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Avery Johnson On Mavs, Deron Williams, Brooklyn

September 4th, 2012 at 6:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nets coach Avery Johnson was direct in his assessment of the Mavs' retooling following their championship a little more than a year ago, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. The former Mavs coach and player said simply, "It had to happen." The Mavs' retooling would have taken on quite a different look had Deron Williams signed with Dallas instead of returning to the Nets, but Johnson is glad to have kept his star point guard, as his more expansive comments about the Nets indicate. Johnson was in Fort Worth, Texas, today to deliver a motivational speech to area high schoolers, and when not at the podium, he spoke about the Williams re-signing and the other flashy moves the Nets have made in advance of their Brooklyn debut.

On his feelings before Williams spurned the Mavs and re-upped with the Nets:

“We were never over-confident. (GM) Billy King and I, we felt we were going to be able to re-sign Deron. We felt it was 80 or 90 percent. But it was that 10 percent that you worry about. That was the whole key. I’m glad that’s all behind us.’’

About the importance of the Williams signing:

“Deron was a big key to the whole puzzle. To be able to acquire some other talent through free agency or trades or re-signing some of our own guys, it’s pretty exciting for us. We’re not there yet. We’re not a championship team. We got a lot of work to do. But at the same time, we have a much better talent pool than we’ve had the last two years."

On the move from New Jersey to Brooklyn:

“We’ve been planning this for two years. We’ve always had our eyes on Brooklyn. We pretty much played the last two years all road games because we didn’t have any type of home court advantage because we were in a temporary building. Now to be at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn with sellouts every night, and our roster has been significantly upgraded, it’s exciting.’’

About the new roster and his plans for it:

“We’re much more versatile than we’ve ever been. Right now, we look good on paper. Now we got to take it from looking good on paper and apply the work to go (forward).’’

Cuban: Mavs In Better Position Without D-Will

August 21st, 2012 at 10:48am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Mavericks made a handful of smart, low-cost moves to fill out their 2012/13 roster and maintain flexibility going forward, the team was still widely considered one of the offseason's "losers," having missed out on top target Deron Williams. However, owner Mark Cuban, appearing on the Ben and Skin Show in Dallas, suggested he feels the Mavs are in better position having failed to sign Williams than they would have been with him (link via the Dallas Morning News).

"In hindsight, I don’t know if I would have been happy," Cuban said of signing D-Will to a max-salary deal. "I think we’re in better position now then we would’ve been if we’d gotten him…. I don’t want to pick on Deron Williams because he’s a great, great, great, great player, so it’s not necessarily him, per se. Obviously the decision was to go for him. But the conversation was, 'OK, once you take $17.1MM in salary to what we have with Dirk [Nowitzki] and [Shawn Marion], then what do you do?' That’s your squad. And it’s not just your squad for this year, it’s your squad for next year, other than the $3.3MM mini mid-level."

Since deciding not to re-sign Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea last December, breaking up the squad that beat the Heat for the title in 2011, Cuban has repeatedly talked about adjusting to the new CBA, including the benefits of maintaing cap flexibility and avoiding expensive, long-term contracts. While it's easy to view his comments on Williams as spin, it's true that committing big money to D-Will would have prevented Dallas from making many other moves to complement its stars.

Cuban added that the Mavs' potential inability to make more moves after landing Williams likely influenced the point guard's decision to remain in Brooklyn: "Everybody talks about Dirk’s window, but not only would it have been difficult to add players, it also would have been difficult to trade players. In reality, that was the same problem that Deron had. Because he looked and saw the same thing and said, ‘Now what are you going to do?’"

Deron Williams Talks Olympics, Barclays, Season

August 17th, 2012 at 7:40pm CST by Daniel Seco

Nets.com writer Ben Couch had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Deron Williams upon the All-Star guard's return to Brooklyn after the Olympics. The two-time Olympic gold winner admitted his latest medal hasn't really left his neck since receiving it on Sunday. Here are a few highlights from the conversation:

On what it feels like to win a second gold medal during the Olympics:

It means a lot. I think it's really special to be an Olympian, to have that honor just to be an Olympian. But to win two Gold Medals is a great accomplishment — there's only eight people that have done that as far as basketball is concerned. I definitely feel honored to have had the opportunity.

