Should the Brooklyn Nets consider signing Carmelo Anthony?
The last few years have seen Carmelo Anthony’s playing time decrease. They’ve seen him bounced around the league via trades and also cut unexpectedly. He’s been forced to play the bench as he’s watched players with far inferior resumes get signed or be invited for workouts.
Even players with as much baggage as Dwight Howard have gotten a shot at an NBA life yet again. Reading this you’d think Carmelo’s career was all, but over right?
That’s the thing, it is all BUT over. Stay Melo, he still has life. As the former NBA star readies to scrimmage with his former team in Manhattan, news broke of a hefty Wilson Chandler suspension. With the knowledge that Chandler was violating league policy by way of PEDs, the NBA hit Chandler with 25 games. That’s more than 25% of the season that he’d be MIA for. It does not help Chandler’s case that he went on to lie (or what looks a lot like a lie) about the situation.
Now I don’t know the stipulations within his recently signed contract, but that could be the key to Melo’s shot at being on an NBA team.
If the contract allows for cutting ties without paying all or any money for violations such as this one, Sean Marks and the Nets may decide to look into that. This organization has worked extremely hard to create a certain culture and atmosphere that could be in jeopardy if they let this slide. For appearance sake, the Nets may cut Chandler anyway, leaving the door open for the team to search for another SF/PF. And that would be of course where Melo comes in. It doesn’t hurt that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are pushing to have Carmelo Anthony added to the roster (per Frank Isola). The Saga continues.
As you can recall, we had a Free Agency Fantasy piece on Carmelo Anthony and why it wouldn’t have been such a bad idea for the Brooklyn Nets to have a look at him (see here). Not too long after, the NBA was briefly rocked with stories that Melo was working out with players on the Brooklyn Nets roster. It was reported that this was an informal workout of sorts that Brooklyn Nets brass would be taking a look at to evaluate whether or not they’d like to acquire Melo’s services. These thoughts seem like assumed reporting as this seems like it wasn’t the case. It seemed a case more of friends working out with friends.
Be that as it may, neither side as publicly denounced the chances of a union out. So that means it remains an option, no matter how unlikely.
Cons of Signing Melo:
Since we did an article of potential benefits for signing Melo, it’s probably best if we listed the cons for this one.
-For starters, even without the addition of Melo, this is the most star-studded roster that Kenny Atkinson will have to coach. It’s one thing when he has a bunch of NBA outcast, role players, rookies, and or G-Leaguers just trying to stay in the league. They’re willing to accept more criticism even if just to put on the guise of being coachable. Kenny hasn’t by any means had an easy job these last few years, but he had to deal with fewer personalities. And with the added pressure and big names on the roster, his job hasn’t gotten any easier. Kenny’s name doesn’t hold the allure or respect of a Greg Pop or Doc Rivers to have players give him the benefit of the doubt. He doesn’t yet have the cache to have players almost never challenge him as of yet. He does have a lot of the core from last year that will probably back him if it ever comes to that though.
-We have 15 guaranteed contracts. We can sign Melo right now, but by season starts we’d have to either cut or trade someone. Cutting someone means we’d be paying someone to not play. We are only just entering the final year doing that with Deron Williams and I’m not sure the Brooklyn Nets Brass are in a rush to get back into that. Especially with how tight we are with the cap as is. Another problem is that the majority of the role players under contract are here for multiple years. So you run the risk of paying them for them not to provide their services for at least two years.
-Melo is a self-proclaimed rhythm shooter. He is used to having the rock in his hands and creating for himself. This causes him to be very streaky as a catch and shoot option. In Kenny’s offense, this is the main use of most players. This may cause him to allow defenders to close out by taking an extra unneeded dribble or having him become a cog in the offense with ball stopping tendencies.
