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Analysis

Brooklyn Nets Trade Talk: Play Or Go Away? - The Bench

Well, as of this writing, the NBA is in the middle of their long awaited and celebrated All-Star break. While the rest of the NBA is having fun, there has been some rumblings of Brooklyn Nets trade talk. It is amazing sometimes that a rumor could be taken seriously, considering that it is less than a week from the NBA trade deadline and the Nets STILL - all together now…

DON’T HAVE A GENERAL MANAGER!

But there are some scenarios out there. One that has come up in the last week linked the Nets to the Atlanta Hawks. It is reported that Brooklyn called about the availability of Al Horford and Jeff Teague. Again, this is a small rumor and with no GM in place, it is hard to say what is legitimate or not. Stick with Brooklyn’s Finest for continuing coverage of this situation.

At this point, until the Brooklyn Nets come up with a final decision for a GM, it is unlikely that they can make a move at this point. Mikhail Prokhorov has made it clear that the candidate will be screened thoroughly and there is no deadline on the decision. Going into this week, there are three candidates left for the job which has been covered extensively on Brooklyn’s Finest.

But sometimes, people can’t wait. Basketball ball fans want analysis. They want what if’s.

Well Brooklyn’s Finest is here to fill in the gap. With the Nets sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with no chance of the playoffs or long-term development plans, let’s take a journey through the Barclays Center locker room (in our minds) and make the theoretical decisions on every player on the roster. I mean we are never wrong, right? We are going to play our own version of Russian Roulette. It is called…

Play or Go Away!

Our first round of Play or Go Away!, was backcourt driven. We took a look at Jarrett Jack, Donald Sloan, Shane Larkin, and Joe Johnson. Now we are going to delve deeper into a place far darker than anyone on the cast of Star Trek has ever gone before… the Brooklyn Nets bench. Bring your flashlights and protective gear. It could get ugly.

Wayne Ellington: Go Away! I mean it… PLEASE GO AWAY!

Oops! I’m starting to ramble here. Wayne Ellington was the perfect example of what happens when players are signed on the cheap ($1.5 million) to fill a squad with their own agenda. We need to be clear here when it is understood why Billy King let Alan Anderson go and brought Ellington in. Ellington was supposed (saying this very loosely here) to be the sharpshooter to come in off the bench and provide spacing on the floor. He’s provided space all right… for the opposing two guards. He plays next to no defense and his jump shot has been a joke. Sure, he got hot a couple of games this year, most notably in Miami, but literally a couple of games this year. As in two.

This is a cautionary tale for teams who are trying to get under the salary cap with players with one foot in the NBA and one in China. Sometimes these type of players are strictly trying to play and get their numbers. I accused Jarrett Jack of doing it. I think almost EVERYBODY in Nets nation is accusing Wayne Ellington of doing it. Only I think the Nets nation have more evidence than I do. Only Jack won’t be back, more than likely Ellington will playing the role Sergey Karasev is this year.

Speaking of Sergey Karasev…

Sergey Karasev: I hear your father calling! He wants you to Go Away!

Let’s see here. You are a player. You are so far down on the bench that you need NBA League Pass to watch the game. You have to show proof that you are actually on the team. You are Sergey Karasev at this point. Instead of working hard in practice and moving up the depth chart, instead of working with the coaches to get better, instead of working on you defense…

This what you do.

You get your father to go to SovSport, a Russian sports publication to speak out on the fact that you want to be traded. Then he blasts Lionel Hollins and quotes that the team is in “total disarray”.

Okay maybe the elder Karasev was right, BUT WHO CARES! This ain’t little league!

Listen, we all at times have issues at the job (I did then I joined Brooklyn’s Finest! Let the sun shine in!) but what grown man let’s his daddy do the talking for him. Then spills the beans on your plans going forward.

How embarrassing it must have been to walk into the arena that a Russian owns and try to explain what his father meant when he called the team slightly dysfunctional.

Truth be told, Sergey Karasev was a fringe NBA player at best when he got into the league. When he suffered that knee injury, let’s face it, his chance ended.

Then his daddy ended his chances of playing for the Nets again.

Andrea Bargnani: Go Away! …But he’s going to stay and play.

Remember that cautionary tale about Wayne Ellington? This doesn’t apply here. I mean you have to be a little selfish to be in the Wayne Ellington category. Remember the Karasev issue? Doesn’t apply here either. This is just a young guy that is frustrated. He did a horrible job of handling it, but it shows he cares somewhat.

Bargnani is a different story.

If the Lionel Hollins hiring didn’t get Billy King fired, this signing should have.

This player has been in the league for years and, by my estimate, he has actually played well for about six months if you piece his NBA career together (maybe).

Here’s what’s worse, get used to him. Why? Because he has a player option. The Nets don’t want him (I hope!) and no other team will pick up the phone to trade for him no matter who Brooklyn hires for the GM job. Who in their right mind or spirit would want this guy? A guy who spells defense with a “C”? A guy who hasn’t gotten a rebound in six weeks? Oh by the way, he fires up jumpers (you know if he goes to the basket there might be contact… Bargnani doesn’t like that!) like there Is no tomorrow.

Unfortunately for the Brooklyn Nets and their fans, there is a tomorrow… a whole bunch. Through 2016.

This concludes part II of the Brooklyn’s Finest series, Play or Go Away! Stay tuned for the rest of the roster over the next coming days.