Knicks can utilize Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina

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New York Knicks, Frank Ntilikina

Striking out in free agency when it comes to bringing in superstars certainly didn’t help the New York Knicks‘ point guard problem. But maybe it isn’t a problem at all with Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina featuring at the position.

The question will be — how can the New York Knicks utilize both and extract the most value?

Smith Jr. is the option with more optimism and scoring proficiency while Ntilikina is a defensive maestro that can lock down players in that facet. However, he’s a terrible scorer and hasn’t shown any growth in that respect.

How will the Knicks utilize both? I anticipate Smith Jr. will be the primary starter on an everyday basis while Frank plays a reserve role that features in defensive situations – if the Knicks are up by five with one minute left, the Frenchman will be called upon to help hold the lead.

Both point guards have been working tirelessly this offseason to improve their shooting abilities and add another element to their games. Ntilikina averaged 5.9 points per game while Smith Jr. earned 14.5 over two seasons. Both are going into their third professional campaigns and will ultimately be competing for the starting job.

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While the Knicks didn’t manage to bring in players like Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, or D’Angelo Russell, they still created competition between two options with plenty of talent. One is obviously more capable when it comes to scoring and Smith Jr. working on his outside shot should add another component to his game.

There’s reason to believe he can really blossom in 2019 after learning the Knicks’ scheme last season and developing a rapport with head coach David Fizdale. Frank was reportedly on the trade block this summer and wasn’t expected to last until now, but he’s still here and ready to put the work in to find a role on the team.

“Yeah, definitely. I’m happy to be a Knick,” he said, according to Newsday. “I still take as much as I can get from every situation that I can. I’m in their jersey. I’m happy to be a Knick. I’m happy to be here. I’ll work very hard to make this situation successful.”

Add in former Pelicans point guard Elfrid Payton to the mix and we have a very interesting position battle brewing at one of the weakest spots for the Knicks.

New York Knicks: Dennis Smith Jr. primed for breakout 2019 season

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New York Knicks, Dennis Smith Jr.

As a part of the Kristaps Porzingis deal, the New York Knicks received point guard Dennis Smith Jr., a young athlete with a ton of potential.

The bouncy guard has had an inconsistent career up to this point, fluctuating in points per game averages. However, he’s only going into his third season in the NBA and there’s reason to believe he will finally reach his potential in 2019.

The New York Knicks failed to bring in a max-contract player:

While the Knicks failed to bring in superstar athletes like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, they did manage to sign Julius Randle and several other lesser options. The silver lining is that the Knicks can continue forward with their youth agenda and continue giving playing time to the inexperienced players.

Smith Jr. will undoubtedly benefit from this reality, and he’s still confident that the Knicks can be a playoff-caliber team.

“I think we can hit the playoffs. Everybody do a lot of talking and things like that,” he said, according to the NY Daily News. “I’ve never really been one to feed into it on social media and things like that. But I think we have a really good team, and especially with the way I’ve been working this summer, I think I’m going to take my game to the next level and it’s going to put us in the playoffs.”

Missing out on Irving, Kemba Walker, and D’Angelo Russell must give Smith the confidence he needs to develop into a leader on the team. The starting point guard position will be his to lose in 2019 and he is prepared to take advantage of it.

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Changing his shooting technique is only a small part of what Smith Jr. has done to improve his game — he spent his first offseason with the Knicks working with assistant coach Keith Smart in North Carolina to change his mechanics. He’s been working on his outside shot:

“It’s a big difference,’’ Smith said at the Summer League. “I can’t give it a percent. [But] I can feel it. Everybody can see it from my pops and my friends. So adding that into my game, getting consistent with it, is going to open up the floor not only for me, but everybody else and make my reads a lot easier. So it’s major for me.’’

Growth needs to be an important part of Dennis’ game and should be prioritized. It seems he’s taking the appropriate steps to emerge as a trustworthy option for the Knicks and the starter for the foreseeable future.

 

New York Knicks: Melo deserves more credit

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New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony

The New York Knicks missed out on all of the top players in this year’s free agency.  Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving decided to team up for the Brooklyn Nets.  Kemba Walker went to Boston, Klay stayed in Golden State etc.

However, there was one players that did not shy away from trying to resurrect the New York Knicks.

Carmelo Anthony.

Anthony wanted to play for the Knicks, similar to newest Knick RJ Barrett.  Melo wanted to be the guy that came into New York and bring the team out of basketball purgatory.  To be honest, that takes some balls.

Anthony had to have some tough skin to come into New York and take all of the crap that he did.  Some will say that the Knicks eventually tried to run Anthony out of town and you would not be wrong.  The end was sad.

But, looking back on Melo’s Knicks career, take it for what it’s was worth.  So, have an open minded and just think that Anthony was the one who took the torch and tried to become a Knicks legend.  Whoever is able to come to New York, whether that be through the draft or trade, and bring the Knicks back to being a competitive team will be adored by the city.

Anthony was not afraid to take on that task.  He was able to bring the Knicks to the playoffs and win a series, which might as well have been the NBA championship.  Melo can be considered a legend for that.

Did Durant and Irving try to become Knicks legends?  Nope.  When you win for the Knicks you are an icon.  Melo was the only guy with the will and determination to be that player.

Although, while the end of his Knicks tenure was not the best, Anthony did what no other player has been willing to do in recent memory.  Will there ever be another superstar to come and try to do what Melo tried to do?  Only time will tell.

The New York Knicks showed their true colors this free agency period

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New York Knicks, RJ Barrett

Whether the New York Knicks were reluctant to pursue Kevin Durant due to his torn Achilles or not, the reality is this — there’s no excuse for striking out on every superstar.

New York is supposed to be an attractive and appealing place for big-time players looking to further establish themselves in history. Taking over a team and organization and making it something of their own, but ownership seems to be too involved.

James Dolan, the owner of the Knicks and CEO of Madison Square Garden, is the perennial problem that Knicks fans face every year. Passing on one of the best players of all time because of an injury is simply blasphemous, especially when you consider the value he would bring to RJ Barrett and the other young talents collectively learning on the roster.

Dolan did a disservice to every single fan and player by not attempting to bring in Durant, instead, he snatched Julius Randle, Taj Gibson, Wayne Ellington, Bobby Portis, and Reggie Bullock. Second and third-tier players that will help the Knicks to another losing season and hopefully another lottery pick at this point.

The New York Knicks are in purgatory:

Without the likes of a max-contract player, the current team is nowhere close to being a legitimate competitor. It seems, however, that Knicks management, aka Dolan, was resistant when it came to putting their money where their mouth is. Passing on Durant, not even having an interview with Kawhi Leonard, losing Kyrie Irving to the Brooklyn Nets before free agency even opened…

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The current state of the team and front office is in shambles, in fact, they’re an embarrassment to the basketball world and a consistent let-down to the fan-base. There’s reason to riot against the powers above that simply don’t understand the concept of winning and the influence of New York.

It makes you appreciate the influence and attempt by Carmelo Anthony. He was the only player that even dared to drag the Knicks out of the ashes. Clearly, no other superstar is even willing to tread foot in a place that seems to end careers before they start. Making Dolan obsolete seems to be the only way out of this dark age, but there’s no end in sight.

We just have to pray consistent losing and high draft picks fixes the issues that have plagued the organization for years.