Malik Allen - Started with Big Three and Collins. Looked like a steal. Played very well, solid pro. Hit open jumpers, moved well, stayed within game plan. Good start.</p> Darrell Armstrong - The guy is amazing. he's 39 years old and is in his second day of practice. Played solid D, hit some long j's, including at least one three. Great pickup.</p> Rod Benson - toolittlerodbenson. Nice block, nice banker, but so thin and dribble happy in the post. Collins took it away from him. He could be the first guy cut.</p> Josh Boone - Looked rusty, but a bit stronger. Did very little, played very little.</p> Vince Carter - Went for three's. Didn't go to the rim much. Playful mood all day. He understood it was practice.</p> Mateen Cleaves - I saw nothing to make mebelieve he isn't the fifth best point guard in camp.</p> Jason Collins - Shut down Magloire, kept him away from the basket. Looked thinner. Hit both free throws to crowd's delight. Right now, he has to be considered the starter.</p> Eddie Gill - Won the three point shooting contest. Did little else. Ran the point with some confidence. No room whatsoever for him. Very professional throughout.</p> Robert Hite - Surprisingly very good. Ran the floor well, played a little point, and looked great elevating both at the rim and on his three point shots. Reminded me of Kevin Edwards with better elevation.</p> Mile Ilic - He is still not over his ankle injury. Made a very nice pass from the post, picked up a few boards, but couldn't finish. He is what the roster says he is, 7'2". He is virtually alone in truth-in-rostering.</p> Richard Jefferson - Looked great. Great elevation and ball and body control. No indication of any residual problems from last year's surgery. Hit some long shots, including a half court jumper in a contest after the scrimmage.</p> Jumaine Jones - Hurt so didn't play much. When he did, he was aggressive. Need to see a lot more of him.</p> Jason Kidd - Played with typical abandon. Didn't look winded. Missed all but one of his outside shots. So what.</p> Nenad Krstic - Didn't play. Didn't participate in any shooting contests. Not sure he is going to be ready October 31.</p> Jamaal Magloire - Hurt his leg yesterday in practice, so he gets a pass. BUT he could not score on Collins. Made a nice pass underneath but was a disappointment. 6'8 1/2" tops. 7'7" wing span, but he is not 6'11" unless Mile Ilic grew to 7'4".</p> Boki Nachbar - Didn't make a lot of his shots, but had a typical Boki throwdown and looked highly confident. Handled the ball a lot more. Seemed more agressive on defense. Look for him to play a lot of minutes.</p> Bernard Robinson - Got hurt in warmups. Didn't see it, but he left the court and didn't participate. No idea how bad. Got hurt in warmups. Let me say that one more time, Got hurt in warmups.</p> Marcus Williams - Just like Hoops and Bar-b-Q, there he was behind a table, wounded but on hand.</p> Sean Williams - Athletically, just wow. There is such a thing as easy athleticism. Carter has it. You know it when you see it: loping strides and then great explosiveness. I guess he's raw. Looked damn good to me. After scrimmage, he was shooting three's and making some. There is a lot of potential.</p> Antoine Wright - Okay, he had a great summer. He didn't have a great scrimmiage. He couldn't finish...again. He was good on defense, made a couple of steals, I recall. I keep waiting for the breakout.</p> Impressed with the Nets marketing and customer service. YORMARK was directing people at the door. Petra Pope saw me looking lost (not uncommon) and asked if she could help. Dashawnda Brown was running up and down the LONG line to get in, looking for season ticket holders she recognized. And Bruce Ratner signed t-shirts and had his picture taken with fans.</p> On a side note, I do not understand why people are so convinced Houston is going to the Knicks. Everything I read today about the Knicks made it sound like Isiah would rather have a date with Anucha Browne Sanders. Good Luck to you, Allan.</p> </p> </p> </p> </p> </p> </p>
Thanks for the insight NI, this should help all the guys who couldn't make it out. It sounds like nothing but positives for Williams has been coming out of camp, so he should be an exciting player to watch has he learns the game. Although I wish Benson would have done better, I'm very pleased with Malik playing well. I wish Jamaal could have been impressive on the offensive end. Oh well, it's not even one game; just one practice.</p>
