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

[mef730]

I've watched just about every Nets game so far, and it pains me to say it but they are not a bad team at all. They've beaten Chicago, Boston, Houston twice, and should have beaten Golden State. Young and Lopez are constantly feasting in the paint. Their defense is really not bad at all, and they get good shooting from Larkin, Ellington, and Bogdanovic. The only silver lining is it looks like Joe Johnson is out there throwing games. He had like 5 airballs tonight. How is that even possible.

That's the fear of a lot of us. The plus side is that they are only about 6 or, at best, 7 deep.

Mike

[Vox_Populi]

Furthermore, there is a point where a team's record is un-salvageable. If Brooklyn can suck at least through January, a top 5 pick may be set in stone unless another team commits blatant tank moves.

[chambers]

This Nets team might not keep many games close but man, when they do, they're not the Sixers. Let's just say that. They'd be a quality playoff team if Jack, Thad, and Brook had any help. Let's rejoice in their failing but respect that those guys are playing tough despite their record.

Hopefully they give up eventually. These close losses are stressful. The close wins are even more so.

Jack is as bad as Johnson. Look at his numbers, just gross.
They're a terrible team because their two decent players (Lopez and Young) don't have any help...that's the whole argument for them being a bottom 5 team before the season started.  A one legged star (sorta star) and a young good-but-not-All Star-good
forward in Young, surrounded by a rapidly declining Johnson and always terrible Jarret Jack. That's before even getting to their league worst bench and 3 point shooting.

[chambers]

I've watched just about every Nets game so far, and it pains me to say it but they are not a bad team at all. They've beaten Chicago, Boston, Houston twice, and should have beaten Golden State. Young and Lopez are constantly feasting in the paint. Their defense is really not bad at all, and they get good shooting from Larkin, Ellington, and Bogdanovic. The only silver lining is it looks like Joe Johnson is out there throwing games. He had like 5 airballs tonight. How is that even possible.

They have 4 wins vs .500 or higher teams for the entire season.
They hit the Rockets and Bulls in 2 of those teams worst games/stretches of the season.
They really are terrible and their record is reflective of that.
Their 2 main guys aren't terrible, but their roster, depth and lack of 3 point shooting turn a team that should win about 40% of their games into a 25% win team.

[ReadyFor17]

Serious question: if Brooklyn is so not bad, then why are they so bad?

Guys like Ellington and Bogdanovich have been terrible most of the season, and if they aren't shooting well they provide nothing. Lopez and Young are putting up numbers but both have a knack for disappearing either on their own or because the guards can't get them the ball in good position. Not to mention Lopez just living from 5 to 18 feet out instead of at the rim and the 3pt line. Johnson is abysmal and is just devouring minutes and touches. They are a bad team. They don't have a measly 8 wins by accident. Most of those wins, by the way, ended up being coin tosses on nights where their opponents played like garbage--and not because of anything Brooklyn did (see the two Houston wins for example).

The only thing they are good enough to do is win squeakers when the other team doesn't show up. They suck on the road, can't shoot or defend threes, have no depth and a coach who has completely checked out. Sometimes an 8 win team is just an 8 win team.

[csfansince60s]

One of my biggest fears is that a team desperate to make a move helps them out.

Specifically, I can see the Rox, so badly wanting to get rid of Lawson, throw Brewer into a trade and take Joe Johnson.

Same with the Bulls with Rose or Noah or Gibson, or the wolves with Martin (harder $$$ -wise).

All these would be big improvements over Johnson.

[Spicoli]

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[Spicoli]

I agree with the posters above me who state that Brooklyn is only about 6 or 7 deep, which really hurts them. I have to disagree about Jarret Jack. His numbers may not be impressive but he has the ability to swing games in their favor. He's just a solid player overall. Thaddeus Young makes me want to pull my hair out because he's always right under the rim laying the ball in. Nobody can keep him out of there. He just has a nose for the ball and making heads up plays all game long. Lopez is a flat out stud and he's a huge dude with a soft touch. The Thunder have to be kicking themselves. If i recall they rejected a Lopez trade in favor of Kanter. They've lost quite a few really close games. It's my opinion that their record is what it is because they don't really have a closer. Johnson used to be that guy but he's a really really bad player right now. Can't really put into words how far he's fallen. If they had the ability to close games they would have a better record in my opinion. When i watch Nets games, i simply don't see a bad team. I know the record says that i should, but i don't. Hollins is a fine coach, he has these guys playing hard every night.