-Melo has never been an All NBA defenders. That’s never been apart of his game that anyone has written home about. Being in the game for over a decade is not about to solve that. His defense has almost undoubtedly declined with his time away from the game. Some of this can be alleviated with him guarding power forwards, which would be easier matchups, but the fact still remains that the Brooklyn Nets were a middle of the pack team defensively last year. Melo is most likely not helping the team make the proper strides on that end.
With all this being said, if Melo were to get signed, Wilson Chandler would probably be the player that would be scapegoated. He’s one of four players not under contract for next year. The other three would be Caris Levert, Taurean Prince, and Joe Harris. Prince and Harris are some of the deadliest catch and shoot players in the league and Harris are one of the Nets original hires to help create what we have today. Levert is one of the Nets draft picks oozing with potential that he just started to really reach. On top of that, many things he’ll be Kyrie’s partner in crime while Durant is out. Not to mention Levert is also like a little brother to KD so I doubt Nets brass would do anything that would even remotely upset one of their newfound stars. Add on top of that, they are all much younger than Chandler. The only real logical option would be to cut Chandler’s cheap contract if we were serious about wanting to add Melo.
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.
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.
Well, it’s the off-season. The Finals are a thing of the increasingly distant past, the NBA Draft is right on its heels, and every major player has pretty much left the free agency boards. Things are more or less set in stone with just a few loose ends needing to tied. So with this series, I’m going to throw out some names that remain out there in the Free Agency Pool. I don’t honestly believe that Sean Marks and the Brooklyn Nets brass are looking at these players, but these are players I wouldn’t mind the organization taking a chance on.
Unless you’ve lived under a rock or tried not to pay attention, you’ve seen how the game has treated future NBA Hall of Fame player Carmelo Anthony. It hasn’t been kind to him, it hasn’t been grateful, and it hasn’t been pretty. He’s been dashed aside like a commoner. And although everyone should get some love and recognition on their way out rather than disappear into the background like a Thanos snap victim, though who’ve given the game more probably deserve it more so. For over a decade he’s treated us to highlights and good play, whether you like him or not. Whether he was winning or not, whether he played as well as you wanted or not. Melo deserves to go out better. Now, this isn’t to say he isn’t somewhat a victim of his circumstance, but there’s a roster spot on every team that Melo could probably be utilized.
Now Carmelo is a New Yorker. But more importantly, he’s a Brooklyn baby. Birthed in Red Hook, the Brooklyn Nets have a chance to rectify the mistreatment of Melo by New York that was placed on him by the New York Knickerbockers. Now I’m all for helping and supporting a fellow Brooklynite out, but it can’t be at the expense of my hometown Nets. Melo must come in with the proper mindset for this to be a win-win.
Melo will need to join the team with the mindset that it’s not his team let alone his city anymore. He will need to give Kenny Atkinson the upmost respect and not question his authority without VALID and UNQUESTIONABLE reasoning. Melo will have to buy into the “Do whatever it takes,” attitude that veterans have when trying to win a chip. He’ll need to make that extra pass and dive for that loose ball and give at least some kind of effort on defense. The Nets won’t need him to try and score 30 a night so he must be prepared to have some nights where he won’t score or won’t score much. And on these nights, Chauncey’s words can not echo as he throws a passive-aggressive fit. His mental make up will need an overhaul if he were to return to his true home. That being said…
Although aging, Melo is still one of the best scorers the game has seen. In his twilight years, he offers a player with experience who can achieve the main focus of the game. Putting that ball in the hoop. Mid-range specifically, Melo can score from all three levels and can rebound at a stable rate. He gives the Nets depth at the small and power forward positions, the four being a prominent position of need. Melo is a veteran who can help mentor the younger players, especially with on the court play. He’d have the chance to be in the Rasheed Wallace, Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin role that they had with the 2012-2013 Knicks that saw the most success of any Knicks team this decade. He can do similar things mentally but being able to contribute physically better. Lastly, Melo gives the team a shot creator and post scorer to implement into his system.
