Avery Johnson fired by the Brooklyn Nets.

Photo Courtesy of SBnation

Who would've thought that Avery Johnson's firing will be the reason why I'm going to write an entry on this blog. Well I know this blog has been dead for almost a year now (?). But yeah I guess it's back since I'm writing this one. Anyway enough with the updates and let's head on to the news. So, I was playing NBA 2k13 on steam when I called a timeout just to read some of the tweets on my phone then there goes a freaking ALL CAPS RAGE TWEET by none other than Netsdaily himself (maybe Netincome not really sure). And here I am 30 minutes after writing this reaction entry after the firing.

The Nets have named Assistant Coach PJ Carlesimo as their interim head coach but hasn't named any candidate for the head coaching job. Just 24 days ago, Avery Johnson was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month (NOV 12) who were 10-4 at that stretch. They have been 4-10 after that. So what is my opinion about this firing? I would be honest that, the Nets' offense looked really bad whenever I watched them. And it was way worse during the Christmas match-up against the Celtics. All ISO, they did play some of the Flex offense that Sloan used to run with Deron back in Utah. But other than that, the offense looked stagnant. I'm no coach so don't freak out, it was just my observation as a fan/player of the sport. The defense was alright though. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. And I can't really blame Avery on that cause some of his players weren't really defensive minded at all (ehem Brook).

Is this an overreaction? For me, NO. Yes, the Nets FO could have waited another month for AJ to make adjustments but the Nets are in a New Arena and they are in Brooklyn. Sharing the territory with their conference rival, the New York Knicks who are unexpectedly outplaying the Nets in the conference. Just like what uncle Ben told Peter Parker, "with great power comes great responsibility" And that quote applies to Avery Johnson. He would not get fired if this team was let's say, Memphis or even Oklahoma City. Avery Johnson was fired because he was at the spotlight of New York. A new team, in a city of Brooklyn. A team that has a lot to prove. The money is there, the talent and the roster is there. But Avery with JJ and Deron just didn't work. He had 3 months to adjust to that situation but Avery never did. Some of the Nets' games still felt like we were still in New Jersey (no offense HA seriously no offense).

I wish Avery Johnson all the best. He did managed to turnaround Kris Humphries and Andray Blatche's career and it would not be long, I think he's going to find a job somewhere. I never really endorsed Avery Johnson to be fired. But I was upset with what I saw during Christmas day. It was really ugly and Proky was right (according to his statement) that the Nets didn't look good even in the games that they won. It's such a disappointment that it had to end this way. I expected Avery to get fired after a first round exit in the playoffs. But here we are still shock by the news that Avery Johnson is no longer going to coach the surprisingly failing Nets. The Locker room quit on Avery and after that it was really easy for Proky to let him go. Rome wasn't build in one day people.. 

New Beginning 2k12.

I haven't written anything about the Nets for a while. Well part of that was, I was on my month long vacation in the Philippines and of course I was so stressed out with the Nets I needed a break away from them. So during my stay in the Phil I only checked the NBA boxscores on Yahoo sports once a week. So I missed the introduction of the team colors and team logo of the Nets. I only saw the so called new logos when I got back from vacation which was a week ago. It sucks not having an internet connection in your house but everything's fine now.


With the Nets changing their team colors to Black and White, I have decided to change the theme color of this blog. As you can see, I choose grey, black and white. I also updated the new logo of this site which is btw edited by my girlfriend. Hopefully you guys will enjoy the new look of Ball and the basket.


That's it for now.. Enjoy the playoffs guys!

Deron Williams is an All-Star Reserve and he Deserves It.

Deron Williams is officially an All-Star Reserve for the third straight year (2010, 2011, 2012). Of course this is going to be his first time as an All-Star in the East. The Last New Jersey Nets Player that made it to the All-Star games was Devin Harris in 2009. Sadly, Deron will also be the Last New Jersey Nets player to be an All-Star because the Nets will be relocating to Brooklyn next season. Unfortunately not all the Fans like the fact that Deron Williams made it to the ASG instead of e.g. Rondo or Jennings.


