we need to do somethin asap!!!

Yi for AK47? I’d do that.

no our salary cap would be completely destroyed…

Its easy to picture Kirelenko joining the Nets in 2011. Even if we are able to attract free agents this coming offseason and max out our cap space in the process, AK47 should not command more than the mid level exception, and if Prokhy is in charge, I doubt he would have a problem extending his fellow Russian an offer. However, in 2011 KMart also becomes a free agent and I think I would rather extend him an offer for the mid level.

I’ll take him without a doubt: athletic and defensive minded. And since his primary position is SF, maybe he can be a more realistic substitute for Lebron. And that leaves a bulk of our money going elsewhere….. Wade? hmmm

Kirilenko has one of the very worst contracts in the entire league. I wouldn’t take that albatross contract even if the Jazz gave us a pick to take that cancerous contract off their hands.

No thanks. Too big of a contract for a guy that won’t be our superstar. Even if we took that big chunk on, it would be impossible to move him down the line. Stay young like we’ve been doing.

Don’t get him now, he is way overpaid but his contract only lasts this season and next. In the summer of 2011 we should be able to sign him for a reasonable amount.

If we could get that knicks pick somehow AND keep our own… Wall and Monroe or Favors would be a beautiful thing

Well I think AK’s production troubles stem more from having to hang out the perimeter shooting jump shots. If he was in the paint blocking shots and getting easier baskets, I think his production would be very very nice. Besides he’s a guy that doesn’t need the ball in his hands to work, we already got two guys who need the ball a lot, Lopez and Harris. He sort of combines Yi’s outside shooting with SWAT’s shotblocking ability. Add to that his excellent passing skills and I think he would fit well

Wait, Net Income, you know a lot about this; if we trade for AK, how much cap space would we have next summer max?

Let’s face it, we could have trouble getting max contract guys, so a ton of cap space could serve us no purpose. But if we still have 10 million or something to sign a pretty good or a couple of good players, I think we’d still be fine

We have simmons to practically sit on the three point line the whole game, we don’t need somebody else doing it. Plus, knowing this coach of the year candidate, AK will be playing center for some ridiculous reason.

@Jb
well, Jb, the question is whether you think AK-47 and the Knicks pick is a smarter move than playing free agent roulette. If you think the big free agents are staying home, then a mid season trade in which the Nets send expiring contracts and the protected Warrior pick (or the Mavs pick) to the Jazz for AK-47 and the Knick pick might make sense. It would leave you with 1) two high lottery picks that could get you the overall #1 one way or another; 2) a solid player who as muwu says would work better in NJ than Utah; 3) $8 million in cap space to grab someone very good and 4) a very rich owner who can add cash sweeteners to Draft day deals.

It’s an interesting proposition, depending on how you see things.

If we can get the knicks pick then by all means make this trade. I mean, that pick combined with ours could be the top two picks of the draft. We don’t even have to pick with both of them, we could do draft day trades. Remember, young players and draft picks (and some homerism from Kevin Mchale) is how Boston got KG.

AK-47’s contract is awful and his production is not worth it.

@muwu
It’s risky, but I think it is more risky to think that the five or six big free agents—Lebron, DWade, Bosh, Johnson, and yes, Boozer—are all going on the circuit after the season to see who can offer them the best deal. I cannot see Wade leaving. I can see James leaving but I don’t think it’s likely. Bosh is certainly possible but I don’t believe he is a franchise changer like Wade and James are. Johnson…not now, not with the Hawks looking like a team of the future. Boozer will leave Utah, but how much is he going to command?

@ NI

Exactly. Bosh and Boozer are the only ones I see having new teams. And I don’t think we’d be the most attractive destination. But but but, if we have a high draft pick to play with, we don’t have to necessarily limit our selves to the free agent list. Plus we don’t immediately put ourselves in salary cap hell while our young players aren’t ready to win us a championship yet

I don’t think 2010 is gonna be the free agent grab bag the league wants us to think it’ll be. I think it’s getting blown out of proportion because it adds some intrigue to this season and, they’re hoping, increased viewership. I think we should have a back up plan, and if we were to get AK, our own (probable) top 3 pick AND the knicks first rounder that would be great. It’s not about the money for lebron… He would make plenty from endorsements, movies, etc., etc…. If we could have a core of:
Devin/Wall
CDR/Lee
AK-47/TWill
Favors or Monroe
Lopez,
I would think that would be worth taking a pay cut. And if not, we have a great team to run with and some money to give to second tier FA’s

Boozer is not worth the trouble, Bosh like you said can not help as much as the others, and I really don’t think LeBron, and Wade are going anywhere.
Trading for AK-47 seems like a smart move when you think about it, the Russian market (considering who our owner is now.), Franks small ball, our inability to guard perimeter bigs, our lack of depth/talent at PF, and AK’s ability to play PF, and his leadership skills (Russian team.). Then you get the knicks pick as well. Too easy if I was a GM, this would be done by the end of the day.

