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Mark Cuban reasserts he has no regrets about losing Deron Williams

2013-05-26T02:28:29Z

Mark Cuban let Tyson Chandler go. Jason Terry and Jason Kidd followed. He didn't show up in New York last year for a meeting with Deron Williams, then offered him $30 million less than the Nets. Instead, he chose to shoot episode of his reality TV show, "Shark Tank." After that, he dismissed his failure to sign his top target. It was better, under the new CBA, to have let D-Will go.

Now, he is in his "quick rebuild" mode, but his roster looks kinda bare. He has 35-year-old Dirk Nowitzki who he will pay $22.7 million next year. He has 36-year-old Vince Carter who he will pay $3.2 million next season. He has 35-year-old Shawn Marion, who has a player option for $9.3 million ... and who he hopes he can get to extend at a reduced salary. If he doesn't, that's $36 million for three players who average nearly 36 years old. His one young player, O.J. Mayo, has a $4 million player option and is unlikely to be back. Neither side was happy with their union.

But Cuban is optimistic that he can recover. Nowitzki has agreed to take a paycut in his next contract, when he will be 36. He wants to sell or stash the #13 pick in the draft so he can continue to harbor hopes of attracting Dwight Howard to Dallas. Of course, he would have a better chance if he had a point guard like D-Will on the roster.

Any regrets? He was asked whether he intentionally sabotaged the Mavs' efforts to sign Williams because he preferred to make a run at free agents available this summer: "Did you see that episode of 'Shark Tank' I filmed that day? It was amazing!"

Cuban on Mavs' summer and two-year plan - Tim MacMahon - ESPN Dallas

Does a seven-footer from Brooklyn stand a chance in NBA?

2013-05-25T21:25:23Z

A.J. Matthews is a long-shot at making the NBA. A lot of things are against him. He turns 24 three days after the draft. He played at Division III Farmingdale State and only nine players from Division III schools have ever made it to the NBA and only one Devean George, has ever been drafted ... although he did retire with three rings.He does have at least two things going for him: he is 7-foot and he does come from Brooklyn.

Matthews was on hand this week at the Nets group workout out in East Rutherford, invited at the request of the Nets' director of player personnel, Gregg Polinsky. He was part of the group Polinsky described to Jonathan Givony as "players people haven't maybe seen over the year ... we tried to mix in variety that would thought would be good for the entire league."

Afterwards, Polinsky said the Divison III leader in rebounding at 16.3 per game had justified his selection.

"I thought that he was impressive," Polinsky told Nate Taylor of the Times. "I thought he did a nice job. He’s a big, long guy who has not played at a Division I level but showed that he is capable of doing so. I think that will earn him some workouts and some looks."

Matthews was happy to compete because not only did it get him a chance to show his stuff to a larger, wider audience --there were 50 executives and scouts on hand-- it also gave him a chance to go 5-on-5, the only big workout that permits that.

"In individual drills, there is no defense," Matthews told Taylor. "You’re either making jumps shots or missing them. When you play five-on-five and you’re running up and down, it shows your stamina, your speed against other big men and your jumping ability..."

Of course, there's another reason: he is a Brooklyn native, a graduate of Harry Van Arsdale High School in Williamsburg. It would be easy for his family to hop on the subway and head south. The likelihood is that he won't be drafted. He might get an invite to a summer league, might be taken in the D-League Draft in November but he knows it's a long-shot.

No Glamour but Many Scouts for Potential Second-Round N.B.A. Picks - Nate Taylor - New York Times
Brooklyn-native A.J. Matthews opening eyes before NBA Draft - Larry Fleisher - Metro
Farmingdale State's A.J. Matthews a wild card among prospective NBA bigs - Rod Boone - Newsday
Louisville star Siva excels at Nets' combine - Tim Bontemps - New York Post

NetsDaily Off-Season Report #3

2013-05-25T16:27:14Z

Every Sunday, we’ll be updating the Nets' off-season with bits and pieces of information, gossip, etc. to help take the edge off missing the second round of the playoffs, relying on the Nets’ beat reporters and others who have slipped interesting stuff into larger stories, blogs and tweets...plus our own reporting.