On how he developed a relationship with the many talented players on the roster as a point guard:

It's a little bit of both: it's easier, just because you have so many weapons and you know it can come from anywhere on any given night. But for the most part, you don't play like you do during the season; you kind of have to adapt and adjust, and that takes some getting used to. But I think it's fun, and I think we enjoyed it.

On his perceptions of the Barclays Center and his level of excitement to play there:

I'll be surprised if it's open in a month, from looking at it. I kept messing with them: 'You guys got a lot of work to do in the next 43 days.' We'll see, but I went a week before I left (for the Olympics) — so about six weeks ago — and the changes from then to now, you definitely can see them. And I went a couple of months before that, and it didn't look anything like it does now, then. So they're definitley making progress. They're working on it 24-7, they've got the scoreboard up. I went and saw my suite, where my family's going to sit during games. So that was cool.

On the moves the Nets made during the offseason and how he thinks the team will fare in 2012/13:

I thought we made great moves. I think we'll put a great team out there. It should be an exciting team. Only time will tell how good we can be, once we get into training camp and see how we mesh and jell.

Nets Re-Sign Deron Williams

July 10th, 2012 at 11:55pm CST by Michael Pina

11:55pm: Williams announced via Twitter that he has officially signed his contract to remain with the Nets.

JULY 10TH, 11:47pm: Williams' contract will include an early termination option after the fourth year, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein. The point guard is currently finalizing his deal in Las Vegas, says Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).

New York Notes: Chandler, Williams, Brooks

July 10th, 2012 at 9:22pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Knicks and Nets have been busy this offseason as each respective team has positioned itself for a prolonged playoff run next season thanks to key additions and re-signings. While the Knicks are close to completing their spending spree, the Nets remain in the mix for Dwight Howard, whose talents have been tied to the Lakers, Rockets and Hawks. Here's the latest news and headlines out of New York City…

Atlantic Notes: Allen, Celtics, Williams, Brand

July 6th, 2012 at 10:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this evening, Celtics fans were disappointed to learn that sharpshooter Ray Allen has opted to leave the C's for the Heat. The shooting guard turned down what was reportedly a two-year, $12MM offer to stay in Boston in favor of a three-year deal worth just over $9MM.

Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes that the loss of Allen is effectively a double-whammy for the C's as they cannot easily turn around and sign a similar player to offset the loss. This is because the Celtics only have the bi-annual exception available to lure a player in. Boston may also bring back swingman Mickael Pietrus, but for now it would seem that they'll have to bank on quality production and perimter shooting from Jason Terry to fill the gap. Here's more out of the Atlantic..

Jason Kidd Discusses D-Will, Mavs, Future

July 4th, 2012 at 4:42pm CST by Luke Adams

There were rumors as free agency approached that Deron Williams and Jason Kidd might come as a "package deal," with Kidd signing wherever D-Will ended up. It doesn't appear that will happen, but Kidd suggested to Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com that it was a real possibility. He also discussed Williams' decision and attempted to explain the star point guard's thought process. Here are a few highlights from the discussion….

Kennedy On Paul, Williams, Beasley, Ebanks

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:27pm CST by Michael Pina

Despite turning down a three-year, $60MM offer from the Clippers when free agency started, Chris Paul is acting like someone who plans on staying in Los Angeles for a long time, writes Hoopsworld.com reporter Alex Kennedy. Paul has been working the phones and setting up face to face meetings with free agents, selling them on joining him for a chance at winning multiple championships. Paul is eligible after the 2012/13 season to sign a five-year, $110MM contract should the Clippers offer it.

Nine Assured Of Team USA Spot; Odom Withdraws

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:41am CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 11:41am: Blake Griffin is expected to take Chris Bosh's spot on the U.S. roster, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. As Goodman adds in a second tweet, that would leave five players competing for the final two spots.

Deron Williams Rumors: Tuesday

July 3rd, 2012 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

Deron Williams has met with both the Nets and the Mavericks, and a report last night suggested he's expected to come to a decision today or tomorrow. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com tweeted that the Nets wouldn't have been so aggressive in their pursuit of Joe Johnson if they weren't confident Williams would re-sign, but nothing is official yet. While we wait for D-Will's decision, here's the latest on his free agency: