If we learned anything at Media Day this year, it\u2019s that the Brooklyn Nets aren\u2019t very good at golf. When Julius Randle hit the links with Mikel Brown Jr. and few other Nets youngsters this summer, he came to that realization quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThird hole in, they were trying to take their shirts off, and it\u2019s just like, they didn\u2019t understand golf etiquette,\u201d Randle said. \u201cMikel broke a club, a driver, on one of the holes. So I learned really fast that I\u2019m dealing with kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShirtless golfing? Julius said that?,\u201d Brown Jr. later remarked. \u201cI\u2019m going to talk to him. Don\u2019t worry about it. That is not true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, we broke a couple of clubs just, because we got stronger this summer,\u201d a grinning Egor D\u00ebmin later said. \u201cThe swing is not getting better. Yeah, it\u2019s just been kind of a struggle over there, but good thing it\u2019s not what we do. Good thing for us and for others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, that\u2019s not the sport D\u00ebmin and his teammates specialize in. That would be basketball. Unlike golf, it\u2019s fast, more focused on physicality, and about the team rather than the individual. That\u2019s exactly how this year\u2019s interview and photoshoot extravaganza was today as well.<\/p>\n
Health & Team Building Tendencies<\/p>\n
Sean Marks and Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez were first to address reporters at HSS Training Center. They didn\u2019t waste time giving up the biggest news of the day, reporting early on that Brown Jr. rolled his ankle last week. Marks said he\u2019d need to be \u201cramped up\u201d in training camp but that they \u201cdon\u2019t expect him to miss considerable time.\u201d He also said Nolan Traor\u00e9, who had his knee scoped this summer, would also need to ramp up, but is good to go by all other accounts. Grant Nelson, who also had a minor knee issues over the summer, is a \u201cfull go,\u201d according to Marks. Nelson in fact has been seen scrimmaging with teammates in videos posted on social media in recent days.<\/p>\n
\u201cPhysically, those guys are ready for camp,\u201d he said. \u201cNolan will be ramped up a little bit through camp, but I don\u2019t see him missing any days. Grant, same way. Grant is full go now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy knee is completely fine now,\u201d Traor\u00e9, who also weighed in 10 pounds heavier and an inch taller than he did last year, later said. \u201cI\u2019m fully here, so there\u2019s no concern.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once they got that out of the way, Marks and Fern\u00e1ndez continued to echo what we\u2019ve heard from them in the past handful of months: they value flexibility and look forward to continuing this rebuild project.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s exciting that we\u2019ve been able to add this youth to this team, watch these guys develop,\u201d Marks said. \u201cI think we\u2019ve always said over the course of the last couple of years, it\u2019s like we\u2019re looking for the next Nets. Who are those guys? So we have a training camp and another year to figure this out as we build.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked what the team needs to do warrant an \u201call-in,\u201d aggressive move that elevates the roster, Marks mentioned the developmental pace of those players and how that coincides with the free agent or trade market.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be on how these guys develop, whether it\u2019s Egor, whether it\u2019s Nolan, or whether it\u2019s Julius,\u201d he said. \u201cIt runs the gamut, right across the whole lot of them. Who can take that next step? But then, it\u2019s also a combination of what becomes available. I can\u2019t predict when players from other teams become available, what free agency looks like down the road, and so forth. I think that\u2019s where you just keep your flexibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re always listening. I\u2019m not sure we\u2019re going to be any more active than we have been in the past, but it doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re not listening. It doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re not shaking trees and seeing what\u2019s out there, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
MPJ\u2019s Contract Situation<\/p>\n
Whether or not Michael Porter Jr. will be a part of that long term plan remains to be seen. The forward coming off his best campaign as a pro is on the last year of his contract. Expectedly, Marks declined to comment on extension negotiations, only stating that they\u2019re ongoing and in no rush to end them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll leave the negotiations internal,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s obviously between the Nets, Mike and his agent, but I think they\u2019re ongoing. The dialogue is ongoing, I think. But again, we are in no hurry to do this. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s in any particular hurry either.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marks later added that to in order commit to Porter Jr. as a long term piece, he\u2019d like to see him round out his game a bit more by widening his skillset on the court while being a mentor off of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for us, we\u2019re looking for consistency from him,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re looking for him to take another step on the defensive end of it, and rebounding of it. Just become more of a complete player on the court. The other one is the intangibles, right? That\u2019s important for us in the locker room. This goes for all the guys, specifically the guys who are a little bit older, who have seen it, been around a little bit, what\u2019s their leadership look like? Mike knows that. We\u2019re expecting big things from not only him, but Mo [Wagner], Keon [Ellis] and Julius, the guys we brought in who have seen other environments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might sound strange, but it\u2019s literally not on my mind at all,\u201d Porter Jr said of the contract situation. \u201cI hired a great agent (Mark Bartelstein) and I know him and Sean, they\u2019ve been speaking, but for me, I\u2019m just excited to play basketball. I never was a dude who played basketball for a big contract or for the money. So for me, I\u2019m just excited to play with these guys, be in Brooklyn, and build this organization as one of the leaders. I\u2019ve voiced that I would love to be in Brooklyn and that I\u2019m enjoying playing with these guys, and I think we\u2019ll be a lot better this year, obviously.\u201d<\/p>\n
Porter Jr. also said he\u2019s excited to play with Randle, viewing him as someone who\u2019ll be able to open things up for him and vice versa in return. He also praised D\u00ebmin for his work in the gym, as well as Brown Jr.\u2019s maturity.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s super dedicated to his craft,\u201d Porter Jr. said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel like he\u2019s a rookie when he\u2019s in the locker room, when he\u2019s on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n
MPJ also mentioned that he wants to be the best off-the-ball player in the NBA this year. He wants the team to set high expectations for themselves, even if they\u2019re well beyond what appears within their reach, and even they takes them beyond our atmosphere.<\/p>\n