<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">A year after a free-agency saga that paralyzed the Nets' franchise and gave team CEO Rod Thorn about 10 days' worth of nonstop indigestion, the Nets are going through free agency for another one of their All-Stars. This time, it's going to be a little gentler on the stomach.</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">And when you ask Thorn, who will be doing the negotiating for the Nets, whether he thinks Martin will be back in a Nets uniform, Thorn doesn't hesitate. "I certainly hope so," Thorn said. "He's a great player."</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The teams with the salary-cap space to make a serious run at Martin include the Jazz, Nuggets, Hawks, Suns, Spurs, Pistons, and Clippers. The Pistons, Spurs and Clippers can be pretty much ruled out as suitors right away: The Pistons because they're more worried about signing another power forward, Rasheed Wallace; the Spurs because their attention will be on Manu Ginobili and because they've already got a pretty decent power forward, Tim Duncan; the Clippers because owner Donald Sterling squeezes a penny hard enough to make Abe Lincoln wince from the grave. The leaves the Jazz, Nuggets, Suns and Hawks. The Suns would seem like a long shot -- they've got their hearts set on Kobe Bryant and they have two terrific forwards already in Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire. The Jazz is a possibility, although its senior vice president of basketball operations, Kevin O'Connor, has been quoted as saying center will be first priority. That means Utah likely will be going after Erick Dampier and Mehmet Okur. The Hawks would be happy to have someone like Martin take some of their ample salary cap room, although Martin has said he wanted to sign with a winner -- something the Hawks aren't likely to be. "I'm not going to go anywhere where I'd be miserable -- have a bunch of money but be miserable," Martin said back in May. "It's not worth my sanity. I'm a sore loser. I don't know if you've noticed." That leaves the Nuggets, who are the strongest possibility. People in their front office have been leaking stories for months that they'd love to sign Martin with some of their roughly $22 million in salary cap room. GM Kiki Vandeweghe, who did not return a phone call for this story, has worked with Martin in the past, and the two are close enough that they exchanged a postgame hug when the Nets were in Denver this year. The Nuggets have said their first priority is resigning center Marcus Camby, which they can probably do for about $8 million a season. They are also believed to be interested in Ginobili, since they have a bigger need at shooting guard than they do at power forward, where they already have Nene. But since the Spurs aren't likely to let Ginobili walk away, that leaves Martin, a players whose defensive toughness they've covet and whose ability in the fast break fits nicely with the Nuggets, who run more than anyone in the league besides the Nets.</div> Link I'm feeling a little better now...
I hope the Nets will make a good choice and not let K-Mart go anywhere. He's an exciting player to watch and would help any of those teams you spoke of in the article.
gj trust. that article also makes me feel better. i really think a team is going to have to sweep him off his feet to get him. the nets are winners with him and were 2wins away from being nba champs. if your kmart, you gotta feel more secure about the nets, than the nuggets. yea they got carmelo and marcus,they run the break and he could get money in denver, but he can get money here,he say rj(not same as melo but they have some similarities) and he has the best pg giving him the ball in jason kidd and the nets run the best fastbreak in the nba. so even if the money is there, he still isn't on a better team b/c the nuggets are in the west, 'nuff said. plus we all know he wants to stay in NJ, but it just seems that no team is better for him than NJ and this is where he should be. of course all this means nothing is ratner wants to 'cut costs asap'. great article, i wish it was 2-3wks into july already so i know kmart stayin here is perm, or i hope so. i hate this waiting game that we have to play. first kidd,now kmart and possibly rj coming up(but he isnt going anywhere either).