Well yes the NjNets doesn't have a decent record but Deron is the ONLY NBA Player to average at least 20pts per game and at least 8ast per game this season. And he's playing on a team that is bad enough to be a D-League team. He's also missing Brook Lopez who was the Nets' first scoring option last season. Imagine how many assist Deron will make if he doesn't need to pass the ball to the likes of Johan Petro, Shelden Williams, ETC. If the ASG were based on NBA records it's like saying Joakim Noah deserves to be an All-Star more than Dwight Howard. But it isn't. It's just really a popularity contest but these so-called NBA experts doesn't have (maybe they do?) right to say that Dwill doesn't deserve it because he plays for the sorry ass Nets. I think we can all agree that the closest competition that he had was Jennings. Even though Jennings is one of the reasons why the Bucks are still in position for a playoff spot Deron obviously has a better stats than Jennings do but again remember Dwill is missing two of the best players of the Nets namely MarShon Brooks and Brook Lopez which are two of the Nets' best scorers. With them in the lineup it's going to be lights out for Deron in terms of assist and believe it or not we don't even have to talk about this if those two were healthy.

At the end of the day it doesn't really matter it's just a freaking All-Star game. If they can repeat their performance next season who knows they might actually make it to the ASG. It's not the end of the world Deron actually deserves his selection to the ASG. STATS don't LIE. 

Thank you Boston!

The 2011 NBA draft is said to be one of the worse Draft Classes ever. The Nets had to give their own pick (3rd overall) + Devin Harris + Derrick Favors to trade for Deron Williams. But a miracle happened during the draft night. The Boston Celtics traded their 25th pick (Marshon Brooks) for the Nets' 28th pick (Jajuan Johnson) and a 2nd round pick (2014). In case you don't know Marshon Brooks is the second leading scorer in the US college Basketball scene (2011). So almost everyone was pessismistic on how he fell in the said draft. Well yeah he's a known scorer and has a staggering 7’1” wingspan. And the Nets got this guy for basically free. Is it really a miracle?


Right now the Nets are 2-8. The roster flat out sucks and it sometimes feels like this is a D-league team (that's how upset I am right now). It's really frustrating to watch them, game after game getting "Manhandled" by their opponents. But seeing Marshon Brooks play like he's been on the league for 2 years already makes that pain go away. The game against the Hawks tonight has got me thinking, what did the Nets saw on Marshon Brooks that the other teams didn't.. He obviously "got it" and some time in the game he looks like the best player on the court for the Nets. He can actually win ROY if he continues to play like this. Is he the future of the Brooklyn Nets? Or is he going to be a part of the package that will send Dwight Howard to the Nets? His trade value is getting higher and higher game after game.


Well who knows I'm just here to write my opinion about my favorite team in the NBA. I'm not a stats guy or a guy who has "sources". But for me Marshon Brooks is a keeper. This is one of the best moves that Billy King did in 2011. When all else fails go blame Proky (that was a joke)! Marshon Brooks is without a doubt a steal in the 2011 Draft. THANK YOU BOSTON! :)

Be Careful What You Wish For.

Bring the Lockout back.........

I remember when the Lockout ended I was one of those NBA fans who were like "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" and went "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH". Okay I'm not making any sense but to cut it short I was so happy that the NBA was back. Free agency started and the Dwight Howard to the Nets rumors stormed the social media sites most esp. Twitter (thanks a lot Broussard). So we're now 5 games into the season and from "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!", it became "NOOOOOOO". Yes Ladies and Gents the Nets are still sucking even with the shorten season. But who's to blame?


Well it can't be Billy King cause all he wanted is a cap space during the 2012 free agency that features our All-Star Point Guard, Deron Williams and of course Dwight Howard (BROOK LOPEZ). It's been rumored for a while now that these two players are dying to team up with one another. Problem is no one knows which team they want. Of course the Nets are on their list cause even though Deron Williams is opting out on the final year of his contract he said that there's 90% percent chance that he'll resign with the Nets. But that number seems to be dropping. Last night the Nets lost for the 4th time this season out of their 5 games against the LOWLY CAVS. Even if the Cavs got the Number one pick in the 2011 draft we all know that they're still a lottery team . And we have Deron Williams for heaven's sake. I'll admit that the roster without Brook Lopez who is out because of a Foot surgery looks like a mess. Okur and Hump are decent but the Wings is just disgusting. Well for some time before the season I thought the wings were fine when they added Stevenson and Shawne Williams but both players seem to be out of Basketball shape so yeah. Let's just say that IMO the one to blame here is no other than AVERY JOHNSON. Why would you sit a freaking rookie who has been scoring at will? It just doesn't make sense and please Stop putting Gaines at the guard spot you have a freaking ALL-STAR POINT GUARD! Why won't you let him handle the ball. I can't think of anything more if it's not Avery, Maybe we're tanking the season to get higher picks in a stacked 2012 draft.

