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Nets name familiar MacKinnon Jr. D-League coach

September 14, 2011 , ι By FRED KERBER

A familiar name from the Nets history is back in the forefront for the team’s D-League affiliate. Bob MacKinnon Jr., whose father Bob Sr. served twice as interim head coach as well as being a long... Read on

A familiar name from the Nets history is back in the forefront for the team’s D-League affiliate.
	 
Bob MacKinnon Jr., whose father Bob Sr. served twice as interim head coach as well as being a long time assistant and general manager for the team throughout the 80’s, has been named head coach of the Springfield Armor. The Nets have a hybrid affiliation with the Armor, running all basketball operations while local ownership remains on board to handle all business aspects.
	 
“I’m really excited to have this opportunity, to work with (GM) Billy King, Coach (coach Avery) Johnson and (Armor GM) Milton Lee (to) get this franchise going,” said MacKinnon Jr, who served as a D-League head coach with Colorado and Idaho. “It’s huge. When I called my dad to tell them -- he and my mom -- my dad said it was the best news he had had in a decade.”
	 
MacKinnon is in the early stages of putting together the Armor roster, along with the Nets’ brass. The D-League is not subject to the NBA lockout and can operate independently. Unsigned rookies drafted by NBA teams, however, are not eligible to play in the D-League.
	 
“We are very pleased to welcome Bob as the new head coach of the Armor,” King said. “He brings a wealth of basketball knowledge to the position, has a previous track record in the D-League and will be able to provide the symmetry we are looking for in style and principles between the Nets and Springfield.”
	 
And that symmetry is one of the obvious plusses of the set-up. The Nets can use Springfield as its own minor league team, in essence. The Armor will use the same system and terminology employed by Johnson and his Nets staff. Players not getting enough playing time with the Nets can be sent down to work on specific areas and stay in shape with Springfield.
	 
“It’s a great benefit. Because you’re running one system throughout and one terminology throughout, so especially when you get assigned to us, there’s no change in terminology, there’s no change in structure and how things are run,” MacKinnon said. “I think it’s of great benefit to us.”
	 
MacKinnon follows Dee Brown as head coach of the Armor. Brown is heading to Detroit to join Lawrence Frank’s staff – as is John Loyer, who was a Nets assistant for two seasons.

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Nets coach on his staff, and political Prokhorov

September 13, 2011 , ι By FRED KERBER

Nets head coach Avery Johnson is back in town after a working trip to Russia, where he heard of the “devastating” and horrific plane crash that killed 44 people, including more than three dozen members of a local pro hockey team.
	 
Johnson touched on numerous subjects (except players, of course -- “I tell you, I do not want to get fined,” Johnson laughed).
	 
While claiming the goal remains the playoffs for a team that won 24 games last season, one topic he could discuss is the state of his coaching staff which will be vastly reworked from last season.
	 
Johnson confirmed that John Loyer, considered one of the prized assistants in the league, is leaving for the Pistons to re-join Lawrence Frank. Larry Krystkowiak already left for the University of Utah. Additionally, assistant Sam Mitchell was a candidate for the Timberwolves job that ended up going to Rick Adelman. Johnson had a six-man staff last season, three on the bench, three behind the bench (six is his “ideal” number) but this year it could be one less. Popeye Jones, Tom Barrise and Doug Overton all will be back, Mitchell remains on the staff, and the big new name figures to be P.J. Carlesimo.
	 
Johnson did not confirm Carlesimo but others in the organization insist it is a “very good name” to consider. Johnson did have lots of praise for the three-time (Blazers, Warrriors, Sonics/Thunder) NBA head coach who also took Seton Hall to the Final Four.
	 
“P.J. is a guy I have a great relationship with,” Johnson said. “It’s pretty well-documented that he and I go back a ways. He’s a terrific assistant coach. Very knowledgeable. Obviously, he has a pretty solid track record in this part of the world. He has a lot of friends and people in this area that he’s still close to. We just have to wait and see what happens.”
	 
So Jones will take Loyer’s on-bench spot while Overton will also see an upgrade in status and responsibilities.
	 
Mitchell remains on staff.
	 
“As of right now, yes, that’s what we anticipate. We’ll see what happens,” Johnson said.
	 
