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Nets sign guard Johnson to 10-day contract

April 09, 2012 , ι AP

The New Jersey Nets have signed guard Armon Johnson to a 10-day contract.Nets general manager Billy King announced the signing Monday, a day after the team did not renew a 10-day contract for forward... Read on

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Nets likely to land surging Rockets' first-round pick

April 09, 2012 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

The Nets may not be making a playoff push in their final season in New Jersey, but they look like they will be the beneficiaries of one by the Houston Rockets.Houston now sits in sixth place in the... Read on

The Nets may not be making a playoff push in their final season in New Jersey, but they look like they will be the beneficiaries of one by the Houston Rockets.
	 
Houston now sits in sixth place in the Western Conference standings, a half-game ahead of Dallas in seventh, a game ahead of Denver in eighth, two games ahead of Phoenix in ninth and 2.5 games ahead of Utah in 10th. The Nets will receive Houston's pick, which they acquired in the Terrence Williams trade a year ago, if the Rockets reach the playoffs.
	 
And, by the end of this week, Houston could have a playoff spot all but wrapped up. The Rockets travel to Portland tonight to take on the fading Trail Blazers, who traded Marcus Camby to Houston and Gerald Wallace to the Nets at the trade deadline. Then Houston returns home to face Utah on Wednesday and Phoenix on Friday. If they can win all three games, they will all but clinch a playoff berth, as they'd be a minimum of three games ahead of ninth place with only seven games remaining.
	 
The Nets, of course, would love for Houston to clinch a playoff berth and then lose out, in order to get the best draft pick possible. However, they will certainly be happy with any pick in the late teens of what looks to be a deep draft.
	 
In their latest projection of the first round, which was released Monday morning, Draft Express has the Nets taking Vanderbilt small forward Jeff Taylor with the 19th pick in the draft. Taylor averaged 16.1 points per game this season while shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range. He would give the Nets another spot-up shooter, though the Nets already have several potential options at small forward, including Gerald Wallace (assuming he opts into the final year of his contract), Gerald Green (who the Nets expect to re-sign this summer) and Bojan Bogdanovic, last year's second-round pick who is expected to either sign with the Nets this summer or after next season.
	 
tbontemps@nypost.com

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Prokhorov spends Easter Sunday with the Nets

April 08, 2012 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov settled into a luxury box at Prudential Center Sunday night shortly before tip-off to watch his team take on the Cleveland Cavaliers.Prokhorov, who hasn't attended a home... Read on

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Nets no lock to lose lottery pick

April 05, 2012 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

I've seen it written over and over recently that the Nets have "little chance" of keeping their pick in June's draft, because it will go to Portland if it doesn't land inside the top three picks in the draft.
	 
Unfortunately for this narrative, that simply isn't true. Yes, the Nets aren't going to finish with one of the league's three worst records – the worst they can realistically finish is fourth – but they also aren't going to finish anywhere near high enough to ruin their chances of getting one of their ping-pong balls selected, or even at landing the coveted top pick and the right to take Kentucky big man Anthony Davis.
	 
I've gone back over the last 10 years, in order to see how the lottery has broken down for each pick. Here is how it went:
	 
No. 1 lottery spot: selected for top-3 seven times (won top pick in 2003, when Cavaliers selected LeBron James, and 2004, when Magic selected Dwight Howard) No. 2 lottery spot: selected four times (didn't win top pick) No. 3 lottery spot: selected three times (won top pick in 2009, when Clippers selected Blake Griffin) No. 4 lottery spot: selected three times (didn't win top pick) No. 5 lottery spot: selected five times (won top pick in 2002, when Rockets selected Yao Ming, in 2006, when Raptors selected Andrea Bargnani, and 2010, when Wizards drafted John Wall) No. 6 lottery spot: selected five times (won top pick in 2005, when Bucks selected Andrew Bogut) No. 7 lottery spot: selected one time (won top pick in 2007, when Trail Blazers selected Greg Oden) No. 8 lottery spot: selected one time (won top pick in 2011, when Cavaliers selected Kyrie Irving) No. 9 lottery spot: selected one time (won top pick in 2008, when Bulls selected Derrick Rose)
	 
So, as you can see, if the Nets stay anywhere inside of the top nine picks (and they have no realistic shot of finishing lower in the lottery than that), they can go into the room on May 30 with a realistic hope of landing inside the lottery. And, if they finish inside the top six picks, which is very possible, there is a very real possibility that they end up with one of the top three picks, and possibly the top pick itself.
	 
