Brooklyn Nets Blog – Page 99 – NBA Blog

Report: Deron Williams chooses new agent

Marc Stein of ESPN reports:

New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams has chosen to sign with Jeff Schwartz as his new agent, according to sources with knowledge of the decision.

Williams recently parted ways with longtime agent Bob McLaren, who primarily works with Major League Baseball clients.

The decision to sign with Schwartz’s Excel Sports Management means that the top three free agents in the summer of 2012 will all be represented by different agents. Orlando’s Dwight Howard is represented by Dan Fegan, New Orleans’ Chris Paul signed with Leon Rose last summer and now Williams is aligning with Schwartz, whose client roster includes top veterans Paul Pierce, Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler and Lamar Odom, as well as young stars Blake Griffin and Kevin Love.

That variety contrasts sharply with the NBA’s last free-agent bonanza in the summer of 2010, when the agents representing LeBron James (Rose), Dwayne Wade (Henry Thomas) and Chris Bosh (Thomas) both worked under the same Creative Artists Agency banner. James, Wade and Bosh, of course, eventually joined forces in Miami in July 2010.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Whether D-Will stays with the Nets or not depends almost entirely on the roster makeup at the time. If one year from now the Nets have landed a real baller or two alongside D-Will and there’s a legitimate reason for him to believe that if he sticks around, the Nets will someday be a real contender in the playoffs, then I think he re-signs. But if a year from now, D-Will’s teammates are Brook Lopez and a lot of bench players or lower-tier starters who have limited upside, I think he opts out and possibly leaves.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

New Jersey Nets owner Prokhorov elected Russian party chief

The AP reports:

Russian tycoon and New Jersey Nets basketball team owner Mikhail Prokhorov was confirmed Saturday as the new head of a Kremlin-friendly political party.

The 46-year-old billionaire was all but unanimously elected head of the Right Cause party by its members.

Right Cause is seen as a Kremlin creation designed to lure opposition-minded, pro-business voters, while building an illusion of competition with the ruling United Russia party ahead December’s parliamentary elections.

Prokhorov said last month he was targeting second place in that vote.

President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that Russia needs more political competition, but the Justice Ministry made a mockery of that only days later when it denied registration to a real opposition party.

Timberwolves trade Bojan Bogdanovic to Nets

The New Jersey Nets have acquired the draft rights to the 31st overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft, Bojan Bogdanovic, from the Minnesota Timberwolves, in exchange for the Nets’ 2013 second round pick and cash considerations, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today. Minnesota acquired the pick in a previous transaction with the Miami Heat.

Bogdanovic, 6’8″/216, averaged 18.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals during the 2010-11 season with Cibona VIP in the Adriatic League. He shot .452 (146-323) from the field and .745 (117-157) from the line.

InsideHoops.com editor says: I hear Bogdanovic has a legit chance to someday help a team’s bench. Whichever team finally decides to stop trading him, that is.

Suns, Vince Carter agree to change date contract is guaranteed

The Phoenix Suns and guard Vince Carter have agreed to modify the date on which Carter’s contract becomes fully guaranteed, the club announced today. Originally, the Suns had until Thursday, June 30, but that date has been changed to the start of NBA free agency for the 2011-2012 season.

“This change gives us additional time and flexibility to make a decision on Vince’s contract,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby.

The 6-6, 220-pound Carter was originally acquired by the Suns from the Orlando Magic on Dec. 18, 2010, along with Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus, a 2011 first-round pick and cash considerations in exchange for Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson and Earl Clark. Carter appeared in 51 games (41 starts) following the trade, and averaged 13.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in a Suns uniform.

Carter is a 12-year NBA veteran who owns eight NBA All-Star appearances, including seven selections as a starter. Carter was the 1998-99 NBA Rookie of the Year, earned All-NBA honors in 2000-01 (Second Team) and 2001-02 (Third Team), and won an Olympic Gold Medal as a member of the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

The 33-year-old Carter, who currently ranks eighth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list among active players (20,520), is 189 points shy of passing George Gervin for 34th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Carter averaged 20 or more points in 10-straight seasons from 1999-2000 to 2008-09, and owns career averages of 22.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 925 games (907 starts) with Toronto (1998-04), New Jersey (2004-09), Orlando (2009-10) and the Suns. Carter has appeared in 56 playoff games in six career appearances, and owns postseason averages of 23.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

Spero Dedes to become Knicks broadcaster

Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register reports:

Spero Dedes had hoped in April a deal would work out for him to move from radio to the Lakers’ TV job. But things changed during negotiations that included Dedes wanting to continue periodic work for CBS on the NFL and college basketball and other national jobs — and Dedes is instead headed to be a radio and TV play-by-play man for the New York Knicks, who will allow him to do some national work.

“We had a verbal agreement with Spero to be our new TV play-by-play announcer,” Lakers spokesman John Black said. “However, prior to getting a finalized contract, he had a change of heart and decided to pursue another job.”

Kemba Walker supports Rice High School

Legendary CHSAA basketball powerhouse Rice High School in New York City is expected to close, but some supporters are still keeping hope alive and rallying to keep it open.

Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News reports:

Kemba Walker led UConn to an improbable NCAA title this past season, and graduated from college in just three years. On Thursday, he’s expected to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft.

But if Walker hadn’t attended Rice High School, he says, much of that success wouldn’t have happened.

“It meant everything,” he said. “It made me the man who I am today.”

