Nets: Frankly, team is losing control
Sunday, March 11, 2007
BY DAVE D'ALESSANDRO
Star-Ledger Staff
NJ.com
SAN ANTONIO -- They're not only losing games now, they're also losing their tempers, their professional decorum, and a measure of respect that the league's referees might have had for them.
Perhaps it was only a matter of time before the Nets erupted in an adolescent fit of pique over the long, futile exertion that has become their season, but when your coach and point guard spend the night taking turns tossing colorful metaphors at the officiating crew, it's getting near the time to put the balls away.
The Nets lost their fifth straight game last night -- an indignity matched only by the fact that they have fallen behind the Knicks in the Eastern Conference standings -- but Jason Kidd and Lawrence Frank weren't around to see some of it, as both were shown the door in the third quarter of their 93-77 defeat against the rampaging Spurs at the AT&T Center.
And while both said they didn't get their money's worth, that was irrelevant. The more pertinent fact is that they now feel like everyone's ganging up on them -- even officials Tony Brothers and Ken Mauer -- and that they are delusional enough to think that they deserve the same respect that, say, the three-time champion Spurs might get in their own building.
"Obviously," said Frank, "we didn't see eye-to-eye with the officials."
One hopes that was the case, or he had better start working on his people skills.
"I don't have any history with any official," Kidd said. "I thought I had a good argument but unfortunately he felt otherwise."
Actually, the Nets had five somewhat related arguments in the last 4:23 of the third period -- all of them converted by Michael Finley at the foul line, which turned an interesting game into a 16-point rout.
The Nets were in the game seven minutes into the third quarter, trailing 52-44, when Kidd challenged Tim Duncan (17 points, 13 boards) by going hard to the rim with a lefty scoop that missed badly. As Kidd crash landed, Frank jumped up and followed Brothers up the sideline as the teams jogged back in transition. Brothers heard one of the magic words and slapped Frank with his first technical.
"We never blame the game on referees, and you just feel like you want to have the benefit of a foul," said Frank, whose team took only 13 free throws to the Spurs' 30. "There's always going to be a difference of opinion, and that was obviously the case."
After Finley converted the first freebie, the Nets forced a turnover, but Kidd wasn't satisfied. He brought up the previous play to Brothers, who slapped Kidd with his first technical at 4:17. Finley converted to make a 54-44 game.
"The thing I don't understand is why Jason doesn't get the respect like other superstar players in the league," Boki Nachbar said. "It doesn't surprise me to see that he's frustrated. ...I'm not saying every time he drives he has to get a foul call. But if it's a 50-50 situation, and it happens three or four times in a row and he doesn't get one call? That's not fair."
The dialogue continued, this time from a distance. As Kidd prepared to inbound, Brothers -- from halfcourt -- picked up another snarky remark from the Nets point guard and ran him out of the game.
"I was down the court," Kidd said. "(Brothers) wanted to make the call and he made it. He was the star tonight."
Frank rushed toward Brothers in protest, and the ref admonished him to back off as another Finley foul shot made it 55-44.
Marcus Williams took over for Kidd, and rallied his team to within 57-50, but the game got away, so Frank plotted his own exit strategy. But first, the Spurs scored on three straight trips, the last one a Fabricio Oberto putback in which he shoved Mikki Moore with 2.5 seconds left. Moore claims he didn't say a word to Brothers, but the ref was eavesdropping on his conversation with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. That was Tech No. 4.
"I went over to talk to Pop, I said, 'How much y'all paying him tonight?'" Moore said. "Hey, I didn't cuss (Brothers). And I wasn't talking to him. I was talking to Pop. So I gave him respect."
He also gave Finley another free throw, which stretched the Spurs' lead to 65-52. The buzzer sounded, and Frank was still fuming as he assembled his assistant coaches. Something he said got crew chief Mauer's ear, and Mauer told Frank to get out of the Alamo.
"I didn't cuss or anything like that," Frank said. "I was a little surprised to get thrown out. It was about how the game was going. He obviously took exception to it and threw me out."
The Nets basically shut up and started playing after that, with Bill Cartwright taking over the hot seat. A brief rally got the deficit to seven, before a Duncan stickback and a Manu Ginobili 3 rebuild the Spurs' lead back to double digits.
Dave D'Alessandro may be reached at [email protected]
© 2007 The Star Ledger
© 2007 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.
So that's what that conversation was about. Pretty funny."I went over to talk to Pop, I said, 'How much y'all paying him tonight?'" Moore said. "Hey, I didn't cuss (Brothers). And I wasn't talking to him. I was talking to Pop. So I gave him respect."
