After The Party, Nets Ponder Needs

One thing was obvious by the end of yesterday's festivities in Brooklyn. These are the Brooklyn Nets, a new team with new ambitions. There have been other events in the Borough: Last September's renaming ceremony across from Barclays Center, April's unveiling of the team's new logo and gear nearby, but those were corporate events. This one was about basketball.

The supposedly silent "Iso-Joe", Joe Johnson, seemed to revel in the attention, playfully predicting the Nets will own New York before touring Barclays Center, hitting the airwaves at the FAN, throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium (a perfect strike) and then enjoying a bit of the game with noted horsehide enthusiast, Mirza Teletovic of Bosnia.

Then, as the day wore on, there were discussions of what the Nets wanted to do next, basketball wise. Clearly the top priority was re-signing Kris Humphries (who reportedly has two offers on the table from the Nets, one for two years and $20 million, the other three and $26 million); monitoring the waiver wires to see whether Brendan Haywood, Luis Scola or Darko Milicic make it through; making calls on veteran back-up point guards (Derek Fisher?) and back-up wings (Grant Hill?).

All in all, as Dave D'Alessandro writes, "It’s not going to scare Miami, but at least the East has another interesting team to invite to the party."

• Getting Joe Johnson doesn't make the Nets better than the Heat, but it's a start - Dave D'Alessandro - Star-Ledger
• Tough Talk From Nets at Brooklyn Rally - Howard Beck - New York Times
• Johnson makes his pitch to N.Y - Fred Kerber - New York Post
• Nets turn attention to Kris - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Billy King turns focus to Brook Lopez after Dwight Howard deadline passes - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
• Brooklyn declares all-out hoops war on Manhattan - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
• Nets GM: Backcourt second to none - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
• Nets' Johnson participates in roll call - Mike Mazzeo & Ian Begley - ESPN New York
• New York, New York (Audio) - Ryan Ruocco - ESPN Radio
• The Nets Vs. The Knicks: The Basketball War for New York Love - John Surico - Village Voice
• Brooklyn Nets throw a ‘Backcourt Bash’ - Mary Frost - Brooklyn Eagle
  
• NETS: Brooklyn's Backcourt: Deron Williams & Joe Johnson - Ben Couch - Brooklyn Nets