We are deep into the off-season, buried in CBA minutiae, eyes burnt out from watching grainy highlight reels of teenagers from Moscow to San Diego, counting the days to summer league (43). We are always excited by the off-season. It may be summer on the calendar, but it's springtime for draftniks and capniks, when flowers and hopes bloom!

This week, we take a look at an eclectic mix, a draft sleeper who could be the first Russian player on the Nets roster in the Prokhorov era, some math on the Bojan Bogdanovic buyout/contract, P.J.'s lament, our response to another calumny, a look at some of the TV ratings data for the Nets; and a note warning there may not be an off-season report next weekend!!

It's more homerific than usual. Deal with it! And since it's long and it's a longer weekend, we're giving you a headstart.

How much for Bogdanovic?

It seems nearly certain that Bojan Bogdanovic will make his NBA debut in November. What is less certain is how much he will be paid. There has been speculation that he will need to be paid the full mini-MLE of $3.2 million, but it's only speculation and it's more than likely that a deal between him and the Nets is nowhere near finalized.

So what are the options ... for the Nets and the team. They are sooo capped out. No surprise there. Everyone has known that since last July. The new CBA limits their options to the vets minimum, which for a rookie is around a half million dollars. The other is the mini-MLE. We don't know the current state of his buyout. In February, Bogdanovic told Savas Birdal of Euro-Step, our Istanbul correspondent, that it was 1.5 million euros or $2 million. Of that total, the Nets can pay $570,000. At that point, we threw up our hands and said, this ain't happening next season.

Then, suddenly, Billy King, a big fan of Bogdanovic's game, said it was priority to get him over here. Josh Newman and Tim Bontemps followed up by writing that there had been progress and his arrival was likely. Newman said it was between a 90 and 95 percent certain. Has the amount of the buyout changed? Bontemps has reported that he's been told it's "manageable." A buyout of $2 million doesn't sound "manageable." So maybe Fenerbache has reduced it or agreed to stretch it out. That of course is critical to how much Bogdanovic would want and how much flexibility the Nets could have in the off-season. He makes somewhere close to $2 million in Europe, at least according to reports.

Since Bogdanovic is going to be a rookie and the Nets do believe (strongly) that he would be a lottery pick in this year's draft, where does a $3.2 million contract put him on the rookie scale? The No. 4 pick in this year's draft will make a little more than $3.2 million. Is the 6'8" swingman as good as Victor Oladipo or Anthony Bennett? Don't know yet. But supposed Bogdanovic would accept a salary equal to the 14th pick in the lottery? How would that help the Nets? The 14th pick will make about $1.6 million or half the mini-MLE. If the Croatian would accept that as his salary, it would free up the other half for a free agent. Is the difference between $1.6 million and the vets minimum significant? It could be if a player is motivated to play in New York but doesn't want to accept the minimum. It would be one-third higher than what a third year player would make as a vets minimum player. You want a good example of what you can get, if you're smart, for $1.6 million? Reggie Evans makes $1.6 million.

This all may be academic. King and Marc Cornstein, Bogdanovic's agent, may have the outlines of a deal in place and Cornstein will certainly want as much as he can get for his client. So we'll see.

P.J.'s lament

There was a debate on these pages about how critical P.J. Carlesimo was of the organization when late in the week he spoke with beat writers in his new job as ESPN studio analyst. Many thought it was tame. We didn't. We thought it was quite damning and here's why. It served as a less than subtle warning to whoever takes the job that there will be a LOT of pressure on him to win and that Mikhail Prokhorov's five-year plan (oh those Russians and their five year plans) was unrealistic. He used some general terms to specific effect, noting at one point, "It doesn’t make it easy to coach when you don’t feel that your general manager or your owner has your back."

