sillent

I'm not one that begged for a Ferry statue. At the same time I don't understand the hate. He made our team flexible while keeping the three players with the most potential. He didn't sign any bad contracts or add any horrible players. Even his questionable draft pick is proving to be worth something. Who knows Jenkins can be the next Ray Allen!! He added players that will keep us competitive until he can make the next worthwhile move. He understands the NBA being a player and working in the front office for prestige (during his tenure) franchises. Now is the time to hold off judgement until the season starts or pick a new team if you can't get over Joe.Honestly the Nets have become what we were the past couple of years to a lesser extent. Joe is still aging as well as Gerald Wallace. Deron is not as top tier as people believe. Marshon Brooks might not be able to duplicate his rookie success with Joe holding him back.We are still arguably( I wouldn't argue but some might) the 2nd best team in our division. We didn't sell the house at a horrible price(see Houston). We haven't reached for stars or to retain our own players like Pacers/Blazers. We are in great position to be good for a long time as we have retained our young core and are in position to get better via draft,free agency and trades.How can a sane mind argue against that? Do we truly believe we could have gotten better following the status quo with a declining but high salary Joe?I can name atleast 15 franchises that I'm happy were not and I still believe we are better than atleast 20 of them. The only teams that clearly look better than the rest of the league are the Lakers, Heat and Thunder. Both of the New York teams went thru alot of trouble for their team still to be viewed as 2nd tier. Celtics and Spurs are still old although you can't count them out. Clippers are the true cursed Franchise in the league although Chicago might be feeling that way now. Grizzlies cursed themselves with the basketball gods. Teams that drastically improved on paper like the Wolves have to prove it on court. Some East teams like Pistons, Washington and Milwaukee will get better but will they be better than us? Miami, Boston, 76ers, Pacers and the New York teams are currently the only ones truly considered playoff locks in our conference which leaves 2 to 3 spots available(if you want to include Chicago). I still think we're better than the Nets but we'll see. It's a long season though and anything could happen that could change the fate of these franchises and there seeding.All in all yes we did get rid of a star for flexibility at most but if we make it to the playoffs we would have pretty much accomplished what the team would have with contract heavy Joe. Until players like Dwight, Bynum and Chris Paul have signed long term contracts they are still available for teams with cap space. Although L.A. might be a desirable destination their cap might not allow them to keep their "dream team" together and if it's enough drama in Hollywood it could push Dwight closer home. Even if we don't get any of these players their are plenty of potentially great players out there that would shine in the right situation.What has Ferry done so wrong or to hurt our Franchise? Until this is proven or explained I won't understand the hate!!

Iggy is a beast but I'd rather team Rudy Gay with Josh Smith.

Kaman was an allstar but that doesn't make him elite. If Horford buys in and plays hard every night without crying about position he can get there. Not too many people in the league posses the talents that Smoove and Teague have and it's hard to see on the inside looking out!! It's can be like watching a tree grow if you don't understand what to look for. Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not happening or can't happen. I'll let the season do the talking though and bring back the I told you so's accordingly!!

I think too many think a little too highly of Harden when he hasn't even shown he is capable of doing what Joe did. I also think Josh , Al and Teague will prove that we have a big 3 of our own by increasing their level of play. Some forget they are 26 and younger and haven't ever had a chance to get from under the wings of Joe Johnson. Sometimes good players or having a team too stacked can hinder a team. Now we are able to grow freely with the three players that have the most potential on our team.

It's funny that everyone thought Joe was a second tier player(which he is not because of skill but heart and will). I think Deron Williams is a second tier player just the same and you can add Gerald Wallace to the third tier list. People thought Brooklyn or should I say New Jersey was a lock for the playoffs last year and honestly Deron didn't prove that he's first tier or that he could carry a team. Iverson has done it with an old Mutombo. Kobe can atleast get you to the playoffs by himself. I'd be surprise to see the Nets make it out the first round and I wouldn't be surprised if that's the team we faced if we were 4th and 5th respectably.

Can't wait for Smoove and Teague to sillence their critics!!For this team to prove that Ferry is working towards making us a championship caliber team!!For Brooklyn to be as disappointing as last year (compared to what they "should" be)!!To see Josh get his just dues as far as all star selection and real credibility!!For Marvin to show he just needed a chance to play without Joe!!For Dwight and Kobe quarrels (with Nash not close enough to either to buffer)that hopefully push Dwight closer to home!!For Chris Paul trade demands!!For us to still make the playoffs and some noise when we get there!!For the rest of our fans to get out of panic mode and let the professionals do their jobs via GM, coach and players!!Our team has two to three capable players of being elite!!Can't wait to see Josh, Teague and maybe Horford become elite players in this league with the right development!!Can't wait to hear what the haters will hate on next!!

Those that really know and understand basketball are!! I think some of y'all are just fans and don't understand the dynamics of basketball and players. I will be the first to admit that Smoove has made plenty of bone headed plays but none exceed the things he does right on the court. If we had Lebron we'd be complaining about his threes excluding last year and his decision making and etc.. You can add Dwight, Kobe, Carmelo, Wade and even Durant to players that are great but not perfect. You don't know what you have until you no longer have it!! Luckily in our case the absence of Joe should give us a better perception of the type of player Josh is. Hopefully your tune changes once the season starts and gets into full bloom!!