I mean 12-70 was freaking enough. But right now it feels like we're back at that season again. The Nets Fans deserve more than this. Turn KNICKS FANS INTO NETS FANS? With this lineup? With this kind of play? I know I'll be a Nets fan forever but come on.. If I knew that this would happened again then we would have been better off with the LOCKOUT.

The NBA is Back!

The NBA Really knows how to create drama. For 149 days, we watched NBA players and Team Owners go at it in the negotiating table. There were walkouts, Dwade telling Stern not to point at them or something like that, Players signing contracts abroad in order to earn money and who wouldn't forget Kim K and Kris H's Short love affair. And After hours and hours of meetings, Millions of tweets calling the players GREEDY (yes i had to say that), lost jobs (not Steve, LAME), Games and Money; the League and the player representatives have finally reached a tentative agreement that might finally save the NBA season which is set to start on Christmas Day. 30 teams in the league will play 66 games and have the annual All-Star game in Orlando (AKA Farewell Party for Dwight Howard, See what i did there?) and earn their well-deserved money (sarcasm at its finest).


So what does this mean to the soon to be Brooklyn Nets? Well it's 66 more games before Brooklyn and who knows? We might go all the way (You know I'm kidding right?). Yes New Jersey, one more season at the Prudential Center and one more chance to win it all before leaving.. Which is highly unlikely. But every fan can dream right? New Jersey isn't an NBA city we all know that. Yes the Nets may be mediocre but other cities crave for NBA teams (Seattle) to come to their city and play but yes based on attendance, the City of New Jersey isn't just that kind of city. No matter what we will be leaving a lot of good and of course bad memories with us. From back to back Eastern Conference Champions to a team that only won 12 games which to make it even better (bitter) still failed to get the no. 1 pick of the 2010 draft.


The drama of the lockout is about to end, and I'm pretty sure no one's going to miss it. The fans goes first but It will take some time for us to heal from what we just witnessed. Money runs the world.. We are all just victims.. The players were the actors.. Stern and Hunter are co-Directors. But for now.. Let the games BEGIN!

NBA releases 2011-2012 Season Schedule.

The NBA just released the 2011-2012 season schedule. If we're going to have a season without the delays due to the Lockout, the Nets will open their season on the road against the Wizards on November 5. The FINAL season opener in New Jersey will be against the Pistons on November 9.

Lucky for us this year (because we got deron) there are at least five games that will be televised nationwide via NBA TV. The Nets will be playing two games in London again this upcoming season sacrificing another two games that will be counted as a home game for them against the Orlando Magic (I find this funny) on March 7 and 8. Dwill's homecoming to Utah will be on Jan 14 while Devin Harris and Derrick Favors returns to New Jersey on March 26.

The Nets will end their season at home which might be the last Nets' game in New Jersey before they move to Brooklyn, New York (in case we miss the playoffs which we won't) against the Bulls on April 18. You can view the rest of the Nets' schedule here.

Dwill is Back on TWITTER!

GO FOLLOW HIM! and Spread the Word.. @DeronWillams "Jersey Strong! Brooklyn Ready!"

Deron Williams to play in Turkey?

Fuck the Lockout! That is all, I don't really know what was the position of Proky with the new CBA but this move by Deron was wise. It may put some pressure in the part of Proky but remember there are 30 teams in the NBA.

If the current CBA would kill all the teams in a small market how the hell did the Spurs won 2 championships during the last decade?? I admit that i was surprised that San Antonio, Texas was considered a "Small Market". But the point still stays, the that argument isn't valid. So what happens to the Nets now?

Well we can just hope that Deron wouldn't get hurt during his stint with Besiktas or maybe hope that the CBA be settled soon which is (for me) impossible. Why? Cause it's Billionaires vs. Millionaires.. This is actually bullshit if you come to think of it. They're both going to lose money but still they decided to go this way. I thought the owners and the NBA already learned from the 1998 lockout but as you can see nothing's changed.

I support this move by Deron but it doesn't do any good for the NBA. Most Watched finals, most watched draft?? What else do you want??

JKidd Gets his First Ring.

