It Was All a Dream: Rebuilding the 2019 Brooklyn Nets (A SimWorld Universe)

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Re: It Was All a Dream: Rebuilding the 2019 Brooklyn Nets (A SimWorld Universe)

2020 NBA Champions: Golden State Warriors



Finals MVP: Steph Curry

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Re: It Was All a Dream: Rebuilding the 2019 Brooklyn Nets (A SimWorld Universe)

The End of the Warriors As We Know It?

Draymond Green could have played his last game in Oracle Arena

OAKLAND – The champagne is still sticky on the floors of the Oracle Arena locker rooms following last night's NBA Championship victory by Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, but talk has already begun on how different this team will look next year.

Let's clear the air first: The Splash Brothers will remain. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have two years left on their contracts, and they are plenty happy counting their rings. It is the supporting cast that raises questions, namely, Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes.

Golden State has won three NBA titles in five years (2015, 2017, 2020), and they have done so by being unique, having great role players, and having two of the best shooters on the planet, all toys at Steve Kerr's disposal. That kind of success is hard to attain. Players take pay cuts, lose playing time, come off the bench, know their role. After all, you play the game to win, and that is exactly the way it has worked out for the Warriors. However, this year they will probably face their biggest challenge yet: change.

Draymond Green is a player who has never gotten market value for a player of his skills. Green, 30, is a slick veteran of the NBA, and now that he has three rings, he may look to earn the payday he so rightfully deserves. Whether he is a glue veteran that helps to raise some young guys, or he joins an immediate contender, people close to Draymond think now is the time for him to cash in on all of his hard work. He saw his scoring and rebounding numbers drop for the second straight year, but some team desperate for leadership will cut the check and be happy.

Harrison Barnes is the second big free agent. He was a high lottery pick out of UNC that has never become a star like it was imagined he would, but at 27 years old, Barnes could just be hitting his prime. That, combined with the championship pedigree he now has, will surely earn him a contract near max-level this year.

So where does Golden State go from here if they lose these key pieces? They have a young core of talented post players led by Kelly Olynyk and Desean Bishop, and Curry and Thompson are not going anywhere. With the Splash Bros getting older and losing some quickness, it might be interesting to see if they focus on nourishing that talent in the post, and begin to slow down the pace a little bit.

Whatever the case may be, two things are definitely true: the Golden State Warriors are Champions again, and you will not want to miss next season, because it will be interesting how things play out.

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Re: It Was All a Dream: Rebuilding the 2019 Brooklyn Nets (A SimWorld Universe)

Draft Lottery Odds

Actual Draft Order

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Re: It Was All a Dream: Rebuilding the 2019 Brooklyn Nets (A SimWorld Universe)

New Head Coach Derek Fisher: "Brooklyn has suffered long enough."

Fisher's second chance means everything to him... and this city.

BROOKLYN – Bernard Keller is out, Derek Fisher is in. The Nets find themselves under a new coach for the second time in two years. Tuesday, when Fisher was asked about his long-term plan at his introductory press conference, he responded confidently, saying, "Brooklyn has suffered long enough. We're not thinking long-term; we're thinking now. We were blessed to end up with two top picks, and we plan to use our cap space to throw big offers at veterans who can come in and be the glue for all of our young talent. As soon as we leave here, I'm headed to the film room to see who does and doesn't fit in here. We want to build a young core and let them grow together, ideally spending their entire careers here in Brooklyn."

Fisher was head man for Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks for almost two years, before being fired with a 40-96 career record. He came under a lot of criticism afterward, both on the court and off, having a personal affair exposed. Fisher took a year off of coaching before being hired as an assistant under Erik Spoelstra when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers. Over the past three years, Derek Fisher delevoped a new offensive philosophy, building around star player Ra'Shawn Michaels and helping to bring the Lakers back to prominence this past year.

In Brooklyn, Fisher will run a similar system to what is being run in Los Angeles. He wants a 4-in-1-out motion offense with lots of wing screens and flat screens. The Nets will be looking for a dominant down-low presence to roam the paint so that reigning rookie of the year Andrej Javorsek can hang out more around the perimeter. The Nets have the first and fourth picks in a very deep draft, and have the assets to get another pretty good pick if there are players that do not fit the new coaching regime in town. It will be interesting to see this new aggressive approach this offseason. One thing is for sure: it will not be boring.

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Re: It Was All a Dream: Rebuilding the 2019 Brooklyn Nets (A SimWorld Universe)

Brooklyn Informs Huntingdon That He Will Be Top Pick

Brooklyn is betting its future on Jamaree Huntingdon

BROOKLYN – There will be no drama at the top of the draft this year. Georgia Tech big man Jamaree Huntingdon will be the anchor of the future in head coach Derek Fisher's new system. Huntingdon, who probably would have gone number one last year, is one of the most exciting, polished center prospects in recent memory.

