The Nets have the world’s best power forward, but when camp opens later this month that position will be by far their biggest problem — with three of their four veterans at the spot facing either injury or suspension. That’s the kind of week it’s been for Brooklyn.
Kevin Durant’s Achilles will sideline the star most if not all of this season, leaving Rodions Kurucs or Taurean Prince to try to fill the huge KD-sized void in the starting lineup. But now Prince is the last man standing to fill that starter’s spot — and doesn’t have an experienced backup — after Wilson Chandler got suspended Aug. 29 for PEDs and Kurucs finds himself facing suspension for alleged behavior of a far worse sort.
Kurucs was in Brooklyn criminal court Tuesday on a misdemeanor assault charge after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend in June. He’s due back in court just two days before the Oct. 23 season opener, with myriad questions left to be answered between now and then.
Prince didn’t have any of those answers for the media after hosting a reading hour with local kids Thursday at Brownsville Recreation Center, keeping his comments to the event at hand.
But beyond the obvious question of whether Kurucs actually choked his girlfriend — his attorney Alex Spiro told Sport Illustrated the charges are “bogus” — Nets fans will want to know who’s left at power forward.
What does this say about their vaunted culture? Departed assistant GM Trajan Langdon just told Pelicans.com that the Nets rebuild was based on “Do the right things, over and over. … We were fortunate to get those kinds of character guys we targeted.”
And lastly, tdoes he sudden attrition open a path for Brooklyn to bring unemployed ex-Knick star Carmelo Anthony back to New York?
Both the Nets and the NBA have a little time to speak with Kurucs and his girlfriend, though she doesn’t have to talk to either. If the case isn’t sorted by the start of camp, commissioner Adam Silver can put Kurucs on administrative leave pending a league investigation.
Even if the case is dismissed or Kurucs pleads down to a lesser charge, he could be suspended. Then of course there’s the fact the Latvian is here in a work visa, opening a whole immigration can of worms the Nets would rather avoid.
Then there’s Chandler, suspended for 25 games. The Nets can fill his roster spot after he’s missed five. And at this point, it’s a safe bet they’ll be trolling the power forward market with Prince the only healthy veteran with experience at the position.
Overlooked in the Allen Crabbe deal, Prince could find himself thrust into huge minutes. Even finding backups for him could be a challenge if Kurucs finds himself suspended.
Brooklyn’s only other options are rookie Nic Claxton and journeyman Henry Ellenson. Neither has much of a track record.
Claxton is a second-round draft pick whose spindly 6-foot-11, 220-pound frame needs a lot of work to be able to hold position in the post or stand up to the rigors of an 82-game grind. Ellenson is a more robust 245 pounds and did hit 44.1 percent of his shots from deep last season, but averaged just 6.0 points in 13.8 minutes over 17 limited games for the Knicks.
Can GM Sean Marks go into the season with just that? If not, Anthony is still out there. He’d been working out with a host of Nets in LA this offseason, and several vets have lobbied the front office to sign him.
A source told The Post last month there was “nothing to it.” But with the Nets in dire straits, the Athletic cited anonymous league sources viewing them favorably as a landing spot. Though ex-Net Joe Johnson said he’ll work out for Brooklyn next week, Anthony is now more of a position fit.
What happens with Kurucs could well impact what happens with Anthony.
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