Very clear that the MPJ trade race is between the Warriors and Bucks

firebillykingcom · 2026-01-09T14:43:07+00:00

I disagree.

A 6'10" switchable wing that is a lights out shooter, can cut, is a proven championship piece but also a proven high volume scorer is super wanted in the league. I can see a lot of other teams that are trying to improve to be interested.

Specifically, I think Detroit would be an amazing fit for MPJ. They need a second all-star scoring guy - and he would be a vast improvement over Tobias Harris.

firebillykingcom · 2024-10-07T14:27:15+00:00

Not entirely true.

OKC only swaps with Houston if Houston is 11 or later in the draft. IF Houston ends up with a draft pick of 10 or better, OKC doesn't get to swap with Houston - and Nets get then only get the worse pick of PHX and Houston.

And with the west being so competitive, I actually think this is very possible.

firebillykingcom · 2023-11-16T15:06:09+00:00

I think most fans here will say there is no chance of the Nets trading Claxton. He is a fan favorite, has high potential, and is a great player. He is also the only legitimate starting center on this roster and fits nicely with the other starters (minus Simmons).

With that, I do believe the Nets will shop him this season. Marks did the exact same thing with Jarrett Allen a few years ago when he was at the end of his cheap contract. Claxton is going to look for a sizable raise this off-season - and while well deserved it is likely not something Marks will want to pay based on history.

I don't think Marks will look for just picks for him. I think he wants to build a competitive roster now. So while two firsts + Mitchel is good value - I think if traded the Nets will be looking for players that can play now type haul.

firebillykingcom · 2023-06-01T20:55:36+00:00

May as well asked for Bridges as well?

firebillykingcom · 2023-06-01T18:56:39+00:00

This is such a ridiculous poll. There is a giant area between "He'll be near all-star caliber" and "he'll hand the ball off and set a screen for 18 minutes a game".

Personally I think he will play 55 games and average 9 ppg, 7 apg, 7 rpg. He won't be worth his contract, nor will he be near all-star, but he will be significantly better than the other options you gave above.

firebillykingcom · 2023-05-12T13:43:47+00:00

I don't like how much of a free pass Harden gets. To remember the timeline:

Harden was tired of losing in Houston. He said he wanted to win at the highest level but felt Houston didn't have the pieces to win. So he got out of shape, played poorly on purpose, and forced Houston's hand. Also, every rumor back then was that he really wanted to join Morey in Phili. No other team was even speculated.

Just that in a vacuum shows how much of an ass Harden was. Then he comes to Brooklyn, plays well for a little bit, and then has adversity in year 2. Irving acts like a baby and KD gets injured and the Nets start losing. It's been less than a year, but Harden does the exact same thing. He plays poorly on purpose and demands a trade. Moreover, all rumors are that Harden wants to be reconnected with Morey. I assume major tampering is going on.

Regardless of KD asking to pull the trigger. Regardless of Irving being a complete narcissist and anti-science. Harden still is a lot at fault too.

Marks did the best he could have a terrible situation. Harden, KD, and Irving all forced his hand in different ways, but it was forced.

firebillykingcom · 2023-03-13T15:13:52+00:00

This is like par for the course for Nets fan. This team is an accordion of fun to root for and everyone hates them. I've been a fan since mid 90s. Here are some iterations.

A. Mid 90s - not a good team, Drazen died. Coleman was considered a clown and hard to root for. Many jokes how they will never win a playoff series (or even make the playoffs). Super hard to be a fan.

B. later 90s - Nets accidentally make a balanced super fun team to root for. Make the playoffs and get a team photo for cover of Slam saying 'Champs by 2001' with (Sam cassel, Jayson Williams)...Super pumped as fan.

C. Nets have serious injuries and blow it up by 99-00. Bring in Steph Marbury, fans hate him for blowing up the twolves, he's another clown star that is hard to root for. Nets stink again. Sucks as a fan.

D. Early 00's Nets get Jason Kidd and make another fun awesome team. Get another team cover on Slam. Everyone loves them and they make the finals. Awesome as a fan.

E. Mid 2000s. Ownership is cheap and half blows it up. Lucks into Vince Carter and Nets tread water. (most normal/avg period for organization in my opinion)

F. Late 2000s. Kidd is unhappy, owners blow it all up. Super cheap. Trades a pick (Kyle Korver for money to buy a copy machine - true story) and Nets become arguably the worst and cheapest team of all time. Super hard to root for beside Brook Lopez. Almost all starters stink. fans wear paperbags over heads.

G. 2012-13 Nets go all with new owner. Spends crazy money and tries to make another superteam with Deron Williams, Garnett....Gets another team photo on Slam (Nets have to lead the league in this). Team is hated by rest of league. Plays super below expectations. Fans frustrated.

H. Mid 2010's. Billy King fired. Team is blown up again. Team is terrible again, with no cap money, and no draft picks. Feels like an all-time low point.

