Jeff Finkle

My latest article for @CultureSonar is for anyone who left work in the dark and cold this week with the #seasonal blahs... Warning: You may find yourself singing "When U Were Mine" by #Prince at random times of the day. culturesonar.com/6-instant-mood… #playlist #feelgood #savelodge49

@Os91413Jon @ErikSlater_ Oh, that hurts. hahaha. This one is tough. Nobody should have to watch two years of tanking and with a legit bad team, not just holding back players like the Wizards and Jazz. Is Zaire Chris Morris Part Deux?

@JahFinkle @ErikSlater_ Enjoy Ziaire Jeff 🙄.....

Sean Marks on whether the Nets are more likely to be aggressive on the trade market after falling to the 6th pick: “Hard to tell. I think it’s all about how these guys develop, right? I don’t think you want to make rash decisions before you’ve seen how they look. I think we all know there’s a group in this draft that could be game-changers, but I said could be because you never know... Every draft there’s a guy who people didn’t quite expect to be [that high] if you do the re-draft. So for us, it’ll still be about having patience. But at the end of the day, we’ve got optionality, we’ve maintained flexibility, we’ve got the cap space and assets. So I think the word would be opportunistic.”

@brooklynnets85 Oh yeah, if Acuff can reach Brunson level I'd be thrilled.

@JahFinkle Sign me up for a finals appearance and year after year going to the ECF

Just take Acuff and pray he’s Dame 2.0 / Brunson

@ernestdove Mets gambled on old vets with injury pasts as 1 or 2 year stop gaps, knowing they had this youth movement coming up, so they have to be willing to bring up Ewing if he's ready and sit/ drop Roberts at some point. Also, Mauricio should be given shot at 2nd when he returns

Mets prospect AJ Ewing is 2 for 4 with a 2B, RBI & SB today so far in AAA.

The offensive + intangible leaning scouting community loves Keaton Wagler. The highlight/individual scoring scouting community loves Darius Acuff Jr. The defensive + intangible leaning scouting community loves Kingston Flemings. The analytic community loves Mikel Brown Jr. Pick your flavor.

@GGNYC2013 @AlbaneseLaura They gambles on this stop gap vet lineup because they envisioned homegorwn team. They better be able to drop/ bench Roberts if Ewing shows hes ready soon, and replace Semien or Baty with Mauricio, when he returns

@AlbaneseLaura So glad the boy genius exclusively acquired players with injury histories. If only anyone could have foreseen this coming.

Luis Robert Jr. still hasn't commenced any baseball activities, Carlos Mendoza said. Still no timeline on Jorge Polanco who has "good days and bad days." The wrist is progressing but the bursitis remains a problem.

@LucasKaplan_ The NBA and Nets had one job, to keep my mind off the Mets season, and they failed miserably. Can they trade for some upside Ajay Mitchel types, and get one of these guards who isn't too undersized/ skinny to eventually succeed in playoffs

This outcome was not inevitable. All the Nets needed was a little bit of good fortune to swing --- okay, maybe it was inevitable: netsdaily.com/nets-news/1095…

@BillyReinhardt Nets need to find some AJay Mitchell type of upside players to trade for and somehow draft an exciting guard who won't be exposed as too undersized in future playoff runs

There were three teams who essentially tanked from the onset of each season the past two years — Washington, Utah, and Brooklyn. In the two years: Washington went from 2 -> 6 (Tre Johnson) and 1 -> 1 (AJ Dybantsa). Utah went from 1 -> 5 (Ace Bailey) and 4 -> 2 (Darryn Peterson) Brooklyn went from 6 -> 8 (Egor Dëmin) and 3 -> 6 (Wagler/Flemings/Brown/Acuff etc.). In 2025, their floor was 9. In 2024, their floor was 7. The Nets not landing a top-4 pick in either draft is the worst case scenario for what this two-year tank could’ve brought.

@TheFrankIsola I also think it will be tougher to tarade up from 6-4 this year, then from 4-2. That's how much those top 4 seem to be on another level from the rest of the guards that follow.

No one looks happy. Maybe the audience - and the prospects - thinks it’s a best-of-7 draft lottery.

@ErikSlater_ Nets drafted 3 skinny guards last year. Fans should realize that Acuff, Brown, Flemings, or Burries are all likely better developed players and would start over them this year.

@rondeltafuente @BillyReinhardt In the first half of the year, it did seem like we heard a lot more about Kingstonf Flemings being our best pick if we end up at 5 or 6, and then it switched to Acuff.

@BillyReinhardt Considering our huge stash of picks, can you see an overpay of the 6th pick plus other assets to move up to 4?

The widened pool of options for Brooklyn at #6 probably includes: Keaton Wagler, Kingston Flemings, Mikel Brown Jr., Darius Acuff Jr., Brayden Burries, Nate Ament, Aday Mara, and Karim Lopez with an especially narrowed lens on the first four point guards named.

@rondeltafuente @BillyReinhardt I wonder if inb this specific year, it's easier to trade from 4-2 then 6-4. That's how highly valued and on another level these top 4 guys are.

@BillyReinhardt Wagler, Flemings, Brown, Acuff or Burries all would start over Traore, or even Egor at the point. Whoever we draft beter be able to pass, break a guy off the dribble to get to the hoop or short pull-up Js, and Finish!!

@BillyReinhardt All we heard about for months was the Nets have a 40 something % chance of landing in bottom 4 if they finish bottom 3. But, it never made sense to me that a bottom 3 team has a 26% chance to fall to 6, and a 14% chance to land anywhere else in bottom 4.

Brooklyn gets screwed again, falling from 3 to 6 a year after falling from 6 to 8.

@CoreyBCantor @NetsDaily @BillyReinhardt I don't know how good Keaton Wagler is but he's skinnier than Egor. They needed a real athlete, with strength, scoring and size.

Am I the only person excited for Keaton Wagler or Kingston Flemings? Gotta always be ready to pivot, plus throw the bag at Payton Watson @NetsDaily @BillyReinhardt

@brooklynnets85 I can't believe I had to root for them to lose games for two years. Last year was on the Nets. This year, they were the only team that was legit awful, playing rookies. Bad teams should not be able to fall from their spot 2 years in a row. What logic is that?

Cursed franchise Absolutely devastating

@brooklynnets85 Figuratively biting my nails waiting for this lottery, which should've been last night. This team not only needs a stud to build around and excite fanbase, they need to add young vets with size, athleticism. and, actual muscle, unlike three skinny guards last year.

Would lead to weeks of heated debates on who to take, but I'd sign up for that in a heartbeat

@Ben_Yoel Stearns could've looked smart if he had only boldly made the Nimmo trade, if they believed in Ewing & Benge becomign studs. Now, trading him for a 35-year old instead of showing faith in Mauricio at 2nd baffles me. They should have Pete and Bo, with their owner's pocket.

@Ben_Yoel It's not rocket science. Baseball 101. Fan favorite player who you can pencil in every day & count on for 38 and 115 RBI. His abilities were not going to erode much over his contract. You don't replace a homegrown star vet with other vets with injury histories.

Mets not keeping Pete Alonso never made sense. It was obvious he still had at least 3 more good years in the tank. If that meant dealing with 2 bad years then so be it. You don’t let a franchise cornerstone leave when the contract he ended up getting didn’t exactly break the bank