Marc Jackson & Linton Johnson Acquired from Nets <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The New Jersey Nets have agreed to send center Marc Jackson and forward Linton Johnson to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for Bostjan Nachbar, ESPN.com has learned.</div> Source Another shrewd trade by the Hornets for their playoff push. Not only did they get a player who's better than Steven Hunter, they didn't have to unload J.R. Smith just yet. Linton Johnson will also give them some energy off the bench.
It will be interesting how the Hornets fair in the offseason. I personally didn't expect them to get better than 10th seed, especially after losing Magloire and Baron Davis.
Do you guys think that there might be another deal for the Hornets with J.R. Smith to get another big for the playoff push? A big rumor around Orlando is for Tony Battie, but with this deal getting done, I'm not sure if they will go after another guy.
I must say, I am really, really impressed with the Hornets this year. They've got a good, young team, Scott's done a trememdous job on the bench, and they've made some really nice under the radar trades during the season. This team is really on the rise, and they can be a legit playoff team this year already. Imagine if they played in the East still-they'd be fighting for a top 4 seed! Simply amazing season for them when you look at where they were heading into 05-06 and where they are now.
Linton is a great player defensively and his offense will improve, I think he can fit well with what the Hornets are trying to do, and if he pans out I can say that he will be 6th man in a year or two if they decide to keep him that long that is.
The Hornets must have had a sleepless night last night. Vroman breaks his wrist and D. West is apparently on personal leave after his wife gave birth but has been away longer than the usual leave for a similar event. The result was two ugly losses that ought to have been wins just as they were solidifying their playoff position. I liked Nachbar and believed he was going to be a starter when he added 15-20 pounds and began rebounding better at both ends, but with Johnson we get a legitimate center who has improved every year in the League but he has alot of mileage having played overseas for 3 years so I expect he'll keep the trainer and the ice machine busy. He didn't get in alot of games for the Nets, but glancing at their roster he was the 3rd option behind Kristic and Jason Collins who aren't bad. At PF the Nets had Padgett, Collins and a rookie named Antoine Wright who seemed to be getting alot of minutes; and they have Clifford Robinson, one of the most underrated but now oldest players in the League. Clearly the Nets were looking to get younger and healthier and a player other teams weren't familiar with. We got the size we need and with Linton Johnson, I have absolutely no idea except the Nets must have trying to save money on the buffet line. I do see he went to Tulane so maybe he can give the players directions if they return to NO next year. Winner. The Nets got the best player and got rid of an older player. But the Hornets got immediate frontline help and better size and rebounding.
LJ111 ive only seen him play 2-3 games, i wasnt impressed..i too as a Nets was hoping he would be the athletic fast break guy the scouts said he was..he's not. MJax is a big guy who plays hard and nasty, he roars and grunts...good rebounder, however his defense is horrible (why is wasnt in our rotation, behind 40 year old that plays like a 30 year old Uncle Cliffy and Collins (that cant jump, or shoot...just plays D) Nets needed some Defense...we have enough scorers in our trio, our bench however besides Uncle Cliffy sucks, however our rookie is starting to get more playing time...hes not a PF, hes a SG/SF...we just needed to unload MJax contract to get a trade exception for the off-season, neighter of these guys were in our rotation...im just hoping this Nachbar guy can give us 7pts a night off the bench...that"ll be nice.
Another excellent move. Marc Jackson has, in the past, proven to be a capable scorer and that's something the Hornets definitely need, espiecally if West misses more time.
Linton Johnson had 17 (on 7-8 shooting, with two treys) and 11 in 20 minutes today. I've still yet to see him, but those numbers are pretty impressive. I'll wait to see him before making a judgement, but it'd be awesome if the Hornets found another option to compliment David West.
It's always good when you add two quality, veteran guys for one guy who could only do one skill decently...
Finally had a chance to see both guys with the Hornets. Both bring a real energy off the bench, something this young group will need over the last 2 months of the season. The Hornets have done amazingly well to get Jackson, Williams and Johnson on the cheap.
