The Nets enter the off-season with a couple of key things needing to happen in order to signal positivity going into next year. The first is resigning Cameron Johnson who is a restricted free agent going into the market. Brooklyn will have a chance to match any offer, but what will the team’s plan be with CJ. For a number of different reasons.
Then there is Ben Simmons who seems to have started off-season workouts in Brooklyn facilities, but what should fans expect out of this situation going forward. Is it time to change the narrative around Simmons?
And finally, what do Nets fans think about the Knicks still competing in the playoffs?
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10 Comments
To make this simple there are three things:
One: Brooklyn keeps Mikal Bridges Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton with the belief they are the new core to build around.
Two: Brooklyn gets bigger going after a power forward or center to help improve the rebounding numbers.
Three: Brooklyn completes the off-season with a solid team and core that will be together for more then two years to create a real championship structure…..
Ben Simmons really is the important domino as far as Brooklyn deciding whether to make a trade move that would require draft picks and moving some contracts to get an impact all star player.
Or Brooklyn keeps hold of their picks with the belief Ben Simmons has one more season to show he can return to his elite defensive status and just be available and a key part of Brooklyn new core….
If Ben Simmons can become that defensive anchor again with this teams overall improved defense Brooklyn would be a strong defensive squad going into the season…
Brook Lopez is set to be a free agent and given hes 36 and an improved defender would he consider coming back to Brooklyn for one season to try to help the new core of Brooklyn who have improved as a defensive squad. A potential center combo of Claxton and Lopez would be a tough defensive combo to stop….
I'm on the fence with Ben Simmons
Also Andre Drummond could easily be brought back into Brooklyn. He had a miserable season on the Bulls where they hardly played him and he couldn't use his strengths to help them…
Before though in Brooklyn Drummond looked like he was playing the best basketball of his career as a efficient rebounder and played some defense and found ways to score…
While Drummond didn't exactly shine in the playoffs he would be a good season addition to Brooklyn bench and can easily help solve Brooklyn rebounding issues and be a good backup for Claxton….
Ben Simmons sucks
I would give Ben another season before moving him (or not)
They would over pay bc it’s “Nets culture”
I'm finding that the great majority of Nets "fans" that want Spencer Dinwiddie replaced, as the starting point guard, don't have the slightest clue with who. He averaged 16.5 points, 9.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals in the regular season appearances for the Nets, after his return, this season. These are very impressive stats considering he's playing for a team that had no training camp, no preseason, and no practice games. He had to hit the ground running, while familiarizing himself with all the players and Jacque Vaugn's offense. He played in every game at maximum minutes. To those anti Dinwiddie "fans," good luck trying to trying to find another point guard that can fit, seamlessly, in his place with similar stats, salary, and confidence of JV. Of course, there's a zero to slight possibility, this anti Dinwiddie crowd will realize that he's the team's leader and is more important to it's success than he's given credit for.
I would advise all Nets fans to tune in to Sean Marks and Jacque Vaughn's season ending press conference. Marks outlined the direction the Nets are going to take going forward. My take is that he like the camaraderie that he see developing in the new Nets. The starting lineup will stay the same, next season as this season. We'll, obviously, re-sign Cam J. We'll trade, sign, or draft players that help us get bigger and "nastier," He said that we're going to be "strategic" in our moves. The hard part is going to be sticking to this script and ignoring all the noise that'll distract from it.