Nets Are Scorching

Interesting anecdote about Chris Douglas-Roberts from last night’s game courtesy of Bucksketball, TrueHoop’s Milwaukee Bucks site, which I think speaks a lot about CDR’s character and intensity about basketball:

The second half was so bad, I thought CDR was going to snap.  He appeared to have gotten in a bit of a shouting match with assistant coach Doug Overton about what was going on on the court.  I couldn’t hear Overton, but my colleague Alex from BrewHoop suggested it had something to do with a stretch where CDR got blocked, turned it over, got it back and missed a lay-up.  CDR shouted at his bench, “we’re losing, what am I supposed to do?!”

I felt for CDR.  He was working hard, he was trying to make plays and he was saddled with some teammates who’ve been injured and/or unable to get the job done to get this team a win.  The whole team had that, “here we go again” look as soon as things started going South in the third quarter.  CDR seemed like he didn’t want to let it happen again.

I can understand the sympathy. While I’m sure no one on the Nets appreciates the 0-12 start, CDR seems to be taking it the hardest. CDR’s total disgust for losing has led to some really eye-opening post-game quotes this season. Remember, it was CDR who challenged his teammates after a humiliating blowout loss to Washington to foul harder and to “protect each other.” Then, when CDR posted his first career double-double against the Pacers earlier this week, the Memphis alumn responded to reporters with this nugget:

It’s nothing if we don’t win,” Douglas-Roberts said. “My numbers don’t matter if we’re losing, because you’re labeled a ‘loser.’ It doesn’t matter what you’re doing on a losing team – nobody cares. I know I don’t.

He’s been described by some around the team as having a fighter’s mentality who’s almost obsessed about proving his doubters wrong.  It’s only fitting considering he was projected as a first round draft pick by many in 2008 and ended up inexplicably slipping to the Nets in the second round. After not playing much until the latter stages of the season in his rookie year, he was pegged by most pundits, and yes, Nets Are Scorching as well, as the ideal sixth man headed into training camp this season. CDR was really the only one, mostly via his Twitter page, who saw himself as a starter, and he proved those “outsiders” wrong by having a phenomenal preseason and truly earning his starting spot.

As the season wears on, and the Nets keep losing, I’m becoming increasingly fascinated with CDR.  While I’m sure some of his postgame comments have to be rubbing a few people the wrong way, his intensity and absolute passion for basketball are unmatched on this team. I’m not going to accuse anyone currently on the roster of milking their injuries, but I think it was fitting that of all of the Nets who hit the injured list two weeks ago, CDR, who had been diagnosed with H1N1 (swine flu), was the first one back, even though he looked like a walking corpse throughout most of his that game in Orlando.

Obviously, CDR’s game has some holes – he struggles to shoot from the outside and he misses some defensive assingments from time to time. But after the first 12 games of the season, I can safely say Chris Douglas-Roberts is a guy this organization needs to build  around going forward. It’s difficult finding athletes with this level of intensity and desire to win. He’s been a pleasant surprise this season – and the fact that I just labeled him a “surprise,” probably means he’s going to want to prove me wrong next. Which is fine by me.

AP Photo/Morry Gash

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I had a dream last night.

The Nets were playing solid, all-around basketball. They were shooting the ball efficiently. They were defending the perimeter. They were rebounding the ball.They were dominating the Milwaukee Bucks to the tune of an 11-point lead. The Nets, in no way, shape, or form resembled a team that had just opened their season on an 11-game losing streak.

Terrence Williams was in my dream. He was taking the ball strong to the hoop, and refusing to settle for long jumpers. He had even converted 8 of 9 shots at one point. He was such a pleasure to watch, compared to Rafer Alston, who couldn’t hit his open jumpers and liked to to turn the ball over with his dumb passes.

Sean Williams was also in my dream. He was disrupting shots and rebounding the ball as Brook Lopez sat on the bench, looking like he just played more than 40 minutes in a game the night before. Yes, in my dream, Sean Williams was a better option than Brook Lopez.

Even Bobby Simmons was in my dream. And he’s never in my dreams unless they’re nightmares. He provided some offensive punch off the bench, including a couple of threes. Wow, I can’t believe I just dreamt about Bobby Simmons.

And of course Chris Doulgas-Roberts was there. He’s one of the few recurring guys in my dreams. He just always seems to bring his A-game there (unless he has the swine flu), scoring points in bunches. He even set another career high in points in my dream.

In non-dreamland, the Nets played their best quarter of the season last night, receiving contributions from some unexpected sources. Unfortunately, the Nets put it all together in the second quarter, before faltering in the third, and then completely falling apart in the fourth during their  loss to the Bucks in Milwaukee last night.