@Mr. Dollar Bills
Ah yes, but if you include the Knicks pick which the Jazz own, then that changes the calculus. I am not suggesting a straight AK-47 for Simmons/Alston/Battie combo. It would make no sense.

But take a look at the (small market) Jazz payroll. They need to reduce it. Yes, they lose Boozer at year’s end, but might they not want to re-sign him? He is averaging 18.3 and 11.0. He just turned 28. They may claim they dont like him, but he is critical to what they do.

And if you look at AK-47’s numbers this year, they’re pretty good. Are they worth $34.3 million over the next two years? Of course not. But if he get back to where he was three or four years ago, he’s a terrific all-around player. Always liked him…hated his contract.

The Jazz are absolutely not going to give up the Knicks pick. This makes no sense for them at all. That pick represents the only chance of Utah getting a true difference maker to possibly put them over the top in the west. The fact they are above the cap for the foreseeable future, and the fact that they are in Utah, means they will not get a great free agent. So they hope the pick will get them something special. Again, don’t waste any cap space on trading for Kirelenko. Wait one additional season and you can sign him outright for a third of what he is making now.

Uhh, by then he’d be old and we wouldn’t want to sign him. And yeah Frank’s small ball tendencies would mesh well with a combo forward like AK. And it would be hard to pry that knicks pick from them, but if they’re desperate enough to shed payroll, maybe we could do it. Maybe throw in a good young player to make it worth their while. We do have a slight overflow of wings. But if we do get Wall, what do we do with Harris? We can’t keep em both, we wouldn’t be able to maximize both of them unless one shifts to SG

@Chris2
They have a huge payroll in a small market. The Miller family’s big business is auto sales, which has been hurting for more than a year. Larry Miller, who ran the team, died last year. There are reasons why they would give it up.

@muwu
Wall will be 19 years old on Draft Day. Not a lot of 19 year olds get to start on day 1. And Wall to me can be a combo guard, a DWade type.

A guy who can play 3 and 4 and play defense???? Nah, why do we need that? Those are only are two biggest problems on the team – 3 and 4 and the lack of D. Why would Thorn give us someone who could fill those gaps – Yi or bust.

The only way you can justify this trade is if we get the Knick Pick. I would start with Simmons/ Boone/ and another throw in. But Only 8 mill to sign another FA… Who? I dunno where I stand… but it is not even a rumor. But nice to ponder.

This is the bright future some here have repeatedly posted about? Use the cap space for AK? We dumped RJ and VC for AK? Aahhhggghh!

He’s overrated.

Isn’t Kirilenko basically just an unathletic version of T-Will. Obviously a lot better in the short term, but whats the benefit to having him take away play time?

Kirilenko unathletic? Do you watch the Jazz play? He’s also 6’9"…three inches taller than TWill with a much longer wingspan.

As teams get close to the trade deadline, the reality of the 2010 free agency will start to become clear…and I will bet you the reality will look a less appealing than it does now. Lebron and Dwyane and Chris and Amare and Joe are all likely staying home. So, what do you do with the money? Overpay to show you didn’t waste a season, then hype who you pick up as a superstar in the making? You will see teams using their space to get decent players in trades.

I’m not saying the Nets should trade for Kirilenko, but I am saying don’t believe the hype that all the cap space guarantees a great player or two great players. It doesn’t. Everyone of those guys can make more money and play with better players than the Nets will have.

I never believed the Nets were reducing salary for a big run in 2010. I believe that was a side benefit…and a way to sell a really bad situation to the fans. The real reason was to reduce long term costs in anticipation of a sale. Ironically, the guy who wants to buy the team wouldn’t have cared. And if Prokhorov falls through, that salary cap space doesn’t matter.

Not sure why I wrote unathletic, meant less athletic, but yeah

I agree with Chris2. Unless we get Lebron or Amare I would prefer to hold the cap space, draft the best defensive PF and go from there. You never know who might become available. The year before the Celtics got KG or the Lakers got Gasol nobody could have foreseen their availability. Who knows maybe Duncan or Howard would want out. Even if we want to spend some of the cap space we should have enough to land a decent player and still have the space for a max contract. You have to be real careful about a max deal cuz it’s suicide if it blows up. Also if Proky is on board he probably would be willing to pay the tax for a winner so cap space restrictions would be less for us.