Nets News

Courtney Lee Update
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November 7
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Just in case you don't pick up a late edition of the newspaper, here was Courtney's take on his left groin strain: "It's not bad at all. Rest as much as possible. Go from day-to-day," the winger said. "It wasn't a tear. They said it was a micro-tear below my groin. So it's day-to-day. It's minor through.""
Injury-riddled Nets lose sixth straight
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November 7
New York Post
 
"There are matters in life that defy belief. Like the Nets losing another player to injury last night. Courtney Lee exited early in the third quarter with a strained left groin and did not return. That left the Nets with eight players, one of them Sean Williams who, suffice to say, played as much as Buck and Jayson Williams. Hard to believe, right? But then, there are matters that are completely believable. Like the Nets losing again. It happened, but this one, a 97-94, down-to-the-last-play defeat to the Sixers that gave the Nets the worst start in their NBA history, 0-6, had a different feel. Make no mistake, the Nets weren't giddy but they knew they gave effort. OK, a losing effort but ..."
Nets president: Don't blame coach for sorry start
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November 7
New York Post
 
"The Nets' start to the season has been a tragedy wrapped up in a catastrophe surrounded by a disaster. Defeats and injuries have ruled the way. But don't blame the coach, team president Rod Thorn said, because he certainly doesn't. Thorn said he knows the stacked deck that coach Lawrence Frank has faced. "No, the team is obviously undermanned and you can only look at that," said Thorn before the Nets tried to avert their worst NBA start, 0-6, against the Sixers last night. "We still hope to be competitive and Lawrence just has to keep coaching and working as he does until we get our guys back. "We're just trying to win a game and then go from there. But we have to get healthy first." And ..."
Sixers hold off winless Nets
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November 7
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"You're losing to the Nets. That was the challenge to the 76ers, coming from a red-faced fan midway through the third quarter. An extended hand, pointing toward the depleted New Jersey bench, accompanied those words. Tonight at the Wachovia Center, the Sixers spent much of the night losing to the winless New Jersey Nets, but eventually pulled out a 97-94 victory. The win, seen by an announced crowd of 10,054, was uninspiring. Because of injuries and illness, New Jersey was without all-star point guard Devin Harris, starting forward Yi Jianlian, and guard Chris Douglas-Roberts. And still, with a few ticks on the clock, the Nets had the ball and a chance to tie the score."
New Net struggling mighti-Lee
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November 6
New York Post
 
"There was Courtney Lee on the practice court yesterday, twenty minutes after everyone else on his team left: one dribble, jumper, one dribble, jumper. Emblematic of the Nets' 0-5 start, Lee is struggling to find his stride, shooting 30.6 percent from the field and going 2-of-14 (14.3 percent) from 3-point range. He has played more minutes than anyone else on the team, averaging 38 per game, and spends this time after practice to try and make those minutes more productive. "I'm kind of forcing the issue a little bit on the offensive end," said Lee, who is averaging 12.6 points per game. "I need to just let the game come to me and keep my preparation up and [keep] getting extra shots." For ..."
CDR doubtful, Devin delayed
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November 5
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Chris Douglas-Roberts has the flu. That's not official, but he has all the symptoms, and he's NOT on the team bus sputtering down the Turnpike toward Philly as we speak. And Devin Harris came out and admitted that he's looking at two more weeks of rest and recovery before he's ready to take the court again – at least – which could keep him curled up and stowed away until the West Coast trip. First, the more immediate thing: "CDR has flu-like symptoms," L-Frank announced after practice, which lasted all of 30 minutes since he only has nine bodies left. "We're not listing him as anything for (Friday). There's a league policy when you have flu-like symptoms – he's got to be isolated for X ..."
Third no charm again for Nets
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November 5
New York Post
 
