Cam Thomas Finally Starts As Nets Hold Off Rockets At Home!

Cam Thomas Finally Starts As Nets Hold Off Rockets At Home!

Coming up the Brooklyn Nets hosted the Houston Rockets at the barklay center and just like we all knew it was an early dominant game that was never in doubt we break down the cam Thomas start and the late game angst all coming up next you are locked on Nets your daily

Brooklyn Nets podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every Day Brook yo ah yes my friends it is the lockon Nets podcast right here in the lockon podcast Network it’s your team the Brooklyn Nets every single day and sometimes bonus on the weekends over there you’ll find Doug Nory I’m Adam arck we thank you as always for making

Us your first listen of the week and weekend free on all those great platforms and Doug 104 to 106 the Nets win over the Houston Rockets a game a fourth quarter that is all too familiar for Nets fans thankfully this one came out on The Winning Side as again nobody

Had any doubts the Nets were gonna pull this one out I mean never in doubt I like just super solid sit there relax you know relax in the side put your feet up watch an easy Nets win they’re up a lot no big deal I mean feel like why did

I do this to myself on a Saturday night it’s the weekend why would I subject myself to this type of misery I did joke going into the fourth quarter we joked I said you know what’s the number of points the Nets would need to be up that you would feel comfortable waiting till

The final buzzer I said a million like anything short of a million I’m not sure you can relax with this team the fourth quarters have been I mean they’ve just been I don’t want to call them a wild ride they’ve been they’ve just been really been something else the Nets have

Been the worst fourth quarter team in basketball dur in January it’s not even close they’re like minus 5.5 they’re in fourth quarters over the last month the next closest team is like minus 3.3 or something like that um it’s it’s just been s yeah it’s been such a bad run in

These fourth quarters I me I guess kudos to them they actually won uh this game the other ones they’ blown Clippers Lakers heat all these other games that they you know Knicks all these other games that they’ve been leading and then gone into the fourth quarter and just

Totally given it away they tried their absolute hardest to give this one away in the end in new and frankly creative ways to try to give away a game near the end and luckily honestly luckily the the Rockets just kind of bailed them out in

The end they I don’t even know if it was them that won it was was just another fourth quarter thankfully it’s a W uh but it’s an increasing problem for this team and obviously we’re going to dial in on that even deeper here but before we do let’s let’s take the silver lining

The bright moments when we can right cam Thomas starts in this game for the Brooklyn Nets cam Johnson was out for personal reasons tonight so as we’ve said before sometimes Jack vaugh only makes adjustments when it feels like there’s no other choice in what they’re going to do cam Thomas starts and across

The across this game it was exactly I think what we all anticipated right 11 for 19 from the field three of six from Beyond The Arc 12 of 15 at the line 37o performance only one other net in Dorian finy Smith had a better plus minus

Rating uh this is if you are a cam Thomas fan if you believe that he’s one of the top two or three best players on this roster this is exactly what you thought would happen if you inserted him to the starting lineup and he played big

Minutes yeah great for him 40 37 points 41 minutes like you said a plus 12 he had halftime had a great quote where they were they were interviewing him going into halftime and they were basically you know what’s why you why you up 20 I’m paraphrasing here it’s

Like why are you up 20 points he’s like oh because when I play my version of basketball like we’re gonna win right it was very much uh I don’t know if I would call it a pointed comment but it was definitely uh oh this is what can happen

For this team if I’m allowed to play a lot of minutes I don’t think there was a lot of subtext to it I think he was basically just saying it and they did start this starting lineup which I couldn’t believe believe this when I looked it up before the game that this

Lineup had played only like 24 minutes together all season and when you pay from it yeah and which is crazy because it’s like okay you know because it was basically all cam Johnson and those lineups got completely trucked now this this fourman lineup also had been knocked very good going into this game

But this Dorian fin just the Dorian finy Smith to cam Johnson swap had not been something they employed I was floored by how few like again how few minutes over the course of the whole season that they played this uh these guys together it’s just it’s going to offer up another very

Interesting uh subplot here for when cam Johnson does return about like who’s gonna start right like maybe it’s just maybe DFS getting hurt is gonna bail them out again on like a hard decision that’s a terrible way for it to like be viewed um and maybe they just end up

Having to go back to that starting lineup with no Dori and finy Smith and that’s sort of been another theme of this season is saved from some of the tough choices over the course of the year and we’ll talk about Ben Simmons getting back into the mix too but

Overall you can’t put cam Johnson back on the bench like after this game they shouldn’t have before by the way cam Thomas cam Thomas oh sorry cam Thomas they shouldn’t have done it before and now you just can’t he can’t go back to the bench like I’m sorry 37 points is

The only reason they won like right am I wrong here it’s it’s be it’ be Bonkers to for him to go back to the bench here no the the whatever the mentality has been about I mean we we can paint the entire pi right the contracts that were

Given out the trade pieces that came back from all the superstars we understand all the narratives around why you have not chosen to do something but at a certain point and we’ve already been there for quite some time it just the eye test tells you right the eye

Test tells you for and by the way for all the deficiencies that offensively they have not enough on ball guys that can create an ISO that can get take guys off the dribble that can drive at the basket cam Thomas answers a lot of those questions and I’ll pay him even a deeper

Compliment here around his game which we’ve talked about I I I think you have also seen the the growth for his game now this one was about his offensive skill set and getting the job done right so pointing three assists isn’t necessarily something that’s going to

