We wont trade the Nets picks back to the Nets for Brooke Lopez, right?

[Donoghus]

Desperation is a stinky cologne.  No way is Boston giving those picks back for Lopez.  Wishful thinking by Nets there.

[Evantime34]

I just don't see it. He doesn't fit how the Celtics want to play and what they want to do on the court.

On the other hand, doing so would probably make them much worse next year and the year after while the draft pick developed. What are the chances a draft pick will produce more than Lopez in his first two years?

Ideally Lopez will play well enough that the Nets will send him somewhere else for a pick that makes them worse this year and the two years after that

[PhoSita]

It's a Nets fan's fantasy.

Of course the Nets want their picks back.  Notice they made it plural, like we'd trade them 3 1st round picks for Brook Lopez.

The problem is, Brook Lopez is NOT the big man the Celts are looking for.  He doesn't really fit what they're trying to do.  He's certainly not worth three 1sts.


I think it'll be very hard to find a trade target that is worth trading the 2016 Nets pick, let alone more than one of the Nets picks.

Nerlens Noel or Demarcus Cousins are the only ones that come to mind.  I'd be surprised if either is traded this season.

[TA9]

I wouldn't even give them one of our their picks let alone 3
I don't think that Brook is "the player" that is going to turn this team into a championship contender, and surely all of his injuries are a huge knock on his value, hence that he isn't worth the 3 picks that we got from the Nets.

[JohnBoy65]

Would you guys do this: Young/Zeller + Next years BOS 1st for Lopez?

We give up some decent pieces, and our first next year, but it helps our Brooklyn pick this year. I Think I'd do that

[BitterJim]

Would you guys do this: Young/Zeller + Next years BOS 1st for Lopez?

We give up some decent pieces, and our first next year, but it helps our Brooklyn pick this year. I Think I'd do that

That would lose us the right to swap with them, so no

[jpotter33]

It's a Nets fan's fantasy.

Of course the Nets want their picks back.  Notice they made it plural, like we'd trade them 3 1st round picks for Brook Lopez.

The problem is, Brook Lopez is NOT the big man the Celts are looking for.  He doesn't really fit what they're trying to do.  He's certainly not worth three 1sts.


I think it'll be very hard to find a trade target that is worth trading the 2016 Nets pick, let alone more than one of the Nets picks.

Nerlens Noel or Demarcus Cousins are the only ones that come to mind.  I'd be surprised if either is traded this season.

Cousins for sure. However, if that is looking like a top-5 pick and Philly wants Smart AND the Brooklyn pick, I'm probably saying no to that, especially after watching Noel several games this preseason.

[Fafnir]

I don't think we'd make that deal. Brook just hasn't been good enough to give up the upside of those picks.

[wdleehi]

If the Nets are suffering and the Celtics are going good, I would trade the Celtics pick for him, not the Nets pick. 



Then it is double dipping off the Nets.  Get their best player while helping to tank their record which helps the Celtics. 



Of course this is the Celtic's fan dream. 

[PhoSita]

It's a Nets fan's fantasy.

Of course the Nets want their picks back.  Notice they made it plural, like we'd trade them 3 1st round picks for Brook Lopez.

The problem is, Brook Lopez is NOT the big man the Celts are looking for.  He doesn't really fit what they're trying to do.  He's certainly not worth three 1sts.


I think it'll be very hard to find a trade target that is worth trading the 2016 Nets pick, let alone more than one of the Nets picks.

Nerlens Noel or Demarcus Cousins are the only ones that come to mind.  I'd be surprised if either is traded this season.

Cousins for sure. However, if that is looking like a top-5 pick and Philly wants Smart AND the Brooklyn pick, I'm probably saying no to that, especially after watching Noel several games this preseason.

I would absolutely not trade Smart AND the Nets pick.  I'd probably consider trading the Nets pick and another pick along with, say, Sullinger or Olynyk, or one of the rookies, for Noel.

I'd want to wait until we already know where the Nets pick is slotted before making that trade, though.  I'd feel less comfortable trading away the Nets' pick mid-season if there's a good chance it could turn into a top 3 pick in this upcoming draft.

Noel is a very nice prospect, and I'd love to have him and Smart as the nucleus of a defensive-oriented young team, but I wouldn't want to give up a shot at, say, Ben Simmons, Dragan Bender, or Skal Labissiere to get him.

[snively]

I think I'd give them their 2017 swap rights or 2018 pick back for Lopez. This year's pick stays.

Without Lopez, they'd be in pretty rough shape... and might even live up to the bottom 10 projections.   So I could see the logic in moving 2018 + the 2017 pick swap for Lopez.   He looked good the second half of last season... 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks on 53% shooting and 82% from the line.  I still don't think Brooklyn will be as bad as people think.

They "might" live up to bottom 10 without Lopez?

Brook isn't all that special, but they've got Bargnani, T-Rob and a D-league rook behind him.  They wouldn't win 20 games without Brook.

[celticsclay]

I think I'd give them their 2017 swap rights or 2018 pick back for Lopez. This year's pick stays.

Without Lopez, they'd be in pretty rough shape... and might even live up to the bottom 10 projections.   So I could see the logic in moving 2018 + the 2017 pick swap for Lopez.   He looked good the second half of last season... 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks on 53% shooting and 82% from the line.  I still don't think Brooklyn will be as bad as people think.

