Brooklyn Nets – The News Desk

NBA Pre-Postseason Player Tiers 1 and 2: Wembanyama quickly rising; Giannis, Jokić steady at top

13Apr

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Sports

NBA Pre-Postseason Player Tiers 1 and 2: Wembanyama quickly rising; Giannis, Jokić steady at top

Yesterday, I largely focused on setting the table for the updated NBA Pre-Postseason Players Tiers before revealing Tier 3 (players between the 24th and 42nd spot) and Tier 4 (Nos. 43-80).Today, I’m going to get a little more into some of the more interesting and/or challenging placements, as well as note a few overall trends.For starters, a consistent bit of feedback — and one I’ve gotten from multiple sources since the release of Tiers 3 and 4 — is the always difficult evaluation of which player is more valuable between an elite role player and a good-but-not-great primary or secondary creator. A senior analytics staffer within the league went so far as to argue they would prefer essentially the entirety of Tier 4A, largely made up of elite role players or connectors, over Tier 3B, whic...

New scene at NBA games: Fans screaming at players about their losing bets

4Apr

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Sports

New scene at NBA games: Fans screaming at players about their losing bets

NBA players have always gotten an earful from fans, whether at home or on the road. It comes with the job.But this season, it’s getting darker.The recent surge in legalized gambling in every pro league, and throughout college athletics, has impacted American sports in ways thought unimaginable just a few years ago. But along with the potential good that hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenues bring to the NBA and other leagues, something new and ominous has arrived: verbal abuse directed at players and coaches based solely on fans’ wagers.GO DEEPERTrotter: With legalized betting, could society be the big loser?Fans can now bet in real-time on their smartphones, on all aspects of the game, including minutiae such as how many rebounds one player might get in the first half, and how ...

Lakers’ LeBron James on his NBA future after win over Nets: ‘I don’t have much time left’

2Apr

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Lakers’ LeBron James on his NBA future after win over Nets: ‘I don’t have much time left’

NEW YORK — LeBron James isn’t sure when he’s retiring — but he knows it’s approaching soon.After scoring 40 points and tying his career high with nine 3-pointers in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 116-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Sunday, James was asked how long he plans to continue playing in the NBA.“Not very long,” James said. “Not very long. I’m on the other side, obviously, of the hill. I’m not gonna play another 21 years, that’s for damn sure. But not very long. I don’t know when that door will close as far as when I’ll retire. But I don’t have much time left.” LeBron James on how long he expects to continue playing in the NBA: “Not very long. … I’m not gonna play another 21 years, that’s for damn sure. But not very long. I don’t know when that door will close as far...

Dunking hurts: Why players hate — and love — the NBA’s greatest feat

23Dec

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Sports

Dunking hurts: Why players hate — and love — the NBA’s greatest feat

The dunk is basketball’s most lionized play. The most iconic ones are canonized, referenced fondly and often, debated for their merits and significance. The sport’s language has created so many names for it: jam, yam, slam, poster, stuff, hammer. It’s a unique club that only few on this world can join. It’s marvelous.And it hurts like hell.“Can you think of any other concept where your hand swings at something metal?” 11-year NBA veteran Austin Rivers asks. “It’ll probably hurt, yeah?”When asked, players catalog the pain dunking has caused: broken nails; bent fingers; recent bruises; lasting scars; midair collisions; twisted necks; dangerous landings. Injuries that cost them games or even seasons.Derrick Jones Jr., a former NBA All-Star Weekend dunk contest winner now with the Dallas Mave...

Nets give Cam Thomas, Ben Simmons, Dennis Smith Jr. health updates

22Nov

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Health

Nets give Cam Thomas, Ben Simmons, Dennis Smith Jr. health updates

Cam Thomas was cleared for increased on-court activity two weeks after spraining his left ankle, while Ben Simmons will miss at least another week with a nerve impingement in his lower back, the Nets announced Wednesday. Thomas, the Nets’ leading scorer, was ruled out for his sixth consecutive game Wednesday against Atlanta after suffering the injury in a Nov. 8 win over the Clippers. The Nets said Wednesday that the 22-year-old guard has made “significant improvement.” “He is expected to be integrated into team activities next week as he progresses with his return-to-play program,” the Nets said. Simmons, meanwhile, was ruled out Wednesday for a seventh game in a row after coming up gimpy during the Nets’ Nov. 6 loss to Milwaukee. After initially listing his injury as a hip contusion, th...