Jump off the page at you nor should it but we talk about if you want to say removing roadblock Jac vongh says it’s about both ends of the floor well cam Thomas he’s not a perfect Defender but guess what he is fully engaged playing with high energy he seems to have a

Better positional sense about where he’s supposed to be so while what he does offensively should be more than enough to put him into the starting lineup and never look back it’s also if you wanted to point to that end of the floor he’s at least doing the things you want he

Fundamentally understands where he needs to be on that end you don’t look at that as being hey there’s this trade off here is it perfect by no stretch of the imagination I am I suggesting that but I can’t look at it now and say well offensively he’s an absolute firecracker

Jack vaugh maybe is this is his thinking but defensively what do we lose when he’s on the floor well I’m sorry even if you have 37 points in 41 minutes and you’re a plus 12 even if you were an absolute goose egg on the defensive end

You it would show up in some of those ancillary analytics that you maybe want to point to here I just think it’s time you have to make a decision like this especially when you think about what cam Johnson from an offensive skill set does not have for you when he’s been in the

Starting rotation yeah I think that’s I I don’t think I go all the way there on the defensive stuff but it doesn’t really matter honestly effort and energy is there though like would you agree on like effort and energy has been there enough for cam Thomas when you say the

Same way we talk about any great offensive player at least if he’s engaged and making the effort then I don’t think you can dog him for it he did have one glaring error here in this game defensively but overall he’s closing yes he’s he’s closing out he’s

Not he’s not losing his guys too much he gets picked on a lot but like that’s just probably just gonna end up happening it doesn’t actually matter like in the end they don’t have any other guys that can really dial up the scoring to this level and I know like

Sometimes like evaluating the situation after your best game is not always the best way it’s just like you should never ever evaluate things after the worst game but it’s just been so clear that they just they’ve been so many times have struggled to score so many times

Have needed baskets so many times have allowed like just like tonight honestly have allowed other teams to get back in games over long stretches because they can’t because the offense completely bogs down this is what happens in the fourth quarter often with them is that the offense just goes into the absolute

Mud and quicksand and they can’t do anything and he’s just is a he is a a bailout guy in terms of that and they just need they just need to have it so I I really think and Ja V real quick is we we usually don’t catch the post Gamers

Uh because when we uh podcast after the postgame ja Bon was asked tonight by Eric later um over a clutch points FR of the podcast whether uh being whether tonight’s performance would earn him a place in the starting lineup he didn’t he wasn’t definitive about it he said

Just V says it’s always the thoughts have OB been there it’s about trying to balance the group out I know cam can score with the first group I love his aggressive aggressiveness we needed it and it’s basically just saying it’s on his mind so he stopped short of saying

It right I don’t think you expect him to right to come out in the post game and go yep he’s our starter going forward now but but it should but I’ll tell you right now and we can get into some of this other stuff but if he’s not like I

Just don’t I just don’t know what we’re doing here I I you know what I mean I I just it it it it’s already probably past the point of no return with this stuff but I you just have to do it like you have to move someone else out like he he

Someone else can’t get minutes over him it’s like it’s too crazy coming up here in a second we’ll talk about the backcourt tandem of Spencer Dy and cam Thomas and how it actually worked in different ways tonight also how they attacked Houston differently than their previous meeting the absolutely standout

Performance or aggressive nature from one Nicholas Claxton we get into all the other details of how the Nets pulled out this win coming up in just one second all right before we get to that tell you my friends over at eBay Motors passion drive and patience what brings

Home the winning trophy is also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level up the Peak Performance superchargers roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights and so much more whether you’re into speed power or style eBay Motors has got you covered

With over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you find it exactly what you’re looking for with eBay guaranteed fit your parts guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back because with the eBay Motors you’re burning rubber not cash with all the parts you need at the

Prices you want it’s easy to turn your car into the MVP and bring home that win keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com eligible items only excl iions apply eBay guaranteed fit only available for us customers and when you’re done with that go visit our friends over on FanDuel no

Better time to get in the action over on FanDuel America’s number one sports book FanDuel right now $ five bet all you got to do win or lose you’re G to grab $150 in bonus bets it’s just that easy and that $5 bet it doesn’t really like I

Said it doesn’t matter win or lose and you can do anything over there you can do the live same game parlays you can do the over unders you can do the player props which I absolutely love to get into every single night over in the props it’s all available to you over on

FanDuel all you do right now you go to fanduel.com locked on to sign up that’s fanduel.com lockon all right so as we continue the postgame podcast for the Brooklyn Nets who got the win 106 104 and it it really did come down to surviving the fourth

Quarter before we do get to that though I I did want to mention that one of the the things that was the talking points around the issues for the Nets and maybe maybe in Jac Von’s mind starting Camp Thomas would be the other issue well why Spencer diw he still starting too maybe

But tonight again I thought was a good example and maybe this is developed over time for them on the practice court and not necessarily always in game but I thought that there was a better balance though Spencer diw he didn’t score in the first half where possession to

Possession they created a variable for the Houston defense it’s well cam Thomas may be the ball handler or Spencer DIY may be cam Thomas was driving at the basket and kicking out early in addition to doing all the scoring Spencer didn’t what was facilitating finish with nine

Assists in this game if both of them and again as as cam Thomas’s game continues to expand and grow there starts to become a respect that you have to pay on both ends I think it opens up the floor a little more creates a little more spacing and makes for a balanced

Offensive attack even if it’s primarily going to end up with Cam Thomas shooting cam Thomas duning down big buckets ran into some problems again with the blitzing double teams to start the second half in this game but I was pleasantly surprised how those two and the team overall were able to operate

