Thank you everyone who submitted questions for our weekly mailbag! We've selected four of them for our Starting Five to tip-off the week with. As always, if you'd like to put forth your own opinions feel free to do so in the comments section below.
1) Do you think that the Nets will keep Teletovic around?
Malcolm: I don't see why not. He's streaky and his shot has been way off lately – since that game against Dallas where he scored 34 points, he's 14 for his last 47 on three point attempts (29.8%). He's always been an up-and-down player in Brooklyn, but this year he's showing signs of improvement beyond his shooting. His defense, while still not great, is slowly getting better and so is his rebounding. He's shown a little bit of versatility in his offense, occasionally putting the ball on the floor and sometimes even posting up. I still think Mirza can be a solid stretch 4 if he just continues to work on being a more well-rounded player. He's signed through next season, so he's not going anywhere unless the team cuts or trades him. He makes $3.1 million this year and will make $3.2 million next season, so it's not like he's a burden on the salary cap (which doesn't matter to Mikhail Prokhorov anyway). I'm not sure what lies ahead for him beyond the 2014-15 season, but for now he's here to stay.
Sam: The acquisition of Marcus Thornton makes Teletovic far more dispensable. Teletovic has absolutely improved this season, but the question of whether he is in the Nets' future plans remains to be seen. You can never have enough shooters in this league, but if the right deal is offered for him, or you can combine Teletovic and others for a far superior player or picks, the Nets have to be open to deal him. Let's not forget that Teletovic was very unhappy with his playing time earlier this year and if Thrornton plays well he could take away Teletovic's minutes.
Kyle: After this year, Mirza Teletovic has one more guaranteed year on his contract for $3.3 million. After that, he has a one-year qualifying offer for $4.2 million which would make it very easy for the Nets to retain him for that year if they wished to. Mirza is a streaky shooter, so I doubt he'd ever garner much in a trade, and with how much he wanted to play for the Nets after coming over from Bosnia in the summer of 2012, I bet he remains a Brooklyn Net until at least the end of his contract.
Ed: Mirza has another year worth $3.1M left on his contract after this season is over, and that makes him a trade asset next season. Do I think the Nets need to attempt to keep him? Absolutely. But I'm going to say this: even though I'm a big Mirza fan, I would not be opposed to the Nets testing his market on the trading block. There are teams that are interested in Teletovic's services, and the San Antonio Spurs are the team that has always been most interested in him. I think if they can bring in pieces to make the team better, they should think about trading him when he's an expiring contract next season. I do believe they should keep him, though. You look at the team as it is right now and you don't see any pure three point shooters. Mirza is alone there. He's shooting around 39% from deep this year, and that's second on the team behind Joe Johnson. That makes him important to the Nets, who struggle as a team behind the three point line. If they can't make the team better than they are by trading Mirza, they need to keep him.
Ali: I don't see why they would not try. He's improved tremendously this season and has proven that he is able to play in the biggest of big leagues. His salary isn't even that high, and even if it was it doesn't look like Mikhail Prokhorov really cares, so it would not be a problem to resign him after his two years are up. Whether they keep him or not depends on how the next two seasons go, but if he plays like he did this season or better moving forward, I can definitely see the Nets working with him to keep Mirza a Brooklyn Net.
2) Will the Nets have a realistic chance to sign Kevin Durant in 2016?
Malcolm: Maybe. When wooing a free agent, there are four main factors that go into influencing a player's choice: money, the quality of the team, who he'll be playing with, and location of the home city. The Nets have nobody signed through the 2016-17 season aside from Deron Williams, so the money will almost certainly be there and with a virtually empty roster, I think the Nets would even allow Durant to recruit people to join him in Brooklyn. New York City is perhaps the most exciting city on the planet, so I can't imagine that being a problem, either. The biggest factor here is if the Nets will be a good team in 2016. Durant, famously, is tired of being second banana to LeBron James. His goal, obviously, is to win championships. Unless Brooklyn can start winning and being recognized as a title contender within the next two years, I don't know that Durant would want to be a part of the organization – especially if he has a better chance at a title in Oklahoma City. Simply put: the Nets need to get way better if they want a shot at the Slim Reaper.
Sam: In 2016 the Nets will be free of most of their terrible contracts. They will have more cap space than most teams and thus could easily offer Durant or other big time free agents max-money. Durant is now represented by Shawn Carter a.k.a. Jay Z, who as we all know used to partially own the Nets. I suspect the Nets to go hard after Durant and I expect Durant to have mutual interest due to his desire to play in a big market as well as his choice of Jay Z as an agent. If Durant wants to become a global icon and not just a superstar NBA player he needs to go to a big market. I think Durant will be interested in the Nets, should the Nets surround themselves with the right players.
Kyle: I think the chance of Kevin Durant coming to Brooklyn in the summer of 2016 is minuscule. The way I see it, Durant seems to enjoy playing in Oklahoma City, and this situation is almost the polar opposite than LeBron's situation. Unlike LeBron's Cavaliers, Durant's Thunder are actually good enough to win an NBA Championship. Ultimately, I think he stays in OKC, but hey, 2016 is a long time away and things can change.
Ed: If the Nets have a chance to bring Durant in, it's a very small chance. I don't see any reason for him to come to a Brooklyn team being run by a point guard in his thirties with ankle issues. Oklahoma City is a championship contender every season, and I think Durant would be stupid to leave (unless the Thunder give away another asset like they did with James Harden). I don't care about all o the small market/big market stuff. There is still loyalty among the players, even if it seems like there isn't. If OKC suddenly falls off and becomes a bad team, maybe Durant leaves. I don't see that happening while he's there next to Westbrook and Ibaka. The only chance the Nets have in 2016, when Deron Williams is the only player under contract, is if Prokhorov digs DEEP in his pockets and goes on a spending spree that tops the Nets' current $190M roster.
