We missed this on Thursday (Sorry, Joe and Evan) but in his weekly chat on WFAN, Adrian Wojnarowski spoke extensively about the Nets last week, the biggest news being that he doesn't think Brook Lopez and his agents have decided what to do come June 30, when they will have to either opt out of his current contract and seek a bigger, longer deal OR stay another year, make $16.7 million next year and then go for broke in the TV rights-bloated summer of 2016.
Of course, he could be traded in either scenario, in a sign-and-trade if he opts out or a straight deal if he doesn't.
"The last I checked on it, they were going to wait and see, take a look at the market, take a look at his health. They have time to decide. But you can make a case both ways for it," Woj told Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts. " it's going to be a tough decision for them."
Woj also said he does not see the Nets building around John Calipari, that Calipari's great value is as a recruiter and "that doesn't mean anything in the NBA." He did admit, " There are still a couple of advocates for him within that organization."
As for the Nets homecourt (dis)advantage, the Yahoo! Sports NBA writer said the Nets have yet to solve "all those woes of fan interest. Maybe it's grown it a little bit."
Here's what he said:
On Lopez's decision...
"I don't think theyve decided yet. Its obviously an issue. Its a significant decision for Arn Tellem and his reps at Wasserman but the last I checked on it, they were going to wait and see, take a look at the market, take a look at his health. They have time to decide. But you can make a case both ways for it. He can go in the marketplace, get a big deal or he could ...
"I'm sure right now, they're engaging around what is the market, what is HIS market out there in free agency and what would the Nets pay to keep him, vs. staying one more year in this deal and then going out into the big pool of television money that come in next summer. So it's going to be a tough decision for them."
On rumors about Calipari returning to coach the Nets...
"Calipari turned down an immense offer last year in Cleveland. Trying to remember the numbers as I reported it. It was north of $60 or $70 million. Now that was before LeBron. He didn't know what LeBron was going to do. A return to the NBA appealed to Cal for several years. He wanted the right situation. He wanted to get back into it. He makes so much money at Kentucky. I don't know what his value is to an NBA franchise. A coach? Cleveland, they offered him a lot of money, they did. I don't know for another organization, if they paid him $7 or $8 million a year.
"His great value in college is recruiting. He's an excellent coach. I dont want to take that away from him. He's a Hall of Fame coach, but recruiting doesn't help in the NBA, doesn't mean anything. There's really no such thing. So I dont know if turning the organization over to him in Brooklyn, I don't see that happening with the Nets. There are still a couple of advocates for him within that organization. But to offer that kind of money for him. Is that how you want to build, build an organization, build from the ground up? Him as an organization builder --drafting, scouting-- I don't see that as a direction they go. But he's got it so wired now at Kentucky I'd be surprised if he left."
On Nets homecourt (dis)advantage...
"How much of a homecourt ... you know I saw a statistic recently that the Nets local TV ratings are the worst in the league. They have a great broadcast team with Ian. Everyone knows that. It's not a quality issue. So I think in a lot of ways, not a lot has changed since they were in New Jersey, in terms of fanbase and the support.
"People go to the games. They sell tickets, but it's still a Knicks town in every way and the idea that the Nets were really going to cut into that, I don't think it's happened and it may never happen. To see the Nets president, to see Brett Yormark say if we can get in the post-season, it can win the market over to us. They're still the eighth seed. it's got nothing to do with it. That will do nothing.
"We saw the years in New Jersey that went to back-to-back NBA Finals, and I know it was an arena issue, but Brooklyn hasn't solved all those woes of fan interest. Maybe it's grown it a little bit. Maybe there's not a great advantage there, not a great energy there. It may be a one-year aberration."
Woj appears weekly on Thursday with Joe and Evan.
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