What’s Wrong With The Brooklyn Nets? | New York Got Game

What’s Wrong With The Brooklyn Nets? | New York Got Game

Welcome to New York gun game welcome back to another edition of New York Got Game interesting time going around in New York basketball in terms of the professional teams we are getting closer to the trade deadline so there’s a lot of talk about what the Knicks

Might do what the Nets might do we last week we talked about some high school basketball this week we’re going to go to the Nets lot’s been going on with them and it hasn’t been great but we’ve got a great guest to talk all about so let’s get right to

It the Nets are on fire things have not been great lately for the Brooklyn Nets the team has only won four times in their last 18 games so we’re going to examine what is going on with the Nets we’re going to do it with a talented Rider from Nets daily my guy

Lucas Kaplan Lucas what’s going on man well thank you for having me here I know the Nets haven’t been so exciting in recent weeks but I’m happy to be here so thank you well I’m glad that you’re happy and not down the Nets haven’t been good in recent week Lucas because you

Just heard the numbers through the past month or so Nets fans haven’t seen a lot of winning in Brooklyn four wins in their last 18 games pretty good at math we know that’s not good so with that being said got to ask you this Lucas what is wrong with the Nets right now

Well it depends how much time we have to go over all the problem got some time we got some time all right well recently it’s been more of the offensive struggles before the Lakers win last night they were 28th in offense 10th in defense that’s kind of more of what we

Expected at the start the season um but really it’s just from the top down the coaching hasn’t been great the offense is dry just a lot of the same repetitive actions over and over the three-point shooting has fallen off a cliff and because of that they have to defend in

Transition they’re not getting back they’re not getting stopped so really it’s not what’s going wrong for the Nets right now it’s what’s going right and unfortunately it’s not a lot yeah it has not been a lot that’s gone right for them you referenced that we’re recording

This right after they had a nice win over the Lakers in Los Angeles but when I look at everything that’s gone wrong or not right with the Nets you kind of I feel like there’s a a moment where you go back to last month right in December

When they punted that game against the Bucks that people will say and they sat a bunch of players we know Mel Bridges wasn’t thrilled about the decisions the basketball fans know that do you think that decision by the team impacted the Good Vibes that we saw earlier in the

Season around this net Squad well it’s tough to say I mean the three-point shooting was he’s a little unsustainable and I think that’s the biggest reason for the recent losses but you can’t definitively rule it out I mean as much as male didn’t like it he wasn’t playing

That well he wasn’t shooting well maybe he needed a rest so it’s tough to say that one single game decision precipitated what a one n stretch but it certainly is not something you look back at fondly to say the least no it it’s definitely not and I know there was a

Lot of I know Nets fans you saw this you saw this from your work in Nets daily weren’t thrilled about the decision we know some of the players weren’t thrilled about decision now look the record is what it was after that you just mentioned that one and n it wasn’t

That great but you know we have an opportunity to turn things around the jet Nets have a chance to do that speaking of the team at the start of the Season Lucas they were considered by many and I talked to some people about this when we previewed them a team that

Was likely to be a playing squad or they could actually compete for a top six spot considering where they are in the standings right now in the middle of January do you look at the season as a disappointment thus far I think think disappointment would be a little harsh

Um certainly the 16 the now 17 and 24 record is is not what they want it to be but I thought aspirations of crack in the top six were maybe a little bit far-fetched after all there’s just not a lot of offensive creation on this team Spencer Denwood is really the only guy

That is a proven passer ball handler and shooter on the roster um even though there they’ve won fewer games than they’ve liked I wouldn’t go all the way to disappoint I mean after all they weren’t expected to contend and hey they’re sitting in the 11 seed right now

They’re only two or three games back of getting into that top eight so I think we need a little bit more time to full-on categorize it as a disappointment that’s fair too because the East is so jumbled up right now that the Nets could get on a three- game

