Just when we all thought it was impossible, the New Jersey Nets gave us a big surprise and found a team in the NBA, well, barely in the NBA, that they could beat and they went out and beat them.

New Jersey Nets 97 Charlotte Bobcats 91

No, this is not a lie, it actually happened in real time. Kiki Vandeweghe applied some personal philosophy and the Nets took it to an extreme.

Adhering to interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe’s call to relax, have fun and block thoughts of the 0-18 worst start in NBA history, the Nets looked like a team enjoying a fresh start as they hustled, dove, defended, responded after taking some gut punches and, above all, won.

They turned the Charlotte Bobcats into that squad with a team-oriented 97-91 victory that featured spectacular individual efforts by Courtney Lee, Brook Lopez and Devin Harris to make Vandeweghe a winner in his coaching debut.

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Kiki Vandeweghe now stands undefeated as the Nets coach, although he had better not get used to that feeling because he will feel a whole lot of the opposite.

The key comment came from Josh Boone who said, “It is about time”. That about sums it up for one of the worst franchises in the NBA in years. Kiki Vandeweghe has his hands full. Some of your stars are everyday names like Brook Lopez and Courtney Lee and …what, those aren’t everyday names in the NBA? My bad.

Devin Harris learned some secret moves from Shaolin priests

There was lots of talk about playing with emotion and playing together and all that other stuff that seems to work when you win and means very little when you lose.

The silver lining in all of this, if one is needed when you break an eighteen game losing streak, is that fact that the 5 – 15 Knicks are the Nets next opponents. Look out Knicks, the Nets are streaking!

Image: Zuma Press

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The New Jersey Nets are going for the NBA record books with an official shot at the all time open the season and lose games record. The 1988-89 Miami Heat and the 1999-2000 Clippers each started at 0 – 17. That is nothing for the Nets. They have already tied that record and are embarking on a whole new standard of losing.

As a lifelong Detroit Tigers and Detroit Lions fan, your intrepid author has seen some monumental losing. Hey, my Grandfather and my Father grew up in New Jersey, so NBAObsessed has some ties to the New Jersey area. You might be surprised to see the Southern Coast of New Jersey, it is beautiful, just a string of islands with beautiful beaches from Atlantic City on south to Cape May. But the Nets are actually closer to New York and competing with the New York Knicks to see who can stink the most.

Tonight you can stop questioning the trade of Jason Kidd to Dallas for Devin Harris. Not to knock Devin, he had an All Star year last year, but somehow it is hard to believe Jason Kidd would have let the Nets sink so low. Now Jason Kidd has the chance to put the proverbial nail in the coffin as a victory tonight by his Mavericks would seal the deal and give the Nets NBA history!

Jason Kidd may send the Nets into the NBA record books

Even if the Nets should surprise the Mavericks they have a long year ahead of them.

Even beyond rebounding, the offense has been flat out dreadful. With All-Star
Devin Harris missing most of the early part of the season with an injury, the Nets have sunk to 30th in the NBA in offensive efficiency. In fact, New Jersey ranks dead last in true shooting percentage, effective field goal percentage, field goal percentage, turnover rate, assist rate, points per game and next to last in 3-point percentage.
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Don’t worry New Jersey Nets fans, you can come back and be great. The Detroit Tigers are playoff contenders every other year now and the Detroit Lions…Well, maybe you can’t come back!

Image: Zuma Press

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Once again we visit the “what have you done for me lately” NBA. This time a team with no talent called appropriately the New Jersey Empty Nets have been called upon to fire a once upon a time young coaching prodigy. His name is Lawrence Frank and he is now referred to as the Ex-Coach of the New Jersey Empty Nets.

You have to understand that in the NBA, if you have no talent or your talent screws up and you lose a bunch of games, the first person to have their head removed is the coach. Is it Lawrence Frank’s fault?

Does a front court of Brook Lopez, Terrence Williams, and Courtney Lee scare you? Only if you happen to be their coach. Does a back court of Rafer Alston, Devin Harris, Chris Douglass-Roberts, and Trenton Hassell rotating in and out to squeeze a few extra ounces out of your guard play even make sense? Not if you happen to be the Empty Nets coach.

Will Lawrence Frank end up on Dancing with the Stars?