“Doug does a really solid job for us in terms of player development and we’re going to help him grow a little bit,” Johnson said of Overton. “That was one of the conversations we had before I went to Russia we had our little coaches retreat and that was one of the things I talked to Doug about was trying to get him out of the mode of being just a player development coach but now just moving him to the next level. Really being an NBA assistant coach and we’re just giving him more responsibilities this year.”
	 
And Barrise, the longest tenured member of the staff?
	 
“Tom, really, is the GM of the coaches. Tom runs the coaching staff. I literally work for Tom, in a lot of ways,” Johnson said laughing.
	 
*
	 
Again, Johnson said NOTHING about his team or players. He stressed the Nets are planning and plotting and doing everything they would normally do. Gotta have planning and plotting coming off 24 wins.
	 
If the labor situation ever is cleared, it could be a free agent frenzy like the NFL experienced. Figure that two names mentioned before, PF/C Nene of Denver and SF Tayshaun Prince of Detroit will be Nets targets.
	 
*
	 
Owner Mikhail Prokhorov’s political future should not impact his drive behind the Nets but it could cause a change in priorities, Johnson speculated.
	 
“I got a sense from him that he’s still just committed to Nets basketball,” said Johnson who was with the Big Boss Man during his trip to Russia which included conducting both coaching and youth basketball clinics.
	 
“Obviously, he’s put himself out there in terms of some predictions. He’s still behind them. He understands it’s a process. At the same time, I think there was a window of opportunity for him to do what he’s doing now and get into the political realm and things he shared with me that he’s really convicted about how he wants certain things changed about how things are done politically there. That’s why he’s running. Hopefully he’ll get all the necessary votes he needs Dec. 4.
	 
“I don’t want to set off a fire alarm or anything, but I’m almost sure there will be a shifting the deeper he gets in this deal. But I think the way we’re set up as an organization and all of the different moving parts that we have and everybody understanding their role I think we’ll be fine.”
	 
If not, there are some lovely garden apartments just outside Minsk.
	 
Also, look for far more input from Sergey Kushchenko, now a member of the Nets board and the guy Prokhorov picked in 2002 to run CSKA Moscow. He’ll have a “bigger role” is things.
	 
“His bigger role is (that) now he’s a board member. Even at the board meeting yesterday where I had to make a presentation, unlike last year, he was on the conference call from Russia and had some different comments about some different situations that we were covering in the board meeting,” Johnson said. “I’m almost sure from the standpoint of him being on the board he’s going to have more of a role. In terms of basketball, Billy (GM King) runs the basketball operations. That’s the way it is. Ownership has great confidence in Billy.”
	 
*
	 
Johnson was ultra careful about not saying anything that could lead to a fine, such as discussing players in any way, shape or form. Example: He said he spoke to Krystkowiak “at a wedding recently out in California.”
	 
Gee, wonder who got married?
	 
*
	 
Johnson did stress that the playoffs remain the goal for the Nets but there is a wee bit of a problem.
	 
“We don’t know what we’re dealing with,” he said. “Once we figure out what we’re dealing with, then we’ll know a little bit more what is a realistic goal.”
	 
*
	 
Last season, Johnson started from scratch. He knew of his players, but he didn’t KNOW them. And they certainly didn’t know him. A very wise coach once claimed you never, ever know a player until you coach him (Actually, the way he put it was “You can want a guy for years, then you get him and realize he’s a (jerk).”)
	 
But this season, whenever it starts, there’s an advantage for Johnson and his staff.
	 
“More than anything, we have a foundation. There were so many things I had to do last year that I don’t necessarily have to do this year. We didn’t have continuity. Nobody understood our terminology. Just generally speaking, a lot of the things we had to do in the beginning stages last year, we won’t have to do this year,” Johnson said.
	 
“I will say this, that in the situation like where we are now, it’s unpredictable. It’s just unpredictable.”

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Nets name GM for D League team

August 10, 2011 , ι POST STAFF REPORT

The Nets have their very own General Lee. The team named Milton Lee the general manager of their minor league operations and he will oversee the Nets’ D League affiliate, the Springfield Armor. Lee... Read on

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Nets' final game in New Jersey scheduled for April 18

July 19, 2011 , ι By FRED KERBER

The Nets will say goodbye to New Jersey on April 18 against the Bulls in the final game of the season, according to a lockout-free NBA schedule released Tuesday. The Nets, scheduled to move to... Read on

The Nets will say goodbye to New Jersey on April 18 against the Bulls in the final game of the season, according to a lockout-free NBA schedule released Tuesday.
	 
