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Vecsey: Nets thinking short term moves (like Hump for Hedo), not ones to make them title contender this year

By Net Income
Kevin C. Cox

The overwhelming proportion of NetsDaily viewers live in the United States, but two other countries are well represented, the Philippines and Australia. And in Melbourne Down Under, there's two guys, Rusty and Pmac, one a Nets fan, one a Knicks fan, who regularly record podcasts on their favorite teams.

Sunday's "Crossover" podcast was with Nets fans' favorite Twitter partner, Peter Vecsey and he had the following message for Nets fan Rusty and his fellow fans: think small. The Nets do not see themselves as title contenders this year and will focus, perhaps on players like Paul Millsap of the Jazz ...and, surprisingly, Hedo Turkoglu of the Magic.... rather than go for it all.

Turkoglu, 33, is owed $17.8 million: $11.8 million this year and a $6 million buyout next season. If the Nets can somehow get down to $74 million or so next season, they would be able to use the full MLE and the full $2 million BAE. They are at $84.2 million this season. More likely, the Nets could trade Turkoglu to a team who could then buy him out. Turkoglu is averaging 3.1 points in 10 games this season.

Vecsey called his information, "the straight stuff " and "their thinking."

"What Nets fans have to understand," he told the Crossover Podcast, "This team is not built for a championship and is not going to be built for a championship this year. and that's what Nets fans haven't come to grips with."

Vecsey, who's known to have good sources in the Nets front office, added that if the Nets had succeeded in getting Rudy Gay, things might have been different, but the team while "built to be a real competitive team," the franchise, presumably ownership, understands they are likely to wait till the summer.

"The next move they make, the next consequential move the Nets make has to make them into a title contender, you would hope," he argued, then added, "They're not doing that this year. It's not happening. people."

What will they do this year, he was asked. Use Humphries to improve, but not make the leap into title contention.

"Try to get players like ah man, they might bring in a Millsap, they might but he wants to get paid $10 million next year. He's a free agent. Are they going to pay Millsap $10 million, are they going to pay Wallace $10 million? Nah.

"They might get Turkoglu for the rest of the year for Kris Humphries contract, stuff like that. They might do that. Don't look for them to do anything big," Vecsey said, and that includes Dwightmare IV.

"Billy King said on TV the other day. he was Chris Broussard asked him about Howard, was there a chance and he said no. he said it, NO. the answer is no."

Here's the transcript:

"Here's what Nets fans have to understand: Tthis team is not built for a championship and is not going to be built for a championship this year. and that's what Nets fans havent come to grips with. This team was built to be a real competitive eam. They went out and got name players. They overpaid on many of them, for many of the players. The next move they make, the next consequential move the Nets make has to make them into a title contender, you would hope. They're not doing that this year. It's not happening, people.

"People want them to get Zach Randolph, they want them to get... Rudy Gay would have been the closest to making that kind of a move but they don't have the assets. We can talk about it but they don't have it, they don't have players that anyone wants.

"They have a contract in Kris Humphires 12 million next year and the rest of this year, that is desirable, for a player but not for a player that puts them into that next plateau. That's not going to happen. Its a realization that when you talk about it for the rest of the year, understand that that is their thinking. we are not going to try to do it htis year. Have to have to figure it. Come summer, maybe they do something then. but not now.

"You see it when they play Miami, they can't compete with Miami's quickness and the way they defend because they dont have a Rudy Gay outside who can spread out the dfense and hit and hit some outside shots. Wthey play Evans at power forward and Wallace at small forward, they're playing three-on-five on offense. Against a team like Miami and so they're vulnerable and again its not going to change.

"[They'll try to get players like ah man, they might bring in a Millsap, they might but he wants to get paid $10 million next year. He's a free agent. Are they going to pay Millsap $10 million, are they going to pay Wallace $10 million? Nah.

"They might get Turkoglu for the rest of the year for Kris Humphries contract, stuff like that, they might do that. Don't look for them to do anything big. Billy King said on TV the other day. he was ... Chris Broussard asked him about Howard, was there a chance and he said no. He said it, NO. The answer is no. You bring in Howard, you disrupt everything, the chemistry, the camaraderie, the spacing on the floor. So that next piece has to be a small forward or a
power forward. the next piece, that next piece has to be perfect.

"Millsap Garnett? Doesn't get them over the top. The rest of the year, when you're asked, this is what you can tell them. I'm giving you the straight stuff. this is their mentality. I dont know, I dont really read the papers anymore. I dont know if the New York writers have a grip on what the Nets mentality is. i'm giving you the straight stuff."

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