Because previous samples suggested these guys could not coexist if their lives depended on it together yeah I mean early on in this game it was pretty obvious that they had marching orders to attack the Houston drop right like we it was very you can see it going early and

That’s good for that’s good for the Nets like because if the Nets guys like specifically Cam and and well I’ll get the didn’t with one second but if Cam and male can beat the primary Defenders on the screen and switches and the other the the defender can’t make their way

Over the screen then those guys are pretty good in the mid-range right so that’s they pretty designed that if they can set things up pretty early a a drop defense with shenon was going to be something they could attack and they did like relentlessly attacked and that’s

Really actually the big reason they were able to jump out to a big lead the where didw he comes in where we saw him get more aggressive here tonight is when they’re still trying to attack attack uh that matchup and a guy like shanon comes

On the level of the screen that did what he has like the blow by power and we mentioned this last last um podcast too that we had just seen so much less of him getting to the rim him getting to the foul line like just sort of that

Aggressiveness we saw it more tonight and we saw I it was pretty well schemed uh for the Nets like that that was like pretty much as what we’re GNA do is that if they come to the level go get to the rim if they’re going to drop back get

Into the mid-range they were running these actions to cam Thomas these like dho kind of pistol actions to between DWI and and cam early on before they started blitzing and then later they they really started they really started trapping it hard but overall I thought

Like that I thought that that was like a a kind of a good formula against this against an all switching defense they’re gonna run into major problems right like they and we’ve seen them like they just can’t they really just really can’t generate enough space um and we’ve seen

It really bogg down and actually F frankly I know I’m going along here but that’s actually why this fourth quarter was such a problem like during that comeback Shang gun was off the court like they went really small the Rockets went really small had am and Thompson

Cam Whitmore guys like this they were switching everything and it became really really hard for the Nets like they got destroyed and so if you want to see like in game how something can go from kind of good to kind of bad like we saw that long story short in situations

Like this I think that they can continue to kind of exploit those kinds of matchups when they’re provided it’s not gonna be every game but I think that’s why you saw a little more Synergy between these guys early on in all five uh starters for the Brooklyn Nets in

Double digits male Bridges kicked in six of 14 for 19 points for himself as well uh got to the line six times in this game too we mentioned the fourth quarter we mentioned the struggles once again this is a game we’re in the fourth 34 to 18 Brooklyn is outscored by the Houston

Rockets you would highlighted there in the first segment the past struggles in the fourth against the heat back on the 15th lost 9695 outscored 8-2 to end the game had a 16-point lead in the third against the Blazers outscored 8-2 to end the game 11-point lead in the third

Quarter lost 125 14 to the Clippers 18-point lead 20 20 run in the fourth quarter it was a 10-3 run against the Knicks after having a 10-point lead in the third quarter in that loss as well so this this ongoing theme for them of just not being able to carry over the

Success that they had and you kind of highlighted there too the Nets don’t have when there’s the matchups to attack that’s great and we often say well what about when the other team adjusts they don’t have the next adjustment to go to and tonight things you know some shs don’t

Fall they lose Doran finy Smith as well but but it’s another example of just it doesn’t seem seem like they have the second and third plan of attack or mode of operation when you need to close games out late and they also like went hack a clocks late that kind of worked

Like they were just doing that open up a real issue by the way not having Dorian F Smith as well and not having Dron sharp right now once CLA have to come off the floor you got they went with they went with royon to five anyone we

Saw it over on Twitter you know Harry Giles time I was like don’t even don’t even think about it it’s not going to happen it’s going to be Royce O’Neal they’re going to go small right so like they were they were kind of in desperation mode too right you’re going

Hack and CLA in it’s kind of working he’s missing some of his free throws exactly like they don’t have another guy to they have to take him off the court now you’re really just way too small the DFS injury hurt hopefully he’s going to be okay so there were a couple other

Like little things that went against them here it’s really kind of their own design like you know this is the team they have so you can’t it can’t really be an excuse but there were some things that we saw that you don’t typically see on a night toight basis but it doesn’t

Matter like it all kind of adds up to the same thing and why this team ends up sort of having sort of having issues in those fans it’s just it is it is just troubling and I actually Wonder too with the fourth quarter piece like the Nets know because they’ve commented and been

Asked about it the Nets know they’ve been bad in the fourth quarter and I actually wonder if there’s just a little mental piece here too also it’s like oh here we go again like it’s a very much a Here We Go Again variety if you think

The fans are in on this which obviously we all are the the players are totally aware of this too and so is the other team and so these other teams just kind get headstrong about where they should go and that’s kind of working also I think it’s like this me like just

Dovetailing of all these different things together that’s just not helping them and it just really I mean part of this is just a mental thing they have to be able to get over it I I wonder I hope I’m hoping that tonight helps that they’re like okay finally it didn’t look

Pretty but then we did get the W tried really hard not to I mean the inbound with the am and Thompson three the guy can’t has like B look like the second fifth three-pointer he’s made in his whole career this year he drains one it’s like all these little things so for

Shingun to miss the free throw thank goodness and there’s a lot of little moments in this game too that you mentioned about not only these are all moments but cam Thomas steps out of bounds going on the Baseline no call there I feel like that’s now Superstar

Moment for him but even more importantly when they got the ball forward and cam Thomas had it in the corner and he’s just holding on to it waiting to get fouled I mean listen you want to go back and look at that there’s a real world