When the season started I asked myself if which former New Jersey Nets player would have a chance to get a ring first. There was Richard Jefferson with the San Antonio Spurs, Vince Carter who was with the Orlando Magic (traded to the Suns) and there was Jason Kidd and theDallas Mavericks. I never thought it would be Kidd. Yes, I thought that the Mavericks were done when Caron Butler came down because of an injury. But it turns out I was, well most of US were wrong. Seeing Kidd get his first (and only) championship was so overwhelming that I didn't know tears were coming down from my eyes. It was a bittersweet moment for me as a Nets fan. Happy that finally Kidd got what he deserves, bitter cause he wasn't in a Nets uniform when he won the championship. The frustration in the faces of the Heat players was also priceless, yep I had to say that. 


Kidd is one of the best point guards in the History of Basketball. His passing ability, defense and court vision is just unbelievable. I remember those two trips to the finals during the early 2000. First we (the Nets) got sweep by the Lakers then the following year we lost to the Spurs. Then we got VC from Toronto to make another Championship run.. but to no avail. Then after 2 years of second round exits and shortcomings, Kidd wanted out and was traded back to the Team that drafted him in exchange for a younger but injury riddled point guard, Devin Harris. That was one of the darkest days in the Garden State and in Nets' history. Losing Kidd ended our Championship hopes. So three seasons after losing a Hall of Famer, here we are still rebuilding and hopefully it ends next season with Deron Williams. 

Some Nets fans may still be bitter that Kidd forced his way out of New Jersey but you can't blame him, Ratner decides not to spend for the team. The "We had to work with what we have" attitude didn't work for Jason. With Dallas and an owner who is willing to spend a lot of money for a championship, it was the perfect place for him and yeah he wasn't getting any younger. He almost had one with the Nets but it's just not meant to be. After 18 seasons, two trips to the Finals and a lot of misfortunes Kidd can finally call himself a Champion. 



Congratulations Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks! Your 2010-2011 NBA World Champions!

Up and Running.

Brooklyn, New York. 

Well hello there Ball and the Basket readers (if ever there’s one). What do you know? BTB is back! LOL. I know BTB is a little awkward (cause it’s similar to BRB) but The Ball and the Basket is just too long. In case you don't know the NBA season is already over thanks to the Dallas Mavericks for eliminating the Miami Heat in 6 games (my prediction was Dallas in 5) to win their first championship ever.


I was supposed to post an entry earlier today but it turns out I left my draft at the office and I didn't want to start over, so I'm going to post that one tomorrow evening maybe if I don't fall asleep. There will be some changes in this blog starting today. First, I won't be following the Magic's season anymore. I'm still going to root for them but I decided that BTB is now going to be officially for the New Jersey Nets. It's not because the Magic sucks, because the Nets are much worse than them right now. It's just that writing my views and opinions about two teams is hard for me. I don't have the time to read every recap of the Nets' game and the Magic's game and write how I feel about them winning or losing. As you can see because of my frustrations, my last post in here was way back December last year. That's when the Magic and the Nets kept on losing. The Magic made it to the Playoffs but was eliminated in the first round by the team that they swept last year, the Hawks. While the Nets ended up with Deron instead of Carmelo. So i guess it was still a great season for the Nets.

So there you have it Ball and the Basket is back! We now look forward to the future and hopefully there's no lockout. Thanks guys.

Happy New Year.

I don't really know if there's someone following this amateur sports blog, So I'm just going to post this greetings for all the Nets and Magic fans.

For the Magic: Well it's been a roller coaster ride for us Magic fans. The Trade was really shocking. It came out of nowhere. I myself was stunned after hearing the news. I was sad to see Vince go but was happy cause the Magic's offence was dramatically improved. Hedo looks rejuvenated. Dwight is 5 technicals away from being suspended but is still an MVP candidate. Jason Richardson is still struggling since wearing a Magic uniform. Jason Williams is rumored to be considering retiring because of an injury. Still hate Jameer, I think Arenas should start IMO! 

I wish all the Magic fans well. 2011 is going to be big for us. Championship or Bust? 

For the Nets fans: uhmmmm.. I really got nothing to say. It's been a frustrating season for us. Anthony Morrow and Damion James are both out. The fan favorite, Terrence Williams was traded for a conditional first round pick. Avery Johnson is still annoying.. We're still trading for Melo. Favors continues to develop but is getting limited touches. Brook Lopez continues to struggle rebounding nad passing out during double teams. 