So did anyone expect the Empty Nets to produce anything beyond empty stands of no fans once Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, and Jason Kidd were dealt away? How good were those players? Hmm, Orlando took in Vince and will go for the Conference finals in the East. Richard Jefferson went to San Antonio and they will challenge the Lakers for the West. Jason Kidd led the Olympic team and now makes Dirk Nowitzki one of the most feared forwards in the league.

Yes, Rod Thorn is doing an excellent job of systematically destroying the Empty Nets.

So who are the prime candidates to replace Frank?

GM Kiki Vandeweghe prominently has been mentioned as a replacement, but one team source strongly denied the possibility. John Loyer, in his first season as Nets assistant but 10th overall in the NBA – he did nine years with the Sixers and Blazers – is a possibility along with other assistants Doug Overton, Roy Rogers and Barrise.

But Thorn said he will be meeting with candidates from outside the organization. A source from an opposing team said that former Rockets, Bucks and Lakers head coach Del Harris is one option.
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By the way, one time Kiki Vandeweghe was playing for Denver, your intrepid author NBAObsessed thinks, and he was on a fast break to the basket and had this uncanny knack of finishing in what seemed like slo-motion. So while other defenders flew by him trying to block his shot he slowly made his moves to the basket and laid it in. He was really a true joy to watch. That has nothing to do with any of the above, but thought you might enjoy that story.
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In case you have been living in a cave all week, the richest man in Russia just dumped 700 million dollars into the New Jersey Nets. His name is Mikhail Prokhorov and he stands at the same eye level as LeBron James only he is much much richer.

For those of you that root for LeBron to stay in Cleveland, it is time to wake up and smell the money. This guy likes to party and thinks nothing of jetting all over the world to have a good time and surrounds himself with beautiful women.

There are now 9.5 billion reasons for LeBron to consider playing for the New Jersey Nets and they are all good ones. This guy likes to win and is not afraid to spend tons of dough to get it done. In Russia, he always hired the best coach and had the highest payroll, sometimes even competing in size with NBA teams.

LeBron James may soon be jetting all over the world

Will LeBron consider playing for him? All you have to do is meet him and see the charisma he shows to realize he knows what he is doing.

Whatever happens, Prokhorov won’t be running the Nets like Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Prokhorov likes to hang with the players, but not so much in the locker room and huddles. He likes it in a social way, and so do they. It’s like running with James Bond, jets on a moment’s notice to the most exotic locations in the world. That’s how he lives, and that’s how they’ll roll. He can offer a superstar lifestyle that few would dare try in the public eye.

The fact there are whispers about him would give him street cred with a lot of players. Mostly, players see owners as dopes to be stroked, but invading Brooklyn with the Russian boss and a stocked, bloated payroll could be a blast.
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The whole deal seems like a slap in the face to other owners, but the amount of money is so great that the league will put up with it and other owners will now start their search for rich foreign basketball owners.

Oh, and when the team moves to Brooklyn, what do we call them? The Brooklyn Nets?

Photo source Newscom

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The trade rumor mill is cranked up and some of them are just outstanding. The silly part is they may all come true, because while you are still harping on the Pistons for trading All Star Chauncey Billups for AI, GM Joe D only took him for a free tryout, increased attendance, and a salary of 22 mill that comes off the books. In other words, you don’t know why a team trades for a player.

This rumor you have to love just for the shear unbelievableness. Is that a word? If not, it should be just for this case and this case alone.

Anyway, it looks like the final straw for the little 3 in New Jersey of Kidd, Jefferson, and Carter. Vince was the last one left.

Vince Carter to the Rockets. How messed up can you get? You have body breaking down Yao, gotta have the ball and never will win a playoff Tracey McGrady, and never going to move to Detroit Ron Artest. Now you want to add, gotta also have the ball and never going to win the playoffs Vince Carter to that lineup?

The Nets and Rockets have exchanged trade proposals and continue to talk, according to league sources and sources close to the Nets. One scenario has Carter and Josh Boone going to Houston for Ron Artest, Carl Landry and Luther Head.

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If the trade does go through then Ron Artest would be shipped out of town and head back to New Jersey. Why do some teams just think individual talent will win games?