"The undermanned Nets were playing hard, with effort. And against the Denver Nuggets, surprisingly, with success. Still, the Meadowlands was dead. Then a group of fans in the corner opposite the Nets bench exploded: The Yankees had gone ahead of the Phillies in World Series Game 6 in The Bronx. An announcement followed and the crowd got into it -- so did the Nets, who kept a lead to halftime. Then something awful happened. The game continued. So one of the Nets' early-season banes -- the third quarter -- arrived and with it, a complete demise as the Nets equaled the worst start, 0-5, in their NBA history. With their starting lineup minus Devin Harris and Yi Jianlian, the Nets, who had 10 ..."
Nuggets blow away New Jersey Nets in 2nd half en route to 122-94 win
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November 5
New York Daily News
 
"As the Nets struggled through the third quarter Wednesday night against Denver, their play wasn't as inept as in their previous two games. Actually, it was worse. After leading the Nuggets by a point at halftime, the Nets turned in one of the worst defensive quarters in their history, allowing 44 points in the third on their way to a 122-94 loss in front of 15,319 at the Meadowlands. The Nets played as well as they have all season in the first half but still only led by 51-50 at the break. Chauncey Billups then scored the first seven points of the third quarter to get the Nuggets rolling, and they never stopped. Denver made 17 of its 25 shots in the third, including Carmelo Anthony's ..."
Nuggets rout Nets to go 5-0
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November 5
Denver Post
 
"The Nuggets used a big second half to pull away from New Jersey and win their fifth straight to open the season, 122-94, on Wednesday night at the Izod Center. Carmelo Anthony had another subpar first half, only to break out in the second. His night was emblematic of the Nuggets as a whole. The team sprang to life after halftime and used a 26-8 run at the beginning of the third quarter to put the game away. Anthony finished with 22 points on 8-of-24 shooting, 7-of-13 in the second half. Kenyon Martin finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Nene contributed 16 and nine boards."
Lawrence Frank and New Jersey Nets struggle early on in NBA season
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November 4
New York Daily News
 
"With less talent and less experience than most teams in the league, the Nets need a lot to go their way in order to have even a decent season. But so far, almost everything has gone wrong. Countless preseason injuries have carried over into the regular season, which has led to some ghastly performance on both ends of the floor. And just four games in, certain unnamed players have decided to try to do it their way instead of sticking to Lawrence Frank's gameplan. However, Frank is not ready to snap his clipboard just yet, even with a team like the Nuggets coming into the Meadowlands tonight. "You just keep on going," Frank said. "This is an everyday process." Problem is, the Nets can't ..."
Yi joins Nets' wounded
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November 4
New York Post
 
"Yi Jianlian yesterday joined the most popular Nets locale, the extended-time infirmary, after an MRI on his right knee confirmed he suffered a Grade 1 sprain of the MCL that will sideline him for several weeks. So if you're keeping score at home, that's five disabled players, four games, three significant injuries. And, of course, zero victories. "Everyone understands what we're up against. We know what people were saying before the season started," said coach Lawrence Frank, whose banged up gang seeks to avert an 0-5 start (good luck) tonight when they entertain the Denver Nuggets in the Meadowlands. "Now some of our players are injured and yet our guys are still going out there to ..."
Nets forward Yi Jianlian sidelined with MCL sprain in right knee
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November 3
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Nets forward Yi Jianlian will be out of action for several week with a right knee injury, an MRI revealed Tuesday. The team got the test results back Tuesday afternoon, and Yi has a Grade I sprain of the MCL in his right knee. The Nets are not giving a timetable for his return, but normal recovery time for such an injury is two to three weeks."
Yi Jianlian injures knee
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November 3
New York Daily News
 (scroll down)
"Yi Jianlian sprained his right knee in the third quarter and had to be helped off the court. He will be reexamined today."
Nets fall to 0-4 after dismal 79-68 loss to Charlotte Bobcats
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November 3
New York Daily News
 