We're up against the Bulls today and is heading to the road to battle the Wolves tomorrow. Stern Hates us. We all know that. Proky is trying to save us. The future remains bright. God speed to all Nets fans out there. Have a Great New Year. A win would be Nice..

Magic and the Nets out Cold in Newark.

The Magic will face the Nets for the third time this season. Orlando just snapped the winning streaks of the Spurs (had 10) and the Celtics (14). Meanwhile the Nets just lose to the Hornets at the road, thanks to the miserable third quarter curse of the Nets.

The game was almost cancelled because of the snowstorm in the New Jersey Area but later this day it was announced that the game is still on, and they're asking every media outlet to spread the word. So maybe we're expecting a little crowd in the Rock tonight. Hopefully not cause the Nets are last again in attendance this year. No wonder they're leaving Newark for Brooklyn.

So what to expect tonight? Trade talks, trade talks, trade talks. The Nets has been trying to acquire Denver Nuggets forward, Carmelo Anthony but the trade talks (yeah i said that word again.) was stopped because of the death of Anthony's sister. On the other side of the globe the Magic are trying to acquire a backup center after trading away Marcin Gortat to the Suns along with Ex-Net Vince Carter and Michael Peitrus. Brandon Bass has been doing a great job covering the center spot when Dwight is in foul trouble but Otis Smith insist that they still need a legit backup center.

The Nets would have a great advantage if Brook Lopez can attack the rim early and get Howard into foul trouble, which is what I don't expect him to do (prove me wrong Brook). With Brandon Bass on FIRE Chris Humphries needs to overpower him at the four spot and intimidate him like what he did to Blake Griffin. Hedo might be a BIG problem of the Nets cause i don't really expect Travis Outlaw to defend him well. And when he's hot from Downtown he's unstoppable. With Sasha coming off the bench I'm less worried of what Richardson can do. He's been struggling ever since he became a Magic. The real talk comes to the guard. It's Arenas, Nelson vs Harris, Farmar, it's just an interesting matchup right?

Tipoff is at 7:00 ET. Let's go Nets! Let's Go Magic..

It's Not that bad??

Two weeks ago I labeled the Sixers as the Worst team in the Eastern Conference or maybe in the League. Well it turns out I was wrong. After crushing the Nets at home the Sixers went on to win 5 of their 7 games. With Damion James out with a Broken foot, Ross is getting his second start in a Nets uniform against the Sixers. He did a pretty good job defending Kobe Bryant when the Lakers visited Newark, Kobe led the Lakers with 32 points (9-19 from the field) but turn the ball over 6 times but it was enough to send the Nets to their 7th straight lost.

The Nets remains optimistic and some fans still believe that the Nets would still make it to the Playoffs. The Nets faces the Wizards at home tomorrow. Let's end the skid, Let's go Nets..

It's All New

This is too much for a Nets fan like me. The 12-70 season was already deadly and now we have to face this 6-14 record of the "It's All New" Nets. I considered the summer a major failure for the Nets but i was still hoping for the Best. However, after seeing the Nets' performance tonight I'm getting ready to jump of the cliff.

Brook Lopez is the biggest disappointment of the Nets this season (IMO). He was supposed to lead the Nets without the injured Devin Harris, but instead he was the first one to fade. 2 rebounds in 39 minutes of play? For a 7'0 center? He left the arena without talking to the media, which is what he does when he has a bad game. Outlaw and Morrow provided the scoring for the Nets they scored 21 and 19 respectively. Jordan Farmar continues to do a great job filling in for Harris, he had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assist. Imagine he had more rebounds than their "franchise" center, pathetic.

I still wonder why Avery Johnson told the Media that Terrence Williams had no minutes for the Nets that's why he was sent to the D-League. When your bench only scored 11 points, you have a problem. Terrence Williams could be the answer to that problem but Avery just won't admit it to himself. Even if sending Williams to the D-league is a punishment, you should consider the fact that the team needs this man. I don't care if Terrence already learned his lesson or not. When your team is struggling, you seek for solutions you don't burden them more. Maybe Brook is just a part of the problem cause from my point of view it may be the coaching staff.

The Nets carry their 3 game losing streak against Boston tonight. If all else fails, blame Avery.. For now, let's blame chemistry.

The Nets Beats the Blazers at Home.