After Wednesday night's loss in Portland, the Nets are in a percentage points tie with the Cavaliers for the fourth-worst record in the league, although Cleveland has played four less games. They are a game worse Sacramento, which sits in sixth, 1.5 games worse than Raptors, who are seventh, 2.5 games worse than the Pistons, who are eighth, and 3.5 worse than the Warriors, who are ninth.
	 
tbontemps@nypost.com

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Nets' Prokhorov to return to metropolitan area next week

April 03, 2012 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

Mikhail Prokhorov will make his long-awaited return to the metropolitan area next week.NBA commissioner David Stern, speaking at an event in Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon to kick off NBA Green Week... Read on

Mikhail Prokhorov will make his long-awaited return to the metropolitan area next week.
	 
NBA commissioner David Stern, speaking at an event in Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon to kick off NBA Green Week presented by Sprint, said that he will be seeing the Nets owner next week, and that Prokhorov could attend the league's Board of Governors meetings next Thursday and Friday. During that meeting, the league will officially approve the Nets' impending move to Brooklyn next season.
	 
"I know I have a meeting with him next week," Stern said. "He'll be in New York next week. Whether he is gonna physically be there for [the Board of Governors] vote, I'm not sure, but I hope so."
	 
Prokhorov's visit also will give him an opportunity to take in a Nets game for the first time since March 2011, when Prokhorov watched both of the team's wins in London against the Toronto Raptors. Prokhorov also flew to San Antonio on Feb. 25 of last year to watch the Deron Williams' debut against the Spurs after the Nets acquired him in a blockbuster trade with the Jazz.
	 
The Nets play three times next week -- playing host to the 76ers on Tuesday before travelling to Philadelphia on Friday then returning home for the Celtics on Saturday. The Nets then play the Heat and Knicks at Prudential Center the following week.
	 
The Russian billionaire, who bought the Nets in May 2010, made worldwide headlines over the past few months after challenging Vladimir Putin in last month's Russian presidential elections, which Putin won in a landslide.
	 
tbontemps@nypost.com

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Avery on state of Nets from West Coast

April 02, 2012 , ι By FRED KERBER

For 3,000 miles away, coach Avery Johnson discussed his Nets with his normal contingent of beat writers, none of whom were assigned to the four-game trip that started with wins over Golden State and Sacramento and continues Tuesday in L.A. against the Lakers before finishing Wednesday in Portland.
	 
The Little General discussed a wide range of topics including:
	 
The depth, versatility and flexibility the Nets now have at small forward with their G2 Force, Gerald Wallace and Gerald Green.
	 
Damion James emerging from a walking boot and entering his next phase of rehab.
	 
Johan Petro, the 7-footer who is overcoming his aversion to dunking.
	 
Tanks but no tanks. The Nets are playing to win as many games as possible and not limp home for a shot at a top three lottery pick.
	 
Shelden Williams was meeting Monday with eye docs who would determine if there was a “long shot” chance the big could play at the end of the trip.
	 
Deron Williams no longer has to do it all himself.
	 
The Lakers are good. Maybe old, but really good.
	 
Winning three straight is nice and beats the heck out of losing.
	 
*
	 
So in no particular order:
	 
Johnson absolutely raved about Wallace as player and mentor. The Nets struggles at the small forward spot have been well documented all season. Six different guys have started there (James, Anthony Morrow, MarShon Brooks, DeShawn Stevenson, Shawne Williams, Wallace). And before Wallace came along nine games ago, the Nets were outscored, 682-231, a full 10 points a game (15.2 to 5.2) at the starting small forward position.
	 
In the current three-game winning streak, the Nets’ best run of the season, they have held the starting small forward edge, 52-33, in points.
	 
“He’s been in the league a while now, he’s knows what he’s doing. He knows what success looks like. He knows what mediocrity looks like. He knows what professionalism looks like and playing with mental and physical toughness,” Johnson said of Wallace.
	 
*
	 
Damion James (remember him?) is out of his walking boot following season-ending foot surgery in January.
	 
