GM Sean Marks has been doing an excellent job since he took the helm of the asset-depleted Nets in February 2016. While the Nets are STILL suffering from losing all their draft picks, Marks has actually had real success in the last draft with Jarrett Allen who's now the starter over recently-signed Jahlil Okafor and D'Angelo Russell trade-extra Timofey Mozgov (who's Russian like the owner of the Nets, o/w he'd probably have been released before the season started).
In the 2017 draft, the Nets pick was Boston's, thanks to that old unspeakable deal involving Pierce & Garnett. Danny Ainge craftily took advantage of ever-clown Bryan Colangelo and took Jayson Tatum effectively first in the draft, while Philly got a destroyed personality in Markelle Fultz with Brooklyn's pick. Shame too, bc Marks prolly would have had either Tatum fitting in nicely at the 3 spot, or Lonzo Ball playing point and dishing to D'Angelo Russell. But Marks is in Brooklyn to fix these ills, so that's all false dreams. Meanwhile, what COULD have been a meaningless draft for Brooklyn last year, turned into a nice haul. Marks traded his Boston first rounder for D'Angelo Russell after last season, and also had Washington's first rounder after giving the Wizards Bojan Bogdanovic for a half-year playoff-rental (which didn't work). With the Wiz pick, Marks picked up a solid center in Jarrett Allen, U of Texas freshman sensation. Jarrett Allen could arguably be the best player in an incredibly solid draft class, we shall see. That's all nice, but what has Sean Marks done for Brooklyn LATELY?
2018 Draft Deadline SUCCESS!
After a lot of rumors involving DeMarre Carroll and Joe Harris which seemed like a lot of bologna at the time, Marks made two trades which netted him Dante Cunningham and a potentially high 2nd round pick for the "free" offseason pickup Tyler Zeller. Sean Marks picked up something for nothing, as Tyler Zeller was practically a last-minute add-on, picked out of the dumpster. We love these moves, as Marks seems to turn garbage into gold, while also putting up an interesting team each pre-season. Sure, the 2017 and 2018 Nets haven't panned out, but it wasn't Marks fault Jeremy Lin couldn't stay healthy two years in a row-- two years in which Lin was given his first REAL opportunity to prove the post-Linsanity (NY Knicks) naysayers wrong. Also wasn't his fault D'Angelo went down most of this year, and even worse was stuck in the PG role for which proved too much for him in LA. But NOW, Marks has his team right where he wants it.
Before we look at the nuts and bolts of the trade, let's review the basics on the players involved in the trades:
Dante Cunningham
6'8, 230 lb
Drafted: #33, 2nd round, 2009, Villanova
Born: April '87, 30 years old
small Forward, "stretch four" Power Forward
Salary: $2.3mm, 1 yr, 2018 (Pelicans), Free Agent at year end
He's mostly been more of a defensive player, but also a "jack of all trades" type player who's never quite been able to crack a starting lineup, and mostly has been on some not-so-great 2nd units including New Orleans (probably one of the worst 2nd units for YEARS). He's a longshot to make the Nets roster next year, but he'll get the chance to play this year thanks to injuries at his position.
Tyler Zeller
7'0" 250 lb
Drafted: #17 1st round, 2012, UNC (part of NCAA championship team 2009 as SOphmore)
Born: Jan 1990, 28 yrs old
Center, Power Forward
Salary: Zeller was making about $1.6mm this year and Brooklyn had an option to pay him about $1.9mm for next year, so he was essentially a cheap roster-spot fill last off-season, and will continue to be cheap for the Bucks too. We like Zeller, but given the Nets current situation he's superfluous and makes more sense for Milwaukee's playoff drive on the back of the Greek Freak. He cost nothing really, but a roster spot, so literally ANYTHING gained from trading him is found money.
Now let's look at Brooklyn's actual Trade-Deadline TRADES
February 5, 2018
Milwaukee Bucks: Send to Nets...
Rashad Vaughn
2nd round pick, 2018 if #31-47, otherwise unrestricted 2020 2nd rd
Nets: Give up...
Tyler Zeller
Comments: This trade was REALLY all about getting the "free" 2nd round draft pick in exchange for a near-zero-cost Tyler Zeller. It's POSSIBLE Marks meant to play Vaughn a little, but either he had his next trade lined up from the beginning and was waiting for official confirmation to do the next deal, or he simply stepped into
February 8, 2018
Pelicans: Send to Nets....
Dante Cunningham
Nets: Give up...
Rashad Vaughn
Comments: Both Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (starting PF) and Quincy Acy are injured at the time of the trade, so Dante Cunningham will get playing time immediately. Cunningham was used at the 3 spot when Boogie and AD were all on the court together, but the Pelicans recently traded for Nicola Mirotic to start w Boogie out for the rest of the season.