disappointed to hear about Magloire and Wright. With all the stuff I've been reading about Sean Williqms makes me consider that maybe he won't be at the end of the bench the entire season. But I'm not going to get my hopes up.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mynetsforlife)</div><div class='quotemain'></p> Sean Williams excited me.</p> </div></p> Take it easy there, RJ</p> </p>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (GMJigga)</div><div class='quotemain'></p> <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mynetsforlife)</div><div class='quotemain'></p> Sean Williams excited me.</p> </div></p> Take it easy there, RJ</p> </p> </div></p> </p> Will do, Luke.</p> </p> </p> Ahhhh! I sound like NI!</p> Just kidding. Thanks for the great update, as always.</p>
I'm starting to get sick of Jumaine and his injuries. He's not making the team. Hopefully Hite will, we might need another person who can sink a three every once in a while.</p> Can't wait to see Williams and Boki play. From everything I'm reading, it seems they could make a big impact this season. And Malik Allen is a bit of a surprise for me. I didn't expect him to fit in this good with the team...Oh well, whatever works.</p>
Looks like we'll be a pretty tough team this year with Armstrong, Allen, Maglorie and Williams, I can't remember when we were so stacked in the frontcourt. We might even get some surprise buy-outs, possibly get Houston, JJ, or Hite. I'm really excited to see what we can do this year.
I don't read into these practices that much. The guys who looked great usually aren't and the guys who looked sluggish usually didn't try. I wouldn't read to much into this.</p>
Plus Mags still has a sprained ankle. He was probably playing a bit tentative out there on his foot. You mayb say a sparained ankle everntually wears off but imagine be nearly 7 ft and 230 pounds and rolling on that with your weight. Magoo will be fine.</p>
I'd really wish H20 would make up his mind already. I't's going to come down between him, JJ, Hite and Allen for the Final roster spots. I'd also like to move Wright for a second round pick.</p>
When I first saw <font size="2">Rafael Araujo in the Raptors training camp game, he looked like he would be starting for the Raptors for years to come. Those games don't mean much other than how well of shape everyone is in.</font></p> <font size="2">Thanks for the update man.</font></p>
Wright should take B.Rob's spot as a reserve guard, and Houston/Hite/J.J can fill in the spot. But maybe Wright is saving his comming out party for the season. I just don't understand how the guy puts in so much in the offseason and only gets a little better. At this rate he might be as good as RJ in 5-6 more seasons.</p>
I though Magloire was a warrior. I hope he steps it up. I don't want another Marc Jackson (I think that what his name was...he was the big slow feller the Net signed a few years ago).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Ma3oxuct)</div><div class='quotemain'>I though Magloire was a warrior. I hope he steps it up. I don't want another Marc Jackson (I think that what his name was...he was the big slow feller the Net signed a few years ago).</div></p> </p> Yep, you're right it was Marc Jackson. He was supposed to be the mean enforcer on the inside, but he turned out to be softer than a twinkie. Hopefully it's just the ankle for Magloire...hopefully. Wright's problem as i'm sure everyone knows is his shot sways with his confidence. Wright might be best suited for playing in Europe or some place else where competition level isnt as high or where he isnt in as big a spotlight. Sorry to say it but he needs to go if he cant produce early in the season.</p>
Marc Jackson is not a rebounder as good as Magloire. and Magloire was an all-star, while Marc is not.</p>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (GMJigga)</div><div class='quotemain'></p> I don't want guys on this team who don't 'try' in practice.</p> </div></p> </p> Oh cmon, GM. VC was lackadasical as well. When guys like Hite draw the headlines, you know you didn't try.</p> </p>
