Nets Starting Five 10/11/13
[box]CBS – Jason Kidd compares AK47 to Lebron James.
Asked on Thursday who Kirilenko, nicknamed “AK-47,” reminds him of, Kidd didn’t hold back his praise for the 11th-year player.
“I mean, LeBron James,” the first-year head coach said, according to ESPN. “And I’m not putting AK in (LeBron’s class in terms of talent), but when you talk about guys who fill up the stat sheet, that’s what he does and that’s what he’s always done.From rebounding to assists, points, steals and blocked shots, he’s done it all. That’s the kind of skill set he brings.”[/box]
[box] Yahoo Sports – Brook Lopez poised for a big year.
Aside from his health, I believe Lopez is bound for a big year this season because of the talent around him. Just think about it — Lopez dominated in the paint last season and shot better than 50 percent from the floor and now has future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to share the court with, not to mention the presence of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson.[/box]
[box] ESPN – Change in Nets Culture
Deron Williams used the word “soft” to describe the 2012-13 Nets. Kidd said their identity was “vanilla.”
No wonder Kidd said it took Garnett and Pierce “a tenth of a second” to make their impact felt.
“You root for the next guy as much as he’s rooting for you. So if a guy’s on the ground, we pick him up,” Garnett told reporters after the game. “We’re creating something. We’re going to keep taking care of each other.”
“He’s so intense,” Williams said of KG. “You kind of have a feeling playing against him [of] how intense he is, but you really don’t know until you’re around him.[/box]
[box] NY DAILYNEWS – Kidd making due without top assistant Lawrence Frank.
“He’s doing everything he’s supposed to be doing for us right now,” Kidd said Thursday in a conference call, as he gave the Nets the day off. “He’s taking care of his personal situation.”
Kidd tried to take the edge off Frank’s situation. When asked what he has missed during his top assistant’s absence since last weekend, he said, “his height.”[/box]
[box] NYPOST – Nets trying to shed “vanilla” label.
Through the first 10 days, at least, it’s clear the makeover of the Nets’ demeanor and attitude — because of the presence of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce — is underway.
It was most clearly on display in Tuesday’s preseason opener in Washington, but the makeover has been ongoing since the hiring of Kidd in June and, more specifically, since Nets general manager Billy King pulled off the blockbuster trade to bring Garnett, Pierce and Jason Terry to Brooklyn on draft night a week later.[/box]