Gerald Wallace Out for Tonight's Game; Keith Bogans Will Start For Him

According the Nets' PR Department's official Twitter account (@Nets_PR), the ankle injury that Gerald Wallace suffered attempting to block a shot in Saturday's season-opening win over Toronto will cause him to miss tonight's game against the Timberwolves. Keith Bogans will start at the small forward position in Gerald's stead.

Recapping the Nets' Offseason, A Very Big One Indeed

Brooklyn's brand new backcourt. Watch out Eastern Conference, this duo means business.

So, I'm back. I returned from sleepaway camp two days ago and I'm slowly catching up and coming to grips with everything that has happened regarding the Nets' roster over the past eight or so weeks. Let's review each Nets' transaction (or non-transaction, you'll see what I mean) going back to Draft Night, which fell on June 27th this year:

Portland Trailblazers trade the 41st overall pick in 2012 Draft (G Tyshawn Taylor) to Nets for cash considerations
Entering this year's draft, the Nets only had one pick, the 57th overall pick in the 2nd-round. I guess Billy King liked Taylor, a point guard from the University of Kansas, so much that he didn't want to wait for him at 57 and instead used some of Mikhail Prokhorov's extra cash to nab Taylor with pick 41. Tyshawn, a Hoboken, NJ native, figures to be a part-time player for this year's Nets team who will share back-up PG duties with recent signee C.J. Watson.

Philadelphia 76ers trade the 54th overall pick in 2012 Draft (F Tornike Shengalia) to Nets for cash considerations
I don't follow European/foreign basketball very much so I have no first-hand experience in watching any of the Nets foreign acquisitions play but according to some scouting reports, Shengalia is a physical rebounding/defense type who won't be an offensive superstar but has some decent moves down in the post. His 6'9" frame is better suited for the 4 than the 3 as one of his major weaknesses is lack of a reliable jumper. My best guess is that he's a project who figures to not make much of an effect in the meantime.

Nets to Sign Andre Emmett from D-League; Waive Keith Bogans

Emmett in action for his former D-League team, the Reno Bighorns

In order to bring in another healthy body into the roster mix for the injury-depleted team, the Nets have called up small forward Andre Emmett from the D-League according to ESPNNewYork.com. In order to make room on the team's roster for the 29-year old swingman, the Nets have waived injured shooting guard Keith Bogans, who is currently injured for the rest of this NBA season due to a fractured ankle and torn deltoid muscle in his leg. It is expected that Bogans will be ready for training camp in 2012 to start next season.

I don't know much about Emmett as a player but Scott Schroeder of the D-League blog Ridiculous Upside does. According to Schroeder, Emmett is an all-around solid player who can score (23.7 PPG this season and 53% FG), shoot long jumpers (46% 3PT), rebound (6 RPG), and even pass the ball a little bit (3.4 APG). I like the move because the Nets badly need a breath of fresh air and if Emmett can provide any sort of spark for the Nets, then that would be a major plus for a skidding, offensively-challenged team like they are right now.

Keith Bogans Fractures Ankle and Tears Ligament, Is Done for Season

Bogans is yet another casualty of the absurd amount of injuries the Nets have suffered so far this season

After playing only five games for the Nets since being signed a little more than a week ago, shooting guard Keith Bogans, who fractured his left ankle and tore his left deltoid ligament in last night's loss to the Pistons (recap here), is out for the season with his injuries. Bogans suffered the two gruesome injuries in the 4th quarter of last night's game when he awkwardly stepped on his foot while trying to defend a Greg Monroe dunk attempt. Bogans, an 11-year NBA veteran, was averaging around 4 points and 2 rebounds a game for the Nets in his limited stint with the team.

The injury is simply devastating to Bogans' NBA career and really hinders the Nets' depth as a whole as the team only has nine healthy players on the roster right now. Bogans is 31 years old and as been very injury-prone throughout his career so a freak injury like the one he suffered last night could be a potential signal to Bogans and the rest of the league that Keith's body just can't take the strain of the physical NBA anymore. Personally, I expect to hear a retirement announcement from Bogans soon as I think it would be the best option for himself in order to preserve the physical health he has now instead of risking the loss of it with another NBA season and, potentially, another terrible injury.

Losing Bogans is too bad because I liked his style of play defensively as he seemed to be one of few Nets at times to show any semblance of defensive prowess or even effort. As for who the Nets will either sign or call-up from the D-League to replace Bogans, I think that the best choice would be to simply call Larry Owens, whom the Nets waived to make room for Bogans, back up to New Jersey but as the D-League rules allow, the Nets can basically call-up any D-Leaguer from any of the NBDL teams that hasn't been sent down by an NBA team.

The Nets Waive Larry Owens and Sign Keith Bogans

Bogans will be a nice defensive stopper for the Nets and can also shoot decently

Earlier today, the Nets announced that they have waived D-League call-up Larry Owens and have signed veteran shooting guard Keith Bogans to a one-year contract. Bogans started every game for the Chicago Bulls last season and provided them with toughness and the ability to guard the opposing team's best scorer. Throughout his career, Bogans has also shown the ability to hit three-pointers when left open.

I like the move but its always a little sad to see guys like Larry Owens released right when they were starting to get more playing time with the big-league club but Bogans is a much better all-around player than Owens is and he can help the Nets right away. It'll be interesting to see how much Bogans play tonight but don't expect much as he hasn't been with the team for much more than a few hours at the most.