That’s why the Bronx product couldn’t say no when his former basketball coach asked him to swing by the school at the corner of Lenox Ave. and W. 124th St. Monday. Walker, 21, spent the afternoon outside the building along with about 75 other students, parents and alumni at a rally designed to raise awareness about Rice’s plight.

Unfortunately, despite the well-wishes of Walker and many others, Rice HS will still likely fade into history. But the show of support is cool.

Kyrie Irving likely No.1 pick in NBA Draft

The NBA Draft is awesome and, perhaps aside from the first day or so of free agency is the biggest roster-related day of the year. And it’s coming, this Thursday.

This is considered a down year when it comes to new talent, but there are still plenty of players to be excited about. Especially the guy probably going first overall.

Al Iannazzone of the Bergen Record reports:

As the NBA Draft nears, Kyrie Irving has been looking back on all he’s experienced. But the former Duke point guard anxiously looks forward to Thursday.

Irving grew up in West Orange, attended Montclair Kimberley Academy and graduated from St Patrick High School in Elizabeth. On Thursday night, when commissioner David Stern announces the draft’s first pick in Prudential Center — which is less than 15 minutes from Irving’s house — Kyrie’s name is expected to be called.

“It’s something I’m thinking about every single day now,” Irving said. “I don’t really think about my reaction. I think about my sister’s and my father’s reaction.

“It will be a dream come true.”

Irving lost his mother when he was 4 years old and is very close to his father, Drederick, and sister, Asia. They will be among roughly 100 family and friends attending that night.

If the Cleveland Cavaliers use the No 1 pick on Irving, who averaged 17.5 points and 4.3 assists as a Duke freshman, he would be the first New Jersey high school graduate to be taken No. 1 overall. Shaquille O’Neal, the No. 1 choice in 1992, is from Newark, but graduated from San Antonio’s Cole High School. Plainfield’s Jay Williams, who also attended Duke, went second in 2002.

Can’t wait to see what happens.

NBA heads to 2011 offseason of uncertainty

The AP reports:

“It’s an odd position, when the game is the best it’s ever been, when the ratings are the highest they’ve ever been, when the excitement is the greatest it’s ever (been),” Players Association attorney Jeffrey Kessler said last week. “It’s sort of odd to see the owners say we’re going to destroy this game unless you change this whole system. Players just want to play.”

Nobody can predict when they’ll get that chance again. When the Dallas Mavericks finished off the Miami Heat on Sunday night in Game 6, it sent the NBA into a most uncertain offseason.

Owners and players are nowhere close on a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the one that expires June 30. Without a new deal, players say they have been told by the owners they will be locked out.

The NBA was reduced to a 50-game season by a work stoppage in 1998-99, and the loss of games is a threat now. Citing leaguewide losses of about $300 million this season, the league hasn’t budged on its desire for significant changes to the financial structure, ranging from reductions in the length of contracts and the amount of guarantees, to an overhaul of the salary cap system that would prevent teams from being able to exceed it, as they can now under certain exceptions.

And Stern said the record TV ratings and all the other positive attention the league has received doesn’t make him any more motivated to get this settled, since he’d want to do it anyway.

“I don’t need any external prod to want to be able to make a deal,” he said…

The sides are scheduled to meet twice this week and say they hope for frequent discussions before the end of the month. Should those fail, the NBA could follow the NFL’s labor situation right into the court system, which both sides say they want to avoid. So although a work stoppage in July wouldn’t seem to have much effect since games aren’t going on, Stern insists “we very much feel the weight of the deadline.”

Nets Dancers to perform at NBA 5 United Tour 2011 in Moscow

The New Jersey Nets Dancers will perform at the NBA 5 United Tour 2011 in Moscow, Russia tomorrow and Sunday, June 12. NBA players Dwight Howard and Andrei Kirilenko will also attend the event at Luzhniki Stadium.

The NBA 5 United Tour 2011 is a grassroots tour that combines competitive outdoor 5-on-5 tournaments with fun interactive basketball elements.

The visit to Moscow continues the NETS Dancers’ global tour, in which they have performed during the past year in China, England, and Mexico.

“We are thrilled for the NETS Dancers to perform in Moscow, as we strive to be Russia’s ‘home’ team,” said Petra Pope, the NETS Senior Vice President of Event Marketing, who oversees the team’s entertainment division. “This trip is a great opportunity to continue the goal of expanding our reach and globalizing the NETS’ brand.”

Barclays Center of Brooklyn names John Sparks GM

The Barclays Center of Brooklyn has named John Sparks as its General Manager, in which he will oversee the operations of the world-class sports and entertainment venue set to open September 28, 2012.

One of the nation’s most experienced major facility managers, Sparks will be responsible for food and beverage, security, event coordination/services, and parking.

Sparks will also be involved in several aspects of the development of the Barclays Center, including the completion of the standard operating procedures.

Sparks joins the Barclays Center after nine years with Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which included his serving as Vice President/General Manager of San Antonio’s AT&T Center since November 2004. Sparks had been charged with overseeing AT&T Center construction and establishing day-to-day operational procedures for the building.

Prior to joining Spurs Sports & Entertainment, Sparks was director of operations for Philips Arena during which he helped to open the Atlanta sports and entertainment venue.

“John has significant experience in launching major new sports and entertainment facilities,” said Brett Yormark, president and CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, the sales and marketing arm of the Barclays Center. “He brings to us a wealth of best practices and will be instrumental in guiding our operational transition to Brooklyn.”

A native of Los Angeles, Sparks served in the Navy from 1977-97, retiring as a Master Chief Petty Officer.