First off not too many stars care about this city like Smoove does and who's to say they all want look elsewhere if things don't go as planned. If Bynum does come here during free agency than why would we need to trade Smoove? I'm sure he'll want to play with somebody who has the heart of Smoove. If I had to choose Horford would go because honestly I can not recall any particular stars that Horford has dominated playing power foward. Yes he had dominate games against the Pacers and Bulls but that was playing center against Noah & Hibbert. Smoove just recently had a dominate game against the likes of Kevin Durant and the Thunder (No Joe Johnson,no Al Horford). He has had dominate games against Garnett (in his prime), Amare and plenty other pretty good bigs in this league. As for Smoove I believe, like us he thinks that the moves Ferry made shows that this organization is serious about championship contention. We kept the three players with the most potential. Our team should be an offensive juggernaut next year playing run and gun basketball. We are a flexible team money & player/trade wise. Smoove just wants to play for a winner. Although he would love to play Alongside Dwight again he has enough pride to believe he is just as great in his own right. He didn't ask to be traded to play with Dwight or demand a team or the team Dwight goes to like Gilbert Arenas for instance. Smoove is a loyal guy with a lot of pride and loves this city!! Get out of panic mode it looks bad.

It could be that they know what he's capable of and deemed him as a keeper so their trying to hide the goods. Their could also be the possibility that he just doesn't fit with our roster. Time will tell.

I would personally like to see Pape Sy come back but as we can see there are still alot of choices to fill our small foward position. I know Pape Sy isn't a traditional small forward but I do hope we save him a spot on the roster.

You on something more than kool aid. How about you find another team and come back when you get off that stuff. You give Joe waaay to much credit if you think Josh, Al, Teague and company can't get us to the playoffs!! Your probably already a Nets fan in secret but maybe you'll get off the kool aid as the season starts and progresses.

It's about strategy. If our bigs beat the other bigs down the court than who is going to stop them on the other side. True our guards should get the ball more often to setup our bigs but that would involve everybody running once we get possession. Standing there calling for the ball just slows down the play.

I have no problem with that.

Somebodies drinking the kool aid but it's not us!!

Donte Greene is a 6'11 sf who has plenty of range. He can help us continue to stretch the floor while giving us some size. He can be had for a good price and needs the right system to develop him. He could be a diamond in the rough for our squad(their aren't too many 6'11 sf's out there with his talent)!!

Our team was deisigned to get out on the fast break !! Our intent to play as such was whoever had the advantage on a break would run it up. Our bigs are very capable of that and we have used it to our advantage on plenty occasions. We only averaged 13 something turnovers a game so they can't be doing that bad. Now we have even more of a chance to be a run and gun team and yes it's going to include our bigs running the fast break at times. Instead of Smoove just dishing it to Joe or lobbing it to Horford he now has more wing options as well as giving it to the pg. Stopping the ball to look for your point guard almost automatically puts you in a half court situation because it allows the defense more time to get back.I think Ferry also sees that our team has an advantage by doing this. When we do get stuck in a halfcourt offense we have a lot of options with shooters to keep the defense honest.

Josh Smith came into this league shy. Now he has no problem being vocal or a leader. Experience and familiarity can give you the comfort needed to step up into a bigger role. Obviously Teague knows his capabilities and was even cocky enough to jokingly call out putting Joe in an iso!! We've been crying for an elite point guard for so long that some of us forgot to wipe our eyes and realize we might have a developing one (see Rondo) that is only gone to get better(barring injuries)!!

So we're drinking the kool aid by being happy that we freed up cap space as well as keeping two of our best players and a promising guard in Teague? No way is your comparison to the Bulls acurate. We've already established that Josh was our best player last year and Horford got the nod of being one of our best players which pushes Joe to 3rd and Marvin to 4th possibly 5th behind Teague. This isn't kool aid this is common sense that was even clearer on the outside looking in. I commend Ferry for having the common sense to realize our biggest strengths. To top it off he added shooters to not only open the floor for our bigs but to help spread the floor for our penetrating guards. We now have more spacing, penetration and speed to increase fast break productions. He has quickly changed the culture to the type of Hawks basketball we have been waiting for for years. With Larry Drew's motion offense and having 5 sufficient offensive threats on the court at all times we are going to be a hard team to stop. Defense might be the only thing deserving questioning with the team we have currently constructed.

Another Al for the all A team? I'm down.

Donte Greene can be a pleasant surprise!! He's 6'11 can shoot mid range and long range and is decent close to the basket and on defense because of his length. He might be a diamond in the rough playing with the right team and system.

Donte Greene can be a pleasant surprise!! He's 6'11 can shoot mid range and long range and is decent close to the basket and on defense because of his length.

Funny I have a Franchise going right now that has Tyreke Evans and Rudy Gay with Josh Smith. Bynum and Iggy are also solid names on this list that can make this team better.

What about Donte Green who can still be had in free agency? They are virtually the same type of player.

I'm pretty sure Zaza won't start due to the fact that we need at least one of our shooters to be in to free up this space. Josh Smith is my favorite player but I don't want him being our main option for our guards to drive and kick it out to. If that's the case either Harris or Teague comes off the bench. I think it will be an unconventional lineup with Morrow starting at small forward. I also think Teague and Harris will start together barring anymore big moves.