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#Ben Simmons, Joe Harris, Seth Curry

“Ben Simmons, Joe Harris, Seth Curry”

The Nets have devolved into a trainwreck, and some have begun pleading for the team to switch tracks.

A team with championship aspirations is 6-9. The 153 (!) points they surrendered to the Kings (!) on Tuesday was a franchise-worst for a regulation game. The plan built around Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving is not working. The pieces around those stars — most notably a purported alleged fellow star in Ben Simmons — have come up much too short.

There is a large segment of the fan base that — three years and just one playoff series victory after signing Durant and Irving — is in favor of blowing up this experiment. Or, returning to the previous metaphor, hitting the brakes on attempting to contend and trading trains for tanks. The Nets are not winning with a peak Durant. Irving is suspended. Simmons might as well be. This is the time to accept defeat.

Except there would be no worse time to accept defeat.

The biggest problem the Nets face right now is the mounting losses. The second-biggest problem is the fact that each negative development around the team has dented trade values. If the Nets began selling now, they would be giving away pieces rather than recouping assets. (A future problem could be rebuilding a team that has dealt away so many draft picks to assemble this team.)

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) reacts in the second half against the Chicago Bulls at Barclays Center, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, in Brooklyn, NY.
Kyrie Irving’s $36 million salary, coupled with his reluctant apology for tweeting out a link to an anti-Semitic movie, makes a midseason trade nearly impossible.
Corey Sipkin

Let’s start with Irving because he is where the Nets’ problems have started. The all-world point guard probably has the best handle in the NBA and is wondrous around the hoop, but he has not stepped on the court since Nov. 1. The anti-Semitism saga has forced Irving to miss eight straight games (counting Thursday night’s matchup in Portland), unable to return until he completes a set of self-betterment and apparent image-cleansing tasks. There is a chance he returns to work Sunday at Barclays Center against the Grizzlies.

Would any team want a point guard making $36 million this season and fresh off a national controversy in which he shared a movie, on social media, that contains anti-Semitic tropes and initially refused to apologize? Would the Lakers — 3-10 and already fading from relevance — mortgage what’s left of their future for this kind of risk?

If Irving’s off-court actions have demolished his value, Simmons’ on-court inaction has drained his. Simmons — the main prize brought back in the trade of James Harden, who was enjoying a strong season with Philadelphia before suffering a foot injury — has been a different kind of disaster. The former No. 1 pick began this season as the starting point guard and now is the backup center. He has returned to the court after a season off, but any trace of aggression has vanished.

The 26-year-old played his best game of the season Tuesday, when he finished with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. In Simmons’ second NBA season, with the 76ers in 2018-19, he averaged 16.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists.

Ben Simmons #10 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles the ball during the game against the Indiana Pacers on October 29, 2022 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Ben Simmons’ numbers have plunged and his role has been reduced as he continues to appear passive on the court.
NBAE via Getty Images

This version of Simmons has been hard to watch and would be easier to trade, but the Nets cannot expect anything close to peak value if they ship him out.

The Nets could trade the sixth-best 3-point shooter, by percentage, ever — except Joe Harris entered NBA play Wednesday as the 118th-best 3-point shooter this season. Harris, in his first season back from an ankle injury that wrecked his 2021-22 campaign, has knocked down just 33 percent of his treys. If Harris is not hitting 3s, he does not have other means to contribute.

The small forward has played just 13 games since the injury, and it can take time to find proper timing and the right release point. But if the Nets want to net a nice return on a player owed $18 million this season and $19 million next season, they would be better off waiting until Harris gets hot and resembles the marksman he has been for most of his career in Brooklyn.

Virtually the same can be said for Seth Curry, the third-best 3-point shooter ever by percentage — and a player who would have entered Wednesday 37th-best this season if he had enough attempts to qualify. Curry has played in just six games because of his own ankle issue that is keeping him out of back-to-backs and has severely limited his playing time. Would a contender give up more for Curry right now or in a couple months, when the Nets hope he is healthy and draining shots from beyond the arc?

Seth Curry #30 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots a three point basket during the game against the LA Clippers on November 12, 2022 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
Seth Curry’s 3-point shooting could make him an attractive trade chip, once he has fully recovered from an ankle surgery he had in the spring.
NBAE via Getty Images

And then there is Kevin Durant, who — at 34 — might be having his best season in a career that has included two championships, two Finals MVPs and 12 All-Star Games. He is making a case for his second regular-season MVP and somehow cranking up his efficiency (up to 57.7 percent on 2s) while averaging 30.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.

But not even one of the best to ever do it can do it alone — a fact he acknowledges.

“Look at our starting lineup,” Durant told Bleacher Report on Tuesday. “Edmond Sumner, Royce O’Neale, Joe Harris, [Nic] Claxton and me. It’s not disrespect, but what are you expecting from that group?”

So, yes: The Nets could trade him now and fulfill his offseason request. But they never would be able to maximize his value — another fact he acknowledges.

