Well this was un-expected………

good its on a friday…im going. why 8pm? thats weird.

VC deserves a standing O!

sorry i guess i shouldve read it before asking…

LETS give him the standing O he deserves

he was a class act from day ONE

I will never forget your heroics VC………you were the man here and made us relevant again

cheers

This also means Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie will be facing their old teammates early. Will this be the Magic’s first game?

Atleast this way, the nets can come close to a sell out on opening night at home (because VC returns).

A win would be amazing against this new magic team @ the home opener.

It is Magic’s second game and we’ll meet VC at Orlando in two weeks as well.

It would be C.Lee guarding VC. Let’s see how good this kid is.

This is AWESOME!! VC on the home opener. I can’t wait. I’ll be there!

no national tv for us again

Hmm

Nets home opener or halloween parties at the bars.

Where should my money go?

I’ll probably decide a few weeks before.

we got a tough schedule

April is going to be exciting if we are in the playoff hunt…

Don’t be surprised if you see David Lee at starting PF for us. We could have the law firm of “Lee, Yi & Lee”. Ratner may need them for all the legal suits coming is way.

I don’t think D. Lee and Brook can play together. Lee mainly living off put backs and guard penetrations and Brook does the same except Brook has a jump shot. We need a PF who can shoot as well as post up, likes of Boozer, Amare, Bosh and yes even Yi if he comes back in one piece.

WOW KNICKS HAVE 5 games on espn we have NONE. they also have the cavs and knicks on espn. Nets suck

Espn won’t be broadcasting our games again…so I will have to watch all the games on internet AGAIN.I can’t remember the last time that I saw the Nets on tv here in Brazil

This will be one of the only sets of Nets tickets I buy this season.

I hope Vince gets a number by then. It will be tough to hide that part of his jersey with a basketball the entire game.

VC has 15

already being sold on NBASTORE.com on the Magic site.

Tough opening month to the season for this young Nets squad.

Opening like we did last year should be considered a success if not better than expected if they do so.

Lets see what marketing tricks Mr. Yormark pulls out of his hat to ensure the 1st game of the season isn’t the the most attended game.

Wonder if he likes this or not. Now he’s looking at only one really well attended game. Had Orlando not come in on opening night you figure there would have been a decent turn out on opening night since they start 0-0, then get a good turn out for when VC comes to town.

By Halloween 98% of this board will be calling for Frank’s head. I thought we would have made it til at least Thanksgiving.

Way to break in another rousing season at the IZOD, with a 26 point loss at the hands of VC’s new team. I’m excited

Lets not get carried away with V.C. In his four full seasons with the Nets, N.J. was a below .500 team. Enough said…

Trenton,

There is no way we are 0-0 on opening HOME night since we play our first game at Mini.

I don’t think our fans are that stupid to call for Frank’s head after two games. I hope not with this young team.

Mike,

It is not record that matters whn it comes to VC at least for me. He did what he could, carried us over the years but the most important thing was his character. He was never involved in public scandals, led a young team and didn’t give up on us. That is important.

We start the season either 2-8 or 3-7. Look at the schedule!
AND I think Orlando has done a great job this off season. It will be Orlando and The Cavs fighting it out to come out of the east to the finals. SHAQ (old superman) vs Howard (new superman) This season is going to ROCK…(where WE should be playing…THE ROCK!)

We need to start a campaign to boo him every time he touches the ball for the first few touches as a joke.

kool nets fans in brasil…

Here in Panama we have Yes Network. but I would love to see more games at ESPN or TNT.

@Kevin

That would be hilarious.

@ Mike,
We were 42-40 in VC’s first season, AFTER, leading the Nets w/ JKidd and w/o RJ.

2nd season we were 49-33 Everyone healthy

3rd season we were 41-41 w/ Krstic out pretty much all season, and RJ breaking himself for a bit of it because he bulked up too much

4th season we were 34-48 Team in all kinds of turmoil, had marriage problems, gay rumors, harassment lawsuits, Lawrence Frank lynching mobs, and of course JKidd going for the door

5th season we were 34-48 Team had 3 rookies, 7 new veterans, our core consisted of VC, DH, Boone, and SWill. The LF lynch mob was even more insane than ever. SWill going ape$hit on a cell phone store. And the team just phoning it in against top 5 lottery teams throughout the season.

So ya, if you do total the season numbers all together it was a bad run, but that would be stupid of you now wouldn’t it.

