Brooklyn Nets Blog – Page 67 – NBA Blog

Andray Blatche chasing minutes and wins in upcoming free agency

Andray Blatche says money won’t mean much when he negotiates his next contract this summer, and there are complicated circumstances that give you reason to believe him.

In other words, Brooklyn – which won’t have cap space and doesn’t own Blatche’s Bird Rights – has an opportunity to re-sign its top free agent.

“I’m very aware (of my unique situation),” Blatche told the Daily News. “That’s what I’m saying. Everybody is probably thinking I’m looking to get that big check. I’m not. Not at all. I’m looking at what’s best for me.”

So what is best for the 26-year-old center?

“An opportunity to continue to play and win.”

— Reported by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News

Hawks have chance to make up ground on Nets

At least one Hawks player is looking at Sunday’s key matchup against the Nets with an eye toward the playoffs.

DeShawn Stevenson said there is a something more at stake in the game.

“It means a lot because we might end up playing them (in the playoffs),” Stevenson said. “We don’t want to be down 3-1. That game is important.”

The Hawks have lost two of three meetings with the Nets this season, including a poor performance March 9 in a 93-80 loss at Philips Arena.

The Hawks (36-29) have the same record as the Bulls, who own the tiebreaker, for the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference. They are two games behind the fourth-place Nets (38-27). The Celtics, who played the Bobcats on Saturday, would make it a three-way tie with win.

— Reported by Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution

Nets recall Tornike Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor from D-League

The Brooklyn Nets have recalled forward Tornike Shengelia and guard Tyshawn Taylor from the Springfield Armor of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by General Manager Billy King. The two players were assigned to Springfield on March 15.

In seven games for the Armor this season, Shengelia holds D-League averages of 25.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Shengelia posted an Armor franchise-high tying 39 points to go along with 18 rebounds on January 24 vs. Maine after recording a triple-double in his D-League debut December 21 against Erie. Last night, the 6’8’’ rookie notched 15 points with five rebounds and two assists.

Taylor has averaged 25.4 points, 7.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds in five D-League contests this season, including a 32-point performance in his debut December 21 against Erie and two double-doubles in his ensuing three games. In his most recent outing, the rookie out of Kansas posted 21 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Legendary New York high school coach Jack Curran dies at 83

Jack Curran, who spent more than a half century at Archbishop Molloy High School and was among the nation’s winningest prep coaches in basketball and baseball, has died. He was 83.

His death was confirmed Thursday by the Queens school. The family has yet to release further information, the school said.

Curran had been weakened by lung and kidney problems. He broke his kneecap last month when he slipped on ice while on his way to church. The mishap did not prevent him from attending church that day.

Curran coached 55 years at the school. In 1958, he became the basketball coach at what was then St. Ann’s Academy. He succeeded Lou Carnesecca, who left to coach St. John’s.

NBA players Brian Winters, Kevin Joyce, Kenny Smith and Kenny Anderson played under Curran at Archbishop Malloy. Curran was the winningest coach in New York state, with 972 victories in basketball and 1,708 in baseball.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Brook Lopez scores 26, Nets beat Hornets

Having Brook Lopez and Andray Blatche on the floor at the same time worked in a big way for the Nets.

Brooklyn’s big men combined for 44 points in a 108-98 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday night.

Lopez led all scorers with 26 points and enjoyed sharing the floor with Blatche, who scored 12 of his 18 points in the second quarter.

”He has such a high basketball IQ,” said Lopez, ”and he plays so well with everyone on the floor, which makes everyone’s job a lot easier.”

Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said the Lopez-Blatche tandem works well with specific match-ups, and considering Brooklyn needed an offensive jolt after Monday’s dismal loss to lowly Philadelphia, the plan worked.

”Andray makes the game easier for me,” said Lopez, who went on a 10-point scoring run himself in the third quarter to preserve a dwindling lead. ”You see Andray playing out there like that, I want him to play the entire game then. The great thing about our bigs, there are a lot of good players there who can do different things, so we can have a lot of combinations.”