Where that was a tie up and it should have been a jump ball because he Expos there they got bailed out there too that should have been a jump ball that was a bad like they they that was like a that was um an instinct whistle cuz they

Thinkl anate the foul so I’m ready to blow the whistle as soon as you get near him right yeah great call I meant to mention that that that good job remembering that because that was the other one it was like oh they just got totally bailed out they got bailed out

In a Jon Tate step back three with time left on the shot clock I was like oh my God you’ll take that do that every time please my goodness so they they actually really did it’s crazy to say they got helped here but sometimes those little

Things do need to kind of go your way to get over the hump they’ve had little things go wrong for them in past games that have haven’t gone for them so the the idea here is this stuff kind of evens out over the long term of course

So coming up here in a second obviously the other news we don’t typically do this in our post games but when you get updates and the rumor that Ben Simmons could be returning to the court as early as Monday night we want to make sure we talk about that highlight Dorian finy

Smith again here and what this short-term impact is for the Brooklyn Nets as we know that trade deadline looms we’ll get into that coming up here in just one second all right let you know that this episode of lockedown Nets is brought to you by quiz today we’re going to have

Some fun test your knowledge of the Nets right now just a little taste what you’re going to get over on quiz uh which player holds the record for most points scored in a single game for the Nets hey Vince Carter Rook Lopez Jason kid Kyrie Irving the answer is Kyrie

Irving I hope you said that over there friends quiz is the um it’s quiz goty with three eyes which is really important to know when you’re typing it in quiz with three eyes Next Generation trivia experience it’s the world’s firstat platform where you can earn money playing knowledge games and for

Lockon Nets fans they created NBA quiz game where you can test your knowledge and win real cash play with friends or other fans and let your knowledge shine all the way to the bank baby you can play without downloading anything you just go to app. quiz Qi i.com start

Playing today NBA quiz is the ultimate knowledge challenge for fans that live and breathe basketball um go to app. quiz.com test knowledge win cash today that’s quiz with three eyes just like the three point play now showcase your skills and take home cash prizes app. quiz.com where fans become

Champions all right so as we continue the postgame wrap-up show here and turn our attention a little bit to the injury report reminder go over to weot nets.com where you can sign up and receive a free ebook history about all those big moments for the Brooklyn Nets will the

106 104 victory over the Houston Rockets Midway through a season end up making it probably not but there’s a lot of good things in there about Jason kid and all those key moments totally free over at weot nets.com sign up for that today and be alerted when we have some other great

Content coming your way as well now when we think about the next step for the Brooklyn Nets and this is where I will say let’s start with the news Ben Simmons about a week ago we talked about it jock V was asked it was a lot of well

If maybe then possibly so too could be when maybe I don’t know fast forward a few days he’s playing down in the G League getting some live bodies around him and now reports are he could return as soon as not 100% but could return as soon as Monday night against Utah for

The Brooklyn Nets point stop how surprised are you that this is how quickly the talk to me in two weeks went to he’ll now be making his return potentially this week uh I’m not like shocked by it only because while the the updates weren’t specific they weren’t of

The same like there were there were a couple more spe specific things like he was going to go practice in Long Island right like we did know that like a couple things were happening here so it’s the only I still wasn’t holding out a ton of hoped only because I think

That’s just where we have to be with Simmons overall um just because of just like how how little he’s played over the last couple years but I did think that those while vague offered a few different tidbits that we really hadn’t seen before so I’m not totally shocked

By it I’m glad that he’s getting back into this stretch my expectations are low but that’s fine like I I want him to be I want him to be good I just want I’m just saying the expectations are low because I think that’s where we need to

Live with him another player who had a really good game tonight and took the previous matchup uh was Nicholas Claxton very seriously by the way some of the final foul shots Nicholas Claxton said s sangun I’m going to go ahead and throw your body to the ground here because I

Want this rebound that led to another very tight situation how do you think though that this informs what the if anything what the net are going to do ahead of the deadline because the funny thing here is for the most part we’ve said hey the best thing you can root for

Is a healthy Ben Simmons it helps a lot with some of the deficiencies that this team has but backtrack yourself to the beginning of the year one of the biggest problems was Nicholas Clon and Ben Simmons can’t play together so it’s funny how it’s still the same theme of a

Lot of talented players but one of the biggest issues is not all these pieces fit together the right way maybe a happy problem to have but I think people are maybe losing the forest for the trees a little bit on Ben Simmons return starts to play and it’s only going to be

Positive in terms of the impact it has I just like don’t know how you think that I mean it wasn’t like all amazing before he got hurt right and so i’ I’ve been actually a little surprised to see some of those reactions and I think that’s mostly

Like just maybe like to like a little forgetting he was fine right like the the numbers were there he still wasn’t doing the things the Nets need him to do the most which is you know try to get to the basket with relative consistency but I will say this they do need his

Particular like versatility more than ever right now and I think that’s like the most important thing so even if you back out the part where the deficiencies of the game are the part where he can guard one through five pretty much um the part where he can get out transition

They’ve desperately lacked guy they stink in transition like they they gota I’ll look at the stats here while we’re kind of talking but they got to be one of the worst transition teams in basketball they’re horrible at it when they do do it and they barely do it so

Like I um like he will he’ll definitely help there having sort of just like a secondary rebounder is a really pretty important part for their scheme they can go back to switching a lot more right when just s more consistently I I will so I think all those parts it will help

I just still I just want to I just want to pump the breaks on like Elation around this or like or like season saving stuff I don’t think we’re there and I don’t think he has a track record uh last point on that too I I I I think that