"It would be hard for any team to play a worse game than the Bobcats did last night. It would be even harder to find another to play that way and win. But Charlotte got lucky in that the Nets were in town because right now they could be the worst team in the league. After turning in a horrific defensive performance in one game, the Nets were equally as bad on the other end of the floor Monday night and lost to the Bobcats, 79-68, to fall to 0-4. The Nets broke or matched several franchise records and all were related to ineptitude. After stumbling out of halftime with a 41-33 lead, the Nets matched a franchise record for fewest points in any quarter with seven in the third. That also ..."
Nets 'embarrassed' after sinking to new low
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November 3
New York Post
 
"Nets center Brook Lopez expressed confidence going into last night's game against the Bobcats. "Got nothing to lose," he said. "We can't get any worse." Wanna bet? Finally, mankind -- or at least the 9,380 tortured souls here -- can answer one of those seemingly impossible queries that have baffled great minds for ages: What was the worst game you ever saw? This stunningly awful swill ended as a 79-68 Bobcats victory in which the Nets tied their lowest-scoring quarter, manufactured a scoreless stretch of 10:04 when they were outscored 24-0, blew a 14-point lead, fell to 0-4 on the season and lost another starter, Yi Jianlian, to injury. In Washington on Saturday, the defense was dreadful. ..."
Nets' slow start simply D-testable
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November 2
New York Post
 
"The credo was issued on Day 1 of the preseason. The Nets were to be a "defense first" team. Sure, there were other proclamations. Play hard, play together, find strength in numbers. But the defense stuff, that was paramount. Guess not everybody got the memo. And Saturday in Washington, it looked like nobody got the message. "We're not there. That's been there since training camp, think defense first," said Rafer Alston, elevated to starting point guard with Devin Harris down for at least 7-10 days with a sore right groin. "We can figure out offense. We scored over 100 [against the Wizards]. They shot 60-something percent, that just tells you we're not there. "What's going to stop it is ..."
Defenseless Nets crushed; Harris out a week
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November 1
New York Post
 
"The Nets' season is only three games old and already it's bad. And getting worse. The Nets lost another game after learning they lost All-Star point guard Devin Harris for at least 7 to 10 days. And that's the optimistic viewpoint. Now that defines a bad situation -- when the rosy outlook puts the team's only All-Star out for over a week, maybe two. "We're shooting for 7 to 10. I probably can guarantee it won't be shorter," said Harris before the 0-3 Nets established a standard low for defense that might even withstand the test of their season in a 123-104 defeat to the Wizards here last night. Consider, the Nets surrendered at least 61 points per half to a Wizards' team minus two of its ..."
New-look Wizards storm past Nets
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November 1
Washington Times
 
"He may be only three regular-season games into his tenure, but coach Flip Saunders already is having to familiarize himself with an all-too-common Washington Wizards tradition: reshuffling his lineup and rotation because of injuries. He already was without Antawn Jamison, then Caron Butler bruised his left knee in Friday's loss at Atlanta. So Saunders had to adjust yet again. With Butler out, Saunders moved Mike Miller from starting shooting guard to small forward. And he inserted usual backup combo-guard Randy Foye into the lineup at shooting guard. By starting Foye, Miller, Gilbert Arenas, Fabricio Oberto and Brendan Haywood, Washington trotted out a lineup that was not on the team's ..."
Balance key as Wizards win
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November 1
Washington Times
 
"He may be only three regular-season games into his tenure as coach of the Washington Wizards, but Flip Saunders already is having to familiarize himself with an all-too-common Wizards tradition: reshuffling his lineup and rotation because of injuries. He already was without Antawn Jamison when Caron Butler bruised his left knee in Friday's loss at Atlanta. So Saunders had to adjust yet again. With Butler out, Saunders moved Mike Miller from starting shooting guard to small forward. And he inserted usual backup combo-guard Randy Foye into the lineup at shooting guard. In starting Foye, Miller, Gilbert Arenas, Fabricio Oberto and Brendan Haywood, Washington trotted out a lineup of players ..."
Home is where the rout is
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November 1
Washington Post
 