Winning streak and be back close to closer to seven than they are to being out of the play in at this point right now Health was something you talked about the Nets a lot this season right and sometimes when you’re evaluating the team you want to see them uh truly

Healthy we saw Dennis Smith Jr just return every net fan out there still waiting for Ben Simmons to do something do you think Ben Simmons can return we’ve seen what Dennis Smith Jr has done when he’s returned but do you think his return can help spark this net team I

Think he can I mean I would never rule anything out in the NBA but relying on Ben Simmons health is is not something that I think Nets fans NBA fans really would see as a viable path forward um I think he would help push the pace create

Open shots for guys but again this roster seems built around him and that given his injury history given that he’s played less than a third of the season in the last three years that just does not seem like a very viable path to building a contending or even a good

Playoff team so I almost don’t want to answer the question it seems that Nets should be focused on bigger things and if they get anything from Ben you know hey that’s found money it right it’s all gravy if it happens it hasn’t happened you can’t Bank on it

Nets fans have been wanting to but I think you make a good point about the roster building a lot of this has been built around the talents and what Ben Simmons could do but we just haven’t seen him on the court that has not happened so with that being said Lucas

We got a couple weeks to go until the trade deadline when you look at this next team should they be buyers or should they be sellers at the trade deadline I think they should be sellers I think that’s a pretty easy question to answer you know this year and this

Roster was always about building towards the future um I know they’ve been linked to jonte Murray and I know we’ll talk about him and if they feel they can get him for a good price sure but I wouldn’t view that as a buying move to contend this year I really think it’s about

Long-term flexibility they’ve been clear they want to get under the luxury tax that’s the number one goal reset the repeater tax so I would say sellers it’s good to get some first round picks moving forward and they have guys on the roster that they could probably sell off

Royce O’Neal Dorian to name a few yeah Royce O’Neil Dorian Smith the Nets have a plethora of wings we know that’s something that’s very coveted in the NBA something that teams would like and I think we talked about this a little bit off camera is that the Nets are in this

Position where it doesn’t reward them in terms of draft positioning to lose right because the pick this year goes to Houston that’s part of the James Harden deal so it’s it’s they’re not rewarded by losing year I got to ask you this because you mentioned dejonte Murray

That’s a name that’s been rumored for the Nets as a player that they could acquire do you think he’s the type of player that the team should pursue and if they do how does he fit in with Brooklyn’s core right now Nets fans might get on me but I don’t really think

So um you know they’ve been linked to Donovan Mitchell and I think in recent weeks it’s been seeming that they may have to wait that out for a little bit longer than they’re comfortable with and because of the teams losing that’s why they’ve shifted over to their focus on

Murray but really Murray hasn’t accomplished much in this league and I know that sounds harsh but he was Atlanta’s Big Splash after the 2020 season and they really got worse he hasn’t been a fit with Trey young he’s a guy that takes a lot of Pull-Up mid-rangers and he makes them but he

Doesn’t get to the rim he doesn’t spray the ball around a ton and I don’t see him improving the Nets that much again if the cost is reasonable he would make the team better right now so I wouldn’t protest too much against it but to

Answer your question in a word no no cuz you just don’t feel like he moves the needle for where the Nets are are trying to go okay fair enough there we saw earlier this month speaking of trading and team building ad Janowski of ESPN he reported the team is not looking to

Trade Mel Bridges they still want to build around him here’s the thing about Mel Bridges I think we having this conversation is he a true number one option in your eyes and if so and if he’s the guy that they’re going to build around what pieces should the Nets put

Around what we know to be a very talented Wing very talented Wing the answer is probably no but the good thing is they’re not paying him like a number one option he’s under contract for another 3 years after this season he’s making in the low 20 million which with

The looming salary cap spike is really not that much he is a great player and he’s going to look better when the Nets get better pieces around him I think it’s very clear that the focus long term of this organization is to go Star hunting and when they do that and M

Bridges scales back down into that second third option role he’s going to look very good oh yeah so still building around him he’s still a very good player there’s still a lot of things you can do he’s a good two-way player that’s other thing you know you need more of those in

