By: Adam Callahan
When one entered the Izod Center last season, or what used to be called Continental Airlines Arena, six retired jerseys shine hanging from the ceiling. Drazen Petrovic, Wendell Ladner, John Williamson, Bill Mechionni, and Buck Williams. Just five names, huh? Who could it be that I am forgetting? Jason Kidd? Vince Carter? The correct answer is.. Keep reading →
This is the third post in a weekly series breaking down the players on the Nets’ roster. There is always a chance there will be transactions made and the rankings can be changed. For now, we are leaving the rookies out because they haven’t actually played in an NBA game yet. Throughout the regular season we will be updating these rankings weekly based off of performances during the week prior. Last week we had Sean May as our No. 10 player, today we will focus on the new Nets’ backup center Johan Petro.
By: John Fraty
What he can do:
Before I rip into the Nets for a very bad contract given to Petro, there is some good things that Petro does bring to the table. He’s a very sturdy backup center who is a lot younger then most people probably think he is (24). Petro is purely a big body who does a good job of filling up the paint defensively. He does a nice job of moving his feet and is a decent help defender. For his career he’s averaged nearly 17 MPG, and 4.2 RPG. Does that jump off the page? No, but when we look at his 36 MPG they are much more respectable (11 and 9). Petro will not be Marcin Gortat, but as a backup center who I believe has more potential then most people think, I believe the Nets have made a nice pickup getting him in free agency. Also, does anyone else agree that “Pet” is a great nickname?
By: Victor Nash
After taking on Miami (and probably losing), the Nets will get a crack at another title contender on November 5th: The Orlando Magic.
I find this matchup to be interesting, because the Nets are like a poor man’s Orlando. This season everyone in the starting lineup can shoot very well with the exception of Brook Lopez and Devin Harris. The Magic have been successful by surrounding their All-Star center, Dwight Howard, with elite shooters, and I think the Nets are trying to use Orlando as a model. The Nets rely heavily on Lopez, just as the Magic rely on Howard to propel their offense.
This is the second post in a quick two-part series exploring a possible Carmelo Anthony-New Jersey Nets collaboration. Yesterday I took a look at how the Nets’ could get Carmelo Anthony. Today I discuss how Anthony would fit in with the Nets as a team.
By: John Fraty
To answer the question that I have posed to you guys: very well. I mentioned it in yesterday’s post, Carmelo will finally bring the pure-scorer mentality that the Nets currently don’t have on the roster.
By: Omar Hozayen
Devin Harris’s ’09-’10 season was, to say the least, disappointing. Harris looked very disinterested at times and was not nearly as productive as he was a season before when many people felt he deserved to win the Most Improved Player Award. Harris was also unable to score as well as he did in ’09, going from 21.3 ppg on 43.8% shooting to 16.9 ppg on 40.3% shooting. This was especially important because the Nets desperately needed scoring last season and saw their offense become more stagnant than the swamp water of New Jersey. To no one’s surprise they ranked last in this category in terms of points per possession.
This is the first post in a quick two-part series exploring a possible Carmelo Anthony-New Jersey Nets collaboration. Tomorrow, I will be posting a column concerning how Anthony would potentially fit in with the Nets.
By: John Fraty
The recent rumors swirling around Carmelo Anthony have been numerous. There are people who say he wants out of Denver and has a few teams he is considering a move too. He could go to New York with CP3 and form another Big Three alongside Amar’e Stoudemire. He could stay in Denver and be comfortable in the only NBA city he’s known. He could heald to Houston and accentuate a nice core. He could make Orlando his home in a sign-and-trade that would make the state of Florida the best in the NBA. Or, ‘Melo could find his way into the hands of Mikhail Prokhorov and the New Jersey Nets.
I’m liking the sound of that last one.
As mentioned in the prior post, this is the premier of a brand new series here on The Nets Nation. “A Look Back At Nets’ History” will be a weekly post every Sunday. The series will be filled with all kinds of interesting posts about the history of your New Jersey Nets, whether that be on or off the court.
By: Adam Callahan
Darren Oshay Blaylock. One of the NBAs greatest examples that size isn’t everything. To win in this league, you need commitment, passion, drive, and heart. Mookie Blaylock fit this mold perfectly. Standing at a mere 6’1 and 190 lbs, Blaylock had a very successful career in the league. A career full of highlights, one being that Mookie is one of the 34 players in the history of this game to have 22 or more assists in a game.
Blaylock’s career began in 1989, when the New Jersey Nets drafted him 12th overall out of the University of Oklahoma. Mookie played his college ball first at Midland College, and later transferred to the University of Oklahoma to become a Sooner. Fellow NBA little man, Spud Webb, also went to Midland College before moving onto N.C. State. When the Nets drafted Blaylock out of the University of Oklahoma, he had a reputation as a relentless defender. He had the record for most steals in a season, 150, and most steals in a single game, 13. On top of this he averaged 3.8 steals a game, setting a record in the NCAA. Mookie also became the first player in NCAA history to eclipse 200 assists and 100 steals in back-to-back seasons. Blaylock took the Sooners to the 1988 National Championship, where they lost to the Kansas Jayhawks.
