Avery Johnson had the Nets running against a 12-second clock, announced his rotation could be 11 deep and the players were "clearly gassed" at the end of Wednesday's practice, all of which might lead you to believe the Nets will be running in 2012.
Superstars are great, but they have to mesh well. For the Knicks, the Carmelo Anthony - Amare Stoudemire mix has yet to work out. Now the Nets have to find a way to get two All-Stars to work together. They and their coach think they can do it.
Avery Johnson says that as of now, Mirza Teletovic is his back-up PF, but Teletovic told a Spanish site he will do "anything to get the best results." His shot is already NBA-worthy. He promises to play good defense. He will need to.
Alyonka Larionov worked the room at Media Day Monday, interviewing just about everyone on the Practice Court, from Brook Lopez to Tyshawn Taylor. But the highlight was Marshon Brooks instructing her in how to say "MarSwag." Classic sports TV.
We stole the name, "Project Zero" from one of our posters, but we think it works when talking about Andray Blatche who wears "0" and is a zero-risk project for the Nets. Non-guaranteed, he's mostly being paid by the Wizards. The Nets have high hopes.
The Nets annual open practice, usually held at Ramapo College in North Jersey, will move to a larger, grander stage this year: Barclays Center. League sources report the practice will take place Sunday, October 21. No details yet on ticket
The banner reads, "It's Our Time," in large black-and-white letters. And on court, the author of the phrase, Avery Johnson, thought he saw a team that believed the message. So far, so good in first official scrimmage of the Brooklyn Nets.
At Nets Media Day, it was more than just the obligatory line about the goal being the NBA championship. A number of Nets players and coaches talked openly their belief that the Nets can bring the O'Brien Trophy to Brooklyn this season.
He played 246 straight games, never missing a quarter to injury. He was fourth among active players in consecutive games. Then, two foot injuries caused him to miss all but five games last season. What can he do now? We'll soon find out soon enough.
The off-season is over. It's now pre-season. The Nets are healthy, enthused, optimistic and talented. They've been in East Rutherford for weeks playing informally, but after another media event Monday, the coaches' whistles will start to blow.
