Category: Brooklyn Nets Blog

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Nets put up good fight vs Celtics

The Celtics came to Brooklyn Tuesday and left town with their NBA-leading 13th win in a row. Boston looked great in the first quarter, but then the Nets stepped up and made a game out of it. Here’s the New York Post with more:

Facing the hottest team in the NBA was going to be an uphill climb for the Nets under the best circumstances. But doing it without their two point guards — and arguably two best players — proved too much to handle.

With D’Angelo Russell out indefinitely with a knee injury and Jeremy Lin already sidelined for the season, also with a knee injury, the Nets were game, but woefully shorthanded against the Celtics. And scalding-hot Boston predictably proved to be too much, with the Nets falling 109-102 in a tightly contested affair Tuesday.

Hearing Boston fans take over the Barclays Center was just salt in the Nets’ various wounds, and listening to them serenade New Jersey-bred Celtics star Kyrie Irving with chants of “MVP!” as he took free throws with two minutes left was an added insult. But to be fair, Irving looked the part, dominating in his return from a facial fracture and then giving his shoes to some troops seated courtside.

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And for more on the “relationship” between these two teams, here’s ESPN Boston:

In the aftermath of that late-game alley-oop, the remaining Nets fans were left to watch Brown and Tatum engage in a celebratory body-bump near midcourt. It was a painful reminder of what could have been.

Both Brown and Tatum, along with Irving, were delivered to Boston by direct result of the draft picks the Nets sent the Celtics as part of the 2013 blockbuster that sent Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry to Brooklyn.

This was the first time since 2013 that Boston played a game against Brooklyn that didn’t have implications on a future pick, and Celtics fans had often utilized the hashtag #Netspick while basking in Brooklyn’s recent struggles. On Tuesday, Celtics fans simply enjoyed watching the exploits of their past picks.

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Nets assign Isaiah Whitehead to G League

Nets assign Isaiah Whitehead to G League

Brooklyn Nets guard Isaiah Whitehead has been assigned to the Long Island Nets, the NBA G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets.

The assignment marks Whitehead’s first career stint with the LI Nets and also marks Long Island’s first assignment of the 2017-18 season. In 73 games (26 starts) with Brooklyn last season, Whitehead recorded averages of 7.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 22.5 minutes per contest.

Jeremy Lin suffers season-ending injury

The NBA season just began Tuesday, but for Nets guard Jeremy Lin, the 2017-18 campaign is already over.

According to the Nets, Lin has been diagnosed with a ruptured patella tendon of the right knee. The injury occurred during the fourth quarter of last night’s game at Indiana.

Lin is expected to miss the entire 2017-18 season.

Statement from Nets General Manager Sean Marks: “Jeremy worked tremendously hard during the offseason and in training camp and was excited for the prospects of the team this season. We feel awful that the injury will cost him the season, however our entire organization will be there to support Jeremy in every way possible throughout his recovery. Jeremy remains an important part of this team and will continue to contribute in a leadership role.”

Nets lineup still being decided

One would think that new highly-paid Net Allen Crabbe would be in the starting lineup come regular season, right? We’ll see. Here’s the New York Post reporting:

The Nets used the exact same starting lineup throughout the preseason, but coach Kenny Atkinson insists that’s no guarantee it will remain the same when they open the regular season Wednesday in Indiana.

Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell are the first-choice backcourt, and Timofey Mozgov is the presumptive starter at center. But who will get the nod at the forward spots?

And will pricey small forward Allen Crabbe — whose $19.3 million salary this season is tops on the roster and fifth highest in team history — really be on the bench?

“It’s still to be determined,” Atkinson said. “Still have to look at everything, and he’s a part of that. [We’ll] look at his progression. That being said, I do like how that group played together, that starting five. But nothing is set in stone yet.”

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Nets exercise contract options on D’Angelo Russell, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Caris LeVert

The Brooklyn Nets have exercised the team’s 2018-19 contract options on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, D’Angelo Russell and Caris LeVert.

