Can Twin Towers Work for the Nets?

Yi, go! All star PF.

It could be a success. Outside of the jumper, they have different roles. Yi is a work-to-the-basket type player, and Lopez is a developing post-up player.

If you are going to try to emulate a team might as well emulate the best.

Lets try to be the best, not like all the rest.

Lets go Nets…

There is a split in the front office on Yi. “Highest levels” is code for Rod Thorn.

With Rod Thorn’s history with power forwards, maybe we differ to Kiki… For a little while, anyway…

You can’t go wrong with the big men . In my prediction, BL and Yi are going to develop a powerful offense, if coaching staffs allow big men development.

Personaly I love playing big To me small ball obviously didn’t work. I was never a big fan of Yi but the team does look much better with 2 seven footers on the floor.

Twin Towers?

You mean twin sisters.

Last time I checked…Twin Towers.. It was the Admiral David Robinson and Tim Duncan… What a joke……

Yi is getting tougher and another year without major injury he would be tough to deal. He has some muscle now.
Brook on the other hand is till soft. If we can get Ewing to coach him he will improve tremendously. Right now he lacks the skill of Ewing post move like a simple fade away shots. I think he can emulate that. right now he cannot use his body efficiently to create a little separation. He hasn’t developed yet to be an effective banger. I believe about 10 pounds of muscle and learn a little fake turn and quick counter turn would solidify his game.

NI—
Indeed. I view this season as a bet between Thorn and Kiki: if Yi plays well and the other kids justify being played, then Thorn is gone. If the Nets go 12-70, Kiki is gone. I don’t see any other way to interpret Kiki being put in as coach. Thorn must have been saying “it’s all on you now.”

Oh stop with this Ewing stuff. Ewing has nothing with Howard. Does Howard have any post moves? Does Howard have a shot beyond five feet? He is the same player, just more experienced.

It’s also an insult to Roy Rogers and what he has done with Lopez.

improved Yi is good

go nets!!!

@calling all toasters
I don’t think Kiki comes back. Kiki has not met Prokhorov. Thorn threw him under the bus with the coaching change.

But if Yi continues his development, Kiki’s moves are going to look very good. If the Nets get ANYTHING of value for Simmons, that trade becomes a big success. He pushed for Lopez, Anderson and CDR. TWill doesn’t look like a great pick (although you will recall how much he liked Casspi).

NI

I agree. This obsession with getting Ewing to coach lopez is out of hand. Dwight Howard was a cant miss prospect. He came in the league with the ability to physical dominate and that’s what he does. I don’t see anything Ewing has done to change his abilities as an offensive player.

Brook needs to get in the gym, work hard on a go to move and a counter. He needs to dedicate himself to the weight room and he has to become a film buff because right now his game is lacking in the IQ department.

How good Lopez becomes is up to him and how willing he is to put in the necessary work.

All star Twin Towers
go!

NI

I’m not giving up on T-Will yet. He has the athletic ability to make every play in the game and he seems to be a willing passer with a decent IQ. His jump shot needs work but he has the size, athletic ability and form to become a consistent mid-range shooter.

That being said, how’d did this team go into this season without a backup PF? They completely ignored it. I really though Hansbrough was the correct selection there. He brought attitude and toughness to a team that desperately lacks both. When they chose Williams I actually thought they would open the checkbook and sign someone. Stupid me.

Whether Yi is destined to be an All Star, an average starter, or a backup should not have much effect on the Nets offseason plans. The team needs both quality and quantity in the front court. No matter what pick they end up with, they almost certainly should use it on the best available power forward.

Both Yi and brook need to put on muscle. and YI has a ways to go on basketball iq and fludiy, but he is scoring amazingly and i am so excited for him. Brook also needs to work on both but he is not as lacking as Yi in those departmemts.

I really like that the Nets didn’t go “smallball” vs Knicks in crunch time like they normally would with Frank as coach.

