Hey everyone. There are a few things I want to announce regarding From Russia with Dunk.

First, we now have a twitter account dedicated exclusively to From Russia with Dunk. You can follow it at http://twitter.com/frwdfansided.

Second, I’ve set up an e-mail account for From Russia with Dunk. If you have any comments, tips, or just want to write for us (not joking), shoot us an e-mail at fromrussiawithdunk@gmail.com

Finally, I promise more posts in the future. I have a few ideas to keep me going for a while until this lockout ends. We also will probably get some lockout news soon.

Until then just sit back and relax, until you realize we may not have an NBA season.

First off, let me apologize for that lack of posts. I’ve been rather busy the last week between packing and vacation. Then again, it’s tough to write about the Nets during a lockout when there is very little going on in terms of news. There are going to be some changes in how the site is run soon, but for now the only thing I can do is talk about the last nine days.

- Kris Humphires and Kim Kardashian got married! Congrats to the both of them! For more coverage on that you can go to literally anywhere on the internet.

- HoopsWorld editor Steven Kyler wrote a piece about the Free Agent class of 2012 and adressed the situation by saying “there is a truth to the situation in New Jersey that no one wants to admit: Deron Williams is likely gone in 2012.” Kyler offers no facts to back up his claim, but does manage to misspell Mickael Prokhorov.

- The Nets and YES have worked out an agreement to extend YES’s rights to televise Nets games to 2031-32. The Nets will receive $20 million a year for this deal, just about doubling what they made per year off television rights before.

- Bojan Bogdanovic is playing pretty well right now, having just had two straight 16 point performances. That said, he’s having trouble hitting three pointers.

- Jordan Williams tweeted “Thinkin bout takin the overseas route…I need ta hoop!! Lol” Impossible to tell how serious he is, but the fact that he tweeted expresses interest. Also relevant, Marshon Brooks has said he does not intend to head overseas.

- And finally the Nets announced their preseason schedule. They have home dates against the Knicks (Oct. 18), 76ers (Oct. 20), and Celtics (Oct. 24). They also play against the Knicks and Celtics on the road, and have a game scheduled against the 76ers in Trenton. Too bad none of these games will be played.

Big changes coming soon. I promise. Here’s a picture of Clyde Drexler

These are two photos of the Barclays Center that were uploaded on facebook in the last three days. The first is an overall shot of how the arena is coming together and the second is a simple shot of the side.

First things first, it’s fantastic to see the arena coming together this quickly. There shouldn’t be any doubt that this arena will be ready for the start of the 2012 season (assuming it happens). The overall photo shows that a lot of the base has been built, and they’re starting to put the roof together. The second photo shows that construction on the exterior has begun, and we’re going to soon see what this thing will actually look like from the outside.

I’m pretty excited about this arena. The Nets needed an arena and a change of location DESPERATELY. It seems as though the Barclays Center will be cool to look at. Now we just need to hope the designers didn’t screw up the functionality.

PS: Here’s a link to an article on Grantland about the construction of New Meadowlands Stadium, New Yankee Stadium, and Citi Field. http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6851333/the-architecture-disaster

I'm not making a joke

By now you have no doubt heard that Jordan Farmar has signed to play with Israeli basketball team Maccabi Tel Aviv. Rather then simply do a post about the impact the move has (none) I figured I’ll posted about Tel Aviv the same way I posted about Beşiktaş. I also have officially run out of ideas for posts.

What year did Tel Aviv join the Israeli basketball league? They joined in 1954, the same year the Israeli basketball league began play. The Tel Aviv basketball club has been in existence since 1932.

Where does Tel Aviv play their games? They play their games at the Yad Eliyahu Arena, also known as the Nokia Arena. It is the largest arena in Israel with a capacity of 11,700. The arena opened in 1963, but has gone through two renovations since then.

Is this team any good? Good would be an understatement. Tel Aviv has dominated the Israel basketball league since it’s inception in 1954 (they won the championship that year). They’ve won 49 championships, including 23 titles in a row between 1970 and 1992. Tel Aviv have also won 5 European championships.

Is there anyone on Tel Aviv that I might have heard of? Tel Aviv actually has a pretty well known roster.  Jeremy Pargo played for Gonzaga and won the WCC player of the year award in 2008. Shawn James was a really good shot blocker for Duquesne, had five triple doubles during his career, and got shot in the foot while on the Duquesne campus. Jon Scheyer had a very storied career for Duke, winning a national championship and being selected as an All American. Tel Aviv also has some famous alumni, including Tom Chambers, Anthony Parker, and Omri Casspi.