"The five Washington Wizards who started the home opener against New Jersey on Saturday were completely different than the group that started last season against the Nets. It was unique situation, aided by some unfortunate injuries to all-star forwards Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. But considering the woeful results last season, giving the home fans something new to start the season probably wasn't necessarily a bad idea. With two familiar names -- Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood -- back healthy and Mike Miller, Randy Foye and Fabricio Oberto making their home debuts, the Wizards followed up the elaborate, introductory pyrotechnics with an equally explosive performance. Last season, ..."
Nets' Harris out at least a week with sore groin
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November 1
New York Daily News
 
"The Nets got neither a trick nor a treat Saturday night. But they did get the bejeevees scared out of them when they experienced the first of what may be many games without Devin Harris. With Harris sitting out because of a strained right groin, the Nets lost to the Wizards, 123-104, to fall to 0-3. They lost their first two games with Harris in the lineup, but at least those were competitive. This one wasn't, and the Wizards (1-1) didn't even have two of their best players, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, who are injured. They did have Gilbert Arenas, who scored 32 points before sitting out the fourth quarter. The Nets also managed to make Andray Blatche look like an All-Star. He set ..."
Devin Harris likely to sit out tonight at Washington
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October 31
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Well, this came out of nowhere. Devin Harris is a likely scratch tonight against the Wiz, and it's the same issue: The strained groin tightened up on him after Friday night's game. As of now, he's not comfortable going from east to west, so they'll probably have to put him on ice for at least a few days."
Courtney Lee was joking "bring me back"...or was he?
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October 31
Orlando Sentinel
 
"Having survived the New Jersey turnpike drive, I walked into the New Jersey Nets locker room on Friday morning and thought I made a wrong turn. I was in the right lockeroom, right? There was Tony Battie in one corner. There was Rafer Alston dressing next to Courtney Lee. And then came the voice from on the other side of the room, "B! What, no love?" That was Keyon Dooling. It was the Orlando Nets. Or the New Jersey Magic. Least it felt that way. (Only minutes early, I was on the phone with Hedo Turkoglu. He and the Raptors were in Memphis. Another story for another day --- Sunday, actually.) Let me tell you --- all terrific guys. The Magic and Nets play tonight, and it's like a family ..."
Lee: Everything's all Dwight
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October 31
New York Post
 
"Courtney Lee has looked at Dwight Howard from both sides now. And no matter where the view comes from, Lee's assessment is that the guy is great. "Yeah, man. Playing with him, it's a bonus," said Lee, who went to the Finals with Howard as a member of the Magic last season then saw Howard give a 20-20 effort to beat Lee and the Nets, 95-85, last night. "Playing against him is a negative bonus. He distracts a lot of shots. He caught a couple of my shots. I left them pretty high. Not playing and practicing against him for a while, I forget how athletic he is and how high he can jump.""
Vince joins contender in Orlando
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October 31
New York Post
 
"So much has changed. There was Vince Carter running around in the colors of the Magic, urging the likes of Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson. And then there was Carter engaging in a shooting contest with teammate Mickael Pietrus at the Meadowlands yesterday morning. They shot from beyond the front row of courtside seats. Pietrus barely hit the side of the backboard. Carter swished his try as if it came from the foul line. So little has changed. The uniform colors were different, but Carter was still Carter, firing in impossibly long shots with ease and then speaking earnestly about winning above all. And there is another noticeable difference for Carter this season, beyond home zip codes and ..."
Vince returns, but Howard steals the show as Nets fall
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October 31
New York Post
 
"The NBA schedule maker planned a reunion party for Vince Carter at the Meadowlands last night, as the Nets' home opener featured Carter and the defending Eastern champ Orlando Magic. But Carter didn't stay around very long. Unfortunately for the Nets, neither did Brook Lopez. Even worse, Dwight Howard did. "Howard had such a profound impact on that game defensively," said coach Lawrence Frank, whose Nets fell to 0-2 through a 95-85 defeat that was sculpted by Howard with a 20-point, 22-rebound, four-block masterpiece. "That's why the guy is defensive player of the year. Not only did he do what he did to Brook, he did it to our whole team." Carter, traded on draft night after nearly five ..."
Magic defeat New Jersey Nets in painful return for Vince Carter
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October 31
New York Daily News
 