@Tony

Do you even watch Nets or Knicks games? You said, “Lee mainly living off put backs and guard penetrations and Brook does the same except Brook has a jump shot”.

First, Lee does not guard penetrations, nor does he guard in the post. Second, Brook does not live off put backs. He actually has a few post moves and can have an offense run through him. He plays decent D and blocks shots unlike Lee.

Nets won’t pay Lee what he wants. I wouldn’t want him for his pricetag.

kool panama

the 1st game at the IZOD center when kidd returned, harris schooled him.
hopefully we can say the samething about lee on carter

@NateDD; The Nets went to (2) Finals without VC. With him they where a under achieving team. Vince also had scrubs like Jason Kidd and RJ riding shotgun. From all accounts Vince is a great guy. Talent wise nobody could argue that he is not one of the most talented players ever. Results where not there. Not just with the Nets but also Toronto. Wrong place, wrong time, maybe. Maybe not.

@ Tony; Would you want David Lee for 3 years 20-24 million? If you haven’t notice his price tag has gone way down. Make the Knicks sweat and if they match great. That’s less money they will have come 2010.

We better cheer Vince—remember what he did to Toronto? He certainly earned our support and good wishes by being a great person, player, and teammate as a Net. The nice touch of giving him an early date in the swamp doesn’t offset our virtual lack of national TV exposure (NBA TV doesn’t count).

The league and ESPN/TNT are very short-sighted in thinking that the public just wants to see the top teams over and over gain. The Celtics are on national and NBA TV a sickening 32 times next season, and they didn’t even make the conference finals. The Wizards are on for have 16 games and the Warriors for 11 times, and they were both worse than us last year. On the other hand, a promising and exciting team like the Thunder are on only three times and we’re on only twice.

We are literally off the TV map (except in China) and our lack of visibility certainly won’t help us attract free agents. Net fans need to take direct action. Join me in boycotting all products advertised on national NBA broadcasts. If this seems too hardcore, I am perhaps willing to make an exception for the boner pills.

The guy who should get graded on the record is the coach. Under .500 and really sinking the past two years. We don’t even have a fall back position now with Brian Hill gone.

@mike

results were not there!? I dont know, but leading two different franchises to a total of 6 playoff births (3 EC-Semi-Finals) without having a dominant big man is not that bad

Neither in Raptorland nor in the meadowlands, VC had a good supporting cast. Even with VC, Kidd and RJ the nets werent a real contender….VC made this franchise relevant again by carrying the offense night in and night out. further he didnt quit on the nets, when it was obvious that this franchise went into rebuild mode.

as I said, VC is one of the all time great sg and it was a pleasure to see him play for my nets

cheers

After a good look at the schedule, this team will be lucky if they aren’t 3-14 by the end of November.

I just hope we get a good crowd and VC gets the recognition he deserves. I’ll really miss him though, but do wish him the best. Hope he gets a ring this year!

Jeez, always with the 2 finals appearance argument with everyone. Believe it or not, the league has changed significantly since 2001. Athletes are better, teams are better, officiating is arguably better; the 2 finals appearance teams are almost the equivalent of the Phoenix Suns under D’Antoni—have they done anything lately?

2001-2002 When the East was more rounded out. The Nets had the BEST record in the East @ 52-30<—-REALLY?

2002-2003 Again the East was rounded out. Pistons had the best record in the East with 50-32 record, Nets had a 49-33 record.

In these two magical seasons, the East was horrendous compared to today’s teams. There wasn’t much disparity between the talent levels of all the teams in the East. I will concede that those teams were mentally tougher and more physical, but as the league became more of a family brand, the rules had to get looser to accommodate the NBA’s golden children in LBJ, Wade, etc.

When were JKidd and RJ the scrubs riding shotgun? This was never VC’s team until last year. Who makes the coaching decisions? JKidd even complained about being relegated to the role of spot 3 pt shooter when everyone knew he was a HOFer ball general. RJ developed his game even more with VC here and started demanding some of his own plays, too bad he was so erratic and had below average handles. If you want to find blame, look at the FO, look at all the scrubs we had, all the BS free agent signings that didn’t put is in any better situation to win.

And hey, JKidd made it to the finals with Kenyon Martin-#1 draft pick. VC’s best center in TO was Antonio Davis….His best center w/ the Nets was Krstic….Just saying that he’s a very talented wing player, but not the likes of a Kobe or Wade who can dominate even w/o a great center.