Ali: To me, the only way I see it possibly happening is if the Brooklyn Nets go deep into the playoffs the next two seasons and the Oklahoma City Thunder fail to win a championship the next two seasons. The only reasons Durant would want to leave the Thunder is if he feels he can win a championship elsewhere, and if he enjoys playing in a bigger market. Honestly I don't see Durant as the type of guy to leave just to take more money. If the Nets show that they are the opposite of the New Jersey Nets and can prove that they are a team worth considering, they may have a shot. But there's a long way to go before 2016, and a lot can happen.
3) Who do you think the Nets should use the injured player exception they got for Brook Lopez on?
3) Who do you think the Nets should use the injured player exception they got for Brook Lopez on?
Malcolm: The Nets have two open roster spots right now. To be, their two biggest needs are a rebounding, defending big and depth at the point guard spot. This team is the second-worst rebounding team in the league and beyond Deron Williams and Shaun Livingston, their only point man is Marquis Teague. That's not good. What I would like to see Brooklyn do is sign one free agent and call up one of their D League talents before somebody else does – they've already missed their chance with Adonis Thomas and the Springfield Armor's roster is front-loaded with top talent, so they could see any one of their best guys get plucked by another team without notice. If they go with a free agent big and a D League guard, the obvious choices are Glen Davis and Darius Johnson-Odom. If they go with a free agent guard and a D League big, I'd have to say I'd want them to target Jamaal Tinsley and Willie Reed.
Sam: The Nets should have used their disabled player exception on Jordan Hill. The Nets are desperately in need for a big who can rebound and block shots. Hill was the perfect option. Besides Hill, the Nets could look at players such as Jason Collins or Big Baby Davis.
Kyle: Right now, the Nets are looking at two players (Glen Davis and Jason Collins) to possibly use the DPE that expires on March 15. My first choice would be Davis, but if he ultimately chooses to play for Doc Rivers and the Clippers, then the Nets will turn somewhere else, possibly back to Collins. I don't think Collins is a good player, so I wouldn't want him, not even on a 10-day contract. After that, the pickings are very few for free agent big men, with names such as Johan Petro, Earl Barron, and Ivan Johnson. So, my first choice would be Davis, but the Nets can't let it expire if they don't get him.
Ed: It had to be Jordan Hill... Man... But now that he's out of the picture, I think they need to give "Showtime" Willie Reed the call up. He recently had a 20/20 game in the D-League, and I think that warrants a 10-day contract on its own. Especially for a team that simply can't rebound the ball. They need to add some athleticism, rebounding, and shot blocking to the team, and I think Willie Reed is the best option for that. Other options being mentioned, like Jason Collins, add just one or two things to the team. Willie Reed adds MULTIPLE things. A guy who can score the ball, fly through the air, rebound, and send shots back to where they came from deserves a chance on a team that has trouble rebounding and protecting the rim. #CallWillieUp
Ali: I was hoping they would be able to use it on Jordan Hill, but the Lakers were supposedly asking for picks that Billy King did not want to give up. Given the available options, if the Nets really were to use it, I'd have them sign Glen Davis. Jason Collins, in all honesty, it's not a great basketball player and probably won't help the Nets as much as they'd like, if even at all. They are looking at a big man for the most part, and if they take a look into their D-League stash, they can find a couple of players such as Willie Reed that they could call up. That would leave them with the ability to use the DPE on a player that isn't a big man, giving them a much broader multitude of choices.
4) Would it be a good move to bring in Glen Davis?
Malcolm: I think so, yes, especially when the alternative they're looking at is Jason Collins. It's great that he came out as gay, but the things is that he just can't play. With career averages of 3.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes, I'm not sure why people seem to think that he would be a solution. The Nets' main problem in their frontcourt is that they're old, slow and can't rebound. Collins is a walking example of all three of these issues. Big Baby is not exactly a bruiser on the glass, but he's definitely a better rebounder than 35-year-old Jason Collins. He's younger by seven years and, over the last two seasons, averages 7.9 rebounds per 36 minutes. Not terrific, but there's no denying he's a big body under the rim, which is really what Brooklyn needs. If he joins the Nets, I can see Davis starting and the Nets rolling with a starting five of Williams - Johnson - Pierce - Davis - Garnett. Not only does this give the Nets more size, it allows Pierce to play his natural position and puts Livingston on the bench, where he would be a leader and a level head in a second unit that often looks sloppy and disorganized.
Sam: Bringing in Big Baby Davis would have incredible results. First, chemistry wise, Big Baby is a team player who ignites the crowd and his team with tremendous energy. Also, it is necessary to note his close relationship with both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. On the court Davis would bring more toughness to the Nets as well as an aggressive and ruthless rebounder. Moreover, he can provide some easy interior scoring that the Nets so desperately need.
Kyle: I think it'd be a great move to bring in Glen Davis. Davis brings playoff experience to the Nets, and having previously played with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce would help him get acclimated to the team. Davis, although undersized, would be another big for a Nets team in dire need of one, and, if he's used properly, I think he'd be a good addition.
Ali: While I like him in the sense that he can provide a big body down low, he's not as a great as everyone thinks he could (keeping back-up center in mind). Yes, he's averaging about 12 points and 6 rebounds per game, but he's doing so with a rebounding percentage that's close to Brook Lopez's. Given the small number of choices the Nets have in terms of signing a player, I think Glen Davis is their best option (outside of the D-League). He's played with Garnett and Pierce before, he's experienced the playoffs, and most importantly, he's a big body the Nets could place around the paint.
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