[ReadyFor17]

One of my biggest fears is that a team desperate to make a move helps them out.

Specifically, I can see the Rox, so badly wanting to get rid of Lawson, throw Brewer into a trade and take Joe Johnson.

Same with the Bulls with Rose or Noah or Gibson, or the wolves with Martin (harder $$$ -wise).

All these would be big improvements over Johnson.

Wait, these desperate teams would hypothetically be trying to improve, yes? So why are they giving up anything (not to mention extra pieces) for one of the worst players in the league? Morey collects value and JJ has none. Even the expiring contract isn't worth much with the cap shooting up anyway. Playoff teams aren't in the habit of making moves to get significantly worse just because.

If the Nets want Martin and Pekovic they can be my guest, won't help them win more.

[chambers]

Serious question: if Brooklyn is so not bad, then why are they so bad?

Guys like Ellington and Bogdanovich have been terrible most of the season, and if they aren't shooting well they provide nothing. Lopez and Young are putting up numbers but both have a knack for disappearing either on their own or because the guards can't get them the ball in good position. Not to mention Lopez just living from 5 to 18 feet out instead of at the rim and the 3pt line. Johnson is abysmal and is just devouring minutes and touches. They are a bad team. They don't have a measly 8 wins by accident. Most of those wins, by the way, ended up being coin tosses on nights where their opponents played like garbage--and not because of anything Brooklyn did (see the two Houston wins for example).

The only thing they are good enough to do is win squeakers when the other team doesn't show up. They suck on the road, can't shoot or defend threes, have no depth and a coach who has completely checked out. Sometimes an 8 win team is just an 8 win team.

TP. I keep seeing the 'Brooklyn isn't that bad because...' but if...
but if what? What can they do to get better?
Absolutely, positively, 100% agree.
I'll add that Jarret Jack has countless games where he ends up taking more shots than Lopez and Young. Lol.

[PhoSita]

Harping on how terrible no-good downright awful the Nets are is a little bit odd on a night when they went down to the last possession of overtime against a team that could very well win 50 games this year.  Not to mention that they killed the Celts pretty thoroughly in the half-court the last time the two teams played.

We've talked this team to death at this point.  Yes, their depth sucks.  Yes, Brook Lopez and Thad Young are a very solid starting frontcourt.  One of the better ones in the league, actually. 

They've got the third worst record in the league right now and we have good reason to think they might stay there.  But we have some reason to think they could also creep up in the standings if they can stay healthy. 

But yes, the "if they can stay healthy" thing is a big "if" since they're riding their starters so hard and their key player -- without whom they'd be just as bad as the Lakers -- has some serious injury concerns in his past.

Every time somebody mentions that the Nets don't completely and totally suck, it's not a challenge to the manhood of everybody who predicted they'd hand us a top 5 pick this year.  It's not a suggestion that the Nets are actually, on the whole, a good team. 

But you've gotta admit the manner in which they've gotten to their current record of 8-21 is markedly different from how the Lakers and Sixers have played this year.  If you go by point differential, they're in a tier above those bottom two, along with the Bucks, Nuggets, and Pelicans (and the Wizards aren't so far off, either).

Hopefully they will continue to have not-quite-enough.  They could play at the same pace as some of the teams ahead of them in the standings that I just mentioned, and their horrendous start to the season would ensure they end up in the bottom 5 records. 

Let's just hope they don't go on a run in the second half of the season the way they did the last couple of years.  I think the lack of depth probably more or less ensures they won't.  I hope I'm not wrong.

[Rondo9]

Harping on how terrible no-good downright awful the Nets are is a little bit odd on a night when they went down to the last possession of overtime against a team that could very well win 50 games this year.  Not to mention that they killed the Celts pretty thoroughly in the half-court the last time the two teams played.