After a poor performance against the worse team in the League the other night, the Nets pulled an upset against Brandon Roy and the Blazers. Thanks to the heroics of Devin Harris and the Team's defense during the final quarter of the game. Troy Murphy is back in the Nets rotation while Terrence Williams has already reported to the Springfield Armor of the D-league yesterday. Murphy had 4 points, 2 0f 2 shooting and 3 rebounds in just 10 minutes of play.

The Blazers took control of the game early but they failed to capitalize in the fourth quarter. They were carried by Wesley Mathews who finished with 25 points, shot 5 of 6 behind the arc, Brandon Roy with 21 points and LaMarcus Aldridge who has 20. Meanwhile the Nets starters responded, scoring 71 points of the team's 98. They were lead by Devin Harris with 25, followed Anthony Morrow with 16, shot 3 for six from downtown and Brook Lopez with 13. Kris Humphries have failed to register another double-double, He finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds.

The Nets faces their rival, The New York Knicks on Tuesday.

Nets falls to the Sixers in Philly

I'll label it as the worse game of the Nets this season behind the game against the Kings during their west coast trip. From the very start of the game the Nets showed no energy. Let's face it the Sixers are terrible this season. Instead of making a statement, they embarrass themselves.

Well it's hard to win games if your captains are the only ones scoring for you. Brook Lopez and Devin Harris combined 44 points of the Nets' 86 points. It's hard to think that the Nets just had a close game against an Eastern Conference Elite team (The Celtics) then drops a game against the worse team in the East and probably in the league. Travis Outlaw and Anthony Morrow continued their share of struggle. They combined 5-17 from the field.

Still we have to remember that Troy Murphy and Terrence Williams didn't play this game. Troy Murphy is still inactive cause Avery thinks he's not that capable to play yet. While Twill is in the D-league trying to get back to the Nets' rotation. The Nets faces the Trail Blazers at home tonight.

Rod vs Billy

Rod Thorn isn't in-charged anymore, during the summer he hired Billy King to become the Nets' new GM. After that he was then hired by Ed Stefanski to become the President of the Sixers. Tonight the Nets faces Rod's Sixers at Philly, in the battle of Eastern Conference Struggling teams. 

Both teams are under the East standings right now. The Nets is currently 5-10 (14th in the east tied with the Bucks) while the Sixers are 3-13(l5th in the east). This is the first meeting of both teams in the regular season but during the pre-season the Nets managed to beat Philly twice. Tipoff is set 7:30 eastern time. 

The Williams' Curse

Terrence Williams is being sent to the Springfield Armor for "unknown" reasons (though the coach of the Armor, Dee Brown stated that it was off the court issues). Twill has been inactive for two games (against the Hawks and Celtics). He was reportedly fined a couple of times for being late at practice and team meetings. But as Avery Johnson said sending Williams to the D-League isn't a punishment. It's simply because Williams doesn't have minutes. Which makes sense cause they have Ross (injured) and Graham manning the two position.

I think that Avery Johnson and Billy King made the right move here. They needed to send the message to Williams. He's being unprofessional and he needs to learn his lesson.

Two seasons ago, Sean Williams was also assigned in the D-League and was recalled by the Nets after a month, but the following year he was waived by the Nets shortly after his arrest. Hopefully Terrence doesn't end up like Sean and Shawn.  

It's a Split

The New Jersey Nets won their first game in the road as they put a stop to their five game losing streak after beating the Cleveland Cavalier 95-87. Devin had a season-high 31 points and nine assist followed by Anthony Morrow who has 21. Kris Humphries earned his first start with the Nets and scored 13 points and 18 rebounds.
Terrence Williams was still out because of an injury along with Troy Murphy.

Brook Lopez continues his struggle playing only for 19 Minutes and scoring four points and grabbing six rebounds. Travis Outlaw also had a terrible night in Cleveland scoring 5 points in 31 minutes of play. Anthony Morrow made 5 shots behind the arc in his 8 attempts. Morrow and Outlaw are yet to have a nice game together. When Outlaw is shooting well, Anthony isn't and when Morrow is playing well, Outlaw is not.

The Nets faces the Magic on Saturday which isn't a good sign for Brook, who is trying to recover from his poor for the past 6 games. Avery Johnson had already compared him to a tissue paper during film a session. He was also seen by the camera having a cold stare at Brook during tonights win against the Cavs.