"Against Boston or Cleveland , the Magic might have a hard time without Vince Carter . But against the Nets, Orlando cruised. Carter made a fine return to the Meadowlands Friday night, scoring 16 points in his first game back since the June 25 trade that sent him to Orlando after 4-1/2 seasons in New Jersey . But he left the game after spraining his ankle in the second quarter. Still, the Magic had more than enough firepower to withstand the pesky Nets for an 95-85 win in front of 17,525 at the Nets' home opener. Carter made six of eight shots and had four assists before he stepped on Devin Harris ' foot and turned his ankle with 2:55 left in the second quarter. Dwight Howard ..."
In Injury-Marred Return, Carter Helps Spoil Nets' Home Opener
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October 31
New York Times
 
"The Orlando Magic pulled up here Friday night in the Nets' latest reunion caravan, equipped with the prerequisite handshakes, high fives and hugs. Those were given by Vince Carter, who returned to the Izod Center for the first time since being jettisoned from the Nets and landing with the tailored-for-the-playoffs Magic. Carter left in the second quarter with a sprained ankle, but he played an early role in dealing the Nets their second consecutive loss, a 95-85 defeat in their home debut. Carter said he was hopeful that the injury would not force him to miss a game. "I'm just going to be smart about it," he said. "It's a long season and I'm already feeling better than I did before." ..."
Ex-Net Vince Carter in town with new team
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October 30
New York Post
 
"The hangover was worse than anything resulting from beer mixed with your basic rotgut liquor. Blow a 16-point lead in less than seven minutes and your skull would be pounding, too. But the Nets found little time to nurse their injured pride and senses. Vince Carter and the Magic visit the Meadowlands tonight, so the Nets needed to flush out the sour aftertaste of their opening-night debacle ASAP. "He was great. He was a guy I always could depend on," point guard Devin Harris said of Carter, who scored 15 in the Magic's season-opening rout of the Sixers. "They could never double-team both of us because that other guy was always there. It was a great one-two punch. We talked a lot. He was a ..."
A look back at Rafer Alston, Tony Battie and Courtney Lee's time with Orlando
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October 30
Orlando Sentinel
 
"Some highlights from the Magic tenures of Rafer Alston, Tony Battie and Courtney Lee: Alston • Hello, Magic: Alston was traded to Orlando from Houston on Feb. 19, 2009, as part of a three-team deal. • Take that, Cavs: He scores 11 points and dishes out 10 assists in a 116-87 win over Cleveland on April 3, 2009 • One step closer: With 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting, Alston sparks the Magic to a 116-114 overtime victory over Cleveland in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on May 26. Battie • Farewell, Cleveland: Battie comes to Orlando on July 23, 2004, in a trade with the Cavaliers."
Former Magic guard Courtney Lee still has love for city of Orlando and its fans
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October 30
Orlando Sentinel
 
"On June 25, Courtney Lee prepared to settle in and watch the NBA draft on TV. Maybe, just maybe, the Orlando Magic would make a move to help the team return to the Finals. He just never dreamed anything would involve him. Lee felt floored when he learned that he, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie had been traded to the New Jersey Nets for eight-time all-star Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson. "It was devastating," Lee says now. "I was just at home getting ready to watch the draft, and then you get a phone call saying that you've been traded. It was a big shocker at the time. It hit me pretty hard. Time heals a lot." Tonight, he has an opportunity to show the Magic what they lost when Orlando (1-0) ..."
NJ Nets forward Jarvis Hayes out 2-3 weeks
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October 29
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"An ultrasound take Thursday morning confirmed that Jarvis Hayes has a strained left hamstring, an injury serious enough to take him out of action for the next two to three weeks. The veteran wing suffered the injury while he was trying to catch Minnesota's Wayne Ellington on a fast break during the first quarter Monday night, just two minutes after he entered the game. The Nets could have used him, too: Courtney Lee (2-for-11) and Chris Douglas-Roberts (foul trouble) had bad nights in the opening night 95-93 defeat."
Nets are banking on Mr. Versatility
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October 29
New York Post
 