He also damned the organization by faint praise, calling the team "a good group" but noting how they may not have been truthful. As for Prokhorov, he said he respected him as an owner that he doesn't just want "a nice team. He doesn't want to just sell tickets in Brooklyn and make the team competitive. He wants to win an NBA championship, and as a coach you can't ask for more that." Then, he noted, "if what comes with that is a short leash, well, so be it."

We don't know P.J.'s motivations, and so can't ascribe anything to them. But in our humble opinion, he thinks he was dissed. There will be some positive punditry about his record, 35-19, and his accomplishments, including a record number of road wins. But on the inside, a lot of people didn't think he (or his predecessor, Avery Johnson), were good at developing players, specifically mentioning Mirza Teletovic and MarShon Brooks, but also Tornike Shengelia. They found his rotations "baffling." Benching Brook Lopez for fourth quarters in mid-season was particularly annoying. There were also complaints about his "communication" with players on minutes, etc.

Does it matter much in the recruiting of the next coach? With the Nets dumping Kiki Vandeweghe, Avery Johnson and P.J. Carlesimo over the course of three years, there would have been buzz about the "pressure" and "short leash," with or without these comments. But ownership seems ready to spend on salary, players and other amenities, like facilities. And there isn't a coach in the NBA worth hiring who doesn't want an owner who thinks his team can win it all, if not this year, then next.

Coaching notes - we got nothin'

It would be easy just to say we know nothing, but on-the-record, we don't. We can speculate with the best of them. During the season, we thought the Nets would offer Phil Jackson a basketball operations job. They offered him head coach and he turned them down. A month ago, we were sure it was Jeff Van Gundy's to lose. Now, he isn't on anyone's list. Then, we were told the Nets would make a full-court press on Doc Rivers. Danny Ainge broke the press. A couple of weeks ago, we dismissed speculation about Scott Skiles. Now, we're told he's a good candidate. Lionel Hollins? Seems like a good bet, but the Nets haven't called the Grizzlies. Not that they have to.

What do we think? At this point, does it matter?

Draft Sleeper of the Week

Sergey Karasev is a Russian basketball player and you know what the Nets' Russian ownership has always said about signing Russian basketball players: that if they are good enough, happy to have them. If not, we're not signing them just because they are Russian.

Well, according to most draftniks, Karasev is the real deal, a 6'7" left-handed streak shooter who has the potential to develop. He's only 19. Here's what Chad Ford said recently of the Triumph Moscow SF.

No, I'm not just placing Karasev here because he's Russian. Brooklyn is playing to win now, and there aren't a lot of players on the board who could step in and help the Nets right away. Karasev is putting up impressive numbers in Russia, and the Nets could use another sniper from beyond the arc.

Of course, they appear to be on the verge of signing a similar-sized European shooter in Bojan Bogdanovic. Other than different strokes, Bogdanovic is probably a more well-rounded scorer who can drive the lane as well as hit the three. He's also a good post player and passes well. Could the two of them co-exist? Sure, but with MarShon Brooks and Kris Joseph, the swing space might get a little crowded. Could the Nets take Karasev and stash him? Sure. It would save them $1.1 million guaranteed and a roster space.

He might be able to play right away, though. Karasev averaged 16.5 ppg in the three leagues Triumph played in. He shot 37.5 percent from deep, 46 percent from two-point range and 85 percent from the line. He also went to the line a little less than six times a game. Still, it's his three point shooting that makes him a prospect. His release is quick and he's not afraid to fire them up. A quarter of his shots are from three.

His defense? No surprise it's not there yet. The same goes with his physicality. He needs some strength and conditioning. But he has great BBIQ for someone who won't be 20 until just before opening night and is unselfish for such a gunner. Here's a sampling.

It might take a while for him to adjust. Russian players often need greater support, particularly younger ones. Shouldn't be a problem for the Nets!

How the oculus was born in a Manhattan bar

Every time Gregg Pasquarelli of SHoP architects tells the story about how his firm got the commission for Barclays Center, there's a new wrinkle to the story.

Earlier this month, he spoke to the University of Melbourne's School of Design and again told the story of how SHoP originally turned down Bruce Ratner's offer to work on Barclays Center, that they didn't want to do a "skin job" on the much-maligned Ellery Becket design of the arena. He noted that their meeting with Ratner ended amicably with the then Nets owner promising them some work in three years when "this recession was done."

