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

[mef730]

What are potential teams next season that are going to challenge Brooklyn in the lottery next season? Which lottery teams are going to rise? Which are going to fall? Which playoff teams are set to crumble?
Philly adds a high lottery pick, probably not another big. Will be halfway bad.
LAL - same as this year.
Suns - bledsoe, Knight, Booker, and a high lottery pick - decent team.
Brooklyn - probably trades Brook and Young - totally bottom out for picks in drafts.
Twolves get better
N.O. - who knows
Chicago - might go into tank mode.

NO could be trouble, especially if Davis gets hurt at all.

I'm not convinced that Sacramento is going to hold up.
I'm also still concerned about Phoenix.

Milwaukee and Orlando could go either way. I bought into the latter for this season, so I'm gun-shy about labeling them a "rising young team."

I think Denver and Minny are over the hump and on the way up.

Potential Tankers: Possibly Chicago and Washington. Dark Horses: Indy and Atlanta. The latter has a few very good players >30 who could easily be sent to contenders.

Mike

[nickagneta]

I think you have to look at the young teams at being bad once again. Philly, Phoenix, Lakers, Minny, Kings(especially if they trade DMC) are all going to be in the bottom 7-8 teams. Nets too. If Melo is hurt long term, the Knicks will be there and probably Denver as I see them continuing a youth movement by trading players like Gallo and Faried.

Then there is going to be a ton of teams in the mediocre area like the Pistons, Bulls, Pacers, Magic, Bucks, Wizards, Pelicans, Mavs, Jazz, and Rockets. I guess one of the mediocre teams could fall into the deep lottery and one of the teams I see there could move up, but I think these teams are what will make up the bottom half of the league next year.

I just don't see a lot of movement. I don't see any major difference making rookies pushing teams higher. I don't see any difference making free agents joining these bad teams and making them better, and I don't see the youth on these teams developing to the point where they make their team catapult up the standings by 10-15 games and getting out of these tiers of bad and mediocre teams.

[Atzar]

What are potential teams next season that are going to challenge Brooklyn in the lottery next season? Which lottery teams are going to rise? Which are going to fall? Which playoff teams are set to crumble?
Philly adds a high lottery pick, probably not another big. Will be halfway bad.
LAL - same as this year.
Suns - bledsoe, Knight, Booker, and a high lottery pick - decent team.
Brooklyn - probably trades Brook and Young - totally bottom out for picks in drafts.
Twolves get better
N.O. - who knows
Chicago - might go into tank mode.

NO could be trouble, especially if Davis gets hurt at all.

I'm not convinced that Sacramento is going to hold up.
I'm also still concerned about Phoenix.

Milwaukee and Orlando could go either way. I bought into the latter for this season, so I'm gun-shy about labeling them a "rising young team."

I think Denver and Minny are over the hump and on the way up.

Potential Tankers: Possibly Chicago and Washington. Dark Horses: Indy and Atlanta. The latter has a few very good players >30 who could easily be sent to contenders.

Mike

Agree with most of this, though I think Phoenix will rise out of the basement just by being healthy next year.  I also don't think Milwaukee is a big risk to flop.  IMHO they are in no man's land with that current roster - not enough talent to become a contender, but too much to bottom out.   

I'd also toss NY in your 'potential tankers' category.  I think it makes a lot of sense for them to sell Melo for assets and try to build for the future.  They don't have many future assets aside from Porzingis, but they also aren't winning anything now and they don't project to have enough cap space to do anything about it.  Might as well bite the bullet.

[Denis998]

Lots of good observations here, It seems like some teams will look to tank depending what they do with their players. does NY trade melo? Does Wash let Beal go in FA? Does Chicago realize they are headed nowhere and choose to dig through no man's land all the way to the bottom? Houston looks like a team that depends on Howard for their success.

[nickagneta]

I saw it mentioned twice that NY might decide to try to trade Melo. Know that Camelo has a no trade clause and he and his wife, who has a very big say in where she wants to live with her husband, love NYC and most probably will turn down trade offers unless they are to the perfect liking of Melo's desires as to who and where he will play and where Melo's wife will live.

I happen to think Anthony being traded is a rather remote possibility. I do not see that happening.

[mef730]

I saw it mentioned twice that NY might decide to try to trade Melo. Know that Camelo has a no trade clause and he and his wife, who has a very big say in where she wants to live with her husband, love NYC and most probably will turn down trade offers unless they are to the perfect liking of Melo's desires as to who and where he will play and where Melo's wife will live.

I happen to think Anthony being traded is a rather remote possibility. I do not see that happening.

Well, there's an obvious solution that will allow them to trade him but let him stay in NYC: Say, Lopez, Young and their 2020 first?

Mike

[jambr380]

I don't see a drop off from the younger teams who aren't succeeding this year. They may not be playoff contenders, but they should be able to continue to make slight improvements. Several teams (us included) made solid progress due to a well-balanced roster; as these younger players develop, their teams should also. Even Philly and LAL should be better off next year.

I wonder about the teams hinging on one superstar - Hou, NY, Chi, Was, Sac, NO. These are teams that genuinely tried hard to make a push this year, but ultimately failed. If any of these teams trade their star or he gets injured, then they are toast as they have little other developing talent surrounding them.

Brooklyn could easily be the worst team next year if they trade off Lopez.

I think it will be an interesting off-season; who is going to overspend and who is going to trust in what they are currently doing?

[Quetzalcoatl]

I think Conley or someone like that will sign in NYK and Melo won't leave.  They really need a PG and could be decent if they upgrade there.  I don't think they care about a championship. 

[celticsclay]

The Suns actually have a real chance of catching the Nets by the way. George Karl has announced he is resting Cousins in road games (seems like pretty blatant tank). The suns get them at home. The suns also play the pelicans who are trodding out a 76ers level lineup right now. It is tougher to see the Nets winning remaining games with no Thad or Lopez and not facing teams that are as bad as the Kings and pelicans.

[PhoSita]

Minnesota will be an interesting team to watch heading into next season.  Young bad teams tend to stay bad, it's true, and the T-Wolves are still going to be very young next season.

That said, the Rubio - Lavine - Wiggins - Towns - Dieng lineup has been one of the better 5 man units this season in terms of point differential (among units getting significant minutes).

So perhaps if they can add some more reliable pieces to the bench and hire a coach who knows what he's doing, they can make a run at a winning record.

[Quetzalcoatl]

The Suns are looking like they really want to win this game, as are the refs.  I think they might pull through and tie the Nets.  If they don't, Houston will stay neck and neck with Dallas, but obviously my dream is that 3 spot.

This thread has 125,000 views, too!  That's crazy

[KG Living Legend]

 Suns down 3 with 3 minutes to go. 110 to 107

[KG Living Legend]

Down 1 now.

[The Rondo Show]

This kills Dallas pick but huge for Brooklyn pick. Hilarious loss for Houston

[CelticSooner]

Looking like PHX is going to win. Very good for the Brooklyn pick but the death knell to the Dallas pick. It's all good tho