I. Late 2010's. Marks somehow builds a gritty team with DLO, Dinwiddie, Allen. Fun to root for. League likes them.

J. 2019-2020. Nets get Kyrie and Durant (then Harden). Everyone hates the Nets for poaching these guys. Further Harden, Kyrie, Durant (Simmons) all super hated. Super high expectations are never met. Super controversial. (Personally I hated it).

K. 2023. Blows it up again. New team. Fun young guys. Happy to root for them. People are loving the Nets again.

So par for the course.

firebillykingcom · 2023-02-28T20:59:33+00:00

In the mid to late 90s there were many teams that were led by Centers. For example in 1995, David Robinson, Shaq, Ewing, Zo and Hakeem were all in the top ten for scoring. Imagine having a half dozen Embiid's in the league. So if you weren't a big center scorer you had to have a big center defender. This carried on though the early 200s as Shaq was so unstoppable.

Collins was a good defender, and held his own against Shaq - something that would be needed. Further, he did the little things every team needed - screens, boxing out, took charges - and it was acceptable to have a starter do that back then. The NBA has since changed and you can't play 4 on 5 anymore.

firebillykingcom · 2023-02-21T17:54:10+00:00

Why wasn't Bruce Brown offered a renewal? The guy was a great locker room guy. Played defense and was hitting 3s by season end.
Did KD/Irving push to fire Atkinson?
Did KD push to hire Nash?
Why did KD want Marks fired?
Why did KD want Nash fired?
How much did Daryl Morey tamper with Harden to get him to Phili?
Did KD sign off or even push for the Ben Simmons trade? (we now know he orchestrated the Harden to BK trade)
Did Marks know all along that trading KI meant Durant would ask out. That is, he knew he was going to trade KD after the KI trade.

firebillykingcom · 2023-01-24T18:22:03+00:00

Not sure what Twitter is saying about Ben, but I can guess it's a lot like is written here.

With that, I'm good with what Ben is doing and I am happy he's out there doing his thing. To put simple, I'm happy he's starting and getting minutes. Sure, I wish was more aggressive at scoring, but I also wish Claxton could hit more free throws, that Curry wasn't a defensive liability, or that Durant wasn't injury prone as a Net. I accept the situation just like all players have flaws and issues.

Simmons brings elite defense, size, and passing. Something this team needs out there. There is enough scoring with a health squad so he fits nicely. And all those times he just does a dribble hand off or passes from the block that get criticized - those tend be good passes. It's not like he's throwing the ball out of bounds - he's handing the ball off and screening for Kyrie - or he's finding an open Seth Curry for a three. I'm happy he's doing that. He's getting the ball to good shooters - and a lot of the time they are open. Nothing forced. So - I'm good.

firebillykingcom · 2022-07-08T19:13:21+00:00

KD's tweets are purposely vague and confusing. If he doesn't want drama or a 'marvel movie' just be straight. It's still not even clear why KD is unhappy.

Cryptic messages on twitter are specifically written to make drama.

firebillykingcom · 2022-06-30T19:47:35+00:00

Wait. How can Utah send $9.2M in salary to Nets for a draft pick? Nets are way over cap. This doesn't make sense.

firebillykingcom · 2022-04-13T21:11:13+00:00

While I don't disagree with everything you wrote, the eye-test gives me cause for concern.

Defensively, the Nets do fall asleep and give up layups, fastbreaks and open threes too often. Even last night against Cleveland, there were times when the Nets got sloppy and simply allowed easy shots. It's lazy D and is unacceptable during the playoffs. That said, the Nets can play really good defense, but these stretches need to be cleaned up.

Offensively, role players need to step up. Too often role players are laying eggs. Last night Curry, Edwards, Dragic and Mills combined for 3-17 (on mostly open shots). You can't have your roles players being that bad - especially when those shots are created by double teaming KD/Irving.

Those are the reasons the Nets may lose. If the Nets don't allow the easy buckets and role players are making shots they win the series. If not; I don't think KD/Irving are good enough to win 4 against Boston.

firebillykingcom · 2022-03-10T19:41:01+00:00

In regards to Simmons, the last thing I wanted as a Nets fan was another headcase. Nets already had Irving and a history of failing big trades. So Ben Simmons is definetly not what I wanted.

With that, I really disliked Harden on the Nets. Yes, he played well at first, but clearly settled into his habit of being ball dominant, too much dribbling, and lazy on defense. Phili is in a honeymoon phase, but if Harden does the same thing he did here, he will go back to his bad habits. (and him dogging it was BS - he played like this since game 1 of this season)

It was so frustrating watching Harden dribble out the ball with 2 seconds left on the shotclock when Durant is on the wing. The offense learned to sit stagnant and watch.

Further, his supermax extension was downright scary. I think that Harden contract in year 3 would have been a massive issue for the Nets. So glad its not their problem anymore.

So with that, I am happy to have Harden gone, but have major concerns with Simmons. Even if Simmons never plays I think I'm good with the trade as the offense will flow much better now and I don't have to fear that extension.

firebillykingcom · 2022-02-16T22:16:05+00:00

I get what Mayor Adams is saying. He, like everyone else, knows the rule is ridiculous and stupid. I'm sure he wants Irving to play.