Like we said at the beginning I think they’re saved uncomfortable conversations early because they’ll just easily bring them off the bench and and like not and he’ll just come in for Claxton so you don’t even have to worry about it like and and I think that’s I think

They’ll have a really e and they’ll they’ll ease them into the minutes because they’ll probably it’ll probably be like 16 to 18 minutes or something like that for like the foreseeable future so I think that they’re going to be saved any uncomfortable fit issues by just like literally just bringing him

For claing because sharp isn’t playing I it’s like funny how these things have worked it’s to some degree for this team over the course of the year but I think that’s a pretty I mean right like is that obvious I I feels like it’s like too it’s almost too obvious that

That’s what’s going to happen oh of course right yeah yeah start to roll you into this thing see how it looks find out maybe and by the way maybe you want to lump this in with if it’s time to start cam Thomas and it’s maybe time for

Cam Johnson to go to the bench well all of a sudden you can start experimenting with different combinations that maybe you open up opportunities to see how you can be successful while making these moves Dorian finy Smith being hurt here changes it a little bit in terms of the

Different combinations you want to go with depending on what the update is we get with him he was available during FY Smith to return tonight never did so well they said that they said that then they changed it so I’m not exactly sure so I don’t know if the the initial

Report was wrong they said he was available to return on the broadcast but then Nets PR like instantly came out and and let every and let us know that he was not returning so I I actually wonder if there was a if there was a wires cross piece about him being available to

Return and so at a minimum here Brian Lewis from the New York Post reported after I’m assuming after the game today or at some point left ankle dayto day is the current status for Dorian finny Smith so thank goodness though because that looked worse and and I hate to put

I hate to make this like a commodity piece um but it’s just a logistical thing him getting hurt eight days before the trade deadline or 10 days before the trade deadline or whatever would have been like oh my goodness because that is a guy that could get traded for actual

Real pieces and again I hate to put I really don’t like doing this because it feels gross but it is just a thing like they’ve been talk he’s been talked about as being a trade piece here for a long time he it would be an important piece

For a good team that’s really good um and we just seen what happens with this team sometimes when their guys get hurt around the trade deadline Seth Seth Curry Joe Harris but these guys were hurt at the deadline they might have been able to fetch something they just

Weren’t playing and like you it’s really hard to trade hurt guys at the deadline and so I was like oh I hate and again I’m just caveat of this for the fourth time that I hate thinking like that but it’s it’s part of the game and and one

Other so I mean tying into that too is I do wonder I I wonder how a final bow on Ben Simmons and for the Nets going towards the deadline you mentioned injuries and otherwise I wonder for how long the Nets have felt confident about where Ben Simmons was in terms of his

Process to getting back on the court not confident about you know if he’ll be 100% healthy going forward in perpetuity but just okay we believe that right around a little bit ahead of the trade deadline we’re going to get Ben Simmons back I’m interested to see how that

Informs it you only have five games he’s going to have to go go through a ramp up so there there are some key matchups here defensively this has been a team that over the month of January was top 10 so they they had turned that end of

The quarter round Ben should help with that as well but now you get I all the areas that they’ve been they’ve benefited from some again benefited from injuries in terms of not having to make tough decisions now it’s like I wonder if this just muddles their process going

To the deadline here too because you don’t have this clear path going forward with anybody Ben Simmons included so I again let’s get the win tonight that’s great they’re trying to just get back to winning ways you can look back at these recent games and say they could have won

They could have won all those games but they didn’t and the one difference here for me going forward is Ben Simmons return does not change the fourth quarter concerns for this team it actually heightens them because he’s another guy that can’t go to the free throw line like Nicholas Claxton so a

Blessing in some areas a you know a detriment in others it still feels like the same theme of the Season carries through pieces fitting together tough decisions to make Lu luckily the Nets at least got this win tonight against Houston and real quick I looked at their transition numbers and for some reason

Nba.com doesn’t allow you I should look somewhere else doesn’t allow you to parse it by day because I was trying but it’s not going to matter too much because Simmons has missed most of the season they are Bel well below average in terms of frequency um of transition

Uh just possessions and then they are like fifth to last an effective field goal percentage on trans fourth to last excuse me uh an effective field goal percentage in transition as well so uh just like an overall pretty bad transition team they actually had more attempts than I had seen overall but um

But anyway the two the two numbers like the frequency and the effective field goal percentage for transition was bad so anyway perimeter shooters that should point in spacing and all that stuff right like it’s all in I’m a big stats and I test together kind of guy like I I

Was not positive by the way before I looked at those transition things that where they were exactly I felt like that’s probably where they were um but then I’m really hesitant sometimes to make claims like that because I know everyone hates it but you know I test is

Great and stats watch every game every minute so it’s why it’s better it’s it’s good to go look at that stuff as well we’re going to stick around here for a few minutes um in YouTube live because I see we got a bunch of people in here uh

Following and that’s win easy to sometimes forget because they the fourth quarter was so bad it’s still a w baby we still got the win here for the Nets um and that’s the important thing go check out weot nets.com Adam and I wrote

A b a book that comes at you in five for five different different days right so it’s a book that comes at you one chapter a day for five days different stories about the Nets over the last couple decades some res one some older ones we had a ton of fun writing this

One really pumped to have you read it as well the feedback we’ve gotten on it’s great so far so really appreciate everyone that’s gotten back is given out a lot of these already uh go get them for yourself weot nets.com and of course I know in my heart that man is good that

