Harris was easier to keep long term since he wasn't a first rounder.
I thought that worked the other way around. First round picks have mandatory 4 years contracts that can be extended and first round picks don't hit restricted free agency until year 5. Second round picks always have the option to hit unrestricted free agency by year 5, and the ones signed to shorter contracts hit restricted free agency by year three with all those "Gilbert Arenas" provision headaches.
But you were right. Once the Cavs drafted Harris, the odds of Karasev's went way down, especially if they wanted make a deal with the Nets. Jack will probably work out very well for the Nets, playing with vets and getting coached by Hollins. Karasev will do OK too, because he will likely find it easier to get minutes on a team that lacks any real depth on the wing.
Others in this thread seem to have some pretty firm opinions about how NBA players develop. I'm no expert, but my thoughts are that the head coach isn't always central in player development, especially when the team has a mandate to win games and there are two other coaches on staff dedicated to player development. While there were certainly problems with the Cavs coaching staff ( & other levels of the team too) last year, the team did appear to continue Mike Brown's tradition of finding minutes for guys that work hard in practice. Dellavedova & Sims both seemed to work hard, earn minutes, and I think they developed pretty well last year. Waiters seems to keep growing as the year went along too. The other young guys? I have a hard time blaming Mike Brown or hist staff for Bennett's conditioning, Felix's injury, Zeller's appendix, or Karasev's lack of strength.
Gilbert & Griffin & Blatt must have been OK with the player development that they saw last year, because they kept both Phil Handy & Vitaly Potapenko on the coaching staff for another year.
Back to Karasev, sounds like he did learn some lessons--
http://thebrooklyngame.com/russian-nets-forward-sergey-karasev-role-house/
What do you think about your trade?
It’s been over a month, but I still have mixed feelings. On one hand, Cleveland gave me a lot during my first season in the best league in the World. On the other hand, I understand that given the current situation in both teams, including the current rosters, in Brooklyn I have a better chance to start playing. Of course, this is all just on paper for now – nobody guarantees that I will be getting minutes regularly. There’s only one way: bust your back and prove your worth.