“He’ll start doing a lot more weight bearing stuff on the foot, getting with our strength and conditioning coach. At some point he’ll be able to start shooting around, doing a lot of non-contact stuff. But he’s progressing really good and he’s excited about his next phase of rehab,” Johnson said of James while cautioning that it’s “too early” to read into what keeping James around means.
	 
Remember, the Nets declined his option and he’ll be $1.2 million in salary that comes off the books in July.
	 
*
	 
Johan Petro admitted after the Indiana game – which started the Nets’ three-game streak – that some anger and frustration fueled him. Well, apparently he’s been ticked and frustrated out West, too. In his past three games (two starts) , Petro has had maybe his best streak as a Net: 12-of-24 shooting, 17 rebounds (5.7 per), five blocks (1.67 per) and 24 points (8.0 per). And Petro is just being more active around the rim, not settling for jumpers which is sort of nice because he is 7-feet tall.
	 
“He’s just been really aggressive. He’s trying to dunk the basketball around the basket which we’ve been trying to get him to do for a long time. He’s not settling for jump shots. He’s not turning the ball over consistently and then whatever defensive strategy we have, he’s just doing it,” Johnson said.
	 
*
	 
The thought of Anthony Davis is enough to make any Nets fan run out and plop a few bucks down on season tickets. But Johnson issued genuine praise for his team for their refusal to tank the season and try to save the 1 or 2 or 3 pick (anything else goes to Portland) in the lottery. The Nets currently are seventh.
	 
“I haven’t learned anything new. I think I’ve been pretty consistent in terms of telling you how they are a team of strong character. They are mentally tough. It’s been a long season and draining season in how decimated we’ve been with injuries. Every day it seems like the guys get bad news and they’ve got to try to turn it into good news,” Johnson said.
	 
“We’re playing to the very end.”
	 
*
	 
Deron Williams has racked up 44 assists during the three-game winning streak, 35 of them (20 and 15) in the two games on the road.
	 
“Part of it is just understanding now that he doesn’t have to be a one-man band throughout the course of the game, and especially, even at the end of the game. We have other areas – even though he’s our primary guy -- we have other places we can go now,” Johnson said.
	 
*
	 
Admitting it was unlikely and a long shot, Johnson said that maybe Shelden Williams, who suffered a right eye injury Wednesday, could receive a go ahead from eye doctors for the end of the road trip.
	 
“Shelden is currently meeting with the eye doctor and we’re going to know more about him when we’re done with practice,” Johnson said before the workout even began. “He is getting a procedure done where we’re checking his eye and this is a big day for him, based on what the doctors are saying, in terms of whether he’s going to play at the end of this trip or meet us when we get back. So we’ll know more once we hear from the doctor.”
	 
*
	 
Conventional wisdom says the Lakers are too old to compete for a title. Conventional wisdom once said the Earth was flat.
	 
“They’re dangerous,” Johnson said of Kobe and Co. “Whenever you can roll out Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant and (Andrew) Bynum, Ron Artest (now goes by Metta World Peace), (Ramon) Sessions…They’re going to be playing in the playoffs this year with a chip on their shoulder, like they have a lot to prove. So while there are other teams in the West that have better records, a healthy Kobe Bryant can help you win a lot of playoff series.”
	 
*
	 
And in the area of good is nicer than bad, Johnson loves the feel of a three-game winning streak, the Nets’ first of the season. Two of those wins have come on the road where the Nets are a most respectable 12-16 (Boston, for example is 11-14 on the road; the Sixers are 10-13, the Knicks 9-16).
	 
“It’s a great feeling. It’s one that I want our guys to get used to. A lot of teams have this feeling, and it’s not just with three-game winning streaks, it’s with seven- and 10-game winning streaks. But for us, it’s been good. We need some good news. We needed to have this type of feeling happen to us,” Johnson said.
	 
And a win in either L.A. or Portland gives them a 3-1 trip. Not too shabby.

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Nets forward Williams will miss West Coast trip

March 29, 2012 , ι By FRED KERBER

It’s Thursday. Or around the Nets, “It’s a day to talk about more players hurt.”Or, “It’s the day to talk about the latest 10-day guy to be signed.” In this case, it’ll be 6-9 Dennis Horner, who... Read on

It’s Thursday. Or around the Nets, “It’s a day to talk about more players hurt.”
	 
Or, “It’s the day to talk about the latest 10-day guy to be signed.” In this case, it’ll be 6-9 Dennis Horner, who started the season with the Nets and who will re-sign Friday.
	 
