Troy Murphy was the only Nets player not at practice Monday. The official line is he was sick. No details, but all wish him a speedy recovery.
With the specter of the possibility of the Carmelo Anthony trade overshadowing everything, the Nets went through practice with seven of the eight players who have been discussed as heading for new zip codes.
“They responded well. I had a good long talk with them before practice. We pretty much have been hearing rumors since I took over,” Avery Johnson said. “It’s a different guy every day. Every time, we’re supposedly getting close to something. I told them until we call them up and tell them something happened, we got to get better. We weren’t very good our last two games.”
Talks are continuing between the Nets and Nuggets in the quest for Anthony as Denver tries to restructure the deal’s framework. Denver looking to dump more salary – namely Al Harrington or Renaldo Balkman or both – and looking to obtain an additional draft pick.
Johnson spoke to the team collectively. He said it was the second time this season he has done so.
“They received it pretty well,” he said.
Johnson said he can’t spend too much time addressing every trade fire and rumor that erupts. At some point, he’d like to focus solely on the business of basketball.
“For me, this is my message for ownership: What I want is for us to get back to playing some really good defense combined with some offense,” Johnson said. “Like I shared with the guys, tomorrow there’s going to be a new rumor. It’s going to get worse probably around the trade deadline.”
If this should carry on to the Feb. 24 deadline, figure four beat reporters will be either looking into the exciting world of supermarket cashier or drinking bleach.
“After the season is over there’s going to be rumors about all of us, probably me included,” Johnson said. “I just told them if there are any updates on anything I need to share with them I promise them they’ll get a phone call for me, but I can’t call them every day.”
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Anthony practiced in Denver and was said to be in a good mood. He told Fanhouse.com he was “waiting to see” owner Josh Kroenke and GM Masai Ujiri.
“I’m pretty sure they’re working on whatever they’re working on right now. … I’m just patiently waiting until they get back so I have a sitdown with them,” Anthony said.
Asked if he would sign an extension to play with the Nets – an absolute unequivocal must for Nets management – he said, “I really don’t know.”
Anthony told The Associated Press he does not think a trade is imminent. He also said he regrets that teammate and Denver native Chauncey Billups’ name has come up in reports of a three-team deal involving Detroit.
“That’s just my feeling,” Anthony said, according to Fanhouse.com. “I don’t think so. I don’t want to elaborate on that anymore. That’s just my own personal feeling.”
Then he gave what on the surface is heavy sarcasm (hard to tell from reading, not hearing) about the Knicks.
“New York is playing well right now. I don’t think they’re looking at me,” Anthony said. “They wouldn’t want me to come in there and mess what they have up.”
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Right now, the main concern is to get the team ready to play the Suns on Wednesday night in Phoenix if the blockbuster deal is not completed.
“Everybody on the plane,” Johnson said. “The main thing when and if we decide to make a trade we’ll announce it. We don’t have anything to announce except this is our team and this is who we’re taking to Phoenix.”
None of the Nets seen as part of the deal spoke. That would be Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, Anthony Morrow (who is rehabbing a hamstring), Quinton Ross, Stephen Graham, Ben Uzoh, Johan Petro and Murphy.
The main pieces for the Nets are Anthony and Billups from Denver and Rip Hamilton from Detroit.
Hamilton did participate in the Pistons’ shootaround Monday with the team playing the Bulls later.
Billups missed Nuggets practice because of a headache, according to Yahoo. Probably the same illness Murphy had.
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Here’s some observations from two of the six Nets who would remain. Kris Humphries was asked if all this were weighing on the team.
“I’d like to say no but if it weighs on one or two guys, I think it’s weighing on the team so maybe so. But for us we’ve got a job to do,” Humphries said.
From Jordan Farmar: “It is a tough aspect of the game, not knowing where you or your family may be the next day.”
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The head coach has different dreams than most. He was asked if he dreamed of coaching Anthony.
“No,” he said. “What I dream about, really honest to God truth, I dream about our center getting 10 rebounds. I dream about us having a game where we get 25 plus assists in back-to-back games. That’s the kind of stuff I dream about right now. I dream about when we’re wide, wide open we make our shots.”