WEEK’S BEST BET
Hail to the Football Team.
through that before,” he said. “So, I just kind of take it day by day. I know what type of guys we are. I know all of us guys know what type of players we are. And at the end of the day, it’s a business so you can’t really pay attention to that. You’d be doing yourself a disfavor.”
Prince’s priority remains on putting in the work and getting better this offseason. He just wants his number to be called, and be given the opportunity to help win games.
“That is the thing about me, man, is that I just want to be on the floor. I really don’t mind if it is the three or the four. I feel like I can help win ball games at either position,” he said. “So it is just whatever is best for the team and like you said with the new faces coming in, guys just need to buy in and do what they do best. And I think if we do that and stick to our principles and whatever we want to scheme up going into games, I think it’s just all about execution and guys buying in.”
GREEN JOINS FOLD
The Nets addressed a key need this offseason, signing veteran forward Jeff Green.
Green’s resume included NBA Finals experience as LeBron James’ teammate on the the 2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers. That team, however, was swept out of the NBA Finals by Durant’s Golden State Warriors.
Green and Durant played together in Seattle and in Oklahoma City as members of the SuperSonics and the Thunder. His most recent stop included a trip to Houston, where he played alongside Harden and Russell Westbrook. He also played under Nets assistant coach Mike D’Antoni, when D’Antoni ran the show in Houston last season. Green also played with DeAndre Jordan on the Clippers in 2015.
So, the signing does make sense.
Green plays the four, an area of emphasis for the Nets this offseason. He is a reliable three-point shooter (35% for the Rockets last season) and a versatile defender at age 34. He also spent time as a small-ball five playing the center for the three-point crazed Rockets. With D’Antoni on head coach Steve Nash’s staff, expect Green to play a similar, hybrid, four-five role in Brooklyn.
“Throughout my career, no matter how many teams I’ve played with, I’ve always been somebody who’s going to be versatile,” Green said, “whether it’s bringing the ball up the floor, posting, playing on the perimeter, guarding 1 through 5, I’ve done it my whole career. Playing the 5, it’s not really playing the position, it’s going out there and fulfilling a spot on the floor and try to find open spots to knock down shots and create opportunities for my teammates.”