Brooklyn Nets Blog – Page 88 – NBA Blog

Deron Williams open to exercising his one-year Nets option

Of all the possibilities for Deron Williams this summer, the one that has rarely been brought up is the option that would pay him the most money.

It’s been assumed Williams wouldn’t pick up his one-year, $17.8 million option because he could get a four or five-year deal if he becomes a free agent. But the point guard didn’t rule it out when asked Monday.

“Yeah (picking up the option is something I’m considering). I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he told the Daily News. “At the end of the season, I’m going to figure out what’s going on, I’m going to sit down with my agent and look at every option possible.”

— Reported by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Blog)

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Nets recall Jordan Williams from D-League

The New Jersey Nets have recalled rookie forward Jordan Williams from the Springfield Armor, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

Williams appeared in six games with the Armor, all starts, and averaged 10.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 32 minutes. He shot .451 (23-51) from the field and .531 (17-32) from the line. He tallied three double-doubles.

In six games with the Nets this season, the former Maryland Terrapin is averaging 1.0 point and 1.5 rebounds in six minutes.

Newark hopes to land a permanent team after Nets leave

The insinuations of basketball inadequacy are potentially harmful for the Prudential Center, if only because the city of Newark — which owns the arena — wants to lure a permanent NBA team once the Nets leave.

According to a source familiar with the situation, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and former Newark resident Shaquille O’Neal have spoken several times about the subject and are in the process of arranging a meeting with the league.

One potential obstacle is the Nets, who don’t want a team just 13 miles away from the Barclays Center so soon after their own transition.

As a response to the various comments from the Nets, a spokesperson for the Prudential Center released a statement lauding the arena’s history — which included “more basketball games (last year) than any other arena in the U.S. but for Staples Center,” thanks in part to WNBA and NCAA Tournament games — while strategically mentioning the Barclays Center’s competition in midtown.

“Like Staples, the Garden and other new, big-city arenas, the Rock is a state-of-the-art facility meant to host all kinds of world-class sports and entertainment events. That’s why we have become one of the 10 busiest arenas in the world.”

— Reported by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News

Nets forward Damion James needs foot surgery

Shawne Williams went through vigorous workouts yesterday and is expected to return to the lineup for tonight’s game against the Bobcats after missing the last four games with shin splints.

But the Nets have lost Damion James indefinitely, and he will undergo surgery on his right foot Tuesday to replace the screw he had inserted last year to help repair a fractured fifth metatarsal in the foot.

“It’s disappointing,” coach Avery Johnson said before last night’s 84-74 loss to the Thunder. “Here’s a kid we drafted last year, we had him inked in as his starting three man and in the Eastern Conference … Hopefully the surgery will go well, and for us and him and his career, hopefully we can get this corrected and he won’t have a problem anymore.”

— Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

Deron Williams dislikes temporary Nets arena in Newark

Deron Williams can’t crack the cold and uncomfortable Rock, so he’s waiting for a better home in Brooklyn.

After another horrendous shooting night for himself and the Nets in Newark, Williams expressed displeasure with the team’s stopgap home court at the Prudential Center, essentially calling it inadequate for basketball.

“I don’t like this arena one bit. It’s a good thing it’s not our arena next year,” he said matter-of-factly after shooting 5-of-18 in an 84-74 loss to the Thunder Saturday night. “Even last year, it just doesn’t feel like our home arena, I don’t know why.”

“It just doesn’t have good visual. The depth perception is not there.”

The Nets (4-12, 1-5 at home), who are scheduled to move to the $1 billion Barclays Center next season, shot a paltry 31% overall, and just 3-of-23 from beyond the arc — leaving the team with a 38% shooting percentage at home and 43% on the road.

— Reported by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News

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Jay-Z’s 40/40 club in NYC briefly closed for health violations

Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club was shut down for a slew of health-code violations just a day after its celebrity-drenched $10 million relaunch — and now it faces a dreaded “C” grade, The Post has learned.

An inspector found perishable food at dangerously warm temperatures inside the walk-in refrigerator and discovered “hot” food left out on the counter on Thursday, Health Department sources said.

A worker was also seen mixing salsa with his bare hands.

The refrigerator was at a rancid 60 degrees instead of 41 — jeopardizing the safety of 50 pounds of raw chicken wings, five pounds of raw shrimp and 100 turkey burgers, the sources said.