Then, he and his partners had second thoughts. Pasquarelli has spoken before about those second thoughts, but not about the venue.

"That night my partners and I went out to a bar and had way too many martinis and at end of that night, we pulled out paper and started drawing and said, 'you know, there might be an idea ... and we started sketching and the next day we called him and said, 'Today is Tuesday and we'll work until Friday and by Friday, we'll send you one image and one image only and if you like it, you can hire us but we want the whole thing, we want the inside, we want everything, redo whatever we can. We want to pull the steel apart'."

Ratner agreed.

So the oculus war born in a bar!

Pasquarelli once again showed an audience two quotes from opposing players on the arena, which he described as "just so awesome."

"It's fun to play in. The floor is dope. The arena is dope. It's a cool place to play." -- Trevor Ariza.

"If they had Barclays Center open when I was free agent, I might have beocme a Net instead of a Knick." --Carmelo Anthony.

In closing, Pasquarelli had some fun with the competition, describing Madison Square Garden as "the dump of New York." The Australian audience laughed.

Yet another opportunity to trash the Nets

Can't smell that smell? The news that Barclays Center may have pumped a fresh scent, mostly described as "citrus-y", through arena vents gave some bloggers and pundits an opportunity to take some shots at the Nets, although no one used the phrase "smelling up the joint." All well in good ... despite the lack of confirmation and that at least one other NBA venue, Phillips Arena in Atlanta, also uses the services of ScentAir.

Kelly Dwyer, who runs Yahoo! Sports prolific "Ball Don't Lie" blog was typical and at the high end of the commentary, the low end occupied, literally and figuratively, by Knick fans living in their parents' basements in Queens.

But Dwyer took the smell test further. It is emblematic, he wrote, of the superficiality of the Nets. Oh dear.

"The Brooklyn Nets just about define the superficial experience. The team was put together by a billionaire owner that promised a championship in spite of a lacking basketball resume, before tossing tens of millions of dollars at a general manager in Billy King who has long made a habit of going after the biggest names available. Part-owner Jay-Z helped shape the team’s look and image, despite only owning a small percentage of the team, and not even making it out of the franchise’s first year before selling his shares. And the team’s arena, the Barclays Center, followed the latest trends with its exterior look in spite of some quizzical glances from Brooklyn natives.

"Perhaps they were reacting to the smell of the place."

We'll set aside the criticism of Barclays Center which days before Dwyer's blog won significant architectural note as "Building of the year" ... worldwide and which days after was named Sports Facility of Year. But just a couple of points in response since this is the latest in series of similar overreaches.

To suggest Mikhail Prokhorov lacks a "basketball resume" shows a real lack of knowledge, in fact ignorance.

Before buying the Nets, Prokhorov owned CSKA Moscow for a dozen years. In that time, it won 10 Russian League championships and went to the Euroleague Final Four four straight years, winning the title twice in 2006 and 2008. He also played the game in secondary school and college and annually sponsors a Russian college basketball tournament in places like Krasnoyarsk in Siberia and Moscow, where he has brought NBA players like Scottie Pippen and Robert Horry to serve as instructors. Now, he may not have had an NBA resume, although it wasn't for lack to trying. Read this about his efforts to make a deal with the NBA in 2006. And note as well that the Nets were the third NBA team he investigated buying. One was the Knicks, the other a Western Conference team.

Really? Prokhorov lacks a "basketball resume?" Robert Pera and Vivek Ranadive, new owners of the Grizzlies and Kings, lack a basketball resume. James Dolan, despite years of trying, lacks a basketball resume. In fact, what NBA owner, other than Michael Jordan, had a better basketball resume on arrival the league? (How's that worked out, MJ?) Micky Arison, owner of a smelly cruise ship line? Paul Allen, a computer geek who was a casual fan whose hands-on ownership led to the JailBlazers? The owners of the Hawks??? Please And by the way, what is so wrong with a billionaire spending money on a sports team? Isn't that a good thing if you're a fan? It sure has been a good thing for Prokhorov, considering he's tripled his investment in three years.