What is Right will always eventually Triumph and there’s purpose and Worth to each and every step why that’s Ronnie Reagan he was a guy he was was a person that said that we’ll be back again we’ll be back again tomorrow in a moment on YouTube talking more Brooklyn nights basketball basketball basketball basketball

Basketball maybe not one of the greatest BS of all time basketball basketball basketball yeah ah yes my friends a little bonus content for you over on YouTube not going to run as long as we normally do it’s the weekend you can tell oh Doug nor is getting a little sleepy he’s

Already rubbing I’m not actually I’m not sleepy tonight’s different because tonight I’m not sleeping I know I started to rub my eyee but it’s not that I got to I got to pick my daughter up she’s your kids get older they started staying out later which is an absolute

Disaster for a guy like me who wants to just go to bed early crazy part about doing the bonus episodes like I I didn’t anticipate this when I go out of my way to just like throw out a soft excuse you never think the father’s just going to

Totally throw his daughter under the bus but you know that’s the way it goes sometimes that’s the nature of it atlock on Nets if you got a comment or something you want to get into here obviously you know you mentioned at the end of the episode by the way that it it

Was this we didn’t maybe spend as much time as we normally do after wins kind of celebrating the positives and the good things the next a long way to making that hard to do because they did it again in the fourth quarter right like that that it really does suck a lot

Of the life out of a was a good win against a good team this this that right I don’t even blame us for this because it’s like it when you get outscored 34 to 18 and you’re up 28 points or whatever they were in this game or

Whatever the mo what was the most they were up um was it 28 I mean they’re up early yeah first half 28 yeah right so they’re up at 28 points and basically having a nailbiter to the point where like it probably should have gone to

Overtime like to to to go all the way from there from A to B is is tough so it does take the life out of you a little bit and it is tough now um I think for me I don’t know about you I I think some

Nets fans probably wear this a little harder than we do uh I I don’t it doesn’t like make me sick to my stomach or whatever if they lose um I do want them to win every game it’s great most because it’s like more way more fun to

Talk about I think that’s kind of where I land but it’s it is one of those situations right we I think we came into this the tenor felt more like a like a loss even though but that’s just kind of where we are with this season it’s been

A rough season um I I will say on that note before we get into some comments here that I had this thought the other day because over the past month or so and this is what happens when you know a team loses 14 out of 18 games right like you

Can’t help but start to uh feel feel into the frustrations and be disappointed about things and start to look at a team in a different way than maybe ultimately you should and what I mean by that is the Nets could lose 30 games in a row I internally for

Them it doesn’t really change what their timeline and perspective was we got these guys in a trade they’re going to be our core pieces we believe we’re positioning ourselves to move off of Ben Simmons contract in another year all of those things remain true regardless of

If they’re a 500 team or 20 games below the difference is if you’re covering the team if you’re a fan of the team it feels like you are being absolutely dragged across rocks for multiple months on end and I was surprised that I did find myself saying like hey all of these

Things are problems maybe it is down to the studs kind of territory from a Brooklyn Nets perspective I’m sure it’s disappointing but it doesn’t really change their high level view of this team going forward I don’t think which is unfortunate you mean a game like this

Doesn’t change no no like a game a stretch like this a run like this losing all these games they don’t like not they don’t care but like there it doesn’t matter to them because in their mind it’s still about clearing cap attracting a superstar and then all these pieces

Fit into place better now I don’t think they anticipated losing as much as they have over this past month but in the end it only really hurts when you’re on it day today you’re on the grind they’re thinking about this six months from now when they land a superstar in a big

Trade with all the draft capital and then male becomes your second or third best player like I think that long-term view is always what the front office is going to be holding on to through all these losing streaks you know what’s crazy I just didn’t even realize this

Till right now is that the Rockets the Nets only have the Rockets only have three more wins than the Nets the Rockets are 21 and 24 and I guess I just thought their record was better I like I look at ton I don’t know if my brain winning record

Team like I don’t know if my eyes have just gone crossed about this or like you know like you know eeme gets you know gassed up a lot and he’s good so like it’s not that um but like they’re an 11th the west and out of the playoffs

Right now and they’re literally like the same exact spot in the west that the Nets are in the East that’s I just I guess if I just had been asked about that I I don’t think I would have I would have just thought the record was better so it’s and it’s interesting too

Because I think we would all agree that the Rockets have significant more Talent than the Nets right like way B Jabari Jaylen shenon like one of the things they got from the Brooklyn Nets yeah like some of the like I don’t know it’s just interesting I just I guess that my

My eyes W crossed about that I just had not realized that that’s interesting 10 10 games ago 10 games ago they were 18 and 17 they’ve gone three and seven in their last 10 now so they’re on a bit of a bad run heading towards that deadline

Okay Dwayne green I meant I meant okay Dwayne green I don’t know why I put a little bit negative on you uh what one trade do you not only want to happen but that you think will most likely happen I would like both of you to give your views on this Doug you

First I think I was the one that starred this and I was I was just what a luck box that you got to read then you can say dky first um not only okay let me read this again which one trade do you not only want to happen that you think

Will most likely happen okay I’m gonna go easy on this one I think that I I want to happen and most likely happen is that they trade Royce O’Neal for like some low-level player and like a second round pick and I think that’s fine like I think that that’s I think that’s where

We are in just getting sort of back to normal on resetting some of the stuff just even second round picks are helpful for theet here too going forward because like the tax implications are really great they have a pretty good drafting track record I guess we got to talk