Also, Dave D. need to let up with Yi, I know it’s easier to write controversial articles, but enough already. We know his defense need improvement, but to focus on Yi’s assists???

i’m looking forward to the new GM, whoever it may be. i was never hot about the TWill pick, but i’m not gonna completely write him off, yet. if he’s dedicated in developing a jumper and continues to improve shot selection, i think TWill will end up a solid pick. i wanted Hansbrough or DeJuan Blair, but neither one seems to be A/S material. 2009 was a tough draft. not even Brandon Jennings thought he’d be the steal of the draft!

If Yi is 7’ then Brook is 7’2"

How are they gonna get anything out of Simmons(’s contract)? Theyre just going to let him burn off

Hey guys,

I have highlights of Yi Jianlian in the Knicks game if anyone is interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV4oH1eooBY

I would like to see the Nets sign either Kareem or Hakeem as a Assistant coach to help Brook and Yi develop their post games. Kareem worked with Bynum, but lately he’s been gone. Kareem has always stated he wants to coach and basically with a bunch of young bigs on the Nets, Kareem would have a great opportunity to try and show what he can do as a coach or at least a assistant.

Just a few weeks ago, we had posters screaming “Yi sucks , don’t come back” I guess they really eat their words after these 4 games. I don’t think Yi is the savior but he sure can be a valuable asset of this team if he is used and handled properly. It’s quite obvious that Frank didn’t do a good enough job in that department. Yes, the twin towers can coexist in this team. We do need a very skillful coach to make that work. Kiki desrves a lot of respect for taking up the job in this no-win, no-praise situation but he is not the man who can do it. He is better suited as GM or personnel manager. If this weapon —-the twin towers is developed into something that remotely resembles Robinson/Duncan or Gasol/Bynum, our Nets will be very competitive.

I remember Ed Stefanski mention Yi is only 6’10.

It took Jack Sikma to turn Yao Ming’s turnaround jumper into more money. We need coaches with the same physical ability and skillset. How about Tom Chambers for Yi Jianlian?

While Yi is playing the best b-ball of his career lately, he has a long way to go until he proves you can contend for a title with him as a starting PF.

@ Net Income

“Thorn threw him under the bus with the coaching change.”

I think it’s more like “you made your bed now sleep in it.” Your statement implies Kiki didn’t deserve to coach this mess even thou according to you it mostly consists of players Kiki brought in. If Kiki “pushed” for Lopez, Anderson & CDR then who did Thorn want? Are you implying that Thorn didn’t want those players? It’s clear you don’t think Thorn wants Yi. Imo after Kidd wanted out and sale mode became a necessity, the trade of RJ was about reducing our long term commitment and getting back as much talent as possible. Thorn accomplished that and probably gave Kiki the test of getting the talent back for Jefferson. Thorn doesn’t care about Yi financially cuz he is a low cost player with some upside. As far as being thrown under the bus that’s what Kiki did to Frank and that’s why he is coaching. What will Kiki be judged on; the development of Yi or the overall performance of the team? If you were the owner who would you prefer Thorn or Kiki?

Talent wise, barring injuries and stamina these two are competitive against Gasol and Bynum. Betweeb Yi and Gasol, I think Gasol is 20 to 30 percent better. Between Bynum and Lopez< I think Lopez is 30 to 40 percent better. I think Olajuwon or the Admiral should be able to help these two.

Yi is not a starter. A 6th man at best. He is a liability as a starter going forward: that is, if we are building a competitive, high level team. This is a perfect season to trade him. Lopez has a lot of developing to do, but the stuff of a good player on both sides of the ball is evident; but, I think he needs a tougher player beside him, even a vet.

@ Snookie.

He is indeed 7’0. I met both him and Lopez last year. And Yi to me looked surprisingly huge. I’m 6’3, and he looked seriously like a foot taller than me. Height in the NBA is fiddled arouns recklessly. For example, I’m a legitimate 6’3 and Harris is definitely taller than me. I was also impressed that Najera doesn’t look big on court, but in fact, he almost looks as big as Lopez in real life.