Hollis-Jefferson, selected with the 23rd overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by Portland and acquired by the Nets via trade on draft night, has appeared in 107 career games (67 starts) in two seasons, registering averages of 7.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 22.2 minutes per game. During the 2016-17 season, the 22-year-old saw action in a team-high 78 contests (50 starts) and averaged 8.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 22.6 minutes per contest.

Russell spent the first two seasons of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers before being acquired by the Nets via trade on June 22, 2017. He was selected with the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 28.2 minutes per game in 80 games (48 starts) in his inaugural season en route to All-Rookie Second Team honors. In the 2016-17 season, the 21-year-old appeared in 63 games (60 starts) and increased his production across the board, averaging 15.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 28.7 minutes per game.

LeVert saw action in 57 games (26 starts) in his rookie season, recording averages of 8.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 21.7 minutes per game. The 23-year-old was originally selected with the 20th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers before being acquired in a trade by Brooklyn on July 7, 2016.

Nets sign Tahjere McCall and Kamari Murphy

The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard Tahjere McCall and forward Kamari Murphy.

McCall (6’5”, 195) finished his collegiate career at Tennessee State (2015-17) after spending two years at Niagara University (2012-14). While at Tennessee State, McCall earned All-Ohio Valley Conference First Team honors twice and was the conference’s defensive player of the year in both seasons. The Philadelphia native saw action in 117 career collegiate games (93 starts), recording averages of 10.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.9 steals in 26.0 minutes per game.

Murphy (6’9”, 218) played the last two seasons (2015-17) at the University of Miami after beginning his collegiate career at Oklahoma State University (2012-14). He started all 33 games with the Hurricanes during his senior campaign, averaging 7.1 points and 7.3 rebounds in 29.4 minutes per game. The Brooklyn native appeared in 131 games (97 starts) over the course of his four-year collegiate career, averaging 5.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 24.6 minutes per contest.

Both McCall and Murphy were members of the Nets’ 2017 Las Vegas Summer League team.

Preseason: Nets beat Knicks by 34

Preseason is just a warmup, but there’s also less of it this year. And the regular season is around one week away. And even in preseason, it’s fun for NYC-area fans to see what happens when the Knicks and Nets play each other. Here’s the New York Post reporting:

With Floyd Mayweather seated in the front row, the Nets put a beating on the Knicks that the boxing champion would have been proud of.

Yes, it was just preseason. No, it won’t count in the standings. But after rolling 117-83 on Sunday — and hammering their cross-river rivals twice in the span of three days — early returns say the Nets are the best basketball team in the city.

The Nets’ long-armed, versatile switching defense held the Knicks to 38.7 percent shooting, and 4-of-15 from beyond the 3-point arc. They had 13 steals and turned 25 turnovers into 35 points. And they turned that defense to offense, swing and moving the ball for 29 assists…

D’Angelo Russell had 16 points, seven assists and three steals, all team-highs.

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Allen Crabbe preseason Nets debut a good one

Here’s the New York Post reporting on one of the key new additions to the Nets, Allen Crabbe:

Allen Crabbe preseason debut a good one for Nets

Over 15 months after the Nets inked Allen Crabbe to a huge offer sheet, they finally got to see the small forward suit up for them.

He couldn’t have made a better first impression.

In his first action of the preseason after recovering from a sprained ankle, Crabbe had 14 points in just 10 minutes 46 seconds in the Nets’ 117-83 win over the Knicks on Sunday at Barclays Center. He shot 5-of-7 from the floor, 3-of-4 from behind the arc and was even active on defense, finishing a plus-16.

“Just watching the first two preseason games and all the shots and how the offense flows, it’s the perfect system for me. I just came in with confidence,” Crabbe said. “It’s a different feel here, when coach [Kenny Atkinson] is telling you to do more, to shoot more. It’s like the ultimate green light, so I’m out there just playing basketball freely, not thinking about anything, just letting the game come to me.”

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