They "might" live up to bottom 10 without Lopez?

Brook isn't all that special, but they've got Bargnani, T-Rob and a D-league rook behind him.  They wouldn't win 20 games without Brook.

really approaching trolling with that post larbrd

[LarBrd33]

I think I'd give them their 2017 swap rights or 2018 pick back for Lopez. This year's pick stays.

Without Lopez, they'd be in pretty rough shape... and might even live up to the bottom 10 projections.   So I could see the logic in moving 2018 + the 2017 pick swap for Lopez.   He looked good the second half of last season... 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks on 53% shooting and 82% from the line.  I still don't think Brooklyn will be as bad as people think.

I'm just struggling to think of 3, let alone 5 teams that will be worse than Brooklyn in the East? Philly, Magic and maybe New York...?  I mean I'd take a team with Afflalo, Calderon, Carmelo, Robin Lopez and Porzingris over Brook Lopez, Thad Young and Joe Johnson...
Who are the Nets currently better than?

I'm either entirely thick or missing something.   Aside from Deron Williams (who most admit is borderline washed up), how is this team different than the one that finished the season?  Plumlee was down to 13 minutes per game during the final month and 8mpg during the playoffs... so him leaving isn't the reason, is it?

Brooklyn was a poorly coached team.  Brook Lopez spent half the season coming off the bench.  Over the second half, he averaged 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks on 53% shooting and 82% from the line.  They had Thad Young for 28 games and he avearged 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals... Joe Johnson was still an effective 14.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists... in the playoffs he averaged 17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal.

Brooklyn finished the season 13-6.    They looked good.   But now everyone says they will be the worst team in the league?    I get that they lost Deron and Jarret Jack isn't the world's greatest PG.   I get that the addition of Bargnani isn't anything to be concerned about (though he averaged 16.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1 block on 46%/37%/83% shooting over the second half of the season) ...  but why am I the only person who thinks a team that has made the playoffs 4 years in a row and has literally nothing to lose probably isn't going to be the worst team in the league?

I still think everyone's projections are contingent on the idea that Lopez re-injures himself.  Everyone acts like it's a foregone conclusion. 

[snively]

The time to pursue this strategy was when we had cap space. We decided to rent David Lee and Amir Johnson instead.

Now we wait for Brook to continue to have less of an impact than his numbers indicate or succumb to another right foot injury.

[snively]

I think I'd give them their 2017 swap rights or 2018 pick back for Lopez. This year's pick stays.

Without Lopez, they'd be in pretty rough shape... and might even live up to the bottom 10 projections.   So I could see the logic in moving 2018 + the 2017 pick swap for Lopez.   He looked good the second half of last season... 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks on 53% shooting and 82% from the line.  I still don't think Brooklyn will be as bad as people think.

I'm just struggling to think of 3, let alone 5 teams that will be worse than Brooklyn in the East? Philly, Magic and maybe New York...?  I mean I'd take a team with Afflalo, Calderon, Carmelo, Robin Lopez and Porzingris over Brook Lopez, Thad Young and Joe Johnson...
Who are the Nets currently better than?

I'm either entirely thick or missing something.   Aside from Deron Williams (who most admit is borderline washed up), how is this team different than the one that finished the season?  Plumlee was down to 13 minutes per game during the final month and 8mpg during the playoffs... so him leaving isn't the reason, is it?

Brooklyn was a poorly coached team.  Brook Lopez spent half the season coming off the bench.  Over the second half, he averaged 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks on 53% shooting and 82% from the line.  They had Thad Young for 28 games and he avearged 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals... Joe Johnson was still an effective 14.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists... in the playoffs he averaged 17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal.

Brooklyn finished the season 13-6.    They looked good.   But now everyone says they will be the worst team in the league?    I get that they lost Deron and Jarret Jack isn't the world's greatest PG.   I get that the addition of Bargnani isn't anything to be concerned about (though he averaged 16.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1 block on 46%/37%/83% shooting over the second half of the season) ...  but why am I the only person who thinks a team that has made the playoffs 4 years in a row and has literally nothing to lose probably isn't going to be the worst team in the league?

I still think everyone's projections are contingent on the idea that Lopez re-injures himself.  Everyone acts like it's a foregone conclusion. 

1. Deron Williams was nowhere near as good as he used to be, but he was still arguably their best player (his 14-15 real plus-minus was the best on the team by a substantial margin).

2. Jarrett Jack is taking Deron Williams minutes and he's an advanced stat nightmare. The Nets were awful with him on the floor (as the Cavs were the year before).

3. Shane Larkin is taking Jack's minutes and he's even worse than Jack! What the Nets did to their PG position is the equivalent of the Hawks replacing Jeff Teague with Raymond Felton and Phil Pressey.

4. Joe Johnson is one more year older and ended the last season looking like a scrub.

5. Their 13-6 record came against crap competition (they lost their 3 road games against playoff teams by an average of 27 points during that stretch) and a big part of their success was Deron Williams' ability to get Brook Lopez easy shots in pick and roll (something Jack failed to do all season) and stretch the floor (something that neither Jack nor Larkin can do).

6. They replaced their weak back-up bigs (Teletovic, Plumlee, Jefferson) with horrific ones: Bargnani and T-Rob were horror shows last year.