Fwiw, I think the talk of Ewing coaching Lopez doesn’t come from his time in Orlando…it comes from his time in Houston when Van Gundy brought him in to work with Yao…

@Yao
You are so right.
If Toronto is concerned that Bosh would leave, wouldn’t Nets accept Yi (+expirings and draft pick(s)) for Bosh if a sign and trade were available. I guess Bosh would have to approve of trade, which could be a problem.

The best realistic outcome for 2010 is Lopez+DLee+Yi to play the 4/5. In that scenario Yi could still get 25 mpg.
Lopez and Lee could each play 35 min. If healthy, then no need for any other sub at 4/5. Lopez could burn out for playoffs if he continues playing 40 mpg.

Of course Nets fans would have to accept paying HIGH to get DLee, who has been fantastic for Knicks lately.
Bidding should start at 10-12 million and many teams will be interested.

BTW, the original Twin Towers were Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson. Ralph was 3 time college player of the year for my school, UVA. Unfortunately, Sampson had career ending injury.

@jerry25

Bosh wont’t leave.

I am doing an Association with the Nets in NBA 2k10. I fiddled around with some trades and at the end of the season, I signed Rudy Gay, Shaq and Joe Johnson, and drafted John Wall. I fiddled arouns with trades (inc. Devin Harris and some present and future picks), and at the beginning of the 2010 season, I ended up with the following team:

PG – John Wall
SG – Rudy Gay
SF – Kevin Durant
PF – Josh Smith
 C – Brook Lopez

1. Courtney Lee
2. Yi Janlian
3. Shaquille O’Neill
4. Terence Williams
5. Eddie Najera
6. Luke Ridnour
7. Josh Boone

+ CDR :)

@Carlos;

  Why go through all that trouble. All you had to do is fiddle
with the players attribute ratings.

  You can make SWAT greater then LeBron. LOL

Keyon Dooling is such a Class Act with his remarks at the bottom of the DD article.

Despite critics insisting that he will certainly be “bought-out” after this season, he still does everything on the court and off like a star player. Even if he WAS bought-out, he would leave with grace.

My prediction is that unless Nets draft Wall or there is urgency for more cap space because word gets to Proky that “LeBron is coming”, that Dooling will be back for another year. Dooling is simply the only pure PG on the Nets, so he is a Keeper for now.

When you’re building a championship team, which we are not at the moment, we want proven veterans with production. However, we would still like some young players with upside. Yi fit that description.

People seem to be confused to what the Nets are. We’re a team rebuilding as our young players improve. Yi fit in that plan.

Not sure what we accomplish by saying, “Yi isn’t good enough for a championship team”. Adding by subtraction? He is a young player that’s improving, what more can you want? We definitely got more from the RJ trade than the Bucks.

@ Mike

Of course I could :P

@Carlos;

  I guess you didn’t want to “cheat”. LOL

  My girlfriends teenage son boosted the rating on Wilson Chandler in last years game, and would always take the Knicks and kick my butt, until I caught on.

  Her four sons and I can spend hours using the draft option
and then letting the computer play out the season and playoffs. For some reason we never get tired of it…

  A couple of years ago they left out the fantasy draft option and we were so upset.

The other part of the win over the Knicks that I haven’t seen mentioned is the defensive plays Dooling made to stop fast breaks (2) and steal the ball (3-4) along with his floor game.
He is a key member of this team, and at full speed he becomes cheap at 3mil.

@Jerry25
Agree and would love Bosh. Perfect fit. DLee is not as good a defender as I’d like and often gives up size. Yes, he is the rebounder we need. As to the future. The Nets have a crucial two years with drafts and cap space. Do you spend all your money on your own players or get players from outside. Yi is not the answer as a starter so big money should go elsewhere. Lee, too, may not be worth top dollar, but the Nets have more time with Lee as Yi has one more year then a decision.