Obviously we paid them enough to get the Net's goat. I don't wanna hear any more of how the Spurs are cheap. We spend money where it really counts on the W/L column.
The Nets have some good players, but they're just not a very good team. I don't like thier future, either, unless they do some serious payroll dumping this summer. They are paying two older players (Kidd 34 and Carter 30) a TON of money, and they are also stuck in a Matrix-like situation: paying a SF, who is at best a 3rd option, a ton of money. He's the "young one" of the trio at almost 27.
Probably the best piece they have is Boone. If they get a miracle and Carter walks this summer, and they can trade Kidd for some ending contracts and young guard or wing talent, they'll be alright in a few years. I think they'll have to offload Jefferson in the next year or two also, while he still has some value and cachet around the league. The injury history will probably scare teams away though.
vc is going to leave with a sign and trade
and they should trade kidd for young talent
The Nets just aint what they used to be. Although VC is still a crybaby and JK is looking old.
Perhaps Boki needs to go back and look up the definition of "superstar." Whatever it is, Kidd isn't it anymore.
wow, half of those appear to be very cheap t's. brothers is one of the poorest excuses for a referee in the nba...i'd say he rivals violet palmer. he just appeared to be bad against the nets than he was the spurs, but he still managed to call some strange against timmy and the boys as well.
krystic, boone, marcus is there future about now...
the rest should be traded, includin that clown jefferson who was expose at the greece olympics after signin that extention
No one played well on the US Olympic Team in 04, Timmy included
Two things:
1) I don't get this idea that "respect" means that you should get calls you're not en led to. That's "respect" in the Mafia sense of the word.
2) They replayed the Kidd no-call several times from a great camera angle. Kidd had nothing to complain about. He was not fouled. He basically flopped. He launched himself into space and came down hard because he didn't get contact.
I agree that these are signs of a meltdown of a team in progress.
You know what? They laid out the rules before the season, and have been pretty consistant. If you argue the call while going back down the floor, you are GOING to get a 'T', no exceptions. If you do it again, you're gone. Spurs got a few early in the year, and then realized that the refs weren't playing, but that they would listen to you during the next clock stoppage. Nets haven't made that discovery, I guess.
And that's their leader, no wonder they suck."I was down the court," Kidd said. "(Brothers) wanted to make the call and he made it. He was the star tonight."
1. You're hearing it from the perspective of the Nets. You're not going to hear the fact Kidd told him he was a ing idiot, etc.
2. You are giving Kidd and Franks a free pass. Kidd made his point. He got the first technical for it. After that you have to shut up and play ball. If you decide to be a again and mouth off again, you shouldn't be surprised when the ref rings you up again.
And to top it all off, on the play that Kidd was ing about, he wasn't fouled at all. They showed the replay from three different angles and in every single one there was no foul. But I guess seeings chump ass Jason Kidd blew a point blank layup, with him being the greatest player ever and all, it had to be a foul
I kept laughing how on Sportscenter and NBA Fastbreak they kept saying that Parker "slapped" Kidd and there was no call. I couldn't see where the contact was but from all the angles they showed the alleged "slap" never happened.
And to top it all off, on the play that Kidd was ing about, he wasn't fouled at all. They showed the replay from three different angles and in every single one there was no foul. But I guess seeings chump ass Jason Kidd blew a point blank layup, with him being the greatest player ever and all, it had to be a foul
The main point should be that non of Kidd's teammates pulled him away or got in between him and the ref. They all just seemed to join in and relish the nobody respects us role.
They need to watch Detroit. Have Rip and Billups at the refs while teammates try to take Sheed as far away as possible.
How much is Mikki Moore paying Rod Thorn to stay in the league?
He's having a nice year - 9 and 5, while shooting 62 or 63%.
The Nets had their run at the le for 2 years and it has been all downhill since. Kidd is older not what he was and is owed a load of money. They will try and deal him in the offseason. Carter can opt out and probably will do so in the offseason and may be headed to the Magic. They are going to be in Brooklyn in a few years and that may hurt them in attracting free agents.
See, I can't be bothered to research for a cheap shot!
He's having a nice year - 9 and 5, while shooting 62 or 63%.
You know we've entered a dearth of big men in the NBA when 9 and 5 is considered solid.
He's having a nice year - 9 and 5, while shooting 62 or 63%.
Just consider that for a second.
Buford couldn't afford paying the ref. He's too darn cheap.
As I said during the game, he's going to be the Spurs' next FA signee.
He's having a nice year - 9 and 5, while shooting 62 or 63%.
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