"Terrence Williams laughs at the notion he was born too late. Two decades or so sooner and he could have been muscling on the blocks with Karl Malone or Charles Barkley or other legendary power forwards. "I had to guard Bobby (Simmons) in the post and he's too strong," Williams said. OK, maybe not. But in the NBA's new world order small is the new big, fast is the new powerful and the 6-6 Williams is the Nets' new Mr. Versatility, meaning he plays four different positions, including power forward in selected matchups. It certainly wasn't planned. "I didn't know (about power forward) until during the game against Philly," Williams explained. "They threw me in at the four . . . I had to ..."
Nets lose their laugher, become punchline
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October 29
New York Post
 
"So how do you say "never mind, I'll buy a Roller Derby team" in Russian? For over three quarters last night, life was good for the Nets, who looked like a sound investment for any Russian billionaire. With seven minutes to go, their once 19-point lead was still an enormously healthy 16. They had Brook Lopez headed for a career night as one of three guys who already secured a double-double. Heck, Mikhail Prokhorov might drop $18K for lunch on each of them. And then ... "We just got kind of careless with the ball," Lopez said. Poise and execution went out the window for the Nets, and Damien Wilkins' follow-up basket at the buzzer went in for the Timberwolves. So instead of starting the NBA ..."
Damien Wilkins' putback gives Minnesota Timberwolves late win over New Jersey Nets on opening night
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October 29
New York Daily News
 
"If the Nets are going to approach respectability this season, there are some games that they have to win. Wednesday night's was one of them. But after taking a commanding lead against one of the few teams predicted to be as bad as they are, the Nets blew their season opener in grand fashion. After leading by double digits for most of the second half - and by 16 with 6:51 left - the Nets let the Timberwolves back in the game and lost, 95-93, on Damien Wilkins' bank shot at the buzzer. In the final seconds, Wolves rookie point guard Jonny Flynn drove down the right side of the lane and put up a shot that bounded off the rim. The ball was tipped around in the paint before Wilkins picked it ..."
Sure, the Wolves ran -- after leaving the blocks a little late
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October 29
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"The Timberwolves were so enamored with the slogan "See What They Can Do" that they used it for both the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. There weren't all that many Minnesotans who came to Target Center to take the challenge in person. Glen Taylor saw clearly what Kevin McHale's nucleus of players had to offer -- 46 victories and 118 losses in two seasons -- and the owner finally decided to see what an outsider could do. Taylor hired David Kahn as the team's first executive to carry the title "president" of basketball operations. Kahn set about changing everything, including the slogan. There was a dramatic unveiling of this on the team's website Wednesday: "Let our detractors underestimate ..."
Flynn overcomes flu bug, takes the floor for opener
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October 29
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Flattened by the flu for two consecutive days, Timberwolves point guard Jonny Flynn recovered well enough to start his first NBA game in Wednesday's opener against New Jersey at Target Center. If he hadn't, he would have known what to blame. Being a rookie. "Actually, I had the same exact thing Al had last week," Flynn said, referring to teammate Al Jefferson. "That's what the doctor said. I think it was from me carrying his bags, doing that rookie treatment for him. He joked around with me when I came to practice. He said, 'My fault for making you do all that stuff.' "It's cool, though. I'm here now and I'm just ready to go." Flynn was instrumental in the Wolves' 95-93 comeback victory ..."
Nets' plan: work hard, hope harder
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October 28
New York Post
 
"Only 82 games left. But the Nets don't see it that way. They look at their NBA season opener here tonight against the Timberwolves as the start of an opportunity to prove themselves. While preseason predictions generally equate Nets wins with anticipated CC Sabathia World Series strikeouts (if that many), the Nets insist they're better than that. But it might not translate to victories. "We just want to outwork guys," said Brook Lopez, the inside hub for the Nets' offense, and the main interior component of the defense. "We want to be a real scrappy team that other teams don't want to play. No matter what the score of the game is or who the team is, we want to be in the game." The Nets ..."
Minus Vince Carter, New Jersey Nets hope defense is a plus starts
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October 28
New York Daily News
 