As a sophomore last year, Huntingdon was a First Team All-American, averaging 17.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 3.1 blocks per game. He is a big, athletic prospect who can score and defend in the post and rebounds well. While he could work a little on his strength, that will come as he matures, and he gives it his all out there on the court.

The Nets still have the fourth pick in the draft, and with Huntingdon coming in, they may dangle Jeff Graham out there as part of a package to acquire another high pick. Graham is not much of a scorer down low, but is relentless on the boards, finishing in the top five in the league last year. Some names attached to them have been Jamadre Washington, Connor Lucas, Rick Blaze, and Brandon Vaughn.

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Re: It Was All a Dream: Rebuilding the 2019 Brooklyn Nets (A SimWorld Universe)

Brooklyn Gets Another Top Ten Pick

Graham and Booker are headed to Los Angeles

The Brooklyn Nets have sent Jeff Graham, Devin Booker, Anthony Rose, Jr., and the 31st overall pick to the Clippers for the 8th overall pick, the 38th overall pick, Chris Waters and J.J. Redick. The Nets now have the first, fourth, eighth, and 38th picks in this year's draft.

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Re: It Was All a Dream: Rebuilding the 2019 Brooklyn Nets (A SimWorld Universe)

2020 NBA Draft Recap

2020 NBA Draft - Brooklyn Nets
Pick	Player	College	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	Jamaree Huntingdon	Georgia Tech	C	7'1"	242
4	Connor Lucas	Notre Dame	SF	6'7"	239
8	Rick Blaze	Sam Houston State	SG	6'6"	229
38	Jelani Eagle	Long Island	PF	6'9"	241

2020 NBA Draft - Round 1 Recap
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	Brooklyn Nets	Jamaree Huntingdon, Georgia Tech	C	7'1"	242
2	Miami Heat	Donovan West, Ohio State	PF	6'10"	218
3	Utah Jazz	Jamadre Washington, Connecticut	SF	6'8"	218
4	Brooklyn Nets (via NO)	Connor Lucas, Notre Dame	SF	6'7"	239
5	Portland Trail Blazers	Andrija Novosolec, Croatia	PF	7'0"	211
6	Philadelphia 76ers	Kevin Sullivan, Oklahoma	C	7'0"	297
7	Dallas Mavericks	Jah Payne, Kansas	PF	6'9"	239
8	Brooklyn Nets (via LAC)	Rick Blaze, Sam Houston State	SG	6'6"	229
9	San Antonio Spurs	James Jefferson, Florida	PG	6'0"	168
10	New York Knicks	Brandon Vaughn, Arizona	SG	6'7"	215
11	Charlotte Hornets	O'Shay Baylis, Arizona	C	6'10"	264
12	Denver Nuggets	Jeremy Sanders, Oral Roberts	PG	6'5"	220
13	Milwaukee Bucks	Markel Murphy, Oklahoma State	PF	6'9"	242
14	Atlanta Hawks	Alexios Grivas, Greece	PF	6'10"	242
15	Seattle SuperSonics	Bobby Fitness, Air Force	PG	6'1"	202
16	Phoenix Suns	Robert Smith, Mississippi	SF	6'7"	224
17	Philadelphia 76ers (via IND)	J.T. Moore, Kentucky	SF	6'9"	236
18	Chicago Bulls	David Sable, Northern Arizona	SG	6'5"	204
19	Toronto Raptors (via MIN)	Jabari McDonald, St. Mary's (CA)	PF	6'8"	243
20	Boston Celtics	Aaron Keys, Syracuse	C	6'11"	251
21	Memphis Grizzlies	Laszio Karpati, Hungary	PG	6'2"	184
22	Cleveland Cavliers	Payton Smith, Indiana	C	6'11"	253
23	Sacramento Kings	Brandon Mack, South Florida	C	6'10"	250
24	Los Angeles Lakers	Zachary Slaughter, Kansas	C	7'0"	248
25	Seattle SuperSonics (via WAS)	DeMarcus Watkins, Duke	SG	6'5"	206
26	Toronto Raptors	Ferhan Tanyu, Turkey	SF	6'10"	211
27	Houston Rockets	Tay Griffin, UNLV	SF	6'8"	208
28	Orlando Magic	Matthew Page, Temple	PG	6'3"	186
29	Detroit Pistons	Sean Dodge, Fresno State	SG	6'5"	212
30	Denver Nuggets (via GS)	Jihaad Young, Washington State	SG	6'6"	205

