What's The 411 took part in The Art of Luxury Series, hosted by the expected NBA #1 Draft Pick for 2013, Nerlens Noel and International Model Carissa Rosario. In the ambiance of opulence at the Walt "Clyde" Frazier Wine and Dine, a fun-filled afternoon of luxury items targeted to men was had by all. Exclusively outfitted and geared toward Men, the Art of Luxury Series sets a benchmark as the ONLY annual male-oriented event during NBA DRAFT WEEK highlighting accouterments targeted toward men. Sporting enthusiasts and athletes came out to celebrate in a sea of watches with major bling to a private trainer that can reduce body fat at the speed of light. As I moved from one luxury station to another, I saw a good number of items an NBA ball player would need. The NBA Draft Players need to take heed - a little bling on your wrist or a no-nonsense trainer can take you a long way!

On the Court, that is Clyde Frazier's media room . . . Basketball player Corey "Hurricane" Booker came through and spoke of his "first job" playing in Brazil. He indicated that it's much easier to play throughout the world due to the fact that we are a global society. He also gave a shout out to the Harlem Globetrotters and the "pick-up games" . . . the legacy that remains.

NBA Draft pick, Mason Plumlee, now selected by the Brooklyn Nets, made himself available for photo ops and gave thanks to Duke University's Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Standing next to him, was a daunting moment. He's 7 feet tall.

Actor, Sean Ringgold, of the soap opera One Life to Live hung out with us in the media room. Behind the plexiglass with designs replicating a miniature basketball court, all you can see were cameras flashing and a smile that can be seen for miles. During his interview, he sped off upcoming commercial projects including that One Life to Live is being bought by Oprah's OWN, cable network. That made many fans happy.

And, back to the Bling . . . LaCole Broadus, Personal Trainer, demonstrated various ways to tone and build muscle mass.

"I went from a size 16 to a size 6 in six weeks", said LaCole Broadus.

With an elite clientele from entertainment to government, Ms. Broadus and her husband created Fitness Compulsion six years ago. The amazing duo originates from an extensive background of 20 years in fitness and 10 years in the fashion industry.

"I went from 50 percent body fat to 8 percent body fat when I compete," Ms. Broadus continued.

And, she's a Mom of three children! Who can compete with that?

Jeffrey P. Jacques, representative of the clothing brand Parrish Nation (PN) shared with us the PN line of florals and stars and stripes in tribute to the fourth of July. Parrish Nation originated in 2006 with a graphic tee line. What better way to celebrate the holiday but with a bold and bad t-shirt, dashing with color and design.

Eyevision, started by a team of college students, who are presently entering their sophomore year, is a tee shirt line with a logo of an Egyptian symbol that stands for peace, power, and wealth.

"We've got what people want. We've got a hot design" said one of the team members.

With an aggressive and positive attitude the skies the limit for the young entrepreneurs making it happen.

Trukfit, based on Lil Wayne's brand was in the house.

"It's for those who find inspiration in the street and for people living on the edge. The fun summer fashion line is on display because "Lil Wayne loves basketball," explained Trukfit's volunteer for the day.

This activewear was created to be appealing for skateboarders to basketball players and enthusiasts.

And of course, we must have sweets in support of this masculine ambiance. Sweet Love Company displayed an awesome custom made assortment with the NBA insignia right dab in the center. For the basketball players that dropped by her table, the response was, "I shouldn't do it. It's messing up my diet". But of course, they take a sample. Wink.. wink! As the owner puts it, "they deserve to be sweet loved too".

And last but not least, for the upscale jet-setters, The Secret Lounge was on hand specializing in men's and women's accessories, jewels, furs, costume design, all in an amazing space with a caterer. This Montclair, New Jersey husband and wife team had so much BLING displayed that my eyes blinked twice when entering Clyde Frazier's spot. Wow!!!

The Art and Luxury Series was presented by Tene Nicole Marketing and Public Relations, High Flyers Club, 3P Media, Black Enterprise Magazine and Vodkila.

Nets tip off NBA season at Indiana on Oct. 18; Home opener Oct. 20 vs. Orlando

The Brooklyn Nets have announced their 2017-18 regular season schedule which tips off Wednesday, October 18, at Indiana. The team will host its regular season home opener two days later on Friday, October 20, versus Orlando at Barclays Center.

Eighteen of the Nets’ 39 games at the Barclays Center are set to be played on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Brooklyn’s two remaining home games will be played in Mexico City as part of the NBA Mexico City Games 2017 on Wednesday, December 7, against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Friday, December 9, versus the Miami Heat.

The Nets will begin the New Year with a season-long five-game homestand, which spans 10 days, beginning Monday, January 1, versus Orlando and concluding Wednesday, January 10, against Detroit. The month of January features a season-high nine home contests.

