Hello Josh Childress, Goodbye Damion James

The Nets traded up to get James in with the 24th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He showed some promise with the team but just couldn't stay healthy long enough to make an impact. Yet another Nets draft pick to not turn out and another Nets player to head to Atlanta this offseason. On the bright side, he fit all the trends!

It looks like the Nets' roster for training camp might be actually filled out now. After some rumors that there was mutual interest and a potential workout was set up, veteran wingman Josh Childress has indeed signed a one-year, partially-guaranteed contract with the Nets and will be the 2nd player picked up by the Nets this offseason that had been amnestied by their old team. Of course, the other is former Wizard and current headcase, Andray Blatche.

As I said a few days ago, I don't really see the need for a player like Childress on the Nets but he's another low-risk, medium-reward signing by Billy King, who is becoming shockingly shrewd late in the off-season after saying "YOLO" with the first few moves he made after the 2011-12 season.

Another little tidbit of info regarding former Nets is that 2010 1st-rounder Damion James has signed with the Hawks after the Nets did not renew his rookie contract this offseason. As you all probably remember, we got James (24th overall) from, ironically, the Hawks for the 27th overall pick (Jordan Crawford) and the 31st overall pick (Tibor Pleiss).

James, a former standout at the University of Texas, played pretty well for the Nets in just 32 games over his two seasons with the team. However, constant injuries (32 games in two years is pretty bad) and the numbers game with this roster just left him with no place on this year's incarnation of your Brooklyn Nets.

More Nets Injury Woes; Damion James Done For Season

James had a promising future with the Nets, but sometimes things just don't work out

The Nets were dealt some more tough injury news today as it was announced that Damion James' foot surgery, which was performed earlier today at Indiana Health Hospital in Indianapolis, will indeed sideline him for the rest of the 2011-12 season. James has played well so far in his short NBA career and has shown that he can get the dirty work done on the boards and on defense that many other players in the NBA, and especially on the Nets, simply aren't willing to do.

However, James simply hasn't been able to stay healthy for extended periods of time so far in his NBA time. At multiple points last season, Damion was sidelined for extended swaths of games mainly due to injuries he suffered on the right foot that is plaguing him right now. The news of this injury's severity is bad news for the Nets and James alike because the Nets miss Damion's toughness in the interior and his ability to guard some of the opposition's best players and do so with moderate success.

Injury Update: Damion James to Undergo Surgery, Shawne Williams Expected Back Soon

According to the Newark Star-Ledger, small forward Damion James will undergo surgery on his right foot on Tuesday to replace a screw that was already implanted in James' foot last season. There is no timetable for his return. This is tough news for the Nets as James is a solid defender and rebounder but he can never seem to stay healthy since the Nets acquired him during the 2010 Draft out of Texas.

The Nets also received some good news regarding injuries today as it appears that Shawne Williams will play limited minutes tomorrow against Charlotte (same link as above). Having Shawne Williams back in the line-up gives the Nets another shooter and big body to hopefully break the team out of its extended shooting slump.