Yardbarker: Darrell Armstrong

The 1990's All Magic Team

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:33:09 -0500

G: Nick Anderson G: Penny Hardaway F: Dennis Scott F: Horace Grant C: Shaquille O'Neal And off the bench ... Scott Skiles Rony Seikaly Darrell Armstrong Donald Royal Not much depth because their best players actually stuck around. Shows how valuable the Florida tax break is. Hey, why do you think Shaq has played for both teams in the state?

Gift wrapped for Brooklyn: The 2008-2009 New Jersey Nets

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:43:35 -0500

I have always been resistant to change.

Even if I knew it was coming a mile away.

Last February, I got the opportunity to see the Nets at their best for what turned out to be their last time together against a major opponent.

And with the trade deadline looming, there were already some notable changes on their roster as the Nets shipped forward/center Jason Collins to Memphis for underachieving forward Stromile Swift. A few days later, team captain Jason Kidd followed suit when New Jersey sent him back to the very team that drafted him (Dallas Mavericks) for Devin Harris and other players.

Change was coming.

I just didn't know how fast.

Nets Team President Rod Thorn and the rest of the Nets brain trust have been very busy this off-season. Having traded away their franchise's second all-time leading scorer—Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks for China's Yi Jianlian and underachieving forward Bobby Simmons.

The Nets also did very well for themselves in the 2008 NBA Draft after they bagged Stanford's 7'0'' center Brook Lopez at #10, 6'10'' forward Ryan Anderson at #21, and arguably the steal of the draft at #40—Memphis scoring guard-forward Chris "CDR" Douglas-Roberts.

Rod Thorn didn't stop there as he also allowed forward Bostjan "Boki" Nachbar to sign with a Russian team and sent guard Marcus Williams to the Golden State Warriors for a future lottery-protected 1st round pick.

With that said, the only Nets left from last season's roster are Darrell Armstrong, Josh Boone, Nenad Krstic, Sean Williams, Vincent Lamar Carter and his $61.8 million dollar extension. Of those five players, only Boone, Williams, and Carter are certain to make the final roster.

The New Jersey Nets have certainly positioned themselves well for the unrestricted free agent boon of 2010 that will feature the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr., Steve Nash, Joe Johnson, Walter Ray Allen, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Manu Ginobili, Tracy McGrady, and for what it's worth, Shaquille O'Neal. This list can further increase if players who hold Early Termination Options (ETO) in their existing contracts decide to exercise them. They are Amare Stoudemire, Michael Redd, Tyson Chandler, Richard Jefferson, Yao Ming, and Dirk Nowitzki.

If the Nets don't land LeBron James in 2010.

They are not short on alternatives from the wealth of talent on that list.

Kudos to the Nets brain trust on their foresight.

Brooklyn may not only be getting a team two years from now.

But a solid contender.

Addendum:

- DeSagana Diop and the Dallas Mavericks agreed on a five-year, $31 million deal (the team's full midlevel exception) last July 9, 2008. It will be Diop's second stint with the Mavericks after being a part of the Jason Kidd-Devin Harris deal six months earlier

- What exactly did the Nets get in the Marcus Williams deal? Fred Kerber of nypost.com shares that "if the Warriors are in the playoffs in 2011, the Nets get their first round pick. So it's lottery-protected in 2011.

He adds "if the Nets are still waiting for the pick in 2012, they get G. State's first rounder, as long as it's not 1-through 11. If they're still waiting in 2013, they get the first rounder as long as it's not 1-through-10. But 2013 is the cutoff. If they haven't gotten the pick by then they get two second rounders, in 2013 and 2015."

Sounds as shady as Marcus Camby being dealt for a 2nd round pick, if you know what I mean.

- Lastly, at the age of 40, guard Darrell Armstrong won't be back with the Nets for the upcoming 2008-2009 NBA season.

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Now playing: Jack Johnson - Never Know
via FoxyTunes

Gift wrapped for Brooklyn: The 2008-2009 New Jersey Nets

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:14:49 -0500

I have always been resistant to change. Even if I knew it was coming a mile away. Last February, I got the opportunity to see the Nets at their best for what turned out to be their last time together against a major opponent. And with the trade deadline looming, there were already some notable changes on their roster as the Nets shipped forward/center Jason Collins to Memphis for underachieving forward Stromile Swift. A few days later, team captain Jason Kidd followed suit when New Jersey sent him back to the very team that drafted him (Dallas Mavericks) for Devin Harris and other players. Change was coming. I just didn't know how fast. Nets Team President Rod Thorn and the rest of the Nets brain trust have been very busy this off-season. Having traded away their franchise's second all-time leading scorer—Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks for China's Yi Jianlian and underachieving forward Bobby Simmons. The Nets also did very well for themselves in the 2008 NBA Draft after they bagged Stanford's 7'0'' center Brook Lopez at #10, 6'10'' forward Ryan Anderson at #21, and arguably the steal of the draft at #40—Memphis scoring guard-forward Chris "CDR" Douglas-Roberts. Rod Thorn didn't stop there as he also allowed forward Bostjan "Boki" Nachbar to sign with a Russian team and sent guard Marcus Williams to the Golden State Warriors for a future lottery-protected 1st round pick. With that said, the only Nets left from last season's roster are Darrell Armstrong, Josh Boone, Nenad Krstic, Sean Williams, Vincent Lamar Carter and his $61.8 million dollar extension. Of those five players, only Boone, Williams, and Carter are certain to make the final roster. The New Jersey Nets have certainly positioned themselves well for the unrestricted free agent boon of 2010 that will feature the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr., Steve Nash, Joe Johnson, Walter Ray Allen, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Manu Ginobili, Tracy McGrady, and for what it's worth, Shaquille O'Neal. This list can further increase if players who hold Early Termination Options (ETO) in their existing contracts decide to exercise them. They are Amare Stoudemire, Michael Redd, Tyson Chandler, Richard Jefferson, Yao Ming, and Dirk Nowitzki. If the Nets don't land LeBron James in 2010. They are not short on alternatives from the wealth of talent on that list. Kudos to the Nets brain trust on their foresight. Brooklyn may not only be getting a team two years from now. But a solid contender. Addendum: - DeSagana Diop and the Dallas Mavericks agreed on a five-year, $31 million deal (the team's full midlevel exception) last July 9, 2008. It will be Diop's second stint with the Mavericks after being a part of the Jason Kidd-Devin Harris deal six months earlier - What exactly did the Nets get in the Marcus Williams deal? Fred Kerber of nypost.com shares that "if the Warriors are in the playoffs in 2011, the Nets get their first round pick. So it's lottery-protected in 2011. He adds "if the Nets are still waiting for the pick in 2012, they get G. State's first rounder, as long as it's not 1-through 11. If they're still waiting in 2013, they get the first rounder as long as it's not 1-through-10. But 2013 is the cutoff. If they haven't gotten the pick by then they get two second rounders, in 2013 and 2015." Sounds as shady as Marcus Camby being dealt for a 2nd round pick, if you know what I mean. - Lastly, at the age of 40, guard Darrell Armstrong won't be back with the Nets for the upcoming 2008-2009 NBA season.

The New Jersey Nets and Major League the Movie.....Eerily Similar

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:02:47 -0500

I can see the similarities between the Nets and the Indians, can you?

With Wesley cut, how many players born in the 1970's are still playing in the NBA?

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 07:35:40 -0500

With veteran guard David Wesley being waived by the New Jersey Nets this past Thursday, this question came to my mind. How many players born in the 1970's are still playing in the NBA?It is a question that would probably have the utmost relevance to those born in that decade (present company included). How many of our generation are left? I mean, it happened to the players born in the 1960's as only the Rockets' Dikembe Mutombo (1966) (who is playing in his 14th and final season in the NBA), journeyman guard Darrell Armstrong of the Nets (1968), and Clippers point guard Sam "I Am" Cassell (1969) remain of that fabled age group. NBA players born in the 1970's (170 of 450 players) are now the minority (37.77%) as the rest of their contemporaries birth years ends with 8-0. And lets not even get to the 90's, who are on the verge of knocking on the NBA's door in the next two to three years. Next question: Who is the youngest player in the NBA? Answer: Kevin Durant (9/29/88) who leads four players born in 1988 (with the other three being 76ers' guard Thaddeus Young (June), injured Kings center Spencer Hawes (April), and fellow Yardbarker Greg Oden (January)). Below is a breakdown of the players who meet this criterion in the Atlantic Division: Darrell Armstrong 6/22/68 Nets David Wesley 11/14/70 Nets (Waived) Kevin Ollie 12/27/72 76ers Jason Kidd 3/23/73 Nets Malik Rose 11/23/74 Knicks Scot Pollard 2/12/75 Celtics Maceo Baston 5/29/75 Raptors Anthony Parker 6/19/75 Raptors Walter Ray Allen 7/20/75 Celtics Jerome James 11/17/75 Knicks Andre Miller 3/19/76 76ers Calvin Booth 5/7/76 76ers Kevin Garnett 5/19/76 Celtics Rasho Nesterovic 5/30/76 Raptors James Posey 1/13/77 Celtics Vincent Lamar Carter 1/26/77 Nets Stephon Marbury 2/20/77 Knicks Paul Pierce 10/13/77 Celtics Jorge Garbajosa 12/19/77 Raptors Brian Scalabrine 3/18/78 Celtics Eddie House 5/14/78 Celtics Jamal Magloire 5/21/78 Nets Malik Allen 6/27/78 Nets Juan Dixon 10/9/78 Raptors Jason Collins 12/2/78 Nets Fred Jones 3/11/79 Knicks The other divisions will follow in the next few days.

'06-'07 Previews: Indiana Pacers

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 23:28:51 -0500

This is a part of my series of articles previewing all 30 teams in the NBA. The Pacers have two big goals this season: the first is returning to the playoffs. That one looks to be a bit of a tossup because of the improvement of some other teams in the conference. Their second goal has to do with public image. That one, well... may be a bit harder to work out. The Pacers have the talent to be a "middle-of-the-road" team. They aren't as good as the top teams in the East, but they aren't with the bottom-feeders. They have real talent, guys like Jermaine O'Neal and Al Harrington, but they will need other players to step up. Jamaal Tinsley is not the answer at PG. He's the polar opposite of a consistent poing guard. Stephen Jackson is a walking question mark, both on and off the court, and Danny Granger is talented but young and still learning the game in the league. I think this team is prime for a drop... hard into the cellar of the league. The talent is there, but so is the major distraction. They'll be the black sheep of the league for the eniter league, or at least until someone else does something stupid.