NET Nets Trade Deadline:
Brooklyn Gets:
Milwaukee Bucks 2nd round draft pick + Dante Cunningham + 1 year-long trade exception
Nets lose...
Tyler Zeller, a pickup from last offseason which cost nothing but a roster spot since Zeller made pretty much the league minimum for a veteran.
Commentary: Tyler Zeller was an easy pick-up last offseason, as the ever-changing Eastern Conference Champ Celtics waived him after last season. After starting successfully for Boston in 2015, Zeller was used less and less until last year's scant 525 minutes (behind Horford and Amir Johnson). Perhaps Zeller's biggest problem was he was an "old-school" center who didn't shoot the 3, and was probably not as good a defender as Amir Johnson. While Zeller was zero for six from 3pt his whole career, the Nets system allowed him to shoot at will from deep, and he actually sunk a remarkable 10 out of 26 threes for an aided-by-small-sample-size 38.5%. This perhaps made him more attractive to the playoff-hungry Bucks than he would've otherwise. Thus by opening up Tyler Zeller's game, Atkinson & Marks were able to take a guy who was waived instead of Boston paying $8mm option, pay him $1.7mm gaurantee (w a cheap 2nd yr option for $1.9mm), and then "flip him" for a decent 2nd round draft pick in the top 17 of the 2nd round. Tyler Zeller, his agent, and possibly the Bucks are all very happy with the Nets right now, and Sean Marks earned himself a nice asset for the future as well as some help THIS year from Dante Cunningham at his depleted PF spot, all with the option of possibly signing Cunningham again in the off-season if he proves cheap.
The NEW Brooklyn Nets of 2nd half 2018 season:
PG Spencer Dinwiddie
sG D'Angelo Russell
sF DeMarre Carroll
PF Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
C Jarrett Allen
If Marks could get this team healthy, we think it would pleasantly surprise everyone. Dinwiddie was the lucky outcome of Lin AND Russell going down with injury. We're not sure he's got the head to stay starting PG, but assuming he can keep his new ego in check and distribute the ball, Dinwiddie could be the lucky find of 2018's misfortune. Allen was almost certainly drafted to assume the Center role, but has been in a supporting role due to his EXTREME youth. First he was behind Russian favorite Mozgov, then Tyler Zeller, and then Okafor was obtained and it became unclear if Allen was ever going to get the minutes he needs to acclimate to the NBA. With Okafor clearly being a different kind of center throwback, more ideal for a 2nd unit in today's NBA, the trade of Tyler Zeller has effectively given Allen his minutes to hone and shine from now until May. Meanwhile, D'Angelo is not only back again (currently doing a reserve stint to build his minutes/stamina) but is ideally able to slot back into the wing instead of having to bring the ball up court. Russell isn't much of a distributor, so it's MUCH more preferable for him to be on the recieving end of passes, and Dinwiddie seems to be able to get a nice shot when he's forced to become the main threat on offense-- something he honed this year while everyone was injured. Rondae is having his best year of his very young career, and still won't likely peak for another year or two. Carroll, meanwhile, is one of those glue guys, always seeming to make the right play. His time in Atlanta (w Atkinson) proved he's most valuable when the team is a team and not some superstar's feifdom. Carroll could butt theoretical heads with either D'Angelo or Dinwiddie if the latter two get ball-hoggy, but for the remainder of the season he should create a nice counterweight to those two, while still getting the ball to less dominant player like Jarrett Allen or Hollis-Jefferson. Brookyn's success from here will most likely hinge on D'Angelo using newfound spare energy (thanks to not being PG) to apply to his defense. Russell played some decent defense in college, and he's long enough to do same in the NBA, but he's been the primary scorer since his first day as a rookie, and this has most likely HURT his young abilities rather than refined them. While team #1 has been finally rebuilt to Marks' liking, the upside of team #1 finally getting the playing time they need to gell, is Marks' bench team is just as exciting.
Bench Team "2": (this time in reverse postitional order)
C Jahlil Okafor
PF Dante Cunningham
sF Joe Harris
sG Allen Crabbe (& Nik Stauskas)
PG Caris LeVert
Let's start with Joe Harris. Harris was signed as a gem in the rough, to become a Kyle Korver type deadnuts shooter. Harris has shown this all season, his longball is a breed apart (to borrow an old Merrill Lynch copy). You simply cannot leave the man open and thus is a total PITA (pain in the ass for other defenses) whether coming off the bench or getting a start.
