On a day the Nets signed their PF of the future, Derrick Favors--and Johan Petro said he's ready to back up whoever starts at the 4, the Nets' new GM said getting a starting power forward is a top, if not the top, priority.
But Billy King, full of promises that he'll be more prudent, more patient this time around, said before he did anything with that $14.9 million in cap space he'll talk to his predecessor, Rod Thorn, and his coach, Avery Johnson. Then, if he has a deal, he'll call Moscow and talk to Mikhail Prokhorov or his CEO, Dmitry Razumov, increasingly important in the Nets scheme of things.
Don't expect anything right away. There are 14 weeks til Opening Night.
"In Philly we tried to do a lot of things quickly. In this league if you do some things and it doesn’t work you’re punished for a while," said King. Meanwhile Thorn, gracious as ever, gave King his endorsement: "I think with Billy and Avery’s leadership I see nothing but rosy skies ahead for the Nets. I think it’s going to be a great ride."
- Rodney King Thorn Hands Baton To Billy King - Al Iannazzone - In The 'Zzone
- New Nets GM Billy King: Patience is key - Al Iannazzone - The Record
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Nets GM Billy King: cap space is sacrosanct ... for now - Dave D'Alessandro - Nets Blast
- King using lessons learned, patience in his return to the game - Dave D'Alessandro - Star-Ledger
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Promises to work with Johnson to win title - Fred Kerber - New York Post
- New Nets GM has time to get it right - Fred Kerber - New York Post Nets Blog
- A wiser and more patient Billy King takes over as Nets GM - Tom Canavan - AP
- King Introduced as Nets General Manager - Mark Viera - New York Times
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Ghostbusters, bachelor preservation and honoring Thorn - Stefan Bondy - The InterNets
- Nets, Avery Johnson introduce Billy King as new GM - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
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Billy King takes reign over blossoming Nets - John Schuhmann - NBA.com
- Nets get their King, just not LeBron - Chris Sheridan - ESPN New York
- Nets Anoint Their New King - Alex Raskin - HoopsWorld
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Nets sign a King, just not THE King - Frank Zicarelli - Toronto Sun
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NETS: King Comes Aboard as Thorn Steps Aside - Ben Couch - New Jersey Nets