So depending on if the Nets were to sign him for one or two years, the Brooklyn Nets get another talented piece. The team becomes more experienced and get someone to hold down the three or four spot until Kevin Durant’s return. And when he does come back, Melo is depth and an insurance policy. Melo also isn’t one to get pushed around, so he becomes somewhat of an enforcer for this group of guys.
Melo gets a second chance in New York, the city he loves. He gets to leave both New York and or the NBA the right way. It’s been reported that Melo would like a farewell tour and that there have even been little push to try and get one.
If he chooses not to retire, he’ll have the chance to rewrite his reputation. He can also compete for that ever alluding championship and bring it to help bring it to New York, so that’s a resume builder and saver. And last, but not least, he gets a chance to stick it to the Knicks and help supplant the Nets as the team of New York. Everyone wins, if he comes with the right mindset… and cheap of course.
Brooklyn. Home of the Brooklyn Nets. Birthplace of Jay-Z. A melting pot of Caribbean Cultures. You can find a lot of things and different kinds of people in the borough of Brooklyn. One thing you haven’t been able to find though, a true jump-shooting big. Especially since the departure of Brook Lopez. Well, Kenny Atkinson might be in luck cause things can potentially change.
Deandre Jordan recently spoke on how he is working on his three-ball.
Nets Daily writes:
Appearing on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast earlier this week, DeAndre Jordanthat he, too, is working on his three point shot, but doesn’t see it as a big part of his game. He noted that he makes his living underneath the basket.
Asked about a three-point shot, Jordan, said, “Yeah, everyone is developing that part of the game and I’m obviously doing it. But I also want to stay on the floor. If I’m just shooting three-point shots, obviously, and I’m missing them, then I’m old and I’ll disappear.”
Deandre Jordan is open to working on and expanding his game. He knows it’ll make him more valuable and useful to not only the team but also himself. It’ll give another weapon in this deep shooting era for Kenny can use. Good note number two, Deandre Jordan understands that obtaining another piece does not form a new identity for you. He understands his strengths lie closer to the basket.
A common saying is a jump shot is a blessing and a curse. Having the ability to shoot makes people fall in love with taking jump shots. It becomes easy to settle. Increasingly so as you get tired.
The mindset of him not forgetting what made him his reputation and money, it seems like we won’t have to worry about him just jacking up threes. But now we have the potential to get another floor spacer if it works out.
The final good note from all of this, despite Deandre Jordan shooting just 9% from three in his career (on 1 for 11 shooting), he could really make the leap to a somewhat decent three-ball shooter. His shooting form has never been horrid. It has always been solid, just not trusted.
On top of that, we seen Deandre Jordan take big leaps in his free throw shooting. Ten seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers have Deandre Jordan shooting roughly 45% from the charity stripe. Since leaving he’s shot around 70% from the stripe (68% with the Dallas Mavericks and 77% with the New York Knicks).
So with these big jump in conversation numbers, I don’t believe it’ll be impossible for Deandre Jordan to shoot around 30-33% from three if he works at it tirelessly. Let’s not forget, DJ is now being coached by Kenny Atkinson who has worked wonders with players as a means to get a reputation for a good player development coach. Most players have their career year from three under him and Deandre Jordan may be the next to follow.
My conspiracy take away — Deandre Jordan is quietly making a push to say that he should be a starter. The few things that Jarrett Allen have over DJ are as follows. Age, potential, and fro. Normally free throws would have been added, but as I stated earlier, DJ has been great strides in that aspect of his game.
That might be more of a push at this point. Last season both Brooklyn big men shot around 70% from the line this passing season. Now add the potential of a jump shot that Jarrett Allen hasn’t figured out yet, we might be looking at yet another category in which DJ proves he has the edge over Jarrett Allen in. Hopefully, Jarrett Allen is also working on his jumper to bounce back from a less than stellar year from beyond. Either way, we are lucky to have both these guys.