The Nets, scheduled to move to Brooklyn in 2012-13, will open on the road against Washington on Nov. 2. They will play in Newark in their first home game of the season against the Pistons in a Saturday noontime matinee on Nov. 5. The Nets will return to London, where they played the Raptors last year, March 7-8 for two games against the Magic.
	 
The start times for evening home games will be moved back to 7:30 this season.
	 
The NBA released the schedule on the league's website, but the lockout, which started July 1, may force it to be changed or reduced.
	 
FULL SCHEDULE:
	 
Nov. 2 at Washington, 7 p.m.
	 
Nov. 5 vs. Detroit, Noon
	 
Nov. 7 vs. Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Nov. 9 vs. Dallas,, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Nov. 11. at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Nov. 13 vs. Minnesota, 1 p.m.
	 
Nov. 16 at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.
	 
Nov. 18 at New Orleans, 8 p.m.
	 
Nov. 19 at Houston, 8 p.m.
	 
Nov. 21 vs. Golden State, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Nov. 23 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
	 
Nov. 25 vs. Knicks, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Nov. 26 at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
	 
Nov. 29 vs. San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Nov. 30 at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
	 
Dec. 2 at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
	 
Dec. 3 at Orlando, 7 p.m.
	 
Dec. 5 vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
	 
De. 7 vs. Denver, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Dec. 9 at Memphis, 8 p.m.
	 
Dec. 11 vs. Phoenix, 1 p.m.
	 
Dec. 13 vs. Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Dec. 14 at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
	 
Dec. 16 at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Dec. 18 vs. Lakers, 6 p.m.
	 
Dec. 21 vs. Boston, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Dec. 23 at Indiana, 7 p.m.
	 
Dec. 26 at Washington, 7 p.m.
	 
Dec. 27 vs. Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Dec. 30 at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
	 
Jan. 2 vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
	 
Jan. 6 at Toronto, 7 p.m.
	 
Jan. 7 vs. Knicks, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Jan. 9 vs. Indiana, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Jan. 11 at Denver, 9 p.m.
	 
Jan. 13 at Phoenix, 9 p.m.
	 
Jan. 14 at Utah, 9 p.m.
	 
Jan. 16 at Clippers, 3:30 p.m.
	 
Jan. 18 vs. Portland, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Jan. 20 at Detroit, 8 p.m.
	 
Jan. 21 vs. Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.
	 
Jan. 23 at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Jan. 25 at Chicago, 8 p.m.
	 
Jan. 27 at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Jan. 29 vs. Boston, 6 p.m.
	 
Jan. 30 at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
	 
Feb. 1 vs. Clippers, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Feb. 3 vs. Memphis, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Feb. 4 at Knicks, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Feb. 6 vs. Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Feb. 8 vs. Miami, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Feb. 11 vs. Washington, 8 p.m.
	 
Feb. 14 at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Feb. 15 vs. Sacramento, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Feb. 18 at Chicago, 4 p.m.
	 
Feb. 19 vs. Milwaukee, 7 p.m.
	 
Feb. 22 vs. Indiana, 7:30 p.m.
	 
Feb. 28 at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
	 
Feb. 29 at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.
	 
March 7 vs. Orlando (in London), 3 p.m.
	 
March 8 vs. Orlando (in London), 3 p.m.
	 
March 12 vs. Houston, 7:30 p.m.
	 
March 14 vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
	 
March 16 at Knicks, 7:30 p.m.
	 
March 17 at Indiana, 7 p.m.
	 
March 19 vs. New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.
	 
March 21 vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
	 
March 23 at Orlando, 7 p.m.
	 
March 24 vs. Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.
	 
March 26 vs. Utah, 7:30 p.m.
	 
March 28 vs. Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
	 
March 30 at Golden State, 10:30 p.m.
	 
March 31 at Sacramento, 10 p.m.
	 
April 3 at Lakers, 10:30 p.m.
	 
April 4 at Portland, 10 p.m.
	 
April 8 vs. Cleveland, 6 p.m.
	 