I hope the Nets get a ring this year, screw Orlando… This posting site is starting to sound alot like the “Saint Michael Jackson” farewell tribute.

C’mon, Michael Jackson WAS a saint! Have you read the new book that came out from the investigator that was paid to tail MJ around for 4 years and prove he was a molester? He gives 100% proof to everyone that MJ was innocent. Those kids, those parents, everyone who screwed him out of millions should go rot and die, and then their corpses beaten. Until proven guilty, I will always back up the King of Pop :P

When you do not make sense, you’re destined to get ripped apart. Don’t blame other things, Mike! You do not make sense, and to blame Carter on why this team didn’t get through the second round was nonsense.
You know the literal meaning of “underachieve”…. it means that you’re supposed to be better. Without Carter, the roster in the past four years DID NOT deserve the association with “underachievement”. One player cannot resurrect a horrible roster. We had third string players playing starters’ mins for years.
You cannot name a playoff team that got by the second round that had the same situation—third string players playing big mins.

That book must of been a labor of love seeing how long it took to get out. I am in the process of writing a book on Vince Carter, showing how he was underpaided and given crap players to play along with all his years in the NBA. Kidd, Bosh, RJ etc… It’s titled “Poor, Poor Pitifull Me”.

@ Biggie; It must be nice living in a fantasy world. The Nets under achieved with Kidd, RJ and King Carter. Those are the facts. Look em up. Don’t you remember the phrase “Big 3” when discussing the Nets?. Blame it on management, blame it on his teammates, blame it on the wind. But don’t blame VC.

Lets face it, paying 16 mil to VC to win 34 games wasn’t worth it. Not that it was his fault but we are not going to win with an owner who is losing money big time and therefore, has to keep a coach who can’t recognize a good defensive forward which is more important than if the guy is a good shooter, rebounder or can give you a marketing plan. VC was a good leader and will be better than ever on Orlando with Howard. I expect to lose at an alarming rate this year and watch the posters defend Yi and Opie. The networks know a bad team when the see one but I’ll have fun ripping the defenders of our problem.

Actually Bosh sucked when he played with VC, Bosh was nobody his rookie year. RJ and Kidd were great, but who did the Nets have beyond them? Krstic and a bunch of guys who arent even in the league anymore so what does that tell you? How are you going to win with guys who couldnt even stay in the league after they left your team??? Some people dont think, they just wanna bash on a player, in this case VC for whatever reason.

@ Mr. Dolla Bills – I went 5=12

Dude….Firstly, Bosh then was not even close to the player that he is today, not even a glimpse, there was not foreshadowing of greatness in his future, maybe good, but not great. And how could you forget adding Jabari Smith, Jason Collins, McGinnis, Magloire, Lamond Murray, etc etc.

And apparently you’ve never written a book, especially one that would denounce all claims of child molestation from the biggest name ever in the entertainment industry, and who holds the greatest selling album of all time….Jeez, collecting facts inconspicuously must be easy, just ring MJ’s doorbell and ask him about it why don’t we, so we can avoid the constant sneaking around and trying to maintain our own lives and our family’s in the process.

Mike, you really think everything’s so black and white that you can’t even see the gaping holes in your argument. And good luck with your book, if it’s anything like your arguments, I’ll expect it in the Toronto funny pages only.

Dillon,

First read what I said. I didn’t talk about anybody’s DEFENSE. I don’t want D. Lee.

Mike,

Again, I don’t think Lee and Brook can play together. We are better off with another PF than D. Lee.

@ NateDD; Why did MJ pay millions and millions in out of court settlements if he was so innocent? Why did he admit in court testimony on plying under aged kids with “Jesus Juice” before “sleeping” with them? Wake up and smell the coffee. Next thing you will be telling us is O.J. was framed by God. Great talent don’t excuse anything!

@ Tony; Pray, tell, who is that other PF?

When I’m the smartest guy in the room, I know the room can’t be to bright.

Not ONE ESPN or TNT game – that should tell all you optimists how far this franchise has fallen under this despicable disgrace of an ownership group.

Isaac, Who cares about ESPN or TNT. or History Channel or American Idol or Russ Limbaugh or Howard Stern or Obama or Sara Palin or Jonas Brothers or Angelina Jolie… well maybe Angelina!

