Rod Thorn talked to Zach Lowe of Sports Illustrated the other night in Philly about the 76ers' success and their lack of a superstar. At the tail end of the conversation, Thorn also spoke about the trade that made him the Executive of the Year in 2002, Stephon Marbury for Jason Kidd. It was easy.
In our sixth Off-Season Report (one quarter of the way between the regular season and opening night) we look at some draft and free agent issues, including how much it costs to buy a pick nowadays; Brooklyn's popularity in odd places; and a Latvian with a shooter's touch and a nice grasp of English.
He is, as Adrian Wojnarowski, writes, a "one name basketball phenomenon", helped by his odd nickname. Jimmer Fredette (not Jim or Jimmy) has become this season's rising college star, the subject of debates over whether he can make it in the pro's. He also could have been a Net last June if Rod Thorn had agreed to give him a guarantee.
If there was any doubt Terrence Williams is the best player in the D-League, it was dispelled Thursday in his debut with the Springfield Armor. With Billy King in attendance, Williams scored 16 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out 13 assists. He also had a blocked shot and a steal. However, he shot only 5-19.
“A lot of good players are without jobs because of that whole stigma." So says Keyon Dooling about the problems faced with by his teammates from last year's 12-70 record.
Billy King, dumped by Philly in 2008, will be bringing his new team to the newly renamed Wells Fargo Center for the first time Saturday. Awaiting him, ironically enough, will be the guy who hired him in New Jersey, Rod Thorn, and who replaced him in Philadelphia, Ed Stefanski.
The Nets' decision to partner with the Springfield Armor got a lot of attention from the media. It's a big deal. We decided to take a look at the reasons why the team did what it did, spent what it did --$250,000 or so, and what advantages it's likely to reap from the arrangement long term, some obvious, others less so.
Fred Kerber writes Sunday about how the Nets loved and lost LeBron James. On the day LeBron brings the Heat to Newark, the Post writer recounts how Mikhail Prokhorov, Jay-Z and the Nets basketball operations tried to lure James into a multi-year deal...and how they learned he wasn't coming.
They really don't like each other. One day after Rod Thorn told the Post's Peter Vecsey that he "disliked" and didn't trust Brett Yormark, the Nets CEO took a swipe at the former head of the team's basketball operations.
Peter Vecsey tries his hand at unraveling the big mystery of the Nets' off-season, why Rod Thorn left the Nets. Although he doesn't come up with a definitive answer, he makes it clear one big reason was Brett Yormark. The Nets CEO, Vecsey writes, tried every which way to dump Thorn and bring back John Calipari, something the former Nets prez confirms.