April 9 at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
	 
April 11 at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
	 
April 13 at Toronto, 7 p.m.
	 
April 14 vs. Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
	 
April 16 vs. Miami, 7:30 p.m.
	 
April 18 vs. Chicago, 8 p.m.

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Nets' Humphries quiet on free agency, Kardashian

June 29, 2011 , ι By FRED KERBER

Most of the inquiring minds wanted to ask about free agency – or at least the $2 million engagement rock he bought Kim Kardashian.But Kris Humphries, the Nets’ leading rebounder last season who is... Read on

Most of the inquiring minds wanted to ask about free agency – or at least the $2 million engagement rock he bought Kim Kardashian.
	 
But Kris Humphries, the Nets’ leading rebounder last season who is looking at what should be a pretty hefty free agency bonanza whether there is a lockout or not, laid the ground rules early and often Wednesday after visiting kids in the general pediatric ward of the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center.
	 
“I’m out here for a great cause,” Humphries said. “It’s a great facility, great to brighten up the kids’ days. And that’s my main focus today, really. I know you guys have a bunch of questions but mostly I want to center it around my experience here and knowing life isn’t all just about sports and free agency and stuff like that. It’s a lot about giving back. A lot of people are in need so I’m trying to focus on that today.
	 
“One thing everyone has to know is no one is beyond hospitals. Everyone is somehow connected to someone who’s struggling. I’ve had family members deal with cancer and all sorts of diseases,” Humphries said. “It’s something you’ve got to know. It could very well be your kid in there one day…Somewhere you hope that maybe in 20 years maybe a Nets player comes through and brightens my kid’s day.”
	 
So he toured the kids ward, left signed gifts for the kids he could not visit face-to-face “for medical reasons” and chatted with the kids he could meet. He told one boy “who was talking about when we score a lot of baskets, we get on fire. It was exciting to hear that so hopefully, he can come and witness the Nets getting on fire at some point. And there was also a girl up there I told to tweet me and I was going to re-tweet here and wish her well on Twitter. So hopefully, she’ll remember to do that. I had a lot of fun.”
	 
Humphries made one of the best decisions last summer when he chose not to opt out of a $3.2 million final year. By sticking with the Nets, opportunity arose – as did his numbers. And now he should cash in. The Nets all along said they wanted him back. Humphries, until Wednesday, all along said he wanted to be back. He neatly side-stepped the question, re-directing attention to the hospital. He didn’t say yes. He didn’t say no. Figure he still wants to be back. Figure the Nets still want him back – at a reasonable price.
	 
“We have to take care of the lockout first and from there, my agent is going to handle the process and lay everything out so,” Humphries said. “It’s a little bit difficult to think about that right now.”
	 
Humphries has represented his Nets teammates at labor meetings and he said before there is any talk of his free agency, the lock issue must be resolved.
	 
“Who knows if that’s going to go into effect? I was a part of the meetings so we’ll like to see what happens with that before free agency,” Humphries said. “That has to be taken care of so there’s not a whole lot to say about free agency because there’s the first step.”

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Nets trying to get draft pick out of Turkish deal

June 27, 2011 , ι By FRED KERBER

Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic is going to Brooklyn by way of Turkey. Just act like he took the wrong subway line and got diverted for a year.Bogdanovic, the No. 31 pick in the NBA Draft acquired by the... Read on

Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic is going to Brooklyn by way of Turkey. Just act like he took the wrong subway line and got diverted for a year.
	 
Bogdanovic, the No. 31 pick in the NBA Draft acquired by the Nets for cash and a 2013 second-rounder, does not figure to be wearing his No. 7 Nets jersey for at least one year, probably because of contractual commitments in Turkey with his Fenerbahce team.
	 
“I signed a two-year contract with Fenerbahce before the draft. I didn’t know at the time,” Bogdanovic said, but quickly expressed no regrets at the decision. “I think it’s good for me to play Fenerbahce, to be part of that team playing high level in Euroleague. The next season we’ve got (the) Final Four in our house in Istanbul. So that’s going to be a great experience for me.”
	 
Nets general manager Billy King said the Nets are trying to get Bogdanovic out of his deal after one year so he will be available when the Nets finally abandon New Jersey and make their move to their new Brooklyn digs. But there’s no surprise.
	 