As for Jay-Z leaving, the Nets privately admit it's a loss and a disappointment. But have any of the celebrity owners, whose interest rival Jay-Z's 1/5th of one percent (not 1/15th), been as active in the process of building a team and arena? He made pitches to Carmelo Anthony and Lebron James; he helped design many of the interior spaces at the arena as well as the ads, the logo, the uniform, even introducing it at a live concert. But most of all, he provided credibility and continuity in the decade it took for the move from IZOD (which its own natural "scent") to Brooklyn. He didn't just walk out after a season. He's owned his stake for a decade. What have other celebrity owners, Usher with the Cavaliers or Nelly with the Bobcats done for their clubs (what has anyone done for the Bobcats)? We'll wait ot see what Justin Timberlake will do for the Grizzlies before passing judgment there. Bottom line is that Jay-Z saw a lucrative business opportunity in sports agency and took advantage of it. Owners in sports come and go. Considerably his small stake (originally 1.47 percent), Jay-Z did well by the Nets and vice-verso.

On to Billy King. Of course, he spent money, tons of it ... $345.5 million by our count last summer. It was part of a strategy, to enter Brooklyn with a winning team, a competitive force in the world's largest marketplace. As the move to Brooklyn approached, ownership and management had one big fear staring them in the face a few miles away from Barclays. Citi Field is a grand stadium in Flushing Meadows, but the first images of it on opening day in 2009 were of rows and rows of empty seats. The Nets were not going to let that happen. Yeah, King made some deals fans didn't like, and ones that could come back to haunt the franchise. But there was a strategy behind it and it worked. The Nets sold 96.9 percent of all the seats in Barclays Center this season, the exact same percentage the Knicks sold at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks won five more games than the Nets and advanced one more round in the playoffs. But the Nets created a buzz in Brooklyn and are more than competitive. Look at the merchandise sales, the black-and-white on the street. And despite King's profligacy, we'll take the Nets roster over the Knicks roster going forward. So will Phil Jackson, as he noted this week. "The Brooklyn situation is a good situation," he told Dan Patrick. He just didn't want to coach again. And by the way, we asked a respected GM what he thought of King's moves. He didn't hesitate. He said King did what he had to do considering the circumstances. He liked what he did.

As Nets fans, we're used to our team being held up to ridicule. Some realllly bad basketball will do that to you. All we ask is some proportion, some perspective and yes, some research.

In closing his blog, Dwyer wrote, "It’s their arena, their money, and their ventilation options. We’re just wondering why this ownership group even bothers, for just a first round team." As if it were about one season. The arena lease runs until 2050. Please, spare us. Do better next time.

Whose team?

The Brooklyn Game spotlighted some research Friday on the YES audience for Nets games. The headline was that 16.7 percent of the audience for Nets games comes from Brooklyn, but nearly twice that many, 30.7 percent still comes from New Jersey.

But like every statistical breakdown, there were other interesting data in the research. Indeed while 30.7 percent comes from the Nets former home state, 65.7 percent comes from New York State; 46.3 percent comes from New York City's five boroughs and 38.0 percent come from the four counties that make up Long Island: Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk.

Is it a bad thing that the Nets have so many more viewers from New Jersey than from Brooklyn? Or is it a good thing that despite the long and difficult move to Brooklyn so many New Jersey fans remain loyal? And we suspect there is a huge growth in Nassau and Suffolk, which the Nets see as their next frontier. The two counties represent 11 percent of the TV audience and Bruce Ratner said Long Islanders represented only 10 percent of those attending Nets games at Barclays. Associating the Islanders with the Nets through the prism of Barclays Center is likely to help. The Nets played their last preseason game there this year and under Bruce Ratner's plans for a revamped Nassau Coliseum that will become an annual event.

