Official 2015-16 Brooklyn Nets Season Watch Thread (21-59, 3rd slot as of 4/12)

[TheSundanceKid]

slamtheking, just to be clear I think the Brooklyn picks will all be lottery picks but I don't expect them to be as good as this years pick. Of course they are still unprotected and that is far better than a similar pick with 1-3 protections, but I don't see them as top 3 picks. There are too many opportunities that can present themselves over the next 6 months for me to think otherwise.

Brooklyn has been poorly run to this point but Billy King is no longer GM and I think the reshuffle will give them a new slate to build on, on that a free agent may take more seriously.

[slamtheking]

slamtheking, just to be clear I think the Brooklyn picks will all be lottery picks but I don't expect them to be as good as this years pick. Of course they are still unprotected and that is far better than a similar pick with 1-3 protections, but I don't see them as top 3 picks. There are too many opportunities that can present themselves over the next 6 months for me to think otherwise.

Brooklyn has been poorly run to this point but Billy King is no longer GM and I think the reshuffle will give them a new slate to build on, on that a free agent may take more seriously.

that's certainly possible.  I agree that top 3 is unlikely but I really don't see them climbing higher than 8 at most.

needless to say there's a lot that will happen between now and next season but putting on my mental projector tinfoil hat, I would guess that next year would be 5 or 6 and the following year to be 7 or 8.
slight improvements possibly over this year but certainly something to look forward to as the Celtics continue to reap the rewards of lottery picks as they improve themselves to contender status.

I really don't see much ability for them to improve very much.  it's going to take more than someone just saying that the Nets have lots of cap space so they'll sign better players.  Everyone will have lots of cap space and those better players will sign with the better teams rather than the Nets (if those players choose to move to new teams).

[TheSundanceKid]

slamtheking, just to be clear I think the Brooklyn picks will all be lottery picks but I don't expect them to be as good as this years pick. Of course they are still unprotected and that is far better than a similar pick with 1-3 protections, but I don't see them as top 3 picks. There are too many opportunities that can present themselves over the next 6 months for me to think otherwise.

Brooklyn has been poorly run to this point but Billy King is no longer GM and I think the reshuffle will give them a new slate to build on, on that a free agent may take more seriously.

that's certainly possible.  I agree that top 3 is unlikely but I really don't see them climbing higher than 8 at most.

needless to say there's a lot that will happen between now and next season but putting on my mental projector tinfoil hat, I would guess that next year would be 5 or 6 and the following year to be 7 or 8.
slight improvements possibly over this year but certainly something to look forward to as the Celtics continue to reap the rewards of lottery picks as they improve themselves to contender status.

I really don't see much ability for them to improve very much.  it's going to take more than someone just saying that the Nets have lots of cap space so they'll sign better players.  Everyone will have lots of cap space and those better players will sign with the better teams rather than the Nets (if those players choose to move to new teams).

Can I have a go? 

All the picks are worth keeping unless Cousins or the like do become available. Even then I'm waiting to see if we can get Simmons first.

I hope they don't improve that much. I'll be a happy man if September time I was completely wrong and they suck as much as this year!

[BDeCosta26]

I just don't see an avenue where the Nets can get a whole lot better. To me, the 17' Swap and 18' pick are only slightly less valuable than the 16' pick. A lot can happen between now and then, but when you literally have no control over your next 3 first rounders and almost no trade assets that could bring you back good players, what're you supposed to do, especially if your already terrible. They basically have two options.

Keep going ahead with their current core of Lopez and Young, while hoping for big production from rookies RHJ and McCullough. Then when FA comes, try your hardest to over-pay a couple of mid-tier guys (Jared Sullinger anyone?) and make a run for the 8th seed. But let's be honest, almost every team is going to have cap space, guys with any talent are gonna be getting good offers left and right, and almost every team in the league is in a better situation than Brooklyn. I just don't see a guy like DeRozan taking some big offer from the Nets when he's probably also gonna have big offers from the Raptors, Lakers, maybe the C's, certainly multiple teams. So if they go that path, I still can't see them getting out of the lottery.

Or, they trade they're only two good players for draft picks, hopefully corresponding to years they don't have one (like 2016 or 2018), basically biting the bullet on the Boston trade and trying to get some young talent in there to build on. RHJ and McCullough is a start. RHJ could be a really strong, MKG like or better, defender. Maybe you can get a young guy and a 1st for Young, or a couple 1sts for Lopez if your lucky. Try to buy an early 2nd if you can, and sign guys that are young and need a chance (Larkin is that kind of guy, though it hasn't really worked out). Then you can at least put together some type of young team with a core that's growing together when you finally get your picks back. Your probably still a lottery team at that point anyway.

I hope they get smart and do the latter, but they probably won't. Still, I feel good about those picks either way. Pierce was picked at #10. Jefferson got us KG and was picked at #15. We traded #5 for Ray Allen and Baby Davis once. If those Nets picks land around something like a top-3, top-10 and a late lottery, while were building such a strong, young core and a great environment for those picks to come into, I'll be thrilled

[Quetzalcoatl]

So good news: Sean Marks, the super talented Spurs assistant GM, is now leaning towards declining being the Nets' GM.

https://twitter.com/mitch_lawrence/status/700000704505757696

He was probably the best candidate that they were going to get and now they definitely won't make any moves at the deadline.

[chambers]

Nets up by 12 in the 3rd vs the Knicks, they are on fire.
Hopefully they cool off a bit in the 4th.

[Vox_Populi]

At least Dallas are about to lose.

Is it too much to ask for Phoenix to somehow beat Houston? I would say yes, but I also believe in Santa Claus.

[SCeltic34]

The Knicks look like a D-League team.  Terrible defense, poor ball movement, lots of turnovers.  Good job Rambis.

[Denis998]

Sometimes I wish there was an exception to the cursing rule on this forum just for this tread lol :/

[86MaxwellSmart]

This Pick is going down the DRAIN....what a ripoff....bunch of Pansy teams in this league---gonna out-tank our pick.

[86MaxwellSmart]

Nets gonna win their next game too against Charlotte....ugghh.....this pick is gonna be worthless by draft time.

[SHAQATTACK]

Knicks really suck

[SCeltic34]

Nets gonna win their next game too against Charlotte....ugghh.....this pick is gonna be worthless by draft time.

That's just a little bit of an overreaction. 

[MJohnnyboy]

Knicks really suck

Seriously. Instead of vying for a ring with Lebron in Cleveland, Carmelo thought it would be better to endure through another miserable season in New York since being traded by the deadline as opposed to the summer would give him only $3 million as opposed to $9 million. Atleast Carmelo will still be a little richer when all is said and done as opposed to still being filthy rich and possibly having some glory to go with it.

Keep gettin' dem checks Melo!

[Surferdad]

Nets gonna win their next game too against Charlotte....ugghh.....this pick is gonna be worthless by draft time.

Somebody update me on their strength of schedule rest of the way.