“Bojan has to go back to Turkey to get a physical,” King said when Bogdanovic was introduced Monday along with draft night prizes MarShon Brooks of Providence and Jordan Williams of Maryland. “Bojan is under contract for three years. He does have an out after two. As an organization, we’re going to try and push that out after one. We knew that going in.”
	 
*
	 
Jordan Williams is fully aware the Nets, once upon a rebound or 12, had another power forward from Maryland who was pretty good, Buck Williams.
	 
“I am familiar with him,” the newest Net (once he’s signed) named Williams said. “Once you’re part of a college, you get friends and meet people that way. Obviously he did great things in the NBA. I’m just trying to find my spot, find my role do what I do best.”
	 
And from all accounts, what Williams – who will wear No. 15, Vince Carter’s old number, does best is rebound. Thank his dad, Leron Williams, for that.
	 
“My dad always told me before every game to try to get every rebound. And before every game I would tell myself, ‘Get every rebound.’ Even though you’re not going to get every rebound, you could try. You could try and that’s how you get a lot of them,” Williams said.
	 
*
	 
Nets rolled out Sergey Kushchenko, owner Mikhail Prokhorov’s trusted advisor and now a member of the Nets Board of Governors. Asked what his role will be , the 50-year-old Executive Director of Russian Biathlon Union said through an interpreter, “The first thing would be communications we can bring from the New Jersey Nets to the projects that I’m already working on with Mikhail, from basketball projects to the student league to other sports ventures. He will be analyzing how the organization works at this point.
	 
“I will be involved where I feel my expertise is the greatest: team-building, structure, building the organization. So it will probably be all the areas,” Kushchenko added, noting of Prokhorov, “Mikhail played a very important role in my life. He asked me to participate in his sport projects. And what’s really important to me is I feel that I’m not working for Mikhail. I’m working WITH Mikhail, and together we achieve victories and successes in our ventures...Obviously, the most important strategy for any club is to win a title, so I’ll use my expertise on the subject. I’ll also be sitting on the board and be part of any of the major decisions that will take place."

*
	 
David West, who’ll be returning from a major knee injury, is opting out of his contract in New Orleans. Despite West’s lofty stature, Kris Humphries who is a free agent remains the Nets top priority at the power forward spot.
	 
Humphries, who has sort of been in the papers and stuff because of his fiancée Kim Kardashian, was supposed to make an appearance at a now-canceled Nets basketball camp. Humphries instead is expected to visit Hackensack Hospital on Wednesday.
	 
*
	 
Brooks had a Nets connection —and not just because he was born in New Jersey and liven in the Garden State for six years – before the Nets swung a deal for him as the 25th pick.
	 
“Going into my senior year in high school we had a basketball camp at Georgia Tech,” said Brook noting that Nets shooting guard Anthony Morrow was one of the counselors. “I was a skinny kid. He was a skinny kid. I was the best player on my team. He was the best player for Georgia Tech. We kind of clicked. It’s kind of weird to be in this situation, fighting for minutes.”
	 
The Providence shooting guard whose scoring ability was by far his most attractive asset to his new bosses, admits he needs to hone up on his defense. But again, that’s not what made him a first round pick.
	 
“I would say I’m a scorer that can shoot. Shooting definitely is not my strength. I think I get to the rim a little better than most shooting guards,” Brooks said.
	 
*
	 
While Bogdanovic will remain overseas, he already has had a taste of the NBA. The Croatian played against the U.S. in the world championships, scoring 17 points and guarding Andre Iguodala.
	 
“He plays so physical. He’s so strong. He’s not like players in Europe. It was tough for me,” Bogdanovic said.
	 
*
	 
Brooks and Williams will head out to California for some work at P3, a facility where Nets veterans recently gathered to train and work out together. Deron Williams organized the sessions – he had worked there while a member of the Jazz and told Billy King about it. So he helped get Nets players there. And every player under contract made it there eventually.
	 
“Deron had mentioned it to me so I looked into it and I thought it would be good for our guys and Deron helped organize it,” said King, noting it is not an officially run Nets event but “Nets people are there observing in case there are injuries but they train” and the P3 personnel “test them, different parts of the muscles. Give them a plan, map it out for them for the summer. It’s more weights and training.”