Already LIRR ridership at Atlantic Terminal across the street from the arena is up 334% since Barclays Center opened in September. In what could be harbinger for Islander-Ranger games, the first Nets-Knicks game back in December drew 10,500 riders on a Thursday night. Pre-arena, the average was 1,400.

Final Note

Going on vacation next week. Out the country, yes. Out of touch, no. Tom Lorenzo and our crack staff will do whatever is needed to make your trek through NetsLand easier. Till then, hey mon, over here.

The Brooklyn Nets list ... how long? who's on it?

2013-05-25T00:38:05Z

What do we really know about the Nets pursuit of a head coach? We have it on good authority (Phil Jackson) that the Billy King asked Phil Jackson if he was interested in coaching the team. He turned them down.

It sure looks like that Nets tried to get the Celtics permission to talk with Doc Rivers. After that, we know (okay, we are told reliably) that the Nets are still gathering background materials on head coaching candidates.

But beyond that, a lot of it is "speculating without facts," as one league source put it. Here's why we asked. Sam Amick tweeted this on Friday night.

In case anyone wondered, I'm told the Brooklyn Nets have not asked for permission to speak with Memphis coach Lionel Hollins.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) May 24, 2013

Now, there's no reason for the Nets to make a call to the Grizzlies at this point, since Hollins becomes a free agent on July 1. But it raises the question of who the Nets are really pursuing and at what level. There have been lots of names thrown around in the three weeks, but the search is close-hold, with few outside King's office knowing any of the details.

Here's the latest speculation, about how much the Nets might have to pay, based on the (reliable) information that the Nets were (are?) interested in Doc Rivers.

The Nets' coaching search and the power of insane cash - Tom Ziller - SB Nation

Brooklyn Nets looking for role player in Draft? Maybe, maybe not

2013-05-24T20:57:08Z

Gregg Polinsky is a careful man when he talks to the media, particularly at this time of year. The Nets director of player personnel --chief scout-- has been around for a while. Along with Bobby Marks, he's the permanent party in the basketball operations office. Polinsky joined the Nets as a scout in 1999 and was named the team’s director of scouting in 2004, then later director of player personnel in 2008. So he knows you don't give away the store when asked about what the Nets are looking for in the draft.

In interviews with Tim Bontemps, Ben Couch, and Jonathan Givony of Draft Express, he put on his best poker face talking about what he's and the team is looking for. To Bontemps, it sounded like the Nets are looking for "a player to step in right away, given the fact that they have only two options – the draft and their "mini" mid-level exception – to add to their roster."

Polinsky didn't flat out say that, but he told Givony that he expects the Nets will find "a player that can help our basketball team." In that same interview, Polinsky said the Nets have to be ready to switch up if Billy King decides to move up, down or out of the draft.

"I work for a very creative manager in Billy King," said Polinsky, smiling. "Maybe there's some deals on the table, not just at where we're picking at 22 but also to know the draft from top to bottom, do our video study, do our background checks, do our analysis. YOure always looking for some kind of edge to get you in better position."

Nets looking for solid role player in upcoming NBA Draft - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
Brooklyn Nets Director of Player Personnel Gregg Polinsky at the 2013 Nets Combine (Video) - Jonathan Givony - Draft Express
Nets Draft Combine - Gregg Polinsky (Video) - Ben Couch - Brooklyn Nets

Jay-Z: No sale yet, reports Darren Rovell

2013-05-24T17:26:08Z

ESPN's Darren Rovell reports that Nets minority owner Jay-Z has, despite all the publicity, NOT yet sold his stake in the team.

Despite a report to the contrary, I have been told that Jay-Z has not yet sold his share in the Nets.
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) May 24, 2013

Rovell did not report on reasons behind the holdup.

Jay-Z, whose shares have been placed at between 1/5th and 1/15th of one percent, has to sell out in order to represent NBA players ... and possibly players in other sports. The executive director of the MLB players union has expressed concern about an owner having a stake in any professional sports team.