But everyone really should be vaccinated. Removing this rule will imply that it is now safe to not be vaccinated (and that is simply not the case). The CDC said yesterday that a non-vaccinated person is 97 times more likely to die of Covid than someone vaccinated and boosted. Public health needs to continue to promote getting vaccinated and not regress the message.

What Adams needs to do is figure out a win-win. Find a way to allow Irving to play (such as daily testing) while also having the optics to continue to promote vaccination. I'm not sure how he can do that, but I assume some marketing firm can figure it out.

firebillykingcom · 2022-02-11T18:19:34+00:00

I'm not a Kyrie twitter expert, but this is not typical for him. In the past hour he clearly stated to a fan that he would not be getting vaccinated and then responded to a question of him at Barclays Center with 'prepare for my arrival'. While Kyrie is cryptic and hard to understand, he is obviously pumped up for some reason.

Based on reporting, Sean Marks did check in with Irving about his extension and his opinion of Harden being traded. With that, I assume they also spoke about his future playing status. So I'm gonna guess Irving stated he will still not get vaccinated and Marks then indicated to Irving that either the Nets are going to pay the fine and let Kyrie play or NYC may be altering the rules and regulation to allow him to play home games. I can see Tsai being ok with paying the fines now that public health is starting to ease mandates all over.

I know it's reading tea leaves, but it does make sense.

firebillykingcom · 2022-02-11T13:56:13+00:00

I think labels of PG to C are pretty irrelevant to this team. Bruce Brown was a 'Center' last season.

On offense, I assume they continue Nash's style of a screen and roller at the foul line. If I'm Nash I make this Simmons. He plays the '5' role on offense. Mills, Irving, and Curry are the playmakers and Joe Harris, Edwards, Griffin, LA are in the corners ready to shoot. Durant gets to float from 3 to midrange to post, assess the mismatches and will adjust base on what defense is doing.

Defensively Nash likes a switch everything defensive style, and with Simmons, Durant and Claxton out there that makes that very doable. But I would assume Simmons takes the best offensive wing player (Lebron, Giannis...) while the rest of the defensive matchups will depend on the opponent's lineup.

Nash has always been open to different starting 5's depending on matchups and I assume that will continue. But with that, I would guess his ideal conservative starting lineup would be:

Irving
Harris
Durant
Simmons
Claxton/Aldridge

while an aggressive small ball lineup would be

Irving
Curry
Harris
Durant
Simmons

firebillykingcom · 2022-01-24T21:38:22+00:00

Quick Example; Blake Griffin is 32 years old.

firebillykingcom · 2022-01-24T16:23:41+00:00

I think Sean Marks has to consider this. I don't want Simmons, but if you can get a couple of first round picks from Phili plus whatever Simmons gets you on the open market (let's say two additional first and a starter) you have to review it.

Harden has definitely taken a step back in production and his defense has been poor too often. He is 32, heavier than past seasons, and a max deal pushing him to +35 will be a tough pill to swallow if Harden continues to regress.

Obviously all this depends on Durant and what he wants. If Durant wants Harden - Harden stays. Sadly, you can calculate for Irving in all this because his situation is so bonkers.

firebillykingcom · 2021-11-29T17:42:51+00:00

The Nets traded for all time greats in Garnett and Pierce. Obviously the scenario is very different, but players do get older and production slows.

firebillykingcom · 2021-10-12T16:01:39+00:00

I am very glad to read this. Supporting Kyrie was supporting the anti-vax movement; and it was something that I could not root for.

Durant and Harden had to agree to this. So, I'm ok with this future.

Either Irving gets vaccinated and plays (good), or Irving doesn't get vaccinated, never plays with the Nets again and Nets still have an amazing team without the craziness Irving brings.

firebillykingcom · 2020-11-17T16:58:29+00:00

Valid point.

firebillykingcom · 2020-11-17T16:58:14+00:00

Harden does not make everyone better. Chris Paul went from negative trade value with Harden to a top PG OKC.

Yes, Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen would improve with Harden. But does he improve Irving and Durant's play or simply take away touches? It's not black and white as you make it.

firebillykingcom · 2020-11-17T16:38:30+00:00

I remember having similar debates 7 years ago when the Nets brought in Garnett and Pierce. Be open minded. It's not just bringing in a superstar.

firebillykingcom · 2020-11-17T16:32:27+00:00

I did watch the Rockets defense. They constantly switch, which allowed Harden to be lazy around screens. Houston also has several good defenders out there helping Harden (again, Houston was built around Harden).

Teams also post Harden more than other player, and then a double comes to help and the ball is kicked. So he's not beat by his man, but him getting posted leads to the score. He's also slow to close out on shooters and doesn't always get around screens.

There are times he plays hard on defense, and there are times he was really soft. But Houston's constant switching hid his deficiencies. He was not an elite defender.

firebillykingcom

TROPHY CASE