“I know I’m that good that you’re just not going to give me away,” Durant said at Nets Media Day in September, when he explained he was not surprised he was not dealt over the summer.

Finding matching value for Durant — signed through the 2025-26 season — is near impossible. If the Nets ship him out tomorrow or before the Feb. 9 deadline or a year from now, they probably would fetch about the same amount. A team can only trade so many draft picks.

Who else on the Nets could be helpful for a team eyeing a title? Nic Claxton? The talented young center could appeal to plenty around the league, but he also was exploited against Domantas Sabonis on Tuesday, when the bigger big man pushed Claxton around in the paint. Claxton has room to grow — literally — and is a relatively inexpensive piece worth more to a team that can develop him, as the Nets are doing.

Domantas Sabonis #10 of the Sacramento Kings is guarded by Nic Claxton #33 of the Brooklyn Nets at Golden 1 Center on November 15, 2022 in Sacramento, California.
Though he was pushed around by Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis, Nic Claxton is the kind of young big man the Nets should want to keep and develop for their future.
Getty Images

So what do the Nets do? Perhaps a small trade or a move on the periphery, but the guess here is there is no significant change on the immediate horizon.

The Nets need to inflate their players’ trade values if they want to be able to cash them in. The Nets can welcome Irving back to the team and hope for a few 30-point nights. They should resist the option of benching Simmons and allow him to play through struggles and perhaps work off the rust. They should wait for Harris’ jump shot to return. Hope Curry’s ankles return, too.

At that point, maybe the Nets can conduct a fire sale to obtain rebuild-accelerating draft capital, which they are a bit short on given that the Rockets either own or can swap each Nets first-round pick through 2027 after the (first) Harden trade.

The Nets’ plan thus far has failed, but reversing course now would fail, too.

Today’s back page

The back cover of the New York Post on November 17, 2022.
New York Post

Read more:

🏀 Knicks finally win in Denver for second straight victory on road trip

⚾ Aaron Judge about to get biggest honor of his baseball career

🏈 O’CONNOR: Archie Manning makes bold Daniel Jones endorsement

🏈 SERBY: Jets should unleash ground game versus rival Patriots

The elephant in the room

As the Yankees welcomed back one difference-maker, they were reminded of another who still is not in pinstripes.

Anthony Rizzo officially was re-introduced Wednesday afternoon, when the Yankees held a Zoom conference call to celebrate their two-year deal (plus a team option) with the first baseman.

Aaron Judge #99 and Anthony Rizzo #48 of the New York Yankees react after the first out was recorded against the Houston Astros during the second inning in game three of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 22, 2022 in New York City.
Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo have a tight relationship, but whether that will extend into the Yankees dugout again next season is up to the team’s star free agent.
Getty Images

It took six questions for Aaron Judge’s name to be heard.

Rizzo unsurprisingly offered few hints about Judge’s free agency. The two are good friends, and they talked once Rizzo signed — but about little that’s of substance to prying reporters.

“Just congratulations,” Rizzo said of their conversation. “The basics — well-deserved, happy for you. Say hi to [wife] Emily. … But heard from a lot of guys.”

Rizzo is a three-time All-Star who signed a pact that will guarantee him $40 million, yet he was a supporting character in his own news conference.

“I hope Judge stays just for the sake of the game because you see a lot of franchise icons not getting what they deserve for the team that they have done so much for,” said Rizzo, who is not sure whether he will play with Judge again.

A lot to answer for

Quietly, Deshaun Watson is playing football again.

The Browns quarterback returned to practice Wednesday, the first day he was allowed per the terms of his suspension. He cannot return to a game until Week 13, when he is expected to be the starting QB against his former team, the Texans.

Watson was suspended by league arbiter Sue Robinson — who called his behavior “predatory” — after he faced dozens of sexual misconduct allegations. After the suspension ruling, Watson said he is “truly sorry to all of the women that I have impacted in this situation.”

Quarterback Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns warms up prior to the start of a preseason game D at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 27, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Deshaun Watson and the Browns seem determined not to address the sexual misconduct allegations behind his 11-game NFL suspension, which kept Watson off the practice field until Wednesday.
Getty Images

Truly sorry for … what? He will not acknowledge any guilt or wrongdoing after settling at least 23 cases in which women alleged sexual assault or sexual misconduct.

“I’ve always stood on my innocence and always said I’ve never assaulted anyone or disrespected anyone,” Watson told reporters in August. “I’ll continue to stand on that.”

On Wednesday, the Browns’ website merely stated Watson’s suspension stemmed from “violating the league’s personal conduct policy,” and asked this question about Watson: “The Browns face a couple pertinent questions when it comes to Watson’s workload: Will first-team snaps be shared between Jacoby Brissett and Watson? How will plans change at all as the Texans game approaches?”

Watson returned to practice, and immediately the team wanted to direct the conversation toward the field.

After every single game and practice, Watson should be asked about his past and about what he has done to improve himself. He always has been fast, but he should not be allowed to outrun the allegations.

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