(This story was posted in Hoopsworld)

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Vince Carter got into it with a Ref and supposedly bumped him. The Ref called him Boy and the league had a long talk with both of them.

Referee Derrick Stafford called two quick technicals on Carter after he argued an out-of-bounds call in the second quarter of the Pistons’ 83-75 victory.

A furious Carter went after the official following his ejection and seemed to bump Stafford. Carter had to be held back by teammates.

“We have spoken to both Vince and Derrick about their exchange during Wednesday’s game, and decided not to take any action with respect to the language that was used or any inadvertent contact that may have occurred,” the league said Friday in a statement provided in an e-mail by spokesman Tim Frank.

“However, we are going to make sure the two of them talk in the near future to clear up any misunderstandings that may remain about what was said during the argument,” the statement added.

The league said Stafford “expressed regret for his use of the word ‘boy,’ and we are persuaded that he did not use it with the intention of demeaning Vince.”

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Uh oh, isn’t that LeBron James having a very good time in New York?

Every time this subject comes up, the possible leaving of LeBron James from the Cavaliers, the most comments roll in. Some of you realize my Detroit Pistons loyalties and think this is just stirring up trouble. Some of you have heard this or that about LeBron in Cleveland and say LeBron is staying no matter what.

My thinking is follow the money. LeBron can be branded so much more effectively in New York than in Cleveland.

My guess is only if the Cavaliers can surround him with a great team will he stay in Cleveland.

The writers at ESPN, 25 of them, were asked where LeBron would end up in 2010 and most of them said Cleveland, but one of them even said my Pistons. Oh, wouldn’t that be great!

The Knicks are mentioned and even Europe with their 50 million dollar offer.

And how about the Nets?

But Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports wonders if Cleveland has enough glitz and glamour to prevent James from bolting to the Nets: “LeBron doesn’t want to just win titles. His stated wants include becoming sport’s first billionaire athlete. Among his advisors, he counts Warren Buffett. Jay-Z has helped James focus his mind on chasing something bigger than basketball. The question will be this: For the kid out of Akron, will his hometown — will even winning — be enough to hold onto LeBron James?”

And the Nets’ expected move to Brooklyn could be the clincher for LeBron, if we are to take seriously his proclaimed love for the Nets’ borough-to-be, as reported by Chris Sheridan: “My favorite borough? Brooklyn. Brooklyn is definitely a great place here in New York City, and some of my best friends are from Brooklyn.”

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Photo source newscom

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LeBron James in a Cav’s uni drives on Richard Jefferson in a Net’s uni. Jefferson is now a Buck and LeBron could become a Net

Image details: Cleveland Cavaliers v New Jersey Nets served by picapp.com

The New Jersey Nets are starting over.

Heck, they have been starting over for years. Ever since they beat the Pistons in the conference finals, years ago, they have been on a slow downhill slide.

Now they want LeBron James.

The Nets need a perfect storm to make this happen once James can opt out of his Cleveland Cavaliers contract and make himself the most desirable free agent in NBA history. The Nets are counting on part-owner Jay-Z’s personal crusade to recruit his close friend to Brooklyn, but there’s nothing to discuss until the Nets remake themselves for the long run.

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During the regular season, the Nets unloaded Jason Kidd to Dallas and ended up much younger with Devin Harris.

Now they have traded Richard Jefferson with his 42.5 million dollar contract to the John Hammond run Bucks for Yi Jianlian, so they picked up size and unloaded a sizeable long term contract. Yi may never develop into much of a player, it is too early to tell, but in the New York area, he will have an audience. Meanwhile, John Hammond lands a star player with toughness for his new energized tough Bucks. It will be fun to follow John’s future moves.

In the draft they added size and shooting.

two No. 1 picks on Thursday night – Stanford’s Brook Lopez and California’s Ryan Anderson. They would’ve been satisfied with this change, but a player who they had considered picking at No. 21 – Memphis’ Chris Douglas-Roberts – dropped to them early in the second round.

LeBron James plays one more year before he is a free agent. New Jersey wants to be well under the salary cap, because if they land LeBron, they also may land one of his friends, like Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire.

If any two of those players are put together … Wow!