Brooklyn Nets free agency fun, part 4 – Ryan Anderson edition
Well, it’s the off-season. The Finals are a thing of the increasingly distant past, the NBA Draft is right on its heels, and every major player has pretty much left the free agency boards. Things are more or less set in stone with just a few loose ends needing to tied.
So with this series, I’m going to just throw out some names that remain out there in the Free Agency Pool. I don’t truly believe that Sean Marks and the Brooklyn Nets brass are looking at these players, but these are players I wouldn’t mind the organization taking a chance on.
Now keeping this in mind, maybe it’s time for Ryan Anderson to come home. The Brooklyn Nets drafted Anderson back in 2008 with the 21st overall pick. From that moment, he has bounced around the league proving his talents as a stretch big. Although he’s hit a rough patch, maybe some home cooking is what would get him back on the right track.
As a professional, Ryan fits right in with the culture that has been established. He’d be a happy sight for the New Jersey faithful, albeit he only had a one-season stay with the organization. Although Ryan has never been sought after for his defense, he probably would give the Nets their only legitimate power forward.
At 6’10” and 240lbs, Anderson has the body of an actual 4 versus being a small forward that can play the position. He can also play some small forward (but it isn’t needed) and some center. His 3pt acumen will give Coach Kenny Atkinson yet another player who can stretch the floor. At a career 38% clip from beyond, Ryan is a proven shooter, hitting 40% of his 3s every season in which he attempted at least seven 3s a game.
In Kenny’s system which relies heavily on the 3 ball, Ryan would fit perfectly. He’d be a great player to stand out for the kick out when defenses collapse off penetration or a plausible person to take advantage of a pick and pop scenario. As stated earlier, Ryan Anderson hit a rough patch as far as his shooting goes, but you can almost guarantee him bouncing back under Kenny Atkinson and the Nets development staff.
Well, it’s the off-season. The Finals are a thing of the increasingly distant past, the NBA Draft is right on its heels, and every major player has pretty much left the free agency boards. Things are more or less set in stone with just a few loose ends needing to tied. So with this series, I’m going to just throw out some names that remain out there in the Free Agency Pool. I don’t truly believe that Sean Marks and the Brooklyn Nets brass are looking at these players, but these are players I wouldn’t mind the organization taking a chance on.
Despite the roster for the 2019-20 season being already established, I for one wouldn’t mind seeing a familiar face back in Brooklyn. Joe “Jesus” Johnson, Brooklyn’s original Number 7. Joe Johnson is supremely loved and a fan favorite for the many heroics and years of carrying a burden he wasn’t supposed to with the Brooklyn Nets.
When his running mate Deron Williams declined before our eyes and Brook Lopez struggled with his health as well as play at times, Johnson was asked to shoulder the franchise that he was supposed to play more of a supporting role. From big games to clutch moments, Joe did all he could for us and it’s greatly appreciated.
Adding Joe Johnson brings another professional NBA veteran. Having already played here, he’ll be familiar with the setting and many of the things that the organization tries to do. Joe can help continue to be an example to the younger players, showing them how to maneuver in the NBA and how to carry themselves. This is a common theme throughout the Free Agency Fun because of how important the culture that Sean Marks has established is.
Although upholding the culture is important, Joe Johnson can still contribute with good play. He struggled from 3 his last stint in the NBA, but the season prior he shot 41% from outside the arch.
In Brooklyn and Miami the year before that, he shot about 37% and 42% respectively from deep. Joe has even said he wouldn’t mind returning to the NBA given the chance, as he continues to put on a show and dominate in Ice Cube’s Big 3 league. Albeit against older retired players, Iso Joe shows that he still has it.
Signing Joe Johnson address a need for the Nets to get another shot creator. The Brooklyn Nets don’t have too many of those in abundance. Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Caris Levert would probably be the ones that come to mind. After that, much of the roster are probably better suited as catch and shoot or pick and roll players.