It was one of those nights where I just lost total patience with Lawrence Frank. Down 7 in the first quarter, Frank went with a rotation of Terrence Williams, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Trenton Hassell, Bobby Simmons and Sean Williams, which certainly looked ugly on paper, but it actually produced. The deficit turned into an 11-point Nets lead, as everything seemed to be clicking for them. Terrence Williams was taking the ball aggressively towards the rim, rather than taking three-pointers. Chris Douglas-Roberts was doing his usual thing, and Sean Williams was a rush of energy on the defensive end, and a creator on the offensive end, setting a majority of the picks that got TWill and CDR their shots. I couldn’t even find fault with Bobby Simmons playing the four during this stretch, because it worked. It worked because Rafer Alston was off to another terrible shooting night (1-10) and Brook Lopez looked totally gassed after playing a bulk of the game the night before in New Jersey. He wasn’t doing much offensively, and he was getting totally dominated by Andrew Bogut, who finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds. By the end of the stretch, the unit had put together a +/- of +10.

So to open the second half, rather than ride the hot hand, as untraditional as it may have looked on paper, Frank went back to his starting five. The team responded with just an awful stretch, getting outscored 28-12 in the quarter, and shooting 17 percent in the process. By the time Frank started to reinsert guys like Sean Williams and TWill, all momentum had been lost, and ultimately, so was the game.

In an attempt to be positive, I have to give Chris Douglas-Roberts his due here. In addition to posting another double-double and another career high in points, the guy has just been a total warrior out there, and seems to be taking over as a true leader of this club, in just his second season. The guy has had a lot of doubters, as evidenced by his slip into the second round in the 2008 draft, but I hope this is a guy the Nets plan to keep as part of their core going forward, because his grit and determination (and let’s not forget talent), will look great, once he’s complimented by better all-around players. It amazes me that less than a week ago, he was sick in bed with the H1N1 virus.

So now, Saturday looms very large for the Nets. A showdown with the Knicks, who pulled off a dramatic victory for themselves at home against the Pacers last night. Devin Harris should be back, and maybe Courtney Lee too, which helps. But without a win on Saturday, the Nets are staring at a winless November. And this loss season, all of a sudden could take on new levels of horror.

To relive more of the horror, read more after the jump.
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Al Iannazzone says it’s not fair to blame Lawrence Frank for the 0-12 start.

Expect Devin Harris for Saturday.

The Daily News has another report about the state allegedly “low-balling” Brooklyn residents for their property, needed to build the Atlantic Yards development.

Fanhouse talks with Scott Hastings, a member of the 1988-89 Miami Heat who opened the season 0-17, the worst start in NBA history. Hastings says he’s pulling for the Nets to get a win soon.

The New York Times profiles Bret Yormark, the man of a thousand ticket-selling gimmicks it seems.

Rod Thorn, staying calm.

Rafer Alston tells HoopsWorld that he’s happy with his season thus far, though he could be doing better on the defensive end.

Brook Lopez wants more touches in the post. So why is he shooting 20-footers?

The Nets keep on losing, falling to 0-12 as they lose to the Milwaukee Bucks (6-3) 99-85 in Milwaukee tonight.

• The Nets were actually playing good basketball in the first half tonight, up 48-41 at halftime.
• Chris Douglas-Roberts set another career high in points and grabbed another double-double, finishing with 31 points and 10 rebounds.
• Terrence Williams was a spark off the bench, especially in the second quarter, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds on 8-15 shooting.
• Sean Williams only had 4 points, but made his 24 minutes count, finishing with a +16 for the night.
• Despite all the Brandon Jennings hoopla headed into the game, he finished with 19 points, and was mostly quiet until the second half. Andrew Bogut killed the Nets throughout, finishing with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Carols Delfino also had 21 points for Milwaukee while Luke Ridnour has 17 points off the bench.
• The Nets only shot 17 percent in the third quarter. Oh, those third quarters.
• Brook Lopez was a non-factor, and finished with the quietest 11 points of his career.

Alright, we are going to try something new today, no more scouting reports, they are done for the time being, let us know what you think in the comments during the live chat.