so if you keep kmart and give rj money where is the rest of the team going to come from. Fun team to watch with no championship
You know what I think? I think they're going to match any offers. They're just trying to downplay their desire to sign KMart to see how much teams are willing to offer. Looks like Denver is the worst threat to KMart staying a Net. KMart is close with Kiki and they're a winner and a fast break team as well. I'm feeling optimistic. Thorn is in love with KMart. There's no chance that they'll get Sheed now so might as well give KMart what he needs. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting NJNetz:</div><div class="quote_post">so if you keep kmart and give rj money where is the rest of the team going to come from. Fun team to watch with no championship</div> You can consider the Nets to fight for the championship again next season. They're an 7-8 rpg Center away from being champs. Things are looking bright for the future anyway. We still have to see what Nenad can do and Eddie will probably join us which fills up two voids, a Center (who hopefully can play enough to be a starter) and another young guy who can play both F spots. Now if we can only pick up a decent veteran PG and stay healthy, back to the Finals baby!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting NJNetz:</div><div class="quote_post">so if you keep kmart and give rj money where is the rest of the team going to come from. Fun team to watch with no championship</div> you don't need a big money supporting cast. you can get good cheap and young players. we have a better chance of winning with the big3 than without one of the three. plus we will have money to spend, it won't be like we are giving all our money to kidd/kmart/rj,they are well deserving of that money anyways. eventhough it is a lot to only three players, they are all big player. we all know how good kidd is. kmart made his first of many allstar app. rj will make the allstar team soon enough and is playing on the olympic team. it isnt like we are just giving debo and collins max, we are giving money to players who are/becoming big time players.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting InNETSweTrust:</div><div class="quote_post">Besides, lots of salaries will come off the books next season anyway.</div> An this is the reason I think the Mavs would be a great fit for Kenyon Martin. We have Walker and Laetner (about $20M combined) that comes off the books next season. The Nets could sign and trade Martin to Dallas and make Dallas take some long term contracts. The Nets would have enough players to keep them competitive, Walker runs the court really well and is a good passer. And they'd be gear up for next season's free agent market. I'd love to have Kenyon come home to Dallas.
Antoine Walker is unnecessary and too selfish for the Nets offense. What is he doing jacking up all those threes all the time? He was playing well beginning of season when he was like 18, 10, 5 but then he started sliding off. He dribbles the ball too much, shoots too much and isn't that good and is too turnover prone. He's losing his athleticism a la Glenn Robinson. He was good in college but now he's not as good anymore. As much contract clearing that is, it's not a good move. I wouldn't give up Kenyon for a player like Antoine Walker. AW wouldn't make us better and the free cap space might be interesting. Zach Randolph, Pau Gasol will be free agents. If we had a chance with Pau then I'd say all wouldnt be lost then.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting nextlevelgame:</div><div class="quote_post">Antoine Walker is unnecessary and too selfish for the Nets offense. What is he doing jacking up all those threes all the time? He was playing well beginning of season when he was like 18, 10, 5 but then he started sliding off. ......</div> I agree with everything you said, but there was a reason he started sliding off last year. I don't think it was age or athleticism (he never was that athletic). Don't be shocked if a change of scenery returns him to the numbers you mentioned above. Just about any team can use that. But mainly, from the Nets perspective, if you loose KMart, you need to replace his numbers, even if is only for one year. That is unless ya'll are trying to get into the lottery or something, which very well might happen if Denver signs KMart and the Nets get nothing.
If Pierce can lead his team to the 8th seed in the Playoffs RJ + Kidd will take us there. Marbury did it with his team. We'll get to the playoffs but not very far and not a championship level. And replacing Kmart's numbers is one thing, replacing his defense is what I'm looking at. If Nellie said Antoine Walker is a turnstop defender, then I can only imagine how bad he really is.
if dallas/nets did a sign and trade, i would think it would have to involve dirk. it won't happen but thats the only player i see worth trading to dallas for even if we were to possibly lose kenyon. i cant see the player who kmart owned (walker) during our playoff runs against boston take kenyons spot on our team. i would just seem like we are taking a step backwards. plus walker doesnt fit our style. we play defense, he doesnt. thats the biggest difference and if you don't play defense, we don't want you. denfense wins, not chucking up 1million 3's. ps. i know everyone says that we will be crap if we lose kmart,which we wont. but remember this is the east. kidd/rj combo is still one of the better combos that would be in the east. we wouldnt be serious contenders obviously, but we would'nt be a lottery team. hell, teams made the playoffs who were under .500,so i don't see how a kmart-less nets team could be worse than those teams(eventhough some teams have made improvements). viva-la-kmart!
But then again, we won't even get past the 2nd round without KMart. If we face the Pistons in the 1st round, it's all over. Antoine? Hell no. I don't think Dirk would even be a possibility. He wouldn't even be traded for Shaq.