Lopez had a monstrous dunk over his twin brother, Robin, with 3:49 left in the third quarter. It’s something the Lopez family will be talking about for years. Robin finished with 15 points and eight rebounds…

Deron Williams had 21 points and 13 assists, continuing his strong play since the All-Star break.

— Reported by Chris R. Vaccaro of the Associated Press

Ticket prices at MSG going up again

The Knicks haven’t won a playoff series since 2001, but the Garden’s $800 million, three-year transformation continues to give owner James Dolan cause to jack up season-ticket prices.

In a press release, the Knicks announced season-ticket prices will go up, on average, 6.4 percent for next season. The ticket increase is related to the final stage of the three-year transformation being completed in time for next season.

Ticket prices for Rangers game will increase by four percent.

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Kris Humphries not in rotation for Nets

Kris Humphries’ official divorce from Kim Kardashian is fast approaching, but his divorce from playing time will come much sooner.

According to a league source, Humphries was informed by coach P.J. Carlesimo Wednesday morning that he will no longer be part of the Nets’ shortened rotation.

Carlesimo has said in recent days that he wants to limit the rotation to nine or 10 players as the Nets head into the stretch run before the postseason.

The 6’9″ forward is averaging 18.4 minutes per game this season, a number that has dwindled substantially since the beginning of the year. He has grabbed 5.9 rebounds per game while scoring 5.5 points per contest.

The decision to bench Humphries is curious given how fervently the Nets have worked to keep him.

— Reported by Seth Walder and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News

Deron Williams says his ankles feel better

Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams, who has battled injuries all season, says his ankles don’t hurt and claims he can dunk.

During the week he was sidelined because of inflammation in both ankles, Williams did a three-day juice cleanse, regaining energy and getting bad toxins out of his system. He also received his third set of cortisone shots in both ankles and felt better as a result.

“My ankles don’t hurt,” Williams said Tuesday. “We finally got the injections in the right spot, and they feel a little bit better. I can actually walk up and down stairs and run around with my kids. I can go to the playground with them. I don’t have to hurt every time I take a single step. So, yeah, I feel a lot better. I can dunk.”

As for actually dunking in a game, Williams remains cautious.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m still nervous.”

— Reported by Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York

Brook Lopez, Andray Blatche may get more minutes together for Nets

Brooklyn Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo intends to tighten his team’s rotation, but wouldn’t divulge exactly how he’s going to do so.

One thing Carlesimo does want to try to do is play centers Brook Lopez and Andray Blatche together more.

“It’s something that I’d like to look at more, but there’s more teaching. … It’ll probably fall on Dray at the 4 spot,” Carlesimo said of Blatche playing power forward alongside Lopez. “The 4 spot is not that different. It’s not different than the 5 spot in a lot of the things we do. In some things we do it is different, like out of bounds [situations].

“There’s going to be situations that are going to come up that are put Dray in a little bit of a box because he’s not used to playing 4 [for Brooklyn]. So we have to spend some time making sure he knows some or most of those [situations]. … It’s something we definitely want to look into.”

— Reported by Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York

Nets re-assign Tornike Shengelia to D-League

The Brooklyn Nets have re-assigned forward Tornike Shengelia to the Springfield Armor of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by General Manager Billy King.

This will be the third time this season Shengelia has been assigned to the Armor. In his three appearances, the 6’8’’ Georgia native is averaging 28.3 points, 13.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 3.0 steals and 1.7 blocks on 64.6% shooting. Shengelia recorded a triple-double in his NBA D-League debut 12/21 vs. Erie, and followed that showing with a 39-point outburst 1/24 vs. Maine, tied for the second-most points scored in the NBA D-League this season on 17 field goals (league-best).

Shengelia, acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers after being drafted 54th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft, has appeared in 13 games for the Nets this season, averaging 1.4 points, 1.0 assists and 0.7 rebounds per game.

Shengelia will be in uniform when the Armor take on the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Friday March 1st at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne.