Brooklyn Boro

Struggling Nets finally catch a ‘break’

Humbling Loss to Grizzlies Fitting End to Brutal First Half for Brooklyn

February 11, 2016 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Joe Johnson (center with towel draped over his head) saw his NBA-high streak of 937 games with at least one field goal made end in Wednesday’s 109-90 loss to Memphis at Downtown’s Barclays Center. AP photo
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The Brooklyn Nets have a lot going on these days.

They are in the midst of an intense interviewing process to find their new general manager, who in turn will be responsible for hiring the sixth head coach of the franchise’s Brooklyn era.

They will officially open their brand new $50 million practice facility in Sunset Park next Wednesday, leaving behind the final traces of their New Jersey roots in East Rutherford.

And second-year swingman Bojan Bogdanovic will represent Brooklyn during All-Star Weekend in Toronto, participating in Saturday’s Rising Stars Challenge.

But when it comes to the all-important on-the-court product, the Nets (14-40) remain a non-factor in the Eastern Conference playoff race, and will likely spend the final 28 games of this tumultuous and disappointing fourth season in our fair borough playing out the string.

As they did Wednesday night in a humbling yet predictable 109-90 loss to the visiting Memphis Grizzlies in front of 14,262 fans at Downtown’s Barclays Center.

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who was treated to a rousing 105-104 victory over Denver here Monday night, didn’t bother to stick around for the fourth quarter of his team’s latest no-show performance.

Two nights after Joe Johnson stunned the Nuggets with a miraculous buzzer-beater, the veteran sharpshooter went scoreless in 23 minutes Wednesday, ending his NBA-high streak of 937 games with at least one field goal.

“Defensively we were out of sync. Offensively we weren’t moving the ball and that was the result,” said Johnson, who may find himself in another locale come next week as the league’s trade deadline approaches.

That is, if anyone still has any interest in a 34-year-old who is owed approximately $8 million for the remainder of the campaign.

Prokhorov headed for the exits at the conclusion of a third quarter that saw the Nets get outscored 39-18, turning Brooklyn’s five-point halftime deficit into a 26-point abyss.

“We’ve finished our first round of homework, now we’re onto our second — the short list,” Prokhorov told ESPN.com regarding his ongoing GM search, which should be over by the time the Nets crack the seal on their lavish Hospital for Special Surgery Training Center on 39th Street Wednesday afternoon.

“We didn’t come out ready to play in the third quarter,” interim Nets head coach Tony Brown admitted. “They got on a run early and we had nothing to combat it.”

That decisive run, a 20-5 burst to begin the second half, has become the norm for a Brooklyn team that lacks leadership both on and off the court these days.

Until Prokhorov and his management team can put together an effective, and stable, coach/GM combination, the Nets will continue to be roadkill for playoff-bound squads like the Grizzlies (31-22).

Fortunately for Brooklyn players, they will receive a much-needed nine-day break before returning to the hardwood on Feb. 19 when they host the East River rival Knicks at Barclays.

“I know for me especially, I’m looking forward to [the break],” ceded Johnson. “I don’t know what’s going to happen after this. We’ll see.”

After putting together three straight playoff seasons following their arrival here, the Nets’ “We’ll see” approach these days is not exactly building excitement on the corners of Atlantic and Flatbush avenues as the franchise ranks 27th in the league in home attendance.

We’ll see what happens next.

Nothing But Net: Brook Lopez, who is enjoying an All-Star worthy campaign, though he wasn’t selected to be in Toronto this weekend, led Brooklyn with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting against Memphis … Johnson’s streak of consecutive games with at least one made field goal was the eighth-longest in NBA history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. “That’s sad; he’s a great pro, but obviously it wasn’t his best night,” Brown said of Johnson, who finished 0-for-3 from the floor. “We were trying to do some things to start the third and get him some opportunities, but he came up short. Unfortunately, I hate to be the one to break that, but I wish I could’ve gotten him some more touches.” … Prokhorov is scheduled to attend Wednesday’s Sunset Park presser, along with several Nets players. It’s hard to imagine Brooklyn not having a new GM in place by then, since the facility’s opening coincides with the eve of the Feb. 18 NBA trade deadline.

 

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