The New York Post (Fred Kerber) reports: The Nets finally saw the Yi Jianlian they wanted, the 7-foot bundle of emerging talent they felt was worth dealing Richard Jefferson to obtain. The past few weeks, Yi was good. The past few games, Yi was very good. But now the development will be shelved for up to six weeks after Yi broke his right pinkie in Friday’s 104-102 defeat at Milwaukee. “Lousy timing,” team president Rod Thorn said. “He’d been playing well the last 2½, 3 weeks. Even in games he didn’t score a lot in, he’s been playing well. So it’s a tough time for him to get hurt.” Yi, who said he heard a “little pop” as he swiped at the ball in the third quarter, had 16 points in 25 minutes against Milwaukee, well on his way to a third straight 20-point game. In his last three games, he shot .538 (21-of-39), averaged 19.3 points – plus 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
Category: Brooklyn Nets Blog
Nets blog – Brooklyn Nets blog. A great Nets news blog
Ridnour’s floater lifts Milwaukee over Nets
The AP reports: Luke Ridnour’s 5-foot floater with 0.5 seconds left lifted the Bucks to a 104-102 victory over the Nets on Friday night in the first meeting since Jefferson was dealt on draft day to Milwaukee for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. Jefferson left Simmons alone to try to defend Vince Carter in the closing seconds and Simmons, who finished with 15 points by going 5-of-9 from 3-point range, hit his final one with 9 seconds left to tie it at 102… But Carter, who finished with 23 points, 14 assists and one rebound short of his fifth triple-double, hit a fadeaway jumper and set up a layup by Brook Lopez to make it 100-97… Jarvis Hayes scored 16 points for the Nets, while Milwaukee got 23 points from Charlie Villanueva, 11 from Ramon Sessions and 10 each from Ridnour, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Charlie Bell.
Nets easily top Memphis 100-89 for 3rd straight home win
The AP reports: It’s rarely this easy for the New Jersey Nets, especially in their own building. Vince Carter had 25 points and a season-high 12 assists, and the Nets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 100-89 on Wednesday night for their third straight home victory. Playing without leading scorer Devin Harris (sore right hamstring), the Nets enjoyed one of the most relaxing nights a team could have… Yi Jianlian added 20 points, and rookie Brook Lopez had 17 for the Nets, who are just 8-12 at the Meadowlands even after their longest home winning streak of the season. They are 10-6 on the road and returned to .500 overall at 18-18. Rookie O.J. Mayo scored 26 points, and Rudy Gay had 23 for the Grizzlies, who lost for the sixth time in seven games and fell to 0-9 this season when playing on the second night of back-to-back games.
New nickname for Nenad Krstic
The Oklahoman (Darnell Mayberry) reports: Nenad Krstic is officially a member of the Thunder after having his work visa approved Monday. And with a new team comes a new nickname. Krstic, the 7-foot center who was signed Dec. 30, is no longer affectionately referred to as “Curly” as he was during his four seasons with the New Jersey Nets. Thunder players have taken to the nickname “Krispy.” While the nickname is more of a play off Krstic’s last name, it could carry a double meaning for how crisp Krstic has been in his first week of practice. “He’s looking good,” Desmond Mason said of Krstic, who could make his Thunder debut tonight against the New York Knicks.
Carter has 29, Yi 22 to lead Nets over Kings 98-90
The AP reports: With leading scorer Devin Harris sidelined in the second half, the New Jersey Nets turned to Vince Carter and couple of other things that have not been as reliable—Yi Jianlian and defense. Carter scored 29 points, Yi added 22 points and a season-high 13 rebounds and the Nets limited Sacramento to 36 second-half points in handing the Kings their 11th straight road loss, 98-90 on Monday night… Getting 17 second-half points from Carter was no surprise. Getting 15 points and 10 rebounds from Yi was stunning… Kevin Martin, who scored 45 on Saturday night, had 36 points for the woeful Kings (8-27). The reserve scored 11 in the second half, when he was 3-of-12 from the field.