Those are facts? The Big three and scrubs? That’s BS….You can’t win with so many subpar players. And you know what, we always lost to the team in playoffs that went straight to the Finals. Big three were not enough to win a championship. Not winning a championship is not underachievement. The big three with scrubs were second-tier East conference team when healthy, that is the fact.

Nets were 13-22 before Carter came, fact! Kidd and RJ by themselves were going to be a lottery team, fact! Carter made them a playoff team, fact!

Face it, we were just going to be so so horrible after demolishing the team that went to the finals. Horrible! The chemistry was gone, and the identity was gone. RJ and Kidd were not going to lead that team to playoffs by themselves. How did Carter make a bottom Eastern conference team to underachieve? I have no idea. If you suck, you gotta admit it.

@ biggie I have seen the error of my ways. The Nets shoud’ve surrounded Vince Carter with Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant and maybe even Wade. How unfair of the Nets to treat VC so badly.

@Mike
Not sure what’s your point by bringing up Tim Duncan and Kobe Brynant.

Mike,
Other means other. Don’t know who “other” is but don’t like D. Lee. Could be Big Baby even could be Yi if we get that Yi (or Yee the evel twin :)) who played the first game against Aussie All Stars.

@theMann
     Good point about Kristic! Let’s also not forget that as good a shooter as he was, his performance in the playoffs was disappointing. It’s no exaggeration when someone said before that Mikki Moore was the Nets’ best big during playoffs in the past four years or so. Mikki Moore was the only big who brough both offense and defense, and was consistent throughout playoffs.

We beat jason kidd and RJ when they returned to Izod so now we have to beat VC now

VC Welcome Back! You will receive a standing ovation and thanks for the the time you gave us Nets fans. Here’s hoping you get your ring with the Magic

Net fans rooting for the Magic?

@Nate & biggie
Excellent points.

Carter saved the Nets from the gutter in 2004. Rod Thorn thinks so too:

“I thought we were in a lot of trouble,” Thorn said. “Our core was evaporating, (Alonzo) Mourning didn’t want to play for us, Jason was upset, and we didn’t have anyone to replace Kenyon. It didn’t look good. And then Vince Carter saved us.”

Rod Thorn saved the Nets a second time, his Carter steal almost as felonious as his Kidd steal. “Vince brought our credibility right back,” Thorn said.
-———————————————————————-

When VC came in, making the playoffs was a pipe dream for a Nets team already featuring Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson. And VC made it possible, even withouth RJ. So the 2 finals appearance is absolutely stupid.

Jason Kidd has played exactly zero (I do repeat, ZERO) conference finals without Kenyon Martin and Byron Scott.

Don’t get me wrong, I give him JKidd all the credit he deserves, but that proves you have to have a go-to big man, agreat bench/supporting cast and an elite coach to go far into the playoffs, and when VC was here the Nets lacked all those pieces, not to mention the east was much stronger than it was when we made it to the finals back2back, don’t be ridiculous.

And why do people put ALL the blame on VC? That was Kidd’s team. And RJ was on the team too. Even the year before VC’s arrival, when the Nets still had KMart and KK, they couldn’t get to the ECF without Scott and once the team they swept in 2003’s ECF got better. The Pistons landed Rasheed and the Nets team that made it to the Finals the year before couldn’t beat Detroit, even though they had a 3-2 advantage and game 6 was in NJ.

I meant to say the 2 finals appearance argument is stupid.

YES, thank you, glad to see some reasonable ppl who aren’t living in the past and licking the chops of the finals appearance teams.

Several years ago, the team handed out scratch out cards for a chance to win autographed Carter jerseys. I won one and have kept it in my Nets souvenier box ever since. Sounds like I should wear it for the first time to honor Vince at the home opener.

Screw “national” tv. Because of Yi, most Nets games are available on international tv. The commentary sucks, though.

@Ronnie

Maybe Lee will “school” Carter? Ummm…

Good summary , Andres!

I think the haters sometimes mess up the gramma when they talk about Carter. They’d say, Carter couldn’t take the Nets past second round of playoffs. What about this? The Nets couldn’t get past the second round (DESPITE)havinng Carter.
For the most part, Carter contributed his part during his four year as a Net. Based on where he was physically immediately before getting traded, he actually surprised many with his productions. There is a very simple and faulty logic to the hater’s view of Carter: “You either win us a championship, or we’re going to call you a chump”.
As a famous broadcaster once said, “only the cynic and the depressed would hater Vince Carter”. Very insightful!