Through his alliance with CAA, Jay-Z has deals with Robinson Cano of the Yankees and Geno Smith of the Jets. He's also reportedly near a deal with Victor Cruz of the Giants and is reportedly interested in repping Seth Jones, Popeye Jones son and the top prospect in this June's NHL draft. There are also reports that once he is cleared by the NBA players union, he will sign a top NBA player.

Jay-Z has said he would like to retain his interest in Barclays Center but insiders say that it might be difficult for him to do that, since the team and the arena are separate assets of a single partnership, not separate entities. He has also said that he intends to keep his courtside seats near the Nets bench.

Only two people --Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian and Taiwanese pop star Will Park-- have publicly expressed interest in buying the stake, but the list is reportedly quite long.

Deadlines and Commitments - LXXIX

2013-05-24T16:26:36Z

Here it is, your guide to the off-season, with dates for the remaining pre-draft combine to the opening of training camp and including details on free agency and amnesty signings.

The most intent period will be, as usual, between the draft, on June 27, and free agency signings. Last year, the Nets had 14 players on the roster by the end of July, adding Josh Childress in September. Of course, last season the Nets added 11 new players. For the same reason, the Nets won't run a free agent mini-camp as they did last summer. It didn't produce any players, but did produce never-to-be-forgotten images of Adam Morrison's hair.

And no, there's no date set for the announcement of a new coach. That said, here's the calendar, starting next week.

May 28-29 - Minnesota Group Workout at Timberwolves practice facility in Minneapolis. Another 22 players with hoop dreams will be on hand for measurements, drills and 3-on-3 scrimmages. The Nets group workout is the only one to have 5-on-5.

June - Individual workouts at PNY Center will take place throughout the month. Only confirmed workout so far: Jamaal Franklin of San Diego State, a 6'5" swingman.

June 8-10 - Adidas EuroCamp, Treviso, Italy. The leading pre-draft combine for overseas players. Nets liked what they saw from Toko Shengelia here last year. Expect a number of top candidates, like Sergey Karasev of Russia and Dario Saric of Croatia to be on hand.

June 27 -- NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Nets have their own first round pick, but no second round pick. Last year, the Nets used $2.75 million of their $3 million cash limit to buy second round picks used to acquire Tyshawn Taylor and Shengelia. If they don't use the $3 million on Draft Night, they lose it three days later. Tickets available here.

June 30 -- Presumably, C.J. Watson will have decided on his player option for 2013-14 by this date. If he opts in, he will be paid $1.1 million. Contracts for basketball operations staff expire ... as does the Nets $3 million cash limit for 2012-13.

July 1 -- Andray Blatche, Jerry Stackhouse and Keith Bogans become unrestricted free agents. Free agents can begin talking with teams, but cannot officially sign until July 11. Rumors of signings begin hours after the midnight opening bell. New $3 million cash limit is put in place for the 2013-14 season.

July 7-12 - Orlando Summer League, which includes the Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers. Expect Taylor, Shengelia, Kris Joseph and the Nets pick(s) to participate. Will Bojan Bogdanovic play? He won't be signed but the Nets have played unsigned international draft picks before.

July 8 - European teams will hold first familiarization practices in their home nations as they begin preparations for FIBA Eurobasket.

July 11 - First day free agents can sign contracts. Will Nets be signing Bogdanovic? Also, beginning of one-week amnesty period during which the 15 teams who can still drop players will decide whether to do so. Possible amnesty candidates include: Tyrus Thomas of the Charlotte Bobcats, Metta World Peace of the Los Angeles Lakers, Charlie Villanueva of the Detroit Pistons, Linas Kleiza of the Toronto Raptors and Drew Gooden of the Milwaukee Bucks. Because they are over the cap, the Nets cannot participate in the blind auction that takes place after a player is put on waivers. They can sign a player if no other team bids on him, as they did with Andray Blatche and Josh Childress.

July 27 - European national teams gather for full practices and "friendly" games prior to start of FIBA Eurobasket.

August 1 - First guarantee in Kris Joseph contract comes due. If he is still under contract, he gets a $100,000 guarantee. He gets a second guarantee of another $100,000 on October 29, roster cutdown day. His contract remains partially guaranteed through the first week of January when all contracts are guaranteed.

