SH Blog: Nets to sign Josh Childress, may have sights on Leandro Barbosa

The Brooklyn Nets have made quite a splash over the summer of 2012. They made the big move out of New Jersey and re-signed Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries. They also acquired Joe Johnson (without giving up MarShon Brooks) and Mirza Teletovic, along with a slew of other moves that have significantly improved the quality of the team. One would think the team has done enough at this point, but as you will see below, they are continuing to make moves to better the roster. Mikhail Prokhorov promised a championship within the first five years when he took over the team, and it appears he wasn’t kidding around:

• Josh Childress will sign on with the Nets for a one-year deal, according to Howard Beck of The New York Times: “Childress, 29, agreed to terms Tuesday on a one-year contract at the veteran’s minimum, according to two people briefed on the contract. The deal is nonguaranteed, but Childress is almost certain to make the roster as the Nets’ backup small forward, behind Gerald Wallace. “Looking forward to the opportunity in Brooklyn,” Childress said Tuesday afternoon on Twitter. The Nets expect to sign both Childress and Andray Blatche to their contracts within the next day or so. Blatche agreed to a nonguaranteed one-year deal last week, but his signing has been delayed by a personal matter.”

• Leandro Barbosa said he is being recruited the hardest by the Nets, according to Netsdaily: “We are talking to a few teams, among them, the Phoenix Suns, who I have a professional history with…have lived there; with the Brooklyn Nets, who actually pursued us the hardest; and with the Los Angeles Lakers — They ‘re a good team with the personnel they have. Also,Steve Nash (who played with Barbosa in PHX) sent me a text. He wants me to come to LA as soon as possible. When I was at the Olympics this guy (Nash?) came at me strongly, but then they signed Jodie Meeks and I haven’t talked much to them since then. They have a lot of point guards, and if they signed me, they would have to get rid of one. It’s early. I have to wait.”

• If the Nets stayed in New Jersey, Deron Williams would never have stayed, from Tony Manfred of Business Insider: “If owners Jay-Z and Mikhail Prokhorov hadn’t moved the Nets to Brooklyn, All-Star point guard Deron Williams probably wouldn’t have re-signed with the team. “It was a huge factor,” Williams told us about the Nets moving to Brooklyn. “I don’t think I would have even thought about staying if it (the Nets franchise) was staying in New Jersey.”

• Charles Barkley thinks the Nets are a better team than the Knicks, from Mark Herrmann of Newsday: “I like their team. I like their team a lot. I think they probably have got the best team in New York,” Barkley said at Bill Russell’s Mentor’s Champions Golf Challenge Monday morning at Friar’s Head in Riverhead. When he was reminded that the Knicks made some moves, too, Barkley rhetorically asked who they got. Marcus Camby, he was reminded. “I like Marcus Camby,” he said. Then someone mentioned, “Jason Kidd,” and Barkley said, deadpan, “What year is this?” Then he yelled over to Celtic great Sam Jones, who was warming up on the driving range, and mentioned that reporters were asking about the Knicks signing Camby and Kidd, then said of the Knicks, loudly, “They must think it’s 1995. “It’s 2012,” Barkley said. “They went out and got 92-year-old Jason Kidd and 92-year-old Marcus Camby.”

• Former Nets player Damion James has signed on with the Hawks, according to Woj: “Free-agent forward Damion James has reached agreement on a one-year contract with the Atlanta Hawks, agent Mark Bartelstein told Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday. James was the 24th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, but a foot injury helped limit his productivity with the Brooklyn Nets. He gets a chance to earn minutes at small forward with an Atlanta franchise in the process of rebuilding its roster. “I’m excited for the opportunity that Damion has to show people that kind of player he was going to be before the foot injury,” Bartelstein said. “He’s healthy now, and this is an ideal situation for him in Atlanta.”

• Check out some photos of the newly built Barclays Center, from Slam.

• Iman Shumpert hopes to return from his knee injury sometime between December and February, from Ian Begley of ESPN New York:

• Sam Presti may not feel so certain about being able to retain valuable guard James Harden, from Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman: “James is somebody we value,” Presti said Monday afternoon. “We think he’s an important part to what we’re trying to do with our team and we’re hopeful that he’ll be with us.” No doubt about that. Harden is super talented, a rare combination of shooter, slasher and distributor. His offensive skills provide an amazing complement to those of Durant and Westbrook. “By the same token, we’ve been very upfront and transparent with everybody that we have some inherent challenges that we face as an organization as a result of the new collective bargaining agreement,” the Thunder general manager continued. “I know we’d love to have him here. I think James would like to be here as well. But at the end of the day … you have to find a way to make it work for everybody.”

• D.J. Mbenga is trying to secure a job with the Mavericks, according to Marc Stein of ESPN:

• Earl Barron is looking to catch on with the Wizards, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:

• Would you rather eat burritos with JaVale McGee or ice cream with Chris Bosh? Trey Kerby of TBJ explains.

• LeBron James and Kevin Durant are working together again to prepare for training camp, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN:

• Patrick Ewing rejected the offer to become a D-League coach, and expressed his displeasure of being offered the job in the first place, from Ian Begley of ESPN New York: “One source close to Ewing said the Hall of Famer felt a bit slighted by the Knicks’ offer to coach the Erie Bayhawks because he has already established himself in the NBA. “Patrick has paid his dues,” the source said. “He was a little insulted.” The Knicks have had several coaching staff openings since Ewing began coaching, but they’ve passed over the franchise’s all-time scoring leader again and again. Ewing has not been shy about his desire to return to New York. “I’d be interested in any job, but this is home, naturally,” Ewing told ESPNNewYork.com’s Ian O’Connor in late March. “I still have my place here (in New Jersey), and I’d love to interview for any job, here or anywhere. “I played here. I know the ins and outs of New York, the media, the fans.”

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