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Re: It Was All a Dream: Rebuilding the 2019 Brooklyn Nets (A SimWorld Universe)

2020 Brooklyn Nets Summer League Roster
#	NAME	POS	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
1	Jacob Carr	PG	22	6'3"	182	N/A
1	Connor Lucas	SF	23	6'7"	239	$4.57M
3	Braxton Martin	PF	23	6'9"	242	N/A
6	Casius Shapiro	SF/PF	24	6'10"	196	N/A
6	Byron Davis	PG	24	6'5"	213	N/A
12	Jamaree Huntingdon	C	21	7'1"	242	$6.31M
13	Jimmie Smith	SG	25	6'4"	212	N/A
13	Shabazz Napier	PG	29	6'1"	175	$1.00M
20	Rashad Vaughn	SG	23	6'6"	202	N/A
24	Rick Blaze	SG/SF	22	6'6"	229	$3.15M
28	Asa Washington	C	23	6'11"	267	N/A
33	Jayson Houston	PF	23	6'10"	216	N/A
44	Jelani Eagle	PF	23	6'9"	241	$856K

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Re: It Was All a Dream: Rebuilding the 2020 Brooklyn Nets (A SimWorld Universe)

Free Agency Recap: The King Still Rules in Cleveland

LeBron James wants to retire in Cleveland

- There was lots of speculation that LeBron James would bolt Cleveland to try and win another title in before he retires, but he is staying the course. With former teammate Kevin Love signing with Golden State, James will play more down low next to new signee Al Jefferson.

- Draymond Green shocked the NBA when he signed with the Brooklyn Nets, who are coming off of a 19-63 season. Green got a max veteran deal for four years, and says he is looking forward to working with a lot of the young talent in Brooklyn.

- The Pacers went all-in on Harrison Barnes, who signed a max deal to join Mike Conley, Jabbar Wilson, and Myles Turner in Indiana.

- Che' King became a rich man when he signed a five-year, $109.00M extension with Phoenix.

- The Orlando Magic went 54-28 last year, good enough for second in the Eastern Conference. It will only help that they signed long-time Clipper star Chris Paul to a two-year deal. Los Angeles managed to sign Jeff Teague away from Utah to replace him.

- Memphis got some much-needed perimeter help when Chandler Parsons agreed to a three-year deal.

- Chicago got the rim protection they desperately needed when Rudy Gobert agreed to a max contract with the Bulls.

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Re: It Was All a Dream: Rebuilding the 2019 Brooklyn Nets (A SimWorld Universe)

The Interview: Rick Blaze

Blaze was the eighth overall pick by Brooklyn

The Brooklyn Nets had a huge draft day, making three top-ten picks and picking up an interesting player in the second round. One of those picks was eighth overall pick Rick Blaze out of Sam Houston State. BrooklynNets.com had a chance to sit down with the young guard.

BrooklynNets.com: Rick, nice to meet you. First things first, welcome to Brooklyn and the NBA.

Rick Blaze: I appreciate that, man. It feels great. I always knew I would make it to the NBA, and Brooklyn is a city I can really vibe with.

BN.com: Have you had a chance to sit down with new coach Derek Fisher? How did that go?

RB: Yeah, man, Coach Fisher is great. We had a talk about what he sees for me this year and in the future, and he has a really good plan to maximize my talents.

BN.com: So what is the plan?

RB: (laughs) You'll have to wait and see, my man.

BN.com: Not many top ten picks join a team that had two players chosen before them. How is your relationship with Jamaree Huntingdon and Connor Lucas? Any animosity toward them about getting selected before you?

RB: Man, those guys are cool with me. They clearly know how to win. Yeah, they got picked before me, but I know I'm a better player. That's no disrespect, I just know my skills. They should think they're better than me too. They'd be wrong, you know, but they can think it. (chuckles) We're all young and good at what we do. This is gonna be a fun time for basketball in Brooklyn.

BN.com: Now, the Nets picked up veteran shooter J.J. Redick in the same trade that got them the eighth pick they drafted you with. Are you okay coming off the bench behind him?

RB: Yeah, man. I respect J.J. a lot. He's been in the league a long time and he's been helping me out early. If I ain't on the court at the start of the game, that's cool. Just know after they see me on that court, they won't be able to take me off at the end of the game.

BN.com: Goals for this year, both personally and for the team?

RB: As a team, the goal is always the same: win it all. Whether that's this year or five years from now, we always working to do that. Personally, I just wanna ball out man. I want the world to see what I can do. I love basketball, and basketball loves me back. It's time to share that love with the world.

BN.com: Any predictions for the Brooklyn fans this year?

RB: Man, y'all gonna have a lot of fun. I know that.

BN.com: Rick, thanks for your time. Best of luck this year.