We've talked this team to death at this point.  Yes, their depth sucks.  Yes, Brook Lopez and Thad Young are a very solid starting frontcourt.  One of the better ones in the league, actually. 

They've got the third worst record in the league right now and we have good reason to think they might stay there.  But we have some reason to think they could also creep up in the standings if they can stay healthy. 

But yes, the "if they can stay healthy" thing is a big "if" since they're riding their starters so hard and their key player -- without whom they'd be just as bad as the Lakers -- has some serious injury concerns in his past.

Every time somebody mentions that the Nets don't completely and totally suck, it's not a challenge to the manhood of everybody who predicted they'd hand us a top 5 pick this year.  It's not a suggestion that the Nets are actually, on the whole, a good team. 

But you've gotta admit the manner in which they've gotten to their current record of 8-21 is markedly different from how the Lakers and Sixers have played this year.  If you go by point differential, they're in a tier above those bottom two, along with the Bucks, Nuggets, and Pelicans (and the Wizards aren't so far off, either).

Hopefully they will continue to have not-quite-enough.  They could play at the same pace as some of the teams ahead of them in the standings that I just mentioned, and their horrendous start to the season would ensure they end up in the bottom 5 records. 

Let's just hope they don't go on a run in the second half of the season the way they did the last couple of years.  I think the lack of depth probably more or less ensures they won't.  I hope I'm not wrong.

This assumes that the Pelicans, the Nuggets, T-wolves and the Blazers are all as bad as the Nets. The Celtics also blew the Nets out the first time they've met. Their bad defense, combined with their lack of depth and three point shooting ensures that they'll be around the bottom three to the bottom five.

[jmen788]

Based on the Nets performance since their horrible start, and their schedule the rest of the year... I think that they are unfortunately likely get to 28-30 wins... maybe 25 if we get lucky.

[Eddie20]

Harping on how terrible no-good downright awful the Nets are is a little bit odd on a night when they went down to the last possession of overtime against a team that could very well win 50 games this year.  Not to mention that they killed the Celts pretty thoroughly in the half-court the last time the two teams played.

We've talked this team to death at this point.  Yes, their depth sucks.  Yes, Brook Lopez and Thad Young are a very solid starting frontcourt.  One of the better ones in the league, actually. 

They've got the third worst record in the league right now and we have good reason to think they might stay there.  But we have some reason to think they could also creep up in the standings if they can stay healthy. 

But yes, the "if they can stay healthy" thing is a big "if" since they're riding their starters so hard and their key player -- without whom they'd be just as bad as the Lakers -- has some serious injury concerns in his past.

Every time somebody mentions that the Nets don't completely and totally suck, it's not a challenge to the manhood of everybody who predicted they'd hand us a top 5 pick this year.  It's not a suggestion that the Nets are actually, on the whole, a good team. 

But you've gotta admit the manner in which they've gotten to their current record of 8-21 is markedly different from how the Lakers and Sixers have played this year.  If you go by point differential, they're in a tier above those bottom two, along with the Bucks, Nuggets, and Pelicans (and the Wizards aren't so far off, either).

Hopefully they will continue to have not-quite-enough.  They could play at the same pace as some of the teams ahead of them in the standings that I just mentioned, and their horrendous start to the season would ensure they end up in the bottom 5 records. 

Let's just hope they don't go on a run in the second half of the season the way they did the last couple of years.  I think the lack of depth probably more or less ensures they won't.  I hope I'm not wrong.

You really overrate Young, a numbers on a bad team guy, which in turn makes you think that the Nets are better than they're, and their record is somehow a mirage of sorts. Young is a decent player, not an all-star, and a player that wouldn't start at PF for half the teams in the league. That's really all he is.

[Granath]

Based on the Nets performance since their horrible start, and their schedule the rest of the year... I think that they are unfortunately likely get to 28-30 wins... maybe 25 if we get lucky.

Do not forget the Nets have a terrible schedule down the stretch. Starting in mid-Feb they play a whopping 18 out of 24 games on the road, including a 9 game West Coast swing.