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St. John's star Hardy works out for Nets

June 20, 2011 , ι By FRED KERBER

There was the grandson of a famous and controversial leader. A brother of a former first rounder. A projected first-round pick. Two guys who played locally. And a tall Frenchman. That was the crop... Read on

There was the grandson of a famous and controversial leader. A brother of a former first rounder. A projected first-round pick. Two guys who played locally. And a tall Frenchman.
	 
That was the crop that worked out for the Nets on Monday, the final group of scheduled NBA Draft hopefuls.
	 
And through it all, Nets GM Billy King maintained the same mantra he has provided.
	 
“You guys keep going around and about. I keep giving you the same answer,” said King, who was presented with a few more “What if the greatest point guard ever is available and you want a big?” or “What if a meteor strikes Earth?” scenarios.
	 
“We’re going to take the best player that’s available.”
	 
That’s what he said he’d do at No. 27 in the first round and No. 36 on the second all along.
	 
*
	 
St. John’s guard Dwight Hardy, who has worked out in France, attended his first NBA session and was thrilled with the mere opportunity.
	 
“I didn’t get a chance to work out for as many teams as I’d like, but to be able to work out and show your skills in front of an organization is a dream come true,” said Hardy, a 6-foot, 2-inch Bronx product.
	 
“I’ve just been waiting for the opportunity. It’s a local team coming to Brooklyn; if I got picked by this team, I’d be back playing in New York, like being at St. John’s.”
	 
Also familiar with the area was 6-10 Hofstra senior Greg Washington, who battled with 6-11 Bangaly Fofana of Paris, France.
	 
“They competed and played hard. That’s the one thing coach (Avery Johnson) and I were talking about: A lot of things they do on the court confirmed it. They played hard,” King said.
	 
*
	 
The highest rated prospect on the mock draft boards in the session was Georgia guard Travis Leslie, who appears as a late first rounder.
	 
“Very athletic. And has got a strong body – really, really strong,” King said approvingly.
	 
*
	 
One guy who may have had a better idea about what to expect going in was Notre Dame’s Ben Hansbrough, who drew info and a scouting report on what to expect from his Indiana Pacers brother, Tyler, who went through the process two years ago and was the guy Rod Thorn was said to favor before the Nets grabbed Terrence Williams.
	 
“Tyler’s been a great influence on me. He continues to tell me, ‘Bring your intensity,’” said Hansbrough, who has been bothered by a sprained ankle in recent workouts.
	 
He claimed he felt fine Monday.
	 
"This is the best it’s felt in a long time. I felt I was able to move around more than I wanted to. I think it’s healing up and this was the best workout I had so far as far as mobility-wise and quickness-wise,” he said.
	 
*
	 
The most recognizable name was Mustapha Farrakhan of Virginia, grandson of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
	 
The athletic 6-4 guard has been showing there is a lot in the package, not just a famous name.
	 
“I’ve had this my whole life. I’m kind of used to it. I accept who I am and love my family to death. I just come out and compete and let people see me as that,” he said.

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Nets work out Seton Hall's Hazell, Rutgers' Mitchell

June 16, 2011 , ι By FRED KERBER

UCLA’s Tyler Honeycutt was the prime national talent on display for the Nets on Thursday, but also among the auditioning NBA Draft hopefuls were a healthy crop of local products. There was shooting... Read on

UCLA’s Tyler Honeycutt was the prime national talent on display for the Nets on Thursday, but also among the auditioning NBA Draft hopefuls were a healthy crop of local products.
	 
There was shooting guard Jeremy Hazell of Harlem and Seton Hall; Paterson-born forward Rashad Bishop of Cincinnati; and Mount Vernon’s Jonathan Mitchell, a former New York Mr. Basketball who finished up at Rutgers after two seasons at Florida.
	 
“I don’t know if any of them are NBA ready. The one thing I think is they all have a chance maybe to make an NBA roster,” said Nets GM Billy King, who also watched power forwards Carleton Scott of Notre Dame and Chris Wright of Dayton. “We want to see them because we saw them in college. And it gives them an opportunity to work out with other teams but also now, adding a D-League team to our fold, we’re looking at it in a two-fold situation.”
	 
The D-League draft goes off in the fall and the Nets are running the Springfield Armor so they’ll stockpile that roster, too.
	 