The Nets announced this morning that Shelden Williams, the only player to have endured all 52 games this season, did not fly to the West Coast with the team and is out at least until Apr. 5 with a right eye injury. So Williams will sit all four games (Warriors, Kings, Lakers, Blazers) of the Nets’ West Coast trip.
	 
Williams was poked in the eye by Tyler Hansbrough in the second quarter during Wednesday’s home rout of Indiana. He was sent to Hackensack University Medical Center for added tests. The Nets did not release any additional information but apparently Williams did not suffer any permanent damage.
	 
Then there is Jordan Williams who is listed as doubtful for the trip opener Friday at Golden State. Williams suffered what was labeled a “mild concussion” and is day to day. He took an inadvertent shot from Pacer center Roy Hibbert.
	 
Wait, there’s more (sounds like an info-mercial). Anthony Morrow is probable for Friday after missing two games with a bruised right shoulder; Jordan Farmar is out with a sore right groin. And of course, Brook Lopez (ankle) remains out while Damion James (foot surgery) is done for the season.
	 
So the Nets will make Horner their latest 10-day guy Friday. He follows in the 10-day path of Andre Emmett, Jerry Smith and Gerald Green.
	 
Horner began the season with the Nets and played in five games, averaging 3.2 minutes and less than one point and rebound per. But he gives something the Nets desperately need: an uninjured body and size. With Morrow and Farmar down, the Nets originally wanted a point guard but when two guys 6-10 (Jordan Williams) and 6-9 (Shelden Williams) went down in the same game, bulk took precedence over passes.
	 
After Wednesday’s game, the Nets lost manpower games total rose to 185. When Shelden Williams misses Friday’s game, it will mark the first time since the 2005-06 season that the Nets did not have at least one player in every game. Lopez played all 82 in each of the past three seasons (Travis Outlaw did all 82 last season as well). In 2007-08, Richard Jefferson played all 82 games, a feat duplicated by Vince Carter in 2006-07.

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Williams likes Kentucky’s Davis if Nets land top pick

March 28, 2012 , ι By FRED KERBER

Kentucky’s Anthony Davis is the hands down, no-doubt about it, it’s not going to be anyone else No. 1 pick in the June NBA Draft. Nets star Deron Williams is a fan. He saw Davis up close last summer... Read on

Kentucky’s Anthony Davis is the hands down, no-doubt about it, it’s not going to be anyone else No. 1 pick in the June NBA Draft.
	 
Nets star Deron Williams is a fan. He saw Davis up close last summer at a camp he ran with the Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire.
	 
“So I got a chance to see him a lot. He’s pretty good,” Williams said, adding he could very easily adapt to having the young Wildcats star in the fold next season. “I guess so, yeah. I’m sure I could. If we get the No. 1 pick.”
	 
Whoever gets Davis, assuming the freshman leaves Kentucky, the announcement will be made at Prudential Center in Newark. The NBA announced The Rock will be the site of the NBA Draft on June 28 for the second straight year.
	 
*
	 
Coach Avery Johnson gave one more salvo from Monday’s loss to Utah, a game when the Nets didn’t even make the scale in terms of inspiration.
	 
“We didn’t end the game well. There’s a certain level of integrity and professionalism and character, even if you’re not winning the game. We showed the guys and we told them that was unacceptable and they agreed,” Johnson said.
	 
The Nets will try to rebound tonight against Indiana, which seeks a 4-0 season series sweep while hoping to improve its playoff seeding. The Pacers (29-19) are fifth in the Eastern Conference. The Nets (16-35) are in 13th place.
	 
“This is a really good-looking team,” Johnson said of the Pacers, not the Nets. “The way they’ve built this team through the draft with (Roy) Hibbert and (Danny) Granger and Paul George and (Tyler) Hansbrough, and then some also key acquisitions through trades, whether it’s (Darren) Collison or George Hill, signing David West as a free agent.
	 
“This is a deep team. They have 10 guys that they play every night, and they have a true second unit. So at the start of the second quarter tonight, you’re going to see a true second unit that’s pretty good and getting (Leandro) Barbosa from Toronto, that didn’t hurt them.”
	 
*
	 
Jordan Farmar has missed nine games with right groin issues. He will miss more, maybe all the remaining games. Farmar gets treatment, does his rehab, feels fine. Then he plays and all the progress goes out the window.
	 