About Tariq Whitehead at some point because that’s really unfortunate news came out on him he’s gonna miss the whole season with a shin injury and that’s his third s that’s his third surgery on his legs um that’s that’s not a great spot to be but um so I’ll go low

Level easy kind of let’s take a let’s take an easy one and that’s what I’ll say but um I don’t know if you ever something different yeah I mean you know it’s funny coming out of tonight you go well maybe I think one that that I think

Needs to happen but but I think will happen it’s like Dorian FY Smith because now he almost goes down with the injury you want to maximize the value you get for him and and because he’s a controllable contract I think that’s obviously more attractive and we’ve

Heard some teams being around it um I’ll I’ll say Spencer diwy because I just think that that it feels like the time to move on has come here you open up more minutes for for cam Thomas maybe take out a little of a roadblock open up more minutes for guys like Lonnie Walker

And and Dennis Smith Jr like you have some guys on the roster that can fill a bit of that void so I’ll say that I think that’s probably likely too because he’s also expiring so both you and I are talking about two expiring contracts which I think makes sense and by the way

That’s that’s also slightly tied to Art Doug and I’s feeling about previous years where expiring contracts sat on this roster and weren’t maybe moved when there was value and by way they have to take they have to take like the chip-ins here right like they just have to be and

They just have been unwilling to do this in the past and so I think or just it just hasn’t happened um and so I think that like those are that’s where it start I’m not interested a lot of some of these higher level moves that have

Been talked about and I just don’t think like guys like clearly guys like Mitchell aren’t even going to be on the trading block so I think those are those are out right so the Cavs just been too good yeah um and so I’m also not a fan

Of of getting involved as this as the third team in some of these trades the D let put this one here there trade for DLo back I you know it’s funny um there was a comment about this I I’ll fail to credit who it was about that the

Perception maybe of D’Angelo Russell is a little bit lower than it should be like based on just what he is right type of player he is I would he get there’s certain media guys that hate him hate him to like a weird to I would call it

Like a borderline weird extent for like what he is um so I just and I I I’m not g to say who these guys are it’s very obvious if you listen to enough basketball podcast that there’s like a certain contingent of guys out there with big big names with

Huge platforms that really hate his game and have right I don’t know if it’s like now they can’t pivot from it because they said it once or whatever but I think that like he’s clearly not a superstar and he’s clearly not a Max guy or like whatever like you know when he

Left Brooklyn or whatever these are his stats over the last couple games 29 Points 27 points 34 points 20 points 29 Points Lakers are three and five in that stand LeBron didn’t play one of those games um at least he’s 49 yeah he’s 52 49 80 his splits for the last month like

Yep okay like dislike his game or whatever but these are like ridiculously efficient stats and I it’s gone way too far way overboard with people not liking him for sure and he’s basically he’s basically 28 years old now too just in terms of right where he

Fits in my only reason for my reason for not wanting to bring him back in is less about his game I think in the short could work it’s it’s the player option that he has the following year now it’s only 18.7 but I just think it’s two

Things one bringing that back in and then extending the timeline of clearing off money that’s a little bit funky for me and then the other thing is the way that this these trades have been discussed is D’Angelo Russell ends up on the Nets because Murray’s going to go to

The Lakers and the and the Hawks don’t want to have that money on their books okay fine and then it’s Spencer Den when he ends up on the Hawks because it’s an expiring deal if you told me that Jaylen Hood chafino ends up getting put onto the Brooklyn Nets because that’s the

Sweetener to get it done that’s one thing there’s not really a lot of there’s not a huge value to that unless you believe in the functional fit that D’Angelo Russell presents for your team as currently constituted and you could have that discussion but I don’t know

Like it seems like a little bit too low of value to just basically say yeah we’ll take him and that and that player option for the following year so that you guys can get this deal done oh yeah I what I also should have said is I

Don’t want them to trade for him right I like I don’t want like really them to give up assets to get him if they’re just like end up being a third team here in the mix that can somehow get get him in by giving up like one of these wings

I I maybe I I mostly was just mostly commenting that like there there’s guys in the media there’s guys in the media that that have huge platforms that that have just taken it upon themselves to trash his game and it’s way overboard way over can I ask

You a Qui question sorry I know we want to get out the door here but we’re doing tight if the if the Nets did do that what is the functional is there a functional problem if you are a cam Thomas believer and a cam Thomas starter believer do you think there’s a

Functional problem having DLo and him together potentially yeah I mean they would get trucked on defense again and like d we’ve seen him DLo has like sort of like a methodical pick and roll get into the mid-range game and it’s I mean I gave his I mean I guess his assist

Numbers have been decent too I don’t know I I the Nets shouldn’t do it where they give anything up right but like I I think that I really don’t want them to trade for him I just mostly I was mostly say I was mostly just making a comment

About like sort of the no I agree I was just yeah just spawn to curiosity for me let’s close out with Jon here who brings in would you think getting a one more after this by way I got sorry sorry sorry real quick don’t don’t close after

This we answer this one on that there’s I want do one more uh tus Jones or campaign plus a Wendell Carter Jr and some draft picks would be a successful deadline um I mean I yeah I guess I mean you know tus Jones a good player he’s

UND sized and small like I don’t none of these guys are like do I think if they went and got them would I feel it’s like a massive needle mover it really comes down to to what else does it look like you know you said and some draft picks I

I don’t know I None of these guys like jumps off me where I think oh I absolutely have to yeah so I think that like I’m not sure like these things line up with each other is my problem with this right so I I think that you’re G have to