You can only imagine how much LeBron could make in New York compared to Cleveland. LeBron would become the global icon that David Stern has wanted since Michael Jordan moved into the front office.

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LeBron James doing it alone as usual

Image details: Cleveland Cavaliers v Boston Celtics, Game 1 served by picapp.com

Don’t the Cavaliers know they are only renting LeBron James, that his destiny is bigger than Cleveland?

The Cav’s are in round two of the playoffs dueling with the Boston Celtics and Kevin Garnett. No, make that Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. See, that is the problem with Cleveland. It is still just LeBron James, the King.

There are those that say James should stay in Cleveland. He went to high school in Ohio. He is an Ohio boy. Never mind the market is so small.

The Cavaliers deserve to keep James home for the core of his prime. They’ve already landed him in one NBA Finals. They’ve already honored their commitment to competing for a title by making the in-season deal for Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West, taking payroll and luxury tax hits along the way.

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Cleveland has only one chance to survive and that is to find star number 2. Kevin Garnett has two star number twos. Tim Duncan has Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. Kobe Bryant has Pau Gasol. Dallas tried with Jason Kidd to Dirk Nowitzki. Phoenix tried with an aging Shaq to Steve Nash.

Wally, Joe, and Big Ben Wallace do not qualify as the number 2 that LeBron needs. There are no Scotty Pippens to LeBron’s Michael Jordan in that group.

Cleveland needs to find this number two star before 2010, the LeBron free agent date, the sooner the better or LeBron is out of here.

Where will he go? To a bigger market, most likely New York, most likely the Knicks.

In fact, Donnie Walsh wouldn’t have accepted the presidency of the Knicks if he didn’t think it was feasible that the team could get far enough under the salary cap to wine and sign James.

The Nets are also expected to join the bidding, as minority owner Jay-Z is a close friend of LeBron’s who has made no secret of his desire to see James someday pack the new arena the Nets are supposed to be putting up in Brooklyn.

New Jersey may struggle to get LeBron, because it is not the storied franchise that the Knicks have been.

And we know that LeBron loves Madison Square Garden.

James wants to go in as a Yankee, which is precisely why he wore the team’s cap — much to Cleveland’s dismay — during last year’s Division Series. He has big-city dreams, LeBron does. The lifelong Yankees fan is also a lifelong Madison Square Garden fan. Back in March, after managing 50 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds on the Knicks’ home floor, James beamed as he said the following:

“This ranks really high, just because of the point of where it happened, the mecca of basketball. I’ve dreamed about playing well in this building. To get a standing ovation in the greatest basketball arena in the world is a dream come true for me. It’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

Better get busy Cleveland. LeBron appears to just be a loaner right now.

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Jason Kidd looking to pass for someone else

Contemplate Jason Kidd as a Maverick.

Hmm, no D required. Actually, very little point guard play required.

No, does not seem to fit.

Contemplate Jason Kidd as a Nugget.

Hmm, pretty much the same thing.

So this brings to question why the Nets want to get rid of Jason Kidd.

Schwartz, in exploring current options for his client with other NBA teams, has been told that with Vince Carter signing a new four-year $61.8 million contract and Richard Jefferson having three years and $42 million left on his six-year deal, Kidd is the only moveable major asset New Jersey has. source

Sounds like the company line.

Maybe this is more to the truth.

To get Jason Kidd out of his life, Rod Thorn would’ve traded him yesterday. The relationship between the team president and superstar has deteriorated into bitter acrimony. Once, they were golfing buddies and confidants and now, sources say, they can barely stand to sit on opposite ends of the team bus.

…

Truth be told, Thorn had to understand that he and Kidd passed a point of no return on the December night his superstar sent a text message in the early afternoon to say a migraine would keep him out of a game with the New York Knicks. Publicly, Thorn defended Kidd, but privately he seethed. source

The Lakers tried to pull a deal with Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown, but Rod Thorn wanted Andrew Bynum. Lakers said no.

Good thing for Bynum, since New Jersey is where centers go to die.

Jason is going somewhere. What do you think would be the best fit?

The Celtics need another aging superstar. That would be interesting.

Can you see Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Jason Kidd?

(Maybe Shaq would come play for them? Just kidding!)

NBA Basketball Fan Question Where is Jason Kidd going?

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