"As bad as things look for the Knicks, the view from the other side of the Hudson River isn't much better. The Nets start the season tonight in Minnesota with Vince Carter gone, with two new starters and with a coach who was retained last spring only after much internal debate following a second consecutive 34-win, non-playoff season. Matching that win total could be a reach for Lawrence Frank's team, but it's not as if the Nets can't come away 1-0 from their trip to Minneapolis before returning to take on Carter in the home opener on Friday. The Timberwolves are coming off a 24-win season and playing for a first-time head coach in former Laker assistant Kurt Rambis. "Expectations are we ..."
Nets expect 'small' payoff
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October 27
New York Post
 
"Lawrence Frank may coach the Nets, but he still understands the basic premise of football's Wildcat offense: Get your best playmakers in the game together so they can do what they do best. And every day it becomes more clear that translates to the Nets playing smallball that would make Don Nelson proud. The Nets are at their athletic best with a lineup of point guard Devin Harris, center Brook Lopez and three wings: Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts and versatile rookie Terrence Williams. Yes, power forward Yi Jianlian is a nominal starter, and injuries prevented them from testing the four-guard lineup more than once this preseason, but rest assured it's coming."
Nets' Harris says he's fit for opener
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October 26
New York Post
 
"Two things have been disturbingly rare throughout the Nets' 1-6 preseason: the sight of point guard Devin Harris and the taste of victory. The Nets are hoping the return of the former will lead to more of the latter, as Harris practiced for the first time in nearly two weeks and pronounced himself fit for Wednesday's season opener in Minnesota. Harris logged just 58 minutes this preseason, and after returning from a strained right groin yesterday, the Nets' best player and only All-Star has three days to try to get back his conditioning and timing before the games actually start to count. "I've just got to get the feeling back a little bit, but I felt good out there," said Harris, who ..."
Devin Harris should be back on court as New Jersey Nets near start of NBA season
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October 26
New York Daily News
 
"Afrer nearly two weeks without him, the Nets finally got their best player back Sunday. Devin Harris returned to the court for the first time since Oct.13, when he strained his groin in the second half of a preseason game. Barring setbacks, Harris will be ready to play on Wednesday night, when the Nets open their season in Minnesota. And do the Nets need him. Harris is their only returning 20-point scorer, having averaged a career-high 21.3 points last season. He's also the most experienced player in a projected starting lineup that likely will have four others with a combined total of five years in the league. The point guard said he planned on working out again Sunday night to help ..."
Solid season for New Jersey Nets will be key to recruiting free agents in offseason
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October 25
New York Daily News
 
"FOR THE NETS, this season may be more about making impressions than it is about making the playoffs. They know that a solid season would be one of the best recruiting tools in their bid to land one or more of the many talented players who will be free agents next summer. And if they do manage to pull off the seemingly unlikely feat of making the postseason, what an impression that would be. "We want to be competitive and play hard every night," says Devin Harris. "That's the only way we can help ourselves, whether it be getting more fans to the games or attracting free agents. It's about winning. That's how you attract them." Actually, when it comes to free agents, cash matters most - ..."
Nets: Before Brooklyn, maybe Newark
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October 24
New York Daily News
 
"In a statement handed out at Friday night's preseason game at St. John's, Nets CEO Brett Yormark said the Nets could abandon their outdated East Rutherford arena for the two-year-old Prudential Center in Newark while they wait for the Barclays Center to be built in Brooklyn. Yormark said that once the Brooklyn deal is finalized, "we may consider an agreement to play our home games at the Prudential Center through the time we move to our new home...in the 2011-2012 NBA season." The Nets have played at Meadowlands Arena since 1981 and have suffered from poor attendance for years. Last season, they officially averaged 15,495 fans per home game, although that number could have been ..."
'Newark' Nets get called for traveling
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October 24
New York Post
 