It's like stepping into a time machine

Because we have run out actual news stories to discus we must now begin to talk about pure hypotheticals. We all knew this day was coming, but the lockout has made it tough to find actual news about the New Jersey Nets.

I personally have never been to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum but I am sure that some of our readers have, and if they they are like almost anyone who has ever wrote about the Nassau Coliseum they thought it was a pile of crap. Indeed, it should come as no surprise that the nearly 40 year old venue that has been home to one of the most struggling franchises in the National Hockey League is considered to be one of the worst professional venues in the country. The venue is so bad that the New York Islanders are incredibly likely to leave the stadium once their lease expires in 2015.

In a last ditch attempt to get the money for renovations, and possibly keep the Islanders in Long Island, a referendum was voted upon Monday by Nassau County. Unsurprisingly, the referendum failed with 57% voting no. The reasons for failure are two-fold. The economy is tough and no one wants to hear the words “tax increase” in any context and no one cares about the Islanders. Regardless, this leaves the Islanders as a franchise looking for a new possible home. This is where the Barclays Center comes in.

Many have labeled the Barclays Center as a possible destination for Islanders, and a move to Brooklyn makes some sense for the team. The Nassau Coliseum is likely to remain terrible, so this may be the only opportunity the Islanders have to play in an improved facility in the New York area. However, this an undertaking that is very far into the future. Neither side has publicly expressed an interest in this deal, but Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark confirmed in a statement that the arena can support a professional hockey team (albeit at a smaller capacity than basketball).

For the time being though the “Islanders to the Barclays Center” plan is still a 100% hypothetical situation. The Islanders will likely look to explore options outside of the New York area, and in all honesty I think that’s probably the best bet. However, if the ownership is truly dedicated to staying in New York, than the Barclays Center may be the place to go.

Of course, none of this changes the fact that no one cares about the Islanders.

Not a Newcastle United supporters logo

Welcome to part one of our (hopefully) one part feature, Better Know a Turkish Basketball Team! As you are probably aware, Deron Williams is taking his talents to Istanbul. However, you probably are very uninformed about Beşiktaş, the team Williams will be playing for. Fortunately, we here at From Russia with Dunk are more than happy to provide you with a little guide about the only Turkish basketball team you will probably ever care about.

(All info per Wikipedia)

What year did Beşiktaş join the Turkish Basketball League? 1933

Where does Beşiktaş play their games? They play at the BJK Akatlar Arena, which is located in Istanbul. It has a capacity of 3,200 for basketball. It also has six tennis courts, the largest bowling club in Turkey, and a buffet for spectators. Incubus once played there too.

Is this team any good?  Beşiktaş is a mid level team in the Turkish league. They finished 6th out of 15 teams last year, qualifying them for the playoffs. Unfortunately, they were knocked out in the first round.

Does Beşiktaş have any history to it? Beşiktaş has a long history being good, but rarely great. They have only once been relegated to the bottom of the Turkish basketball league during their long history. That said, the club has only won one championship. They have been runners up six times though, the most recent coming during the 2005 season. They were also the Turkish cup runners up last season.

Is there anyone on Beşiktaş that I might have heard of? No one other than Deron WIlliams. There are a few notable people that have played for them though, including Allen Iverson, Lonny Baxter (UMD 2002 national championship), and Jo Jo English (the dude who fought Derek Harper).

That pretty much sums up the team. I can’t provide much in terms of how to watch there games, but I might make an effort to catch one or two of their games. Turkish basketball is better than no basketball.

He's kinda good (credit:thesportsbank.net)

All hail Tyler The Creator Marshon Brooks! Seriously though, Brooks looked very impressive Tuesday night during a NYC tournament game. He dropped 48 points, had five rebounds, and had an assist. Obviously that’s very good. Brooks was is supposed to be a scorer and certainly did so Tuesday. The biggest positive was that he frequently created his own shot, a valuable skill in the league. There are some reasons not to get super excited just yet though. Brooks had five turnovers, and he also cooled down toward the end of the game. However, the biggest reason not to get too excited is that this is a NYC summer game. Brooks did not play against NBA level talent (ok, Jamario Moon) and it will be a loooong time before we see Brooks drop 48 in a Nets uniform. Still, this is a performance that inspires hope. Brooks will never be Kobe Bryant (despite what Kobe sign guys says) but he can be a very productive off the bench scoring player, a big success considering the quality of the last draft.