RB: Any time, man. Y'all be easy.

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Re: It Was All a Dream: Rebuilding the 2019 Brooklyn Nets (A SimWorld Universe)

After Championship Loss, Huntingdon Named Summer League MVP

Huntingdon and Blaze almost won Brooklyn's second straight Summer League Title

LAS VEGAS – After breezing through most of the Las Vegas Summer League, the young Brooklyn Nets were toppled in the Championship by the more experienced Boston Celtics. Boston, who didn't lose a game all summer, was led by Joseph Taylor's 22 points on 10-15 shooting. Newly signed guard Anu Mashack had a double-double, and the post duo of Isaiah Wallace and Zlatko Jakupovic combined for 24 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals.

For Brooklyn, the loss is a disappointing one, but not one they will not get past, as a lot of the guys on this team will get major minutes in the upcoming NBA season. Rick Blaze, Connor Lucas, and Jelani Eagle contributed 17, 13, and 11 points respectively, but it was top pick Jamaree Huntingdon that stole the show. Huntingdon, who was named Summer League MVP, finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 assists in 28 minutes.

2020 Summer League Leaders

NBA Summer League Leaders - Updated: Aug 28, 2020
Points Per Game		PPG	Rebounds Per Game		RPG
	1. Jamaree Huntingdon, BKN	25.6		1. Adam Lopez, CHI	9.7
	2. DeMarcus Jenkins, SAC	16.0		2. Trevor Livingston, LAC	9.4
	3. Nyrie Staples, POR	16.0		3. Jamaree Huntingdon, BKN	9.3
	4. Payton Smith, CLE	15.5		4. Kevin Reynolds, GS	9.2
	5. Joseph Taylor, BOS	15.1		5. Habib Mbaye, SA	8.5
Assists Per Game		APG	Steals Per Game		SPG
	1. Anu Mashack, BOS	6.9		1. Blake Sharpe, PHI	2.0
	2. Shabazz Napier, BKN	6.1		2. Christopher Lee, ORL	1.8
	3. Brett Fitness, NO	5.5		3. Connor Lucas, BKN	1.7
	4. Tay Griffin, HOU	5.5		4. Jacorey Lane, WAS	1.6
	5. Amir Denson, WAS	5.0		5. Dusan Jovovich, CHA	1.6
Blocks Per Game		BPG	Field Goal Percentage		FG%
	1. Vaclav Janacek, MIN	2.2		1. Lacorey Ward, DAL	.833
	2. Jelani Eagle, BKN	2.0		2. Jamaree Huntingdon, BKN	.684
	3. Alexios Grivas, ATL	2.0		3. Nat Hawkins, ORL	.644
	4. Jihaad Young, DEN	1.8		4. Vergil McAlister, DET	.640
	5. Donovan West, MIA	1.8		5. Christopher Lee, ORL	.636
Three-Point Percentage		3P%	Player Efficiency Rating		PER
	1. Omar Sanford, IND	.714		1. Nat Hawkins, ORL	23.4
	2. Martin Rey, POR	.636		2. Nyrie Staples, POR	20.7
	3. Jamadre Washington, UTA	.625		3. Darius Broussard, SEA	20.6
	4. Jacob Eugene, NO	.588		4. Willie Nickles, LAL	19.3
	5. Joseph Taylor, BOS	.553		5. Joseph Taylor, BOS	19.3

Brooklyn Nets 2020 Summer League Stats

Brooklyn Nets Summer League Stats - 2020
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG
Jamaree Huntingdon	7	27.4	25.6	9.3	2.1	0.7	1.6	1.6	1.3
Rick Blaze	7	26.1	12.9	2.0	2.1	0.4	0.0	1.3	1.0
Connor Lucas	7	28.4	12.3	5.6	2.0	1.7	1.0	1.6	1.1
Jelani Eagle	7	26.3	9.9	5.1	1.1	1.3	2.0	1.0	2.7
Rashad Vaughn	7	17.4	8.7	1.6	2.1	0.7	0.3	1.4	0.7
Casius Shapiro	7	10.6	5.9	3.3	0.7	0.4	0.6	0.7	0.4
Asa Washington	7	12.1	4.3	6.1	0.4	0.6	0.4	0.7	0.4
Braxton Martin	7	11.7	3.4	2.1	0.3	0.6	0.7	0.3	1.0
Shabazz Napier	7	24.6	3.3	1.6	6.1	0.3	0.1	2.6	0.6
Byron Davis	7	9.6	1.9	1.0	1.9	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.7
Jacob Carr	6	5.7	0.5	0.8	0.8	0.3	0.0	0.3	0.5
Jimmie Smith	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Jayson Houston	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0