Wade ignites Heat’s 101-96 OT win over Nets
The AP reports: Soaring for blocks and acrobatic dunks, Dwyane Wade stuffed the Nets. Wade scored 29 points, had three key blocks in the closing minutes and the Miami Heat overcame a 16-point deficit to beat New Jersey 101-96 in overtime Saturday night. Wade did it all in the Heat’s biggest comeback victory of the season. The superstar went up high for two blocks on dunk attempts by 7-footer Brook Lopez, including one in overtime and another late in the fourth quarter, and swatted Vince Carter’s jumper into the stands in the final minute of regulation… Trailing by 16 points in the first quarter, the Heat rode a season-high 19 points from Diawara and 17 points from Michael Beasley… Keyon Dooling had 23 points, and Carter had 20 for the Nets, who won in overtime a night earlier against the Atlanta Hawks.
Devin Harris did not play.
NBA taking no action in Carter-ref incident
The AP reports: The NBA did not take any action against Vince Carter of the New Jersey Nets nor a veteran official who used the word ‘boy’ during a confrontation with the eight-time All-Star during a game Wednesday in Detroit. Referee Derrick Stafford called two quick technicals on Carter after he argued an out-of-bounds call in the second quarter of the Pistons’ 83-75 victory. A furious Carter went after the official following his ejection and seemed to bump Stafford. Carter had to be held back by teammates. “We have spoken to both Vince and Derrick about their exchange during Wednesday’s game, and decided not to take any action with respect to the language that was used or any inadvertent contact that may have occurred,” the league said today in a statement provided in an e-mail from spokesman Tim Frank.
Nets better on road than home
The New York Times (Jonathan Abrams) reports: In defiance of N.B.A. history and everyday logic, the Nets wear their record inside-out. On the road, they are one of the league’s top teams with a 10-5 record, with as many losses as the Cleveland Cavaliers. At home in the Izod Center, they are 5-12, better than only the Washington Wizards in the Eastern Conference. The end result is that the puzzling Nets are teetering around the break-even mark and in the middle of the pack in the conference. “Right now, we’re a better road team, for whatever reason,” Keyon Dooling said. “It’s kind of unorthodox. But we’ve got to keep chopping wood and trying to get better.” Coach Lawrence Frank has some theories, but solving the problem has been more difficult… According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 1955-56 Knicks are the only N.B.A. team to finish above .500 on the road (16-13) and below that mark at home (13-15). They went 6-9 in games played at neutral sites. The Boston Celtics, during the 2003-4 season, are the only team this decade to finish below .500 at home (19-22) and qualify for the playoffs, according to Elias.
Pistons beat Nets 83-75
The AP reports: Allen Iverson and Tayshaun Prince stepped up for the short-handed Detroit Pistons. Iverson scored 19 points, and Prince added 16 to help the Pistons win their fifth straight game, 83-75 over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday… Detroit played without Rip Hamilton (groin) and Antonio McDyess (ribs), and lost Rasheed Wallace to a first-half foot injury, but still held the Nets to a season low… The Nets lost some of their advantage when Vince Carter was ejected after for arguing a second-quarter call with referee Derrick Stafford… Rookie Brook Lopez led New Jersey with 23 points and 12 rebounds, but the Nets weren’t able to overcome an 11-point second quarter.
Krstic joins Thunder, Steven Hill waived
Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team’s acquisition of center Nenad Krstic has been finalized. The Thunder originally signed Krstic to an offer sheet on Dec. 22nd. The transaction was finalized today when the New Jersey Nets declined to match the Thunder offer.
“We are pleased to be able to add Nenad to our organization,” said Presti. “He is someone that we feel helps this team both in the short and long term. We are excited that he will be a part of the Thunder as we continue to build our team here in Oklahoma City.”
Krstic (7-0, 213), the 24th overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Nets, played four seasons in New Jersey appearing in 226 games. During that time he averaged 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in 27 minutes per contest.
The Serbian national had his best year in 2005-06 when he started 80 games for the Nets as a second year player. He averaged 13.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Krstic had his 2006-07 season cut short by a torn ACL in his left knee. Prior to the injury he was averaging 16.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest.
Krstic signed a contract with Triumph Lyubertsy of Russia’s Superleague A on July 29, 2008. In seven Superleague A games with Triumph he averaged 10.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.0 block in 21 minutes per contest.
Prior to his move to the NBA, Krstic played four seasons for Partizan in Yugoslavian League where he averaged 10.6 points and 5.2 rebounds.
Krstic will wear uniform #12.
At the same time the team announced that it has waived center Steven Hill. Hill appeared in one game for the Thunder scoring two points and grabbing thee rebounds in two minutes.