August 30 - September 11 - FIBA Tournament of the Americas in Caracas, Venezuela. Will Kris Joseph play for Team Canada? He is on the preliminary roster. Because they won the Olympic gold medal, Team USA gets a bye this summer.

September 4 - 22 - FIBA Eurobasket, Ljubljana, Slovenia. Mirza Teletovic (Bosnia), Toko Shengelia (Georgia), Bojan Bogdanovic (Croatia) and Ilkan Karaman (Turkey) have all made commitments to their countries' national teams. Mike Fratello will coach Ukraine. Games will be televised on line. NBA training camp begins a week after the tournament concludes.

October 1 - Training camp opens at PNY Center.

On second day of group workout, Pierre Jackson stars

2013-05-24T04:49:22Z

Pierre Jackson is one of the smallest players in the 2013, but after Nate Robinson destroyed the Nets in the playoffs, they and others may not be so opposed to taking a 5'10" athlete (42" vertical leap) with good range.

Jackson, who Chad Ford thinks could sneak into the first round because of that Nate Robinson effect played well in the second day of the Group Workout.

Here's what Ford wrote of the Baylor point guard's performance...

Virtually every GM I spoke with thought he was the best player in attendance. Not only did he show off his elite quickness and athletic ability, but he also showed off his floor general skills.

I was impressed with his ability to run the pick-and-roll. His speed allowed him to fly by defenders (Kentucky's Julius Mays was on him for most of the game), and he hit several big jumpers.

Ford was also impressed by some others who showed on Thursday, including Arsalan Kazemi out of Oregon who he notes is " a favorite of the analytics crowd" and a "glue guy." A deep sleeper in the group was the tallest player to workout, tiny Farmingdale State's 7'1" center and Division III's leading rebounder, A. J. Matthews. Matthews, a native of Brooklyn, is unlikely to be drafted --only one Division III product has ever been drafted-- but his dream is to play in Barclays Center.

Also, the final measurements for the workout are in and D.J. Stephens of Memphis, who looked good on Wednesday, came away with the highest vertical leap ever recorded in any pre-draft combine or group workout: 46 inches. A Gerald Wallace clone, Stephens impressed with his athleticism and work ethic. Although only 6'5", he has a 7'2" wingspan.

The Nets had, in the words of Gregg Polinsky, the chief scout, "everyone one we got" in the building, including Deron Williams and Billy King. John Calipari, who still knows some Nets staffers, was also on hand.

The Nets will soon start individual workouts. Expect to see prospects for both the #22 pick and mid second round picks, if the Nets decide to buy picks. The Blazers might be the most likely partner. They have a first round pick, three second round picks and a top Euro-Stash, Kostas Papanikolaou.

2013 NBA draft - Pierre Jackson and D.J. Stephens impress at New Jersey workouts - Chad Ford - ESPN Insider
Nets Draft Combine: Day Two - Ben Couch - Brooklyn Nets
Nets Draft Combine - Day Two Highlights (Video) - Brooklyn Nets
Nets Draft Combine - Gregg Polinsky (Video) - Ben Couch - Brooklyn Nets
Nets Draft Combine - Pierre Jackson (Video) - Tom Kolker - Brooklyn Nets
Nets Draft Combine - John Calipari (Video) - Tom Kolker - Brooklyn Nets
DraftExpress: 2013 Nets Combine Recap - Jonathan Givony - Draft Express
Pressey Looking to Prove Himself as NBA Draft Looms - Josh Newman - Zags Blog
With Standout College Career Behind Him, Jackson Prepares For NBA Jump - Josh Newman - Zags Blog
Durand Scott Impresses at Nets Draft Combine; Rockets, Pacers, Mavericks, ASM Pro Day Up Next - Josh Newman - Zags Blog
Mays impresses at Nets' combine -- at point guard - Eric Lindsey - CoachCal
Brooklyn-native A.J. Matthews opening eyes before NBA Draft - Larry Fleisher - Metro