The team will hit the road for four five-game trips during the upcoming season. The season slate also features 15 back-to-backs and 11 one-game road trips. The schedule will also treat fans to six afternoon home games in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Nets games will be broadcast regionally on the YES Network for the 16th consecutive season.

Season ticket memberships and partial plans are now on sale and can be purchased by calling 718-NETS-TIX or by logging onto brooklynnets.com/tickets.

Individual tickets for games at Barclays Center go on-sale on Thursday, August 17, at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at brooklynnets.com/tickets, ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center starting Friday, August 18, at noon. Presales are available at brooklynnets.com/tickets and ticketmaster.com beginning Tuesday, August 15, at 10 a.m.

The entire Nets 2017-18 schedule is attached and can also be found by logging onto brooklynnets.com/schedule.

The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward Jacob Wiley to a two-way contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

Wiley (6’8”, 213) appeared in 34 games for Eastern Washington University last season (2016-17), recording averages of 20.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 34.3 minutes per contest while shooting 64.3 percent (265-of-412) from the field. He was named the Big Sky Conference Most Valuable Player and earned first team honors after finishing the season ranked first in the conference in field goal percentage, rebounding and blocked shots per game and sixth in scoring. The Newport, Wash., native was also named an honorable mention All-America selection by the Associated Press while ranking sixth in NCAA Division I basketball in field goal percentage and eighth in blocked shots per game.

Prior to suiting up for Eastern Washington, Wiley played two seasons (2014-16) for Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho and one season (2012-13) for the University of Montana. He most recently was a member of Brooklyn’s 2017 NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas.

NOTE: Per NBA rules, teams are permitted sign two players to two-way contracts in addition to the 15-man regular season roster. A two-way player for the Nets will provide services primarily to the team’s NBA G League affiliate – the Long Island Nets – but can spend up to 45 days with Brooklyn, not including any time prior to the start of Long Island’s training camp and at the conclusion of their season.

The Brooklyn Nets have signed guards Milton Doyle and Jeremy Senglin. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not released.

Doyle and Senglin were both members of Brooklyn’s 2017 NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas.

Doyle (6’4”, 180) joins the Nets after a four-year career (2013-17) at Loyola University Chicago. In 121 career games (98 starts), Doyle recorded averages of 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 30.4 minutes per contest. He became the first player in program history to earn All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team honors after averaging 15.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 32.6 minutes per game during his senior season, while scoring in double figures in all but one of his 32 games. The Chicago native also earned Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer and Freshman of the Year awards during his collegiate career and ended his tenure ranked eighth in school history in points (1,606) and fifth in assists (459).

Senglin (6’2”, 190), a native of Arlington, Texas, played four collegiate seasons (2013-17) for Weber State. In 124 career games (123 starts), he averaged 16.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 33.7 minutes per contest. He concluded his career as the school’s all-time leading scorer (2,078 points), as well as finishing second in career field goals made (665), third in assists (343), fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (.422) and eighth in steals (110). Senglin, who twice earned Big Sky All-Conference honors, scored in double figures in 104 of his 124 career games.

The Brooklyn Nets will open the 2017-18 NBA Season with a four-game preseason schedule, which includes two games at Barclays Center and one contest at NYCB Live, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The preseason schedule tips off on October 3 when the Nets travel to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks. The Nets will round out their preseason slate with three home games, beginning with an October 5, 2017, matchup with the Miami Heat and an October 8 tilt with the New York Knicks at Barclays Center, and concluding with an October 11 contest against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Coliseum. All four games will be played at 7:30 p.m.

Season ticket memberships and partial plans are now on sale and can be purchased by calling 718-NETS-TIX or by logging onto brooklynnets.com/tickets.

The complete preseason schedule is listed below:

The Brooklyn Nets have requested waivers on guard Archie Goodwin.

Goodwin appeared in 12 games for Brooklyn in the 2016-17 season, recording averages of 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 15.4 minutes per game. He originally signed the first of two 10-day contracts with the Nets on March 15, 2017, before inking a multi-year contract with the team on April 4, 2017. In 165 career games with Brooklyn, New Orleans, and Phoenix, the four-year NBA veteran has averaged 6.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 14.5 minutes per contest.

UPDATE (September 8, 2017): Archie Goodwin signs training camp deal with the Portland Trailblazers

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired guard/forward Allen Crabbe from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for forward Andrew Nicholson.