But Thursday, all thoughts were on the NBA – “I don’t think they come in thinking D-League,” King admitted.
	 
Hazell, who had projected to be a Big East stud going into his senior year, had a season to forget. He broke his wrist in November and then was the victim of a shooting incident at his Harlem home on Christmas night.
	 
“For me, I’m under the radar, so there’s no pressure. I could just come out here and just jack up shots and just play. People who got projected in the first round, they got to come out here and show what they can do because they supposed to be the big-time players. So me, there’s no pressure for me. I’ll just come out here and I just got to perform,” Hazell said.
	 
Bishop said he’s carrying the banner for all kids from the New Jersey inner cities in his NBA quest.
	 
“It feels good to be back right there in your hometown, home state, working out for a team,” Bishop said. “It’s big. It just shows kids coming up behind me that you can do a lot of things from where we come from as long as you work hard.”
	 
Mitchell seemed to be the most genuinely excited at just having the audition.
	 
“I’m just honored to have a workout with the New Jersey Nets. It was a pleasure to be here,” the 6-7 forward said. “I think I definitely held my own, but I’ve got to get in better shape and keep working every day.”
	 
***
	 
Honeycutt was said to be the class of the workout. The skinny, 6-8 sophomore forward who in some mock drafts is projected to be gone before the Nets pick at 27, averaged 12.8 points and also averaged over two blocks a game – he got that, he said, from being a star volleyball player in high school.
	 
“ My nickname was ‘Automatic point.’ Anytime we needed one, we just set it out to me,” Honeycutt said.
	 
King was describing Honeycutt – he noted that he had an off shooting day which the player readily admitted – and noted that another skinny shooter out of UCLA, Reggie Miller, had a pretty fair career.
	 
“Very athletic. He had some very good games in college. He didn’t shoot the ball well here today, but he’s athletic. Body’s a little frail, but there was another guy from UCLA, back in ‘87, had a frail body that lasted 18 years – Reggie Miller,” King said. “You’ve got to take all that in consideration, try to figure out where he might fit. Because he is young. Does his body get bigger? It may not. But he didn’t shoot it that well today.”
	 
Still. King acknowledged when the Nets’ time comes, “He may not be there. And he may be there. So that’s where I think his range could be.”
	 
Honeycutt said he has heard his draft range going anywhere from 12 to 30. And both Honeycutt and King stressed that fatigue becomes a factor as the end of the workout schedule. The Nets represented the third team in three days for Honeycutt, who said he went through all workouts just trying to show his entire package.
	 
“Just play to your strengths – whether it’s trying to get to the rack or just showing them that you’re competing. They can tell. They’ve seen enough games to know if you can shoot, or they know how good you are. It’s just a matter of you competing and doing what you do best,” Honeycutt said.

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Nets owner congratulates 'comrade' Cuban, Kidd on Mavericks title

June 14, 2011 , ι By FRED KERBER

Mikey likes it. The way Dallas did it that is.Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov sent a letter congratulating the Mavericks and owner Mark Cuban for their NBA title over the favored Heat. Here’s the letter... Read on

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Nets hold Draft workout for six players

June 02, 2011 , ι By FRED KERBER

There were no “one and done” types. Three of the six hopefuls the Nets worked out today played four years in college, another did three seasons, and the other pair played two.Assume Trader Billy King... Read on

There were no “one and done” types. Three of the six hopefuls the Nets worked out today played four years in college, another did three seasons, and the other pair played two.
	 
Assume Trader Billy King does not move up in this month's NBA Draft – and that could be a bad assumption because the Nets GM he made deals in seven of the 10 drafts he oversaw in Philadelphia.
	 
But say he stays put with No. 27 on the first round and No. 36 on the second. Remember what he said at the draft combine early last month.
	 
“When you’re picking down there you’re generally going to get four-year guys who are more ready to play, maybe not as a starting role, but a part of the piece of the puzzle,” King said.
	 
So maybe the Nets GM saw a piece of the Nets puzzle yesterday.
	 
On hand were UCLA combo guard Malcolm Lee, a 3-year-guy, plus four-year types Jon Leuer, the Wisconsin power forward; Vernon Macklin, Florida’s power forward by way of two years at Georgetown and Pepperdine shooting guard Mychel Thompson. Also yesterday were power forwards Jamie Skeen of VCU and Willie Reed of St. Louis.
	 