2023-24 NBA City Edition Jerseys: Every Nike uniform ranked from worst to first

12Nov

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2023-24 NBA City Edition Jerseys: Every Nike uniform ranked from worst to first

The 2023-24 Nike NBA City Edition uniforms were unveiled last Thursday. NBA fans will be treated to another season where alternate uniforms, according to Nike, continue to “represent the stories, history and heritage that make each franchise unique.”The uniforms are now in their seventh season with the NBA, and they have been a big hit in the past. Home teams will wear the uniforms throughout the NBA In-Season Tournament, which tipped off last Friday and will run until Dec. 9.The big question: How does this year’s collection of uniforms look? The 30 Nike NBA City Edition jerseys for the 2023-24 season.The unveiling gave The Athletic’s team of Jason Jones, James Edwards III and Kelly Iko an opportunity to discuss the jerseys in depth. The trio conferred about all 30 City Editi...

Bold predictions for the NBA season, including Wembanyama the All-Star and a Celtics title

22Oct

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Sports

Bold predictions for the NBA season, including Wembanyama the All-Star and a Celtics title

What time is it? That’s right … it’s time to make some outlandish statements that people will look back on next spring and cackle hysterically.OK, that’s not actually the goal, but it is certainly an occupational hazard. Prognostication makes fools of us all; there are just too many things we can’t possibly have seen coming. Thank goodness for that, actually, as sports would be pretty boring otherwise.That won’t stop me from trying, though. With the regular season starting next week, now is the time to gaze into my extremely hazy crystal ball and make some calls for what will happen in the coming months. In particular, the goal is to make some calls that might go against the tide and are actually, y’know … bold. For instance, “Nikola Jokić will make the All-Star team” is a defensible pre...

NBA’s sudden change of heart on load management is odd, but better late than never

15Oct

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Sports

NBA’s sudden change of heart on load management is odd, but better late than never

The NBA’s 180 on load management is giving me whiplash.Five seconds ago, every available piece of science the NBA told us it had in its possession from its teams said – screamed – the same thing: players not only needed more time off but that the league would be derelict in its partnership with its players if it didn’t align with teams, whose data said: rest.The league cut way back on back-to-back games. Many teams eliminated morning shootarounds, as they were viewed as disruptive to players’ sleep patterns. Every team had a “Director of Very Important Sports Science and Cutting Edge MahnaMahna” and scores of eager data collectors. Wearables tracked every waking moment of every player, what they ate, and when. Cameras high above each arena tracked every movement of every player on the cou...

Ben Simmons ‘grateful’ to be healthy, wants to be Nets PG and leader

2Oct

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Health

Ben Simmons ‘grateful’ to be healthy, wants to be Nets PG and leader

Ben Simmons didn’t hesitate. After two years marred by injuries and inconsistency, the former first-overall pick says he’s healthy, envisions himself as the Nets point guard and wants to be a leader. Simmons, 27, enters this week’s training camp with no restrictions after an injured back ended his 2022-23 campaign early. He’s only appeared in 42 games since the Nets acquired him in the February 2022 blockbuster trade that sent James Harden to Philadelphia, but he has high hopes that the 2023-24 season can be different. “I get to do my job, and that’s a blessing,” Simmons said Monday during the Nets’ media day. “Every day, I don’t take for granted. I just come in here and do my job to the best of my ability. I’m grateful to be back and just on the court playing and doing what I love.” A re...

How the unexpected blockbuster Damian Lillard trade to the Bucks came together

30Sep

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Sports

How the unexpected blockbuster Damian Lillard trade to the Bucks came together

As the NBA offseason calendar shifted to September and there was no trade in sight to his preferred trade destination of the Miami Heat, Damian Lillard incorporated himself back into the Portland Trail Blazers’ ecosystem. For the last two weeks, team sources say Lillard has been working out at the Blazers practice facility, interacting with players and coaches.Nearly three months after his trade request, was there a reconciliation in the works? No, but Lillard wanted the Blazers to know he was willing to remain patient while his uncomfortable exit played out.On a call between Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, and Blazers general manager Joe Cronin earlier this month, it was communicated that Lillard would be content rejoining Portland for training camp. Lillard let the Blazers know he was w...