Allen Crabbe and Dante Cunningham are both "two-way" players, who need minutes and confidence. Both have been relegated to the bench everywhere they go, but both could also be starters if they step up their motivation. There's no lack of talent there, and Marks has displayed HIS confidence given how much he was willing to pay for Crabbe. It's really only ATKINSON Crabbe needs to convince, and as we speak Crabbe has been starting over top of D'Angelo due to Russell building up his minutes from his injury break. We'll see where Crabbe is slotted shortly (Russell got > 30 minutes in the double-overtime loss against the Pelicans).
Okafor is a project, as he's VERY young and VERY inexperienced and takes a steady coaching hand to morph into what he'll need to be to remain in the NBA and not end up like former #1 draft pick Anthony Bennett (a high pick bust). We, and perhaps Marks, think Okafor is a potential killer player, IF AND ONLY IF a wily coach can use him properly. This "small ball" stuff doesn't fit Okafor's game. We'd rather not see yet ANOTHER NBA center be subjected to the "shoot the 3 well or you die" ultimatum. Can Atkinson and the Nets be a sanctuary for the "old-school" method of basketball which really hasn't had the chance to defense itself to an all GSW-imitator NBA? We would simply LOVE to see Okafor at LEAST be given a full unit around him on Nets bench to see. We think he's absolutely the right guy to attempt an experiment of old-school vs small-ball basketball, where it's cheap with reserve unit. If it works, AND Allen doesn't pan out somehow or is injured, Okafor's brand of throwback basketball can easily be brought forward again to challenge all the smallballer-me-too traditional-center-naysayers of the modern NBA. Frankly, we're ALREADY tired of all-smallball NBA already. SOMEONE PLEASE PLAY A CENTER THE WAY CENTERS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYED--- PLEASE GOD! Even Embiid is taking too many 3 pointers for our liking, get him a touch in the post Brett F'g Brown!
Caris LeVert has already flashed some superstar-level play with Brooklyn. He was overlooked in the draft thanks to a serious injury, a player we think Sam Hinkie would've picked up in the 2016 draft had he not been fired for the dolty Colangelo. Marks took the risk instead, and drafted LeVert #20 (Denzel Valentine was #14, Malcolm Brogdon was #36) LeVert a higher-than-expected 20th in the first round. LeVert has never had any kind of continuity around him, or a steady role thanks to Atkinson changing his mind with the roster every 5 minutes on top of all the injuries, but we think LeVert would benefit from steady role in the 2nd half and possibly re-emerge as a potential starter in place of the aging Carroll or as replacement for Dinwiddie if Dinwiddie gets too ball-hoggy with all that talent around him. LeVert needs to play his ass-off on the 2nd unit, and be prepared to grab a starting role if/when it becomes available.
Cunningham (in for injured Acy) & Acy are probably the only REAL open roster spot on the Nets at the moment, for this coming offseason, and that's a nice position for Marks who only has the #27 pick (unless Milwaukee loses themselves out of the playoffs in the 2nd half and their current #48 pick rises at least one pick in the 2nd round) to fill a spot. Plus, Marks usually makes his presence felt in the RFA market, and could even possibly bid on a now-scorned Isaiah Thomas. Think about a unit where IT is PG and Okafor is C, hmmmm.
Back to reality, the list of RFAs this year is fun for Marks to disrupt:
Aaron Gordon, PF, Orlando
Clint Capela, C, Houston (not likely with Jarrett Allen & Okafor on roster)
Jabari Parker, sF, Milwaukee (definitely a possibility given Marks' propensity to gamble on the injured, see LeVert)
Zach LaVine, sG, Bulls
Rodney Hood, sF, Cleve
Marcus Smart, sG, Boston
Elfrid Payton, PG, Orlando
Kyle Anderson, F, SAS
There's plenty to pick from, if Marks trades DeMarre or Russell there will be even MORE room for draft-day trades and RFA bid-ups.
Overall, you have to be pumped if you're a Brooklyn Nets fan, of the job Sean Marks is doing, and disappointed with all the injuries over the past two years. Marks is NOT tanking, but unfortunately his teams can't stay healthy enough to really see what they can do. Hopefully in the 2nd half we see a little bit more about what the now EXTREMELY YOUNG Nets can become in the coming years.
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Sources:
Brian Lewis
https://nypost.com/2018/02/08/dante-cunningham-deal-adds-depth-where-nets-need-it-most/
Spotrac: Tyler Zeller
http://www.spotrac.com/nba/milwaukee-bucks/tyler-zeller-10825/
Free Agents 2018 offseason:
http://hoopshype.com/2018/01/11/nba-free-agency-2018-the-top-players/
Player Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cunnida01.html