In the span of 24 hours both Sasha Vujacic and Deron Williams agreed to deals to play with Turkish teams. It’s pretty damn embarrassing. Williams leaving is nothing surprising,  the story broke about a week ago, but it wasn’t official until he sent out a tweet yesterday saying he signed a deal with Turkish club Besiktas. He also tweeted a picture of his signature for good measure. The Vujacic news is a little more surprising. He is going to play with Anadolu Efes Istanbul, as reported by the offical Euroleague site. I’ve already talked about Deron Williams in length, but as you can guess this does more harm than good. As for Vujacic, he is so utterly unlikeable that I’m happy to not have to think about him anymore. I’d obviously rather have him be with the team than not be with the team, but he is far from a key player. This lockout is awful. Thank goodness I have spotify.

As you are probably aware, the NBA is the middle of a lockout and there does not appear to be any end in sight. I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on the issue, and you shouldn’t expect solutions on the leagues’ problems here. It is a subject that has been done to death by people much more qualified on the issue. What you can expect from this site is how everything relates to the Nets. Today I want to focus on a few people involved with the team, and how the lockout is impacting their futures.

The biggest issue facing the Nets in the lockout is one we already talked about, Deron Williams leaving for Turkey. Williams re-signing with the Nets is absolutely critical to making the Nets into a contender. He is a true franchise player, the type of player the type of player the Nets don’t usually get. A lost season prevents the Nets from showing why he should stay in New Jersey/Brooklyn and opens the door to his immediate departure.

Kris Humphries’s future with the Nets is also impacted by the lockout. Humphries was scheduled to be a free agent this summer, but will not be able to sign a contract as long as the lockout is in place. Both the Nets and Humphries expressed interest in staying together, but with the lockout neither side will have the opportunity to work towards an agreement. I would like for Humphries’s remain on the Nets, depending on the contract details. Fortunately for me, smaller contracts are likely to be a hallmark of whatever cap situation emerges from this mess of a work stoppage.

While all of the Nets draft picks are effected by the lockout, second round pick Jordan Williams faces more uncertainty than his fellow rookie Marshon Brooks. While I’ve expressed some doubt about his NBA ability, others are much more enamored by his ability. It’s understandable, the dude can rebound, but it may be moot point with the lockout. No NBA means no summer league, the biggest opportunity second round picks have to prove their worth. Without a summer league, Williams may not get a chance to show what he can do and will be forced to take his talents to Europe.

In spite of being a billionaire, the man who has the most to lose from this lockout is the big Russian himself, Mikhail Prokhorov. It’s hard to imagine him buying the Nets a little over a year ago and being complacent with a missed season in his second year. Prokhorov promised bring changes to this franchise and turn them into permanent contenders. A lost season would derail those plans. This is Prokhorov’s chance to become proactive in changes not only for the Nets, but the entire league. He is an NBA majority owner and absolutely has a say in the proceedings that will unfold in the coming months. Prokhorov can also work with his team to make sure that the Nets are in a good position once a deal is in place. There are a lot of questions, and Prokhorov can not wait around to have them answered for him. He needs to become more involved with the Nets and the league, or else his multimillion dollar investment in a basketball franchise may prove to be a bad one.

Apologies for the lack of lockout coverage on this site. I’m still taking the time to do research before posting anything with an opinion. If I’m going put something on this page, I’m making sure it’s right. However, this news blurb has some across that’s impossible to ignore. According to Jeff Schwartz, Deron Williams agent, Williams has a deal in place to play for Turkish club Besiktas if the lockout continues. If the name Besiktas sounds familiar, it’s because they’re the same club that signed Allen Iverson for a brief time. They’re also close to signing Zaza Pachulia.

It is highly unlikely that we have seen the last of players exploring the possibility of heading overseas. What makes this specific case notable is that Williams is the highest profile star to come this close to making a deal. This is not to suggest that every single superstar will play in Europe, but don’t be surprised to see a few names pop up. 2nd round draft picks and UDFA’s are also pretty good bets to play abroad due to the lack of a summer league. The NBA has already stated that it will not prevent players from playing overseas.  The action to play overseas during a work stoppage is actually an option unique to basketball. Basketball has become so popular around the globe that quality leagues exist across the world and would love to add NBA players to their roster (don’t tell me about the MLS. It’s become a better league, but it’s not a top tier league).

This move is also going to impact the Nets relationship with Deron Williams. Williams has one year left on his contract before he can become a free agent. With the chances of the Nets resigning Williams already dicey, the prospect of having Williams going to to Turkey isn’t comforting. Playing in Europe presents Williams another option, one the Nets would rather do without. In reality, this move put the pressure on Mikhail Prokhorov. He bought the New Jersey Nets to build them into a contender. Letting Deron Williams slip away will only move the team in the opposite direction. Now, there is still plenty of time to salvage this situation, but the front office must now begin to think fast. The Nets gave up a lot for Williams, his departure to another team would leave them with nothing.