@Mr. Big
Just as Stefanski was primarily responsible for the draft, so is Kiki. And Kiki’s track record is a lot better than Stefanski, who we now know is not a very good GM. Eddie Jordan is not a very good head coach either. If you read reports from last April, Thorn and his people were pissed off that Kiki was talking as if Thorn was going to retire. Also, Kiki pushed hardest internally for Frank to be fired, something Thorn did not want to do. Thorn demanded Kiki take the coaching job. The great irony is that if Yi continues to develop, no matter what the record is, Kiki’s coaching tenure will be a success.

@jerry25
Dooling has a $3.8 million contract next season with a $500,000 guarantee. The Nets must decide by June 30 whether to exercise the contract or buy him out. He has missed 23 games so far this season, due to surgery for an athritic hip joint…how many 29 year olds do you know have arthritis in their hip joint? He has a history of being injured. He has said he won’t be fully recovered til next season.

I think he is terrific, but I don’t think the Nets are going to give up 15% of their cap space, $3.8 million out of $24.9 million, to keep him, knowing that he is injury-prone. And by June 30, they are unlikely to know what their chances are in free agency so don’t expect them to say “we’ll keep him because we aren’t going to get a big free agent”.

For the record, in 2007, Yi was officially measured at 6’ 11" in bare feet, 7’ 0.25" in sneakers; in 2008, Lopez was officially measured at 6’ 11.25" in bare feet, 7’ 0.5" in sneakers in 2008. I guess it’s possible Lopez may have grown since then. CDR says he is has grown to 6’ 7.5".

And what is this stuff about bringing David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon to NJ to coach the bigs? Both are very much involved in their religious charities. Kareem is highly unlikely to leave LA. He is 63 years old by the way.

And please, someone give Roy Rogers credit for what he has done with Lopez. Just because you were an All-Star or Hall of Famer doesn’t mean you are going to be a great coach. History shows the opposite to be true.

How about David Lee at SF? Though he may get burnt on perimeter D, with proper intent and defensive coaching, I think he has the physical tools (though he does have prety short arms) to effectively match-up against the big small forwards like Lebron and Carmelo. I’m not saying he’d shut them down or anything, but his feet are quicker than a player like Bobby Simmons and his outside game is developing quite nicely this season.

Harris, CDR, David Lee, Yi Jianlian and Brook Lopez.

I mean, if we’re going to emulate LA, who has a quick-handed, defensive, 6-7 260 lb SF, why not an athletic 6-9 250 lb rebounding stud with a developing outside shot and the tools, albeit some short arms to play defense?

How do you know that T-Will was a bad pick? It’s January 1st for god’s sake!! LMAO

@dirt
lee is 6’9" in shoes with a 7’ wingspan according to draftexpress. No short arms. It seems he would be wasted if moved away from the rim considering how good a rebounder he is. Not to mention he is 26(ish) and would suddenly have to completely change the skill set he is using and developing if he were moved to sf. Im a big dave lee fan but he is a pf to me.

@jerry25, go ’Hoos, this will date me but Wally Walker was in my class

@Ispartan
I remember the name Wally Walker. He must have played with Bobby Stokes and Coach Terry Holland, to bring back memories.

How about Jeff Lamp, Ricky Stokes, Rick Carlisle, Othell Wilson, Jeff Jones and Olden Polynice? Those were the glory days when UVA was ranked #1 for 3 consecutive years.

However, I will never forget checking out behind Ralph Sampson at Kroger’s Supermarket around midnight. Ralph’s hands were so big that the dollar bill only covered 1/2 of his hand – maybe the biggest hands in NBA history, and he could probably jump higher on the backboard than Dwight Howard. I understand that Ralph was sentenced to a few months in prison for failure to pay child support.

Brook obbiously grew, he must be over 7’1" now. We drafted him at like 20 so its not crazy.

In all honesty Yi is probably 24-25.

David Lee at SF would never work. His jumper is improving, but i doubt it will ever be good enough for that to work.

Leave CDR at SF. His jump shot is wet. :)