CelticsBlog Challenge - Fix the Nets

[snively]

I just have this feeling the Nets will sign Demar Derozan next summer.  Sell him on taking over the role Joe Johnson has played there.  They'll market him as the long-awaited successor to Vince Carter, but he's really more like Richard Jefferson.

Then they'll probably sign a few lesser FAs to fill out the roster.  Example -- Jennings, former Net Courtney Lee, Marvin Williams, mostly-washed-up Nene, not-totally-washed-up Ray Felton.


Jennings, Bogdanovic, Derozan, Young, Lopez

Bench: Felton, Lee, RHJ, Marvin, Nene, Robinson, Ellington


For any Nets fans remaining after this season, that's probably the best case scenario.

Pretty tall order getting Jennings, DeRozan, Nene, Lee and Marvin with $40 mil. DeRozan would want the full max from a team like Brooklyn. That's $25 mil. That leaves $15 mil. That might get you Jennings and Lee or Marvin, but most likely just Jennings and some smaller signings.

With so many big needs (basically, they need new 30mpg level players at PG, SG and SF, and quality back-ups at PG and C and probably PF), and so little appeal to big names (would you want to join a 20 win team with the worst future in the NBA?), I'm think they'll be forced to divide their money between low-end free agents as the 2010 Nets did with Farmar, Morrow, Outlaw and Petro (incidentally, the same types of players they will be looking for in 2016).

I'm thinking something like a Jennings,OJ Mayo, Jeff Green and Mo Speights type haul.

[ssspence]

Step one would be to get rid of Billy King. Rebuilding without picks takes careful, shrewd decision-making... not a clown. 

Snively, is Billy Kingmaker your blog?

[fairweatherfan]

Step 1: Learn humility and the value of long-term thinking by finishing with the league's worst record 3 years in a row.  Win the lottery all 3 times to really drive home the lesson.

Step 2: Observe winning habits by attending the Celtics' championship parade.  Repeat as necessary.

Step 3: Acquire proven talent with championship pedigree.  Trade for David Lee, Kelly Olynyk, and Avery Bradley.  Maximize return by only giving up a bad contract, some scrubs, and 3 unprotected 1st round picks.

[snively]

Step one would be to get rid of Billy King. Rebuilding without picks takes careful, shrewd decision-making... not a clown. 

Snively, is Billy Kingmaker your blog?

The blatant self-promotion gave it away?

[max215]

Trade anyone you can for picks and young guys. Bring in a strong player development coach so you can achieve some Robert Covington-like successes.

[Fafnir]

Trade anyone you can for picks and young guys. Bring in a strong player development coach so you can achieve some Robert Covington-like successes.

signing lots of high upside guys with your roster spots seems to be the one way forward now. Because they aren't going to win and don't have their picks, use the time/roster productively while trying to sign good FAs...

[PhoSita]

Pretty tall order getting Jennings, DeRozan, Nene, Lee and Marvin with $40 mil. DeRozan would want the full max from a team like Brooklyn. That's $25 mil. That leaves $15 mil. That might get you Jennings and Lee or Marvin, but most likely just Jennings and some smaller signings.

You might be right, but I still think they'll go after at least one big signing like that, even though it'll just be a guy who's not really a star, like Derozan.

After that, they'll go after one or two lesser guys (e.g. Jennings, Lee), and then just look at minimum contracts for D-Leaguers / veterans.


They're not completely devoid of guys who can give them minutes already on the roster.  Bogdanovic is a decent shooter to have on your bench.  I think Thomas Robinson is fine.  RHJ and McCullough might give them something.

That's why I said in my first post that they should use this season to conduct D-League tryouts on their roster to find one or two guys who can give them 10-15 minutes a night and provide at least one NBA-level skill.  Then buy up some 2nd round picks in the draft and try to find one or two more guys who fit that profile. 


If they follow that plan, they'll end up with a team of second and third tier veterans who they will need to lean on very heavily in order to get to 40 wins or so on the season.  But it'll be doable.

This is the reason I think this year is so important as far as getting a top pick out of the Nets.  Next summer and the summer after, they'll have cap space to acquire rotation pieces that can keep them respectable.  I think they'll once again be in the 35-45 win range after this year.  Unless Brook suffers more long term foot problems.  Then things could get really exciting for the Celts.

[Fafnir]

Then things could get really exciting for the Celts.

This year is already super exciting. Tankers and Koolaid drinkers can already unite for a playoff run and lottery balls. 

Its going to be such a peaceful season as a result right?

Right?

RIGHT?

 

[konkmv]

I think the nets will blow it up.... sell lopez and young for picks....(probably at the 15-20range)and create a core of 3-4 youngsters to get ready for th 2019 draft... it would be fullish from them  not to have top picks at 2019 and 2020... but they will be lousy...

[Lucky17]

This idea of trading Brook Lopez for a 1st round pick: what other GM, besides Billy King, would be willing to do this?

[PhoSita]

Then things could get really exciting for the Celts.

This year is already super exciting. Tankers and Koolaid drinkers can already unite for a playoff run and lottery balls. 

Its going to be such a peaceful season as a result right?

Right?

RIGHT?

 

[Vermont Green]

How about a trade with the Knicks:

Brook Lopez

for

Robin Lopez and Prozingis

Then trade us Porzingis for their #1 this year back to them.

Then tank

I know this is not realistic but the Nets are screwed.

[GC003332]

This requeries some serious thought, can I think about it for a few years and give you an answer in July of 2018.
As of right now maybe they can bring over some Russian gymnasts, ballerinas & cheerleaders for some additional half time entertainment

[mmmmm]

From a Net's perspective:  There is probably no possible way they will resume contention within Brook Lopez' contract horizon.   It doesn't make sense to try to 'build around' him because they have no tools with which to build.  So I'd try to unload him.

I would wait for the next period of time where Lopez has looked reasonably healthy for two weeks and then trade him for whatever first round draft pick package I can get.  Yes, I'd probably have to take on some matching crap salary in the form of a bad contract or two.  But that's okay.  You simply endure that salary for the same reason we took on Gerald Wallace' contract:  For the picks.

I would punt on trying to "compete so as to devalue the 2016-17-18 picks".  That ship has sailed and those picks shouldn't matter to me anymore.   Whether the Nets are 'good' or not during that timespan doesn't matter.  It's all about replacing my lost picks with _any_ picks and gathering low-cost, long-term control assets.

I would basically follow Danny's rebuild strategy of looking after every possible value transaction to assemble a broad set of solid-floor assets with the hope that a few will develop into  modest-to-high ceiling prospects.

A key thing that would have to be done in order to get past the time-horizon of any bad contracts I had to take on, and to get past the draft-pick-wasteland, is to try to flip young assets for slightly younger assets in a year or two in order to extend the control horizon, without having to pay second-contract money yet.

[Redz]

Don't you all go giving them any good ideas!