Johnson is a player well known for being able to create space for his own shot. His ability to have the rock on a string is one way he does that. Another way is in the post. At roughly 240lbs, Joe Johnson may be in the body of a two-guard or small forward, but he has the weight of a power forward. When Joe goes into the post, many times it is pure bully ball. Don’t get it twisted, he can operate extremely well in there with a wide variety of moves, but he also has the ability to overpower those guarding him. Him also giving the Nets a post player creates the option of him potentially being doubled in the post as he has been throughout the course of his career.
With that, he has plenty of shooters he can kick it out to so that defenses pay. Joe’s weight and frame also gives Kenny Atkinson and the Brooklyn Nets a player who can and has played four positions. He can run point for stretches, the off guard, but it’s probably best he play majority small forward and power forward, where he can better utilize his advantages on both sides of the ball.
Lastly, outside of fanfare and a good story, Joe Johnson can help players such as Caris Levert grow their game. Teaching the younger guys various dribble moves or help them get a better grasp and feel for the game would do wonder. Levert started coming into his own last season and with Joe’s help, he could reach even greater heights. I know America is pro keeping religion out of school, but I wouldn’t mind having Joe Jesus bless us in the Barclays one last time.
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.
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?
Well, it’s the off-season. The Finals are a thing of the increasingly distant past, the NBA Draft is right on its heels, and every major player has pretty much left the free agency boards.
Things are more or less set in stone with just a few loose ends needing to tied. So with this series, I’m going to just throw out some names that remain out there in the Free Agency Pool. I don’t truly believe that Sean Marks and the Brooklyn Nets brass are looking at these players, but these are players I wouldn’t mind the organization taking a chance on.
Now I know the roster is more or less set and these are the guys we’re probably going into the season with. With that being said and understood, I would have loved if the Brooklyn Nets brought Pau Gasol in for a look. He checks many different boxes for the Nets.
For starters, Gasol is a professional’s professional. He has a long career with no problems. On the court and as far as we can tell off the court, he’s been a model citizen. These are the kind of high character guys Sean Marks and the Brooklyn Nets have brought in over the years to help create, establish, and solidify their culture.
The same culture that former Net Luis Scola said would grab the attention of star free agents down the line. The same culture that ended up doing just that and bringing in Kyrie Irving, as well as Kevin Durant. To help maintain this culture, you must continue to fill the roster with a player such as a Pau Gasol.
Secondly, Gasol fits a position of need. Last season, there were many games that the Brooklyn Nets got crushed on the boards and dominated on the paint. Overall, we had a small team. Our tallest guy was only 6’11” who was at the center position.
The power forward position was in great need of size, muscle, and experience while the center position was in need of depth. We saw this when Ed Davis went down right before the playoffs and the struggling that ensued because of it. Pau brings a player who can solve both these dilemmas. A player who’s spent a lengthy part of his career at the four and then played more of the five as he aged, Pau brings depth and experience to both positions. Although at this age it’s probably best for him to spend most of his time at the five, he could occasionally bring quality minutes to the power forward position.
Gasol brings a player who can shoot the three ball at a good enough clip and draw bigs away from the basket. For his career, he shots it at about a 37% clip. Ever since his departure from the Los Angles Lakers, Gasol has added the three ball with more regularity and consistency.
Mentorship is one of the final things that Gasol brings to the Brooklyn Nets. As a team with multiple champions and championship aspirations, Gasol brings another proven winner who knows what it takes to get to the big stage and win there multiple times.
He can be a leader for the team and help show them how to carry themselves towards the promised land. He also can tutor the younger players, specifically Jarrett Allen and Nic Claxton. He’d probably be the most skilled big on the roster, so teaching them how to maneuver and giving them a handful of post moves to master would be great. Not to mention helping them get a better feel and understanding of the game. Pau Gasol had the ability to do wonders for the Brooklyn Nets if we had signed him.
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.
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.