Give You’ have to give up you have to give up to get these guys draft picks and I don’t think like tyus Jones he’ll probably get added to some playoff team I think that needs a backup point guard I think that’s like what the what you’re going to see happen um campaign don’t

Have any interest in and then wter Jr just like he’s actually back in the starting lineup for the magic so I think that like they had talked about maybe wanting to move him and I don’t know if they’re sort of showcasing him leading into the trade down line because he him

And go go bad excuse me have been moving in and out of the starting lineup like sort of back and forth but he just played 35 minutes against Memphis the other day so I don’t know I don’t know if it’s like these are showcase minutes or these are hey we’re gonna roll with

You and maybe it’s a little easier to play here with play him with fultz back I’m not exactly sure what the plan the plan there is is so I I don’t think those guys um are going to do it uh another one yeah we still playing previous coaches so this is actually one

Thing I yes they Nash is still on the books Nash is still on the books till the end of this year this is one of the other reasons I think vaugh is quote unquote safe until the end of the year is that I don’t think they want to pay

Three coaches and I can think they can see where this is going among many reasons why I don’t think vaugh is gonna get fired actually think this is another part of it like I think they don’t want to have three coaches on the books and so I think that they need Nash’s money

To come off which it will at the end of the year vaugh will still be two more years after is that right or one more year after this um he signed an extension I can’t they signed an extension for three years but I can’t maybe I’m doing the math wrong anyway

He’s got at least one more year maybe maybe it’s two um so that yes they’re still pay they’re as of right now paying two through 26 27 uh jock V great so he’s got two he’s got two more years after this um so he’s coming back he’s

He’s he’s he’s safe to the end of the season it does not matter they could L I’m telling you right now they could lose every game from now to the end of the season season he will not get fired I bet I would bet anything on that oh

Speaking of bets how about my how about my call tonight Dylan Brooks getting a tech yeah 38 exactly 38 minutes later teed up you know what I want to get to Jean R here in a second but I but one other thing that I thought about in this

Game too was I was like one of the ways I think Houston got back into this was some chippiness getting in guys faces a little bit you had uh even Mel Bridges at one point was was John a little bit too Dennis Smith Jr was there with Fred

Van Fleet in spots it was an interesting thing just to watch in terms of the Nets aren’t a big team they don’t have a lot of size or strength to them but some of that drawing stuff like I I like seeing how teams and players react to that I

Thought the nets for the most part did stay composed with it the fourth quarter kind of was its own isolated thing uh last maybe last one I don’t know Doug keeps firing him off here Jean Rome uh due to the fourth quarter closure how would you rank Jack vongh as a coach I

I’ll drill down on this from the standpoint of Dorian finin Smith gets injured I don’t know if this is what is what you’re speaking to but he you have Harry Giles is on the bench right you called back Noah Clowny from the G league and they don’t see any time on

The floor it’s not surprising and even though I I believe Noah Clowny should get some run this is a really hard spot to turn to a rookie and go hey buddy why don’t you hop in and and give us a hot five you know like it’s hard spots to

Put him in would Harry Giles help with the rebounds on that play where they foul and gets back at the line yeah probably but I I don’t know if I take anything away from this like you know players Miss shots players turn the bottom third he’s the bottom third of

The coach he’s the bottom third of the coaching rankings for sure like right yeah I don’t have top 10 you know I mean it’s yeah I think he’s easily in the bottom third and probably lower like he’s they’ve been you know they’ve struggled in with like maybe some of the

Simpler parts of the game at times the rotations are all over the place um they’ve played fiveman units that just have gotten that have been really bad and combinations that have been really bad so I just don’t we haven’t seen tonight though thought he was good with the

Timeouts tonight I never care about that really it is and oh by the way too like and I’m like defending ja vaugh he I agree with Doug he’s in the bottom third maybe even lower but oh by the way when you have a superstar on your team that

Makes up for a lot of the gaps and for a lot of the gaffs and the mistakes like there are the the top 10 coaches they’re the elite guys and the top 15 guys like there’s a lot of great coaches and then there’s a lot of coaches that are kind

Of middle of the pack that get elevated based on having like Jason kid for example go listen to the locked on mass podcast with Nick angad they you know rail on all the mistakes and errors that he makes but having a Luca donic wouldn’t you know it adding a Kyrie

Irving hey guess what you win a lot of basketball games when you just have some of the best players and that can be a Sav for issues or errors along the way of course and I and I honestly it’s funny that’s why I was glad to mention

That like the Rockets record it’s like everyone I think e is a great coach I would love if he was the coach I wish they have just brought him in right and it’s like I don’t know three more wins you got three more wins like for all for

A better roster and a better Coach like what are you how much better is it I mean I again I I swap them the franchises right now easily like without even thinking about it everything we just swap one for one of course I’m just mostly saying like let’s just all take a

Look at what are some of these other situations that you think are so much better it’s like I don’t know it’s not that much better okay gonna get out of here much appreciated everyone here in here on YouTube um make sure you go check out we got nets.com like I said

Totally for Everyone likes something for free get something in your inbox every day awesome win thank you Prophet PR um but yeah we got nets.com go head it over grab those free stories and uh hope to hear from you uh we just like having fun with everything we do young

Dolph one of the alltime great poets we back again tomorrow talking more Brooklyn that’s basketball casual pause uh basketball basketball basketball yeah

The guys break down the postgame coverage as the Nets look to get over their fourth quarter issues. With no Cam Johnson the Nets inserted Cam Thomas into the lineup with very excellent results.
There was a clear game plan on both ends and, overall, Brooklyn founds ways to execute successfully .