NetsDaily Off Season Report – #15

Another week and no resolution for the Kevin Durant saga. It appears that Nets is not lowering its price and KD does not cancel its order to trade. He doesn’t seem to want any part of his “reboot,” even though (surprisingly?) Keri Irving does.

But we can dream, right? Sure, but with some risk to our fragile psyche.

We are not just. As matches get closer and teams consolidate, others feel the same way. In “The Hoop Collective” on Thursday, Brian Windhurst reflects on what Brooklyn, one of the most powerful shooting groups ever, could be. In doing so, Windhorst added his voice to those who think Be Simmons will play a lot in 5, with or without KD…

“There was an idea that Ben Simmons could play center for this team this year. And when you think about those lineups, we’re going to have Simmons in the center, and he could be protected by Durant and Keri and Seth Curry and Joe Harris,” Windhurst told Mark J.

“And you could have Simmons defending the (centre) position and then potentially being the creator or working pick-and-roll with any of those people, spreading the floor. I mean, that’s horrible stuff.”

It’s really terrifying, but there is still no clarity on whether that will ever happen. There is no clarity on whether Durant will join training camp and play games or sit outside. This week we learned that Durant faces no financial risks. Mark Stein reports that he has already earned the first quarter of his $44 million salary and will receive another quarter on October 1. Theoretically, and again we have no indication if that could happen, Durant could take part in the first few days of camp to get past October 1, get paid, and then sit down.

Although Ramona Shelburne notes that Durant laid out his complaints in more detail during their meeting in London a week ago and that the Nets see the meeting as “part of the process,” Durant sticks to his ultimatum: shoot Sean Marks and Steve Nash, or trade me. In a tweet, Tsai noted his support for the front office and training staff and emphasized that the organization prioritizes the “best interest.” Brooklyn Networks. ”

So, things don’t look good unless you’ve completely given up on the KD ghost. In this case, you can say that things get a little better if the rumors about Sixers Now that he is interested in KD right. The more teams interested and waving offers to trade in your face, the more likely the Nets will approach the asking price. However, would a trade that creates a super team in either Philadelphia or Boston be in the “Brooklyn Nets” interest?

The rumor has some validity, at least outwardly. Durant and James Harden just returned in each other’s good blessings. They’re on a European tour together, traveling from St Tropez on the French Riviera to London for a Travis Scott concert, then to Barcelona and a 5-star hotel on the beach. Also, salaries match if Tobias Harris is in the mix. Therese Maxi is an all-star player and Matisse Thibault is a really strong defender. He might thrive if he teamed up with fellow Australians Ben Simmons and Patti Mills on the bench and the Melbourne Mafia on the performance team. But Sixers has a limited venture capital to fill the network’s need for footage. And again, Durant trading Philly under duress after trading Harden under duress would be hard to swallow, especially for fans.

And as far as we know, that’s where we stand…focus on “as far as we know”.

Ric Bucher pushes Nets rumors aggressively, despite denials

There was a time when Rick Bucher was a favorite reporter on ESPN. He broke news of Deron Williams’ trade on TV back in 2011. When asked who told him he’s headed to New Jersey, DWill replied, “Ric Bucher on ESPN.” Now with FOX Sports, he’s an NBA commentator but this week, he’s been there delivering what he said are news about Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving.

in the first moment, Boucher reported A source told him that Simmons dropped out of a group chat on Nets during the process of scanning Nets to Celtics When asked if he would play in Game 4. Bucher told Colin Coward that the incident angered Kevin Durant.

Soon, Shams Charania and Christian Winfield said that nothing happened, and that the story wasn’t true, causing Bucher to repeat his claim and suggest that it was Charania who was wrong. Winfield is not mentioned.

Simmons also appears to be making fun of Bucher’s report, tweeting this…

…and Charania retweeted Pat McAfee “This never happened…It’s a great story but it didn’t happen.”

In the second case, Bucher said of Irving’s contract talks, “I was told he wanted his new contract to ensure that he would not have to play more than 60 games a season and would not have to play any consecutive games, which he apparently referred to as inhumane.”

