We update our calendar of events. The big new additons: Billy King's trip to Istanbul to meet with Bojan Bogdanovic and watch the Euroleague Final Four; and the Nets first free agent mini-camp where we are promised recognizable names will drop by for a look-see.
It turns out that Deron Williams' diary on ESPN NewYork --the one that ended with a shoutout to Nets fans-- is just a start. ESPN NewYork and Williams announced Thursday that they are combining on a blog about Williams' experience in Turkey, entitled, "Live from Turkey". It will also appear on D-Will's official website.
Deron Williams is writing a diary for ESPN New York, detailing his --and his family's-- experiences as they live, work and play in Istanbul. Every week "until D-Will returns to the Garden State", he will chronicle what's happening in Turkey, whether it's a lost passport delaying the start of the trip, his difficult transition to European ball or his general comfort level.
Every year, NBADraft.net produces a "State of the Cap" report on each of the NBA's 30 times and Friday, it was the Nets' turn. In general, it's factually correct, other an occasional good (Travis Outlaw has four years left on his contract, not three).
Deron Williams has tweeted that it's "official", even posting his signature on a contract with Besiktas of Istanbul. Not so fast, reports Sean Deveney of Sporting News. Until FIBA, basketball's governing body, declares the contract legal, Deveney asks, is it binding and is he bound for Turkey.
Shannon Owens is a writer for the Orlando Sentinel, whose brother Chris plays overseas. After chatting with his brother, he points out an occupational hazard Deron Williams will have to deal with in the Turkish Basketball League: unruly and aggressive fans...very aggressive fans who throw heated coins and rocks.
In a video that's now gone down the NBA memory hole, Billy King credited Danko Cvjeticanin with a big part of the Nets Draft Night success. Who? The Nets' international scout, that's who. He highly recommended Bojan Bogdanovic, a fellow Croatian, who Chad Ford has said may be the "steal of the draft", even if the Nets have to wait.
Now, what do we do? Not much and not for a long, long time. Oh, we'll be able to update the arena construction progress; any developments with the Springfield Armor who WILL play starting in November; wedding announcements from Kris and Kim, Sasha and Masha or who knows, Jordan and Jill! Of course, there will be election news from Russia
Two very different analysts are giing the Nets high Draft grades, David Aldridge, NBA.com's veteran analyst put the Nets in his "head of the class" category, the only one of nine teams in that grouping without a pick in the top 25. Dave Berri, a stats geek at Wages of Wins Journal, gave the Nets an "A", best in the Altantic.
Jordan Williams was taken in the second round of what is generally believed to be a bad draft. Unlike MarShon Brooks and Bojan Bogdanovic, the Nets didn't trade for a pick or buy a pick to get him at #36. But a lot of people, including the front office, think he could be solid piece next season.
Like Chris Douglas-Roberts, MarShon Brooks talks about the draft adding weight to the chip already on his shoulder, but unlike CDR, he also talks about being "scared" of being able to compete with NBA payers. Like Derrick Favors, he arrives with tons of promise, but unlike Favors, Brooks also shows off his personality.
The big news out of the Nets' press conference Monday morning was that while Bojan Bogdanovic has a three year deal with Euroleague powerhouse Fenerbahce and a two year player out, the Nets will try to get him out of his deal after next season...and into Brooklyn as a Net.
The official press release states that the Nets sent their 2013 second rounder and unspecified "cash considerations" to Minnesota in return for the Timberwolves' rights to Bojan Bogdanovic, the Croatian shooting guard who the team had wanted to pick up all Draft Night. So how much did Prokhorov pay?
Nets fans will get more answers Monday morning on how the team's three draft choices felt about being selected by New Jersey. We went back to the interviews two of them, Bojan Bogdanovic and Jordan Williams, gave to beat reporters after their Nets workouts June 14 and June 15. MarShon Brooks declined a Nets workout.
Kevin McNamara covers the Providence Friars for the local paper and was in Newark Thursday to see how local players, particularly MarShon Brooks, would do in the NBA Draft. At the end of the night, as Brooks was exiting the Prudential Center, he saw an old teammate, Jemine "Greedy" Peterson who in spite of some solid workouts didn't make the cut. In that, was an irony.
Although Nets officials have said they expect Bojan Bogdanovic to join the Nets in Brooklyn in 2012-13 , he tells a Croatian website: "I will certainly do the two years contract with Fenerbahce, and then we'll see. I want to play in Europe, even thrive. There is time for the NBA ."
This could the last off-season report for a while. If the NBA goes on lockout, no need for weekly summaries of players and owners screaming at each other or the latest skinny on Springfield Armor roster moves.
First came the announcement on ESPN that Jordan Williams had been selected by the Nets with the 36th pick in the draft, which led to an emotional moment caught on camera. Then, came the phone call from Avery Johnson, congratulating him and telling him what the Nets expected of him.
Avery Johnson spent Thursday afternoon and evening at the PNY Center, 10 miles north of where David Stern (and Adam Silver) called out names of draft picks, a roll that included three Nets picks, including one, MarShon Brooks, who no one thought would be available.
The Nets announced Friday that they have officially acquired the draft rights to Bojan Bogdanovic, the 6'8" swingman from Croatia.
Sitting in his hometown of Torrington, CT, Thursday night, Jordan Williams didn't know what to expect. As team after team made their pick, anxiety built up and when the Nets made him their choice at #36, he succumbed to all the emotions, collapsing in tears...and all of it on camera.
We're happy to report the general assessment of the Nets' haul is that the Nets got mostly B's, with some going as high as B+. Draftniks' general impression is that if you start with #27 and #36 and wind up with the second highest scorers in the NCAA and Euroleague, there's little to complain about.
MarShon Brooks (not Marshon) thought he'd be taken at #15 by the Pacers. So did the Nets. That's where they had him on their in-house Draft Board. But Kawhi Leonard had fallen out of the top 10 and the temptation proved too great for Larry Bird and so Brooks kept falling and falling until Billy King scooped him up in a trade with Boston at #25.
Reports out of Europe, confirmed by team officials, indicate that Bojan Bogdanovic, the 6'7" swingman who the Nets acquired in a complicated three way deal Thursday, will stay in Europe, with his Turkish team for the 2011-12 season, joining the Brooklyn Nets the following season.
Nets trade for Marshon Brooks
All spring long, the mantra has been the same out of the PNY Center: the Nets will pick the best player available, but into that formula is fed the team's desire to get an NBA-ready player, a third or fourth year player who is athletic and preferably plays the wing.