Crabbe joins the Nets after spending the first four seasons of his NBA career with Portland. In 226 games (24 starts), the 25-year-old Crabbe has registered averages of 8.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 22.8 minutes per game while shooting 45.6 percent from the field, 41.1 percent from 3-point range and 84.8 percent from the free-throw line. This past season, the Los Angeles native saw action in 79 games (seven starts), averaging a career-best 10.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 28.5 minutes per contest while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from 3-point range, good for the second-highest 3-point field goal percentage in the league among qualifying players. Crabbe has also appeared in the postseason with the Blazers in each of the last three seasons, averaging 8.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 25.5 minutes per game through 17 playoff contests.

Crabbe was originally selected with the 31st overall pick (second round) in the 2013 NBA Draft by Cleveland before being traded to Portland on draft night. Prior to beginning his NBA career, he spent three years (2010-13) at the University of California, where he was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, All-Pac-12 First Team as a sophomore and junior and Pac-12 Player of the Year in his third and final collegiate season.

Nicholson appeared in 10 games with the Nets after being acquired in a trade from Washington on February 22, 2017, recording averages of 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per game. In 285 career games split between Brooklyn, Washington, and Orlando, the five-year pro has averaged 6.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game.

UPDATE (September 5, 2017): According to international basketball reporter David Pick, Andrew Nicholson will join the Guangdong Tigers on the heels of his waiver from Portland.

Yakuba “Billy” Ouattara, signed by Brooklyn Nets, is a native of Ghana and a member of the French national team

The Brooklyn Nets have signed Yakuba Ouattara to a two-way contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

Ouattara (6’3”, 185) spent the 2016-17 season playing for AS Monaco Basket of the French LNB Pro A league. In 32 total games, he averaged 11.8 points on 51.4 percent (147-of-286) shooting from the floor, including a 40.0 percent (40-of-100) clip from beyond the arc, while pulling down 3.3 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per contest.

A native of Tepa, Ghana, Ouattara has been a member of the French national team because of the unavailability of a Ghanaian national team. The 25-year-old began playing professionally in 2012 and spent two seasons playing for Elan Chalon (2012-14) in the French LNB Pro A league before joining AS Monaco Basket for the past two seasons (2015-17).

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted sign two players to two-way contracts in addition to the 15-man regular season roster. A two-way player for the Nets will provide services primarily to the team’s NBA G League affiliate – the Long Island Nets – but can spend up to 45 days with Brooklyn, not including any time prior to the start of Long Island’s training camp and at the conclusion of their season.

The Nets selected Jarrett Allen with the 22nd pick overall in the 2017 NBA Draft

The Brooklyn Nets signed Jarrett Allen, the 22nd overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, to a multi-year contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.
Allen (6’11”, 234) spent one season (2016-17) at the University of Texas, appearing in 33 games and recording averages of 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 32.1 minutes per contest. He led his team in rebounding, blocked shots and minutes played while ranking second in scoring. Allen shot 56.6 percent (179-of-316) overall from the field, reaching double figures in scoring 25 times and in rebounding on 14 occasions.
The Round Rock, Texas, native recorded 12 double-doubles on the year (tied for third-most by a freshman in UT history), including eight in Big 12 Conference play. He ranked fourth on the school’s all-time chart in total rebounds (278) and rebounding average (8.4) by a freshman. Following the season, Allen was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team and to the league’s all-newcomer list.

Nets pick up DeMarre Carroll in exchange for Justin Hamilton and draft picks from Toronto

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired DeMarre Carroll and 2018 first and second round draft picks from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Justin Hamilton.

Carroll joins Brooklyn after spending the previous two seasons in Toronto. This past season, the 30-year-old native of Birmingham, Ala., appeared in and started 72 games, registering averages of 8.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 26.1 minutes per game. Prior to his time with the Raptors, Carroll put together his two best professional seasons (2013-15) with the Atlanta Hawks while Nets Head Coach Kenny Atkinson served as an Atlanta assistant. In those two seasons, Carroll saw action in 143 games, averaging 11.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 31.7 minutes per game while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from 3-point range.

In 414 career games (258 starts) split between Memphis, Houston, Denver, Utah, Atlanta and Toronto, the eight-year veteran has recorded averages of 8.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 22.9 minutes per game. Carroll has also appeared in the postseason in five of the last six seasons, including each of the last four, and owns career playoff averages of 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 28.6 minutes per contest. Carroll was originally selected by Memphis with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft out of the University of Missouri. After spending two years (2004-06) at Vanderbilt, Carroll transferred and spent his junior and senior seasons (2007-09) at Missouri, helping to lead the Tigers to an Elite Eight appearance as a senior while garnering All-Big 12 First Team honors.

NOTE: Hamilton, who originally signed as a free agent with Brooklyn on July 11, 2016, saw action in 64 games in his lone season with the Nets, averaging 6.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game. In 113 career games with Brooklyn, Minnesota, Miami, and Charlotte, the three-year NBA veteran has posted averages of 6.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per contest.