Irving responded quickly With a tweet showing a GIF of the baseball player taking off his hat, Bucher indicated that Bucher is “plugging” or “lying.” And he went further, calling on the media in general. His agent and stepmother, Shetelia Riley Irving, had earlier denied a report in the Post that Irving “hated” Sean Marks and Steve Nash…

It got 11,000 likes.

Does Bucher focus on bed nets? It might be a smart strategy. The Nets dominated the off-season on television and social media. It is no coincidence that NBA today On ESPN it had the highest ratings ever in July when it was the highest NBA news It was where Durant and Irving would end up. I think we can console ourselves with that.

And at least one American city is obsessed with Simmons and they are truly amazing. The hymn “F*ck Ben Simmons” broke out this week between sets at Kendrick Lamar’s concert in Philadelphia. Whoosh.

super star watch

As we have noted, Kevin Durant was friends with him in Europe last week. Here they are exercising in Barcelona on Tuesday night…

And if this pairing doesn’t make you scratch your head, here’s Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook in Los Angeles..

Ben Simmons is also in Los Angeles with his coach Chris Johnson…

Johnson was asked if Simmons works on 3-point shooting. He replied, “Sure.”

Meanwhile, on Saturday night, Friends of Nic will celebrate its new two-year deal, which is worth between $17 million and $20 million, depending on the rewards.

Enjoy big guy!

Thank you note

The Nets have lost two of the hardest-working players on their crew in the past two weeks. Jordan Ott, who was assistant coach for more than six seasons, and Matt Ricciardi, who went from apprentice to director of scouting operations and Long Island Nets GM over a long period, are both leaving for better jobs elsewhere in the NBA. . UT is heading to LakersRicciardi to the Mavericks.

Both have been very popular with generations of Nets players. We’ll miss them but hope they succeed in their new jobs as much as they did in Brooklyn (and in the case of Riccardi, NJ).

Diversity update

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDESport.org) has released its website Annual Report on the NBARacial and gender report card. It’s a lengthy compendium of where the league is, particularly in the roles played by people of color and women across the league, including the staff of the NBA headquarters and team offices. It’s a good read.

Among teams, the Nets ranks 10th out of 30 for people of color and women as VP or above. These are not just basketball operations but in everything from finance to human relations to marketing. The nickstheir own, at the top of the list.

There have been some unambiguous reports that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving want more variety in the coaching ranks, although neither has said anything publicly on the issue. Of the nets’ eight assistants, three are African-American and one is Hispanic. This is lower than last season. It is clear that the nets will not replace Amar’e Stoudemire who held the unique position of Assistant Player Development. He was included in the coaching staff but was not an assistant coach. Stoudemire described his departure as a “mutual decision”.

The report also noted that there were four teams with people of color as the main ruler, including Zhou Tsai and three women. Clara Wu Tsai is often referred to as the “co-owner” of the Nets but this is not an official title. She is the “co-ruler” of Liberty with her husband.

Update the list

No updates again this week. While other teams have started to fill out their training camp rosters, the Nets still have vacancies. Once again, they have 12 players on guaranteed standard NBA contracts, one player with partial warranty and the other two-way. David Duke Jr. remains a restricted free agent. We’re assuming nothing happens, so the Nets have some flexibility if they have to get additional contracts in the Kevin Durant deal. They are among the few NBA teams to not fill the 15+2 roster. By one estimate, there are only 17 chances of record contracts still open between 30 teams and two of them are in Brooklyn.

Expect some news this week. Also expect the release of the NBA schedule. Without knowing if and where KD will move, the important dates to look out for are Ben Simmons returning to play in Philadelphia, Royce O’Neale returning to Utah and TJ Warren and Edmond Sumner returning to Indiana. And the four dates that the Nets play with the Knicks.

One last note

Root, root, root for the home team, this is New York Liberty. If they win on Sunday afternoon at the Barclays Center, they are in the post-season for the second year in a row after losing for four consecutive years.

Here are the scenarios for WNBA playoffs. If the liberals win, they are in. If they don’t, they still have a chance.

h / drmataya.

In fact, instead of just rooting from home, head to Brooklyn. Seats are available.

We’ll have Brian Florentine preview the game Sunday morning. Go Leps, own the crown!