This league to compete all right here’s the the sort of I don’t want to say million dollar question Lucas but it kind of is right we talked about where the Nets are at this point of us recording this 11th in the standings in the East we talked about the fact that

It’s very jumbled in the East they could be very well quickly in one of those top seven six spots if they turn things around but if they don’t turn things around and don’t start playing competitive ball will general manager Shawn marks be on the hot seat should the Nets look towards another voice

Maybe just retool or rebuild this team or is sticking with the current regime that sort of tore down from the KD and Kyrie error is that the best move here it’s a tough question but I think the answer is not moving on from Shawn marks

Yet even if the season does not go as planned this is year one of a long-term plan this was always going to be a transition year they didn’t sell off male bridges last summer they kept him they kept Claxton it’s a three-year plan at best and whatever you think about the

Nets now no they’re not winning enough games but I wouldn’t get rid of the man who has not completed his plan yet if you’re going to give Shawn marks a chance to stick this roster out then you have to give him a chance to stick this

Roster out it’s year one of a long-term plan and I don’t think it’d be a smart move to Pivot away from it just because the Nets are let’s say 17 and 24 instead of 21 20 at the end of the day they’re only three or four games worse than we

Thought they’d be going into the season I don’t think that’s enough reason for an organizational shift Lucas you’re talking about patience with fans in New York City you know how that can go sometimes it’s tough you know how that can go sometimes we will see the Nets obviously they have not been playing

Their best basketball gone through a bad stretch last thing before I get you out of here do you think better days are coming do you think this team turns it around and plays more competitive basketball yes they’re not they’re 4 and 14 over their last 18 Gam games I don’t

Think they’re that bad that’s a Wizards Hornets well not Pistons type of Mark it’s a little too good for the Pistons but almost a Pistons type of Mark they’re not shooting well from three they’re getting killed from three those things will regress to the mean a little

Bit do I think they’re a playoff Contender no I don’t think they’ll win a series but this is not one of the worst teams in basketball slightly brighter days are ahead all right there you go some positivity for the Brooklyn Nets fans out there that is my guy Lucas

Kaplan check out his work he such a fantastic job on Nets daily the one of the in my opinion one of the best sites out there maybe I’m a little biased because I used to do some work for Nets daily back in the day one of the best

Sites out there covering the Nets he did such fantastic work there Lucas I’m so glad you able to stop by pull up to New York got game we got to do this again oh of course I hope anytime you want to have me back I’m ready listen man

Anytime we got to talk some Nets basketball I just hope the next time you come up here we’re talking about some happier things instead of a 4 and 14 stretch let’s hope I’m not going to put that pressure on you but we just got to

Hope for that I’ll I’ll I’ll do what I can but no promises there you go thanks Lucas appreciate you man New York gut game is on fire yeah all right special thanks to my guest Lucas Kaplan of Nets daily doing a great job as always you

Know what time it is it’s time for us to bounce from this episode of New York got game as always got to thank the people that make this show so great and so possible my producer Lee enler editor Antonio olera Nico and my director Banna msin dasaka I’m Dexter Henry see you

Next time next week on New York and thanks for watching New York Got Game boom shakal

Lucas Kaplan of Nets Daily joins Dexter Henry to talk about the recent struggles by the Brooklyn Nets that have them out of the current playoff picture in the Eastern Conference and whether or not the team should be active at the upcoming trade deadline.

01:17 What is wrong with Brooklyn?
02:18 Did punting a game impact the team vibes?
03:16 Disappointing Season
04:41 Ben Simmons & DSJ
05:54 Buyers or Sellers?
07:00 Dejounte Murray
08:14 Mikal Bridges
09:14 Sean Marks

Catch up on all episodes of New York Got Game https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL21wVx89S3lyaaGfOGOngi08dowvDZPlw

#brooklynnets #bensimmons #mikalbridges

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