"Brooklyn. East Rutherford. Newark. Nets players said they really don't care where they play their games. If you wanted to throw in Cabo San Lucas or the Greek islands, maybe they would have a different point of view. "It's something out of our control. We play where they tell us," said Devin Harris who, along with the rest of the Nets, were told to play the Sixers at St. John's in Jamaica -- Queens, not the Caribbean island -- last night. The Nets finished the preseason with a 1-6 record after beating the Sixers, 110-88. Rookie Terrence Williams led the way with 23 points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals. The Nets might be playing their home games next season at the ..."
Sixers unsettled in losing presason finale
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October 24
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"Perhaps no player better embodied the 76ers' frustration last night than power forward Elton Brand, who banged, sprinted, and worked - yet finished with very little to show for that effort. And so it went with the Sixers, who lost their preseason finale, 110-88, to the New Jersey Nets at Carnesecca Arena on the St. John's University campus in Queens: They tried mightily to run their Princeton offense, but just never found themselves aboard the same train. Brand scored 11 points - 10 in the third quarter - and had eight rebounds. He was the leading scorer among the Sixers' starters. Forward Rodney Carney scored a team-high 13, all in the second half, and reserve forward Jason Smith added 12 ..."
Nets Sale On Agenda Of N.B.A. Owners
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October 23
New York Times
 
"The proposed sale of a controlling stake in the Nets to a Russian billionaire will be put to a vote of N.B.A. owners by the end of the year, according to Commissioner David Stern, who spoke positively Thursday about the deal. The billionaire, Mikhail D. Prokhorov, has an agreement with Bruce C. Ratner, the Nets' principal owner, to pay $200 million for 80 percent of the team and 45 percent of a proposed arena in Brooklyn. The deal needs approval from 23 of the league's 30 owners. Prokhorov met with a subcommittee of owners Wednesday, during the league's board of governors meeting in Midtown Manhattan. Stern described it as a "robust and lively discussion" that focused on Prokhorov's rise ..."
With Devin Harris injured, New Jersey Nets may rewrite book on Brook Lopez
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October 21
New York Daily News
 
"Of the five players projected to start for the Nets this season, only two averaged double digits in scoring last season. And one of them is hurt. So as long as Devin Harris is either sitting on the sidelines or hobbling on the court at less than 100%, Brook Lopez will be the team's go-to guy. And, oh yeah, at 21, he also happens to be the Nets' youngest player, with only 75 starts in his career, which consists of just one full season. Lopez is not only prepared to handle more responsibilities than someone with his experience should have to, he's looking forward to it. "I think the best way I can possibly put it is I don't want them to have to worry about me," said Lopez, the 7-foot ..."
Lopez gets OK grades on 'D'
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October 21
New York Post
 
"Offensively, Brook Lopez has been everything the Nets hoped for, shouldering much of the burden after Vince Carter's departure. He rolls to the rim, finishes, gets put-backs and has shown a jumper. Defensively? Well, there are few complaints offensively, put it that way. "There's a lot of work with Brook," said coach Lawrence Frank, who stressed his team, winless in the preseason, must improve as a group. "You've got to remember, Brook's 21. He's the youngest player on our team. He really wants to learn, and there's a lot for him to learn. And that's why he has a chance to be a very, very special player. But he has a lot to learn." Experience always is the best teacher. Lopez is getting ..."
In their defense, Nets have Boone
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October 19
New York Post
 
"Nets coach Lawrence Frank constantly preaches the importance of defense, even though it seems his team rarely listens considering its performance on that end of the floor last season and through an 0-5 start this preseason. But Josh Boone is listening, and that could result in the fourth-year player seeing increased minutes backing up the power forward and center positions. "I need to prove as a four or a five that I'm gonna really defend my position and rebound," Boone said yesterday. "Those are the keys for me to get playing time this year. . . . I'm trying to play two positions, trying to prove that I can play the four and the five -- backup, starter, whatever. I just want to get on ..."