Thanks to the support of some of BB’s most dedicated readers, I got three good emails for this inaugural version of the Brooklyn Balling Mailbag, which will be an occasional feature on the site going forward. Readers posed questions on what the Nets, and Billy King, do now for the rest of the season and in the next few years, the Milwaukee Bucks’ improvement under Jason Kidd and even some Big Ten college basketball (thanks, Dad).
Austin:
Where do the Nets go from here? With seemingly no draft picks in the near future and the team’s only real bright spot being Mason Plumlee, how can you see Billy King and his staff making changes either within the next week or over the summer?
Good question, and a pretty common one for this Nets team in flux as the trade deadline approaches. Austin is right in that the team’s future flexibility in certainly compromised by its many long, money-laden contracts and significant lack of first-round draft picks. Honestly, I don’t see them making a big trade between now and tomorrow’s deadline because I think the front office sees the Nets as close enough to the playoffs that it’s not worth it to blow everything up and lose the postseason opportunity.
However, if I were in Billy King’s position, I would strongly attempt to trade Brook Lopez either during the season or over the summer. Lopez has been playing well lately and is certainly experiencing a rise in his trade value. After this year, in which he will make over $15 million, Lopez has a $16.7 million player option for the 2015-16 that he will almost definitely exercise. The Nets do not want to have to pay for that salary and would rather ship it off to another team for some young, cheap talent.
Aaron:
What’s your take on the Milwaukee Bucks’ drastic turnaround and how much can you attribute it to ex-Nets coach Jason Kidd?
The Kidd episode this summer was a very weird one for the Nets and one of the weirdest coaching moves in league history. At the time Brooklyn essentially traded Kidd to Milwaukee for a pair of second-round picks, it was seen as a huge downgrade for the future Hall-of-Famer. However, it has been the exact opposite, as the Bucks are one of the more exciting playoff teams while the Nets may not even make the postseason.
Granted, most of Milwaukee’s success is due to its many talented young players–such as Brandon Knight, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the injured Jabari Parker–but some of it has to be given to Kidd, who is just in his second full season as a head coach. He has been able to craft a solid rotation with a mix of youth and veterans while dealing with some crazy personalities–Larry Sanders, looking at you–all while in a city that hasn’t gone out of its way to support the team. It’s the players who win the game, yet its the coach who puts it all together.
Now for some Northwestern-related questions, because that’s the college I go to. Some Northwestern background: Their coach, Chris Collins, is former NBA player and coach Doug Collins’ son and was a player and assistant at Duke under the legendary Mike Krzyzewski. Also, check out InsideNU, SBNation’s Northwestern website, which I write for. Additionally, Nets bench player for two seasons at the turn of the 21st Century, Evan Eschmeyer, went to Northwestern.
My dad (including this in the Bill Simmons sense). Also, clarifications were mine, not his:
What kind of recruiting class does Collins have coming in next year? I hope he has someone to protect [junior center Alex] Olah. He needs bigs and especially a junkyard dog like our old friend [former Net] Reggie Evans.
Northwestern, or NU, NOT NW, for short, is one of the few Division 1 teams to never make the NCAA Tournament, a streak that won’t be broken this season. Still, there is optimism around the program due to a strong freshman group as well as a solid recruiting class for the 2015-16 season.
The Wildcats have three players committed to join the program next season: Aaron Falzon, Jordan Ash and Dererk Pardon. Falzon is a swingman from Massachusetts who is ranked as the 78th best player in his class. He chose NU over hometown Boston College, Notre Dame and Georgia. Ash is a Chicago-area native who can play shooting guard but is small, only around 6-2, so he could play the point as a backup to star freshman Bryant McIntosh if needed. Finally, Pardon is a smallish power forward ranked as the seventh-best Class of 2015 product in the state of Ohio. Pretty good group of incomers if you ask me.
Josh
Will it ever be possible that Chris Collins turns the Northwestern men’s basketball program into a solid-major conference program that consistently goes to the tournament as like a 6-10 seed?
Undoubtedly, yes. Collins has experienced success his whole life–in high school, during college and his 13 years coaching at Duke–so there’s no reason why he can’t continue that at Northwestern. Chicago is a talent-rich area for basketball and it just take one program-changing recruit–think the Bucks’ Parker and Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, both of whom are Chicago natives–to go to Evanston to turn everything around. That player isn’t there yet, but I think he’s coming soon, especially with the young talent the roster will have for the next few seasons.
Thanks to all of you who sent emails in and, to those who didn’t, make sure to do so when it’s time for the 2nd edition of the Brooklyn Balling mailbag.
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