Getty Devontae Cacok competing for jump ball.
For much of 2020, it felt like the Brooklyn Nets were in despair just trying to get the season over with. After having to deal with COVID health and safety protocols, mid-season blockbuster trades, and unexcused absences, for the Nets to make it as far as they did was a miracle in itself.
Now, the Nets enter the 2021 season with revenge on their mind, as they try to bounce back from a Game 7 loss against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. The team will head to San Diego on September 28 to officially kick off the start of training camp.
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Nets Sign Devontae Cacok to Training Camp Roster
As we draw nearer to the date, Brooklyn is still rounding out their 20-man training camp roster to see who will make the trip out west.
One name that has been added to the Nets’ training camp roster is former Los Angeles Lakers big man Devontae Cacok who won a championship with the team during the 2020 Disney Bubble. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Cacok will join the Nets in training camp to compete for a two-way spot.
“Former Lakers forward Devontae Cacok will sign with the Brooklyn Nets, sources tell The Athletic, Stadium.” Shams tweeted on September 17. “The 6-foot-7 forward will go to training camp and compete for an open two-way spot.”
Former Lakers forward Devontae Cacok will sign with the Brooklyn Nets, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The 6-foot-7 forward will go to training camp and compete for an open two-way spot.
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Carmelo Eyeing First Ring With the Lakers
The Lakers and Nets are slated to meet in the 2022 NBA Finals as they have the best rosters in their respective conferences. The Lakers had a big offseason signing former All-Stars in Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony to a roster that already featured LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
At one point it had seemed to many like the window for ‘Melo’ to win a championship had officially closed. Anthony himself was even in doubt of if he would ever win a championship. But now that he has joined a juggernaut in the Lakers, he once again has his sights set on winning championship gold.
“There’s nothing that I’m trying to prove. If I hadn’t picked L.A., I would have been at peace walking away from the game, knowing that I gave everything I could and I still couldn’t win a championship. I would have been at peace with that. I would have been good,” Anthony said during a recent appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
“But now that I’m with the Lakers, I can’t be at peace with not winning a championship.”
Carmelo Speaks on the Age of Lakers Roster
The Lakers may have one of the most talented rosters in the NBA on paper right now. At the same time, they also have one of the oldest rosters in the league as their average age is 31.8 years old. Despite the Lakers’ maturity, Carmelo doesn’t believe it will have any effect on whether or not they win a championship this year.
“You’ve got to change your way of thinking, you’ve got to change your perspective… Being out there at this point in time of my career, we hear all of it. We hear that ‘they old’ and ‘the senior citizen home for basketball,’ but we just know what we bring to the game and what we bring to the table,” Anthony continued.
“And I say we’re wiser. Like we’re wise. We’re not old. 37 is young, 36 is young, it’s only old in the sports world, the basketball world. So, like LeBron said, like other guys said, just watch and see. And I think people will enjoy the show.”
With training camp slated to open in 11 days, it will soon be showtime for these rosters to prove what they can do on the court. Both the Nets and Lakers will be looking for revenge this season, it will be interesting to see if either of them comes out on top.
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Brooklyn Nets Acquire Former Los Angeles Lakers Big Man: Report