“We try to group guys by position. A lot of the bigs played well. They’re different. Jon’s a jump shooter. Vernon is more low post. Willie is a combination of both. Jamie can shoot the jumper, take you inside out,” said King who also praised the guards. “Mychel just knows how to play…Lee is quick. Very, very quick.”
	 
*
	 
Trying to determine who the Nets will take at 27 and 36 is next to impossible at this point – try to figure who’s going 14th for example. And the Nets admit that they might not even work out the guys they eventually draft.
	 
“We’ve got quite a few guys coming in, so we’ve got a range for guys from 27 to 36. But as I was talking to (Director of Player Personnel) Gregg Polinsky, I said, ‘You guys didn’t work out Brook Lopez and you drafted him. In Philly, we didn’t work out (Kyle) Korver, didn’t work out Nazr (Mohammed) and that’s why you do your homework and do your work. Our scouts have been out so you don’t just rely on this as you basis for drafting.”
	 
*
	 
And that Lopez pick (No. 10 in 2008) worked out pretty well, huh? Amid all the talk of Dwight Howard and forming that superstar combo with Deron Williams, should the Nets not land the current Magic stud, they could do a lot worse than having Lopez who has not missed a game in three season playing center. Remember something Williams said in-season, during the trip to London.
	 
“I got a chance to play with some really good big men in my career, Carlos Boozer, Paul Millsap, Mehmet Okur, Al Jefferson. So I played with a fair share of them and Brook is as talented as they are. He’s so young and has such a bright upside,” Williams said.
	 
*
	 
Back to today. King said all medical rehabs and rests are going well for Nets.
	 
“Deron (wrist surgery) is progressing nicely, no problems. I think he's on track. Brook (surgery to remove loose particles in right arm) is doing the same,” said King who indicated Sundiata Gaines (fractured hip) is to the point in rehab where he’s putting weight on the hip and “doing things cautiously.”
	 
Also, Anthony Morrow (knee tendinitis), Mario West (separated shoulder) and Kris Humphries (ankle, heel) likewise are progressing.
	 
“At this point there’s nothing that has us concerned,” he said.
	 
*
	 
King on Kris Humphries buying a $2 million ring for Kim Kardashian: “He’s been playing in the league for a long time so I guess he saved his money.”
	 
*
	 
Lee, Leuer and Macklin were the standouts yesterday although no one bombed. Lee, one of two guards, said he was trying to emphasize leadership.
	 
“I was just trying to show them I can take control of the bigs and basically control the floor, survey the floor. Just telling them where to go and stuff like that. So I was trying to lead them basically,” said Lee who has a strong defensive reputation.
	 
“You’ve just got to basically stay in front of your man and the basket. ‘Cause in three-on-three, two-on-two, one-on-one, there’s basically little to no help. So you’ve got to be able to show you can play on-ball defense,” he said. “I think I did a pretty good job of that today.”
	 
*
	 
Mychel Thompson, the Pepperdine product, admits he has drawn a lot from his father, Mychel Thompson the former pro. But one piece of advice stuck out.
	 
“No matter what, compete because even if you’re not shooting well you can work hard and still impress teams with how hard you play,” he said.
	 
*
	 
Leuer is a shooting four but he was pleased with how he played against some physical types at the position.
	 
“I thought I did well. I was able to hold my own and I was able to play physical and get rebounds make some post moves. Hold my ground defensively just stuff I needed to show these guys that I’m able to do,” he said.
	 
*
	 
Leuer also acknowledged that what he knows of the Nets, he learned from a fellow Minnesotan, Kris Humphri3es.
	 
“I know Kris Humphries. He’s a Minnesota guy, so am I. He’s told me a little bit about them. It’s a great organization and it would be a good chance to play for them,” Leuer said.
	 
But no, Humphries has not introduced him to Kim Kardashian yet.

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About the Author

FRED KERBER Fred Kerber joined the Post in 1990 and has been Nets beat writer since 1995. He covered the Knicks from 1990-95 and was NBA columnist as well as president of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Fred, a 1974 graduate of St. Peter’s College, also has covered baseball, college sports, police headquarters, and federal and county courts.