— Reported by Philip Messing and Kevin Fasick of the New York Post

UPDATE FROM TMZ: But Ron Berkowitz, a rep for the club, tells TMZ the motor in one of the refrigerators blew just moments before the health inspector arrived … causing the temperature in the fridge to rise. Berkowtiz says the staff identified the problem immediately and had no intention of serving the food from that fridge. Berkowitz says the fridge was fixed by noon the next day and the club was permitted to re-open.

Nets assign Jordan Williams to D-League

The New Jersey Nets have assigned rookie forward Jordan Williams to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Springfield Armor, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

Williams was selected 36th overall by New Jersey in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft. The Maryland product has appeared in six games for the Nets, averaging 1.0 point and 1.5 rebounds in 6.2 minutes per game. He has shot .333 (3-9) from the field.

New Jersey Nets waive Dennis Horner, sign Larry Owens

The New Jersey Nets have requested waivers on forward Dennis Horner and have signed free agent forward Larry Owens from the D-League’s Tulsa 66ers, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

Horner, a 6-9 rookie from N.C. State, signed with the Nets prior to training camp on December 9, 2011 from the Nets D-League affiliate, the Springfield Armor. He appeared in five games with New Jersey, scoring a total of four points in 16 minutes of action.

Owens (6’7”/210, Oral Roberts), appeared in 12 career NBA games during the 2010-11 campaign with San Antonio and Washington. In seven contests with the Spurs and five with the Wizards, the undrafted rookie averaged 3.3 points and 1.3 rebounds in 12 minutes per game. He shot .469 from the field.

Owens has spent the last two-plus seasons with the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League. In 10 games, seven starts in 2011-12, he averaged 13.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.6 blocks in 34 minutes. He shot .453 (53-117) from the field and .944 (17-18) from the line. In 103 career games in the D-League, all with Tulsa, he has averaged 14.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals in 34 minutes.

Nets offense stinks, says Deron Williams

In a 101-90 loss to the Heat, the Nets offense sputtered through another slow start — with just 35 points in the first half — and ultimately another depressing evening.

“Our offense (stinks),” Deron Williams, who missed a game last week with a ribs injury, said after the Nets shot 33.7 percent with 22 turnovers Saturday. “We’re not very good right now. We’re not playing good. We’re not shooting good. I’m not shooting good. We’re turning the ball over.

“I like the offense. I like the system, I just think we’re not executing good, we’re not finishing, we’re not hitting shots, messing up plays, not in the right spots.”

The point guard’s statement is underscored by the stat sheet.

The Nets are shooting a league-worst 38.1 percent from the field. Their average of 85.44 points per game would be a league worst if not for the Detroit Pistons.

— Reported by Michael J. Fensom of the Newark Star-Ledger

Nets basketball leases Brooklyn office space

Nets Basketball has taken another major step toward its move to Brooklyn by signing a long-term lease for office space at 15 MetroTech Center to serve as the team’s corporate headquarters.

The 35,145-square-foot workplace occupying the entire 11th floor of the 19-story building will be the home office for 150 employees on the business side of NETS Basketball and Barclays Center. It is expected that the staff will begin its relocation process from its current offices in East Rutherford, NJ next month.

Serving as a convenient location for arena and team staff, MetroTech, developed by Forest City Ratner Companies, is just one stop to Barclays Center on several subway lines or an approximate 15-minute walk.

“Bravo to NETS Basketball for another great step in its move to Brooklyn,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. “Having the corporate offices of Brooklyn’s first professional sports team since 1957 downtown will be a ‘net positive’ for the neighborhood. And what better place to house those offices than MetroTech Center – the office complex that helped kick start the revitalization of our borough – making it a “slam-dunk” to bring the NETS to Brooklyn.”

“MetroTech is a terrific environment in the heart of Brooklyn’s business district and a convenient location for our corporate headquarters,” said NETS and Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark. “We look forward to being part of the continued renaissance of downtown Brooklyn.”

Bruce Mosler, Chairman of Global Brokerage at Cushman & Wakefield, represented the NETS in the transaction.

The NETS basketball team will begin playing in the brand new Barclays Center, being developed by Forest City Ratner Companies, in the start of the 2012-13 NBA season.

Located atop one of the largest transportation hubs in New York City, Barclays Center will be accessible by nine subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road.