1/27/13-The 5th Quarter in New York Sports

On Sunday’s show on AM1240, we previewed Super Bowl XLVII aka the “HarBowl.”  We then talked about the Jets new OC and GM and the talk of them possibly trading Darrelle Revis.  We then gave our reactions to the bizarre Manti Te’o story.  In the second half of the show we gave our All Star snubs.  We then discussed the Knicks win over the Hawks and the Nets hot start to 2013.  We talked Rondo going down and the Celtics playoff hopes in jeopardy.  We talked Dwight Howard trade talks and the Lakers possibly turning the season around.  We finished with some Mets offseason discussion and gave our Super Bowl picks.

1/27/13-The 5th Quarter in New York Sports

Nets Will Be Fine Without Howard

The Dwight Howard to the Nets saga has finally come to and end. The Magic and Nets ended trade talks earlier today as they could not get a deal done after several attempts.  There were rumors of a 4 team trade, a 3 team trade, and a trade between the Nets and Magic.

The Nets have moved on and resigned their center Brook Lopez to a 4 year $61 million deal.  Pieces now are being placed together for the Brooklyn Nets as General Manager Billy King has done a tremendous job this offseason to turn an irrelevant Nets team the last couple of years into a team that can instantly contend. They started off the offseason by resigning their small forward Gerald Wallace to a 4 year $40 million deal.  Shortly after, the Nets made a blockbuster trade to acquire All Star shooting guard Joe Johnson from the Hawks.  After the signing of Wallace and the trade for Johnson, point guard Deron Williams knew that it would be the right choice to stay with a Nets team who was putting together a team that can win now. Deron Williams chose the Nets over the Mavericks as he signed a 5 year $100 million deal to join Wallace and Johnson.  The Nets also added Bosnian 6'9 forward Mirza Teletovic who was a star overseas and can be a huge contributer for the Nets at power forward.  They also acquired forward/center Reggie Evans in a sign and trade with the Clippers and signed Jerry Stackhouse to a 1 year deal. Brooklyn is also working on a sign and trade to bring in Antwan Jamison at power forward.  Not trading for Dwight Howard also meant the Nets got to keep their young guard MarShon Brooks who had a very impressive rookie season last year.

The Nets have definitely made a splash this offseason. They have one of the best starting backcourts in Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. Johnson provides them with a guy who can make shots as he is one of the best shooters in the NBA. Gerald Wallace has been a consistent rebounder and defender at small forward who will contribute double figures in points as well. Brook Lopez is coming off a season where he only played in 5 games after breaking his foot. Lopez had not missed any games in his first three seasons prior to breaking his foot. He averaged 20 points a game in the 2010-2011 season. He is arguably a top 5 center in the NBA and a very solid offensive center. Mirza Teletovic will be a huge addition being a big man who can shoot from downtown.  He was a star overseas and will be another shooter to come in and make big shots for the Nets.  Rookie Tyshawn Taylor out of Kansas will also be a big contributor coming off the bench backing up Deron Williams.  This Nets team is very deep and its only July 11th, the first day free agents can be signed.  Even after losing Howard, this looks to be a playoff team who can surprise a lot of people this year.  Brooklyn will see a very exciting and winning team to open the Barclays Center in 2012-2013.

Nets Should Be in Desperation Mode

The NBA Trade Deadline is just 12 days away.  Rumors have been circulating around several players with the big name being the best center in the NBA, Dwight Howard.  The soon to be Brooklyn Nets are sitting in a tough situation right now.  Their star point guard Deron Williams will be a free agent this summer.  The only way Williams stays as a Net is if GM Billy King can bring in another star such as Howard.  Besides Williams, currently the Nets have one of the worst rosters in the league as their 11-26 record shows.  The Nets have got to be in desperation mode as the trade deadline is under two weeks away.

The Nets have the possibility of losing out on the chance at Williams and Howard if King and company do not become aggressive in the chase for the star center Howard.  The Nets do have a shot this summer as well at Howard as he becomes a free agent, but many teams are going to be in the market for the superstar who is averaging an astounding 20 points and 15 rebounds a game. 

The Nets got their center, Brook Lopez back just in time from injury to audition him for a trade.  The Nets have the pieces to move to get Howard.  The question is if they want to pull the trigger and if the Magic would be willing to deal Howard before free agency.  The trade package would most likely build around Lopez and possibly rookie Marshon Brooks who has had a surprising and overlooked rookie season.  The Nets have one of the better deals that could be put in place for "D12" as Lopez is still young and continuing to get better and Brooks is just a rookie.  

If the Nets want to sell tickets and bring in new fans into their new Brooklyn arena next season, they are going to need to get in the driver's seat and make a push for Howard.  If they can get a deal done before the March 15th deadline, they would sign Howard to an extension and most likely be able to sign Williams to an extension as well.

The Nets could possibly have one of the best point guards and the best center in the same lineup opening up the Barclays Center this fall.  That would not be a bad way to start off the franchise in their new dwellings.  If the Nets cannot trade for Howard in these next 12 days, their last hope would be to sign him as a free agent this summer.  As we all know from the past (cough cough Lebron James), that is not always the best option.