“Every time I go out there, it’s going back to square one. It feels good, I walk around get treatment, but then I don’t have to really play on it. After a couple times up and down the court, I’m dragging my leg. It’s just trying to get it right and putting this behind me,” Farmar said. “That’s where we are right now.”
	 
It sounds like he could be done for the year, which he hinted at last week.
	 
“Yeah, they say it will take a couple weeks, maybe three, three-and-a-half weeks for it to really calm down. And there’s not that much time left in the season so. It’s been tough to swallow, tough to deal with. For the past month, it’s been off and on. I’m just trying to get by it and put it behind me so I can continue the rest of my career on a positive note,” Farmar said.
	 
*
	 
Anthony Morrow, who missed the previous game with a bruised right shoulder, is expected to play. Farmar is listed as out. Johnson listed Morrow’s shooting off the bench (especially combined with Gerald Green’s offense) as one of the plusses in a tough season.

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Nets coach remains positive despite difficult season

March 27, 2012 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

To say it's been a difficult season for the Nets is an understatement. They've endured countless injuries, including seeing their only low-post scorer, Brook Lopez, limited to five games, and they spent months stuck in limbo as the Dwight Howard saga played itself out.
	 
But even amidst the dreariness of the final few weeks of a season destined to end outside of the playoffs once again, Nets coach Avery Johnson is trying to keep a positive mindset on where the team is headed.
	 
"For me, I see a lot of what guys don’t see," he said after the Nets practiced Tuesday morning. "I see us eventually being whole, eventually being a playoff team, and I see a different road team that’s gonna be even better on the road, and a team that’s eventually going to be better at home. That’s what drives me."
	 
Johnson has done a remarkable job of staying upbeat and positive throughout what has obviously been a trying and difficult season for the Nets, who are now 16-35 after Monday's 105-84 loss to the Jazz. But Johnson couldn't hide his disappointment after Monday's loss at the way his team ended the game.
	 
"We watched it and it was even uglier than what it looked like in the game," Johnson said. "They were all disappointed by our lack of effort, energy, competitive spirit … a lot of times, I’ve seen those situations happen a lot, but there’s still a certain way to finish games, whether you’re up by 20 or down by 20. We didn’t have it last night. I don’t think you’re going to see it happen again."
	 
Even with the Nets ending the season with no hope of making the playoffs, Johnson still wants his young players, like rookies MarShon Brooks and Jordan Williams, to see how the game should be played, regardless of where a team is in the standings.
	 
"I talked to some of our veteran players about it privately, and they agreed with my summary of last night," Johnson said. "Our young players, they are watching and looking, and I don’t want them to get into any of these bad habits.
	 
"Everybody agreed with kind of what I saw, and like I said, I don’t think you’ll see it happen again. If we’re not successful, or we’re down at the end of a game, you’re going to see us finish it better."
	 
****
	 
Johnson said that Anthony Morrow, who sat out of Monday's loss with a sore right shoulder, got some shots up during Tuesday's practice. He added that Morrow would likely be a game-time decision for Wednesday's game at Prudential Center against the Pacers.
	 
tbontemps@nypost.com

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Nets without Farmar, Morrow vs. Jazz

March 26, 2012 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

The Nets will be shorthanded in the backcourt for Monday night's game at Prudential Center against the Utah Jazz. Guards Jordan Farmar and Anthony Morrow were ruled out by the team Monday afternoon.
	 
Farmar, who has battled groin injuries all season, was listed as out with a sore right groin; Morrow will sit because of a sore right shoulder.
	 
Morrow is day-to-day, and the Nets said Farmar's status will be updated next Thursday, meaning he'll be out for at least the next six games.
	 
The injuries, combined with the Nets' decision not to renew the 10-day contract of guard Jerry Smith, which expired at midnight Sunday, leaves them withthree healthy guards on the roster: Deron Williams, Sundiata Gaines and MarShon Brooks. They likely will use Gerald Green and DeShawn Stevenson at shooting guard, as well.
	 
Because the Nets didn't renew Smith's contract, they still have a roster spot open, and could choose to sign a guard to a 10-day deal to alleviate their current lack of depth. They may even consider bringing back Smith, who was invited to training camp by the Nets and on Monday returned to the team's D-League affiliate, the Springfield Armor, where he's played most of the season.

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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.