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As I went over already, the Bucks like to use the pick and roll a ton.  They have someone who can attack the basket, shoot, and pass coming off the screen set by a very good big man.  It is a real dangerous play and it needs to be defended well.  Other than that, I think the Nets have a chance tonight.  Besides Jennings and Bogut, they don’t really have much in terms of scoring power, and that is kind of similar to what the Nets have going on (Lopez and CDR).  I say similar because though Milwaukee is in the bottom half of Offensive Efficiency (Points per 100 possession) with a 101.3 rating, they aren’t as bad as the Nets, who currently sit with the worst offensive efficiency in the NBA (89.3).  Now that I have depressed you guys, lets look at the matchups:

Brandon Jennings vs. Rafer Alston:

Brandon Jennings is a pterodactyl with wings of fire.  What?  You don’t believe me?  Well, it’s true.  He is a speedy guard with great handle, a shot that if he starts making it look out, and he can attack the basket and get to the line.  Rafer Alston is old.  It’s not necessarily a bad thing, he does have that wily veteran-neess about himself, but he is playing in the second night of a back-to-back after logging 40+ minutes the night before.  Don’t you wish Devin was going to be in there tonight?  I mean, I don’t think Devin would shut him down, I just think it would be really fun to watch.  Like watching a blur vs. something that also runs fast enough to cause a blurring effect.

Advantage:  Brandon Jennings

Charlie Bell vs. Chris Douglas-Roberts

CDR is doing everything in his powers to make you forget that he was the first player in the NBA with swine flu, and he is doing a pretty damn good job.  Remember when I thought CDR should come off the bench, yeah, I think I was wrong.  He is starting to prove himself as a real good player, a guy who can shoot, get to the rim, and get fouled.  I mean I knew he was good, but I just thought his game was better suited off the bench.  Again, I was wrong.  He also hasn’t been a liability offensively.  Charlie Bell is a pretty solid player as well, but I think CDR takes this one.

Advantage:  Chris Douglas-Roberts

Carlos Delfino vs. Trenton Hassell

Is there anyone who benefited more from the Nets’ injuries than Trenton Hassell?  He is showing that he can still play, and that he has some offensive skills in him down low.  With his expiring contract, he might even have played his way onto a contender.  Trenton has the size advantage on Delfino, so expect some more post ups for Hassell.

Advantage:  Trenton Hassell

Ersan Ilyasova vs. Josh Boone

I watch a lot of basketball, and I feel like I have a good grasp of the game and know a lot about the different players, but I have no clue who this Ersan fella is.  I am going to let the much more qualified Bucksketball blog tell you about him:

Ersan’s style can fit with anyone. He waits for open looks, he crashes the boards and he plays pesky defense. Perfect for the starting lineup or the bench. He’ll have a favorable match-up in this one regardless of who covers him.

There you go.  Ersan Ilyasova, most likely better than Josh Boone

Advantage:  Ersan Ilyasova

Andrew Bogut vs. Brook Lopez

This right here is your match-up the night.  Before Bogut got hurt least year, he was on his way to a very good season.  Brook has been playing like a man as well, but it took him 27 shots to score 26 points last night.  Why?  Because he is still taking way too many jumpers on the outside.  We need to get Brook back on  the post.

Advantage:  Brook Lopez

Keys To The Game

Defend Brandon Jennings/Pick And Roll:

Not Warriors-style defense either.  Real defense.  The Nets need to rotate on the pick and rolls correctly, and make sure  they keep Bogut from getting wide open rolls too.

Keep Using CDR and Brook in the pick and roll:

The one (and maybe only) good thing I took away from the game last night was how successful the pick and roll was with CDR running it.  They would give it to him on the wing, and then they had Brook set the screen for him.  It makes sense, CDR is a much more comfortable shooter off the dribble (rather than catching and shooting), plus he is a good enough passer to hit Brook on the roll if he is open.  It worked well, and lets hope that continues.

Play Sean Williams:

Remember when coach Frank told me Sean had earned more minutes?  Well, he only played 13 last night.  I feel so lied to, and to think, I thought we were bros.

Prediction

So I didn’t actually make a prediction last night, slipped my mind, but I was going to say the Pacers so I am counting that.  That means I am 7-4.   As for this game, my gut is begging me to pick NJ, and I am going to.  My gut was only off by 3 points last game, remember that.

This is still your open thread, so use it.  Plus, go visit Daily Dime tonight, I will be there for at least the early part.

Alright this one is going to be short and sweet, we are going to look at the Nets pick and roll defense, because as I pointed out earlier today, defending the pick and roll is key to stopping Brandon Jennings and the Bucks.

‘

Before the screen even gets used, Brook Lopez is putting himself in correct position to “hedge” the screen.  What I mean by hedging the screen is that Brook is going to show at the ballhandler, allow for the defender to get back and then retreat to his man.  This is all about rotation, if you rotate correctly, you can keep the ball out of the paint, and that is your best bet when defending the pick and roll.

In this case though, the ballhandler attacks Brook Lopez.  Brook does the correct thing and stays with the ball handler, if he tries to switch, he will just give up an easy lay-up.  The problem here is that Bobby Simmons doesn’t switch the screen, he continues to follow the ballhandler instead of getting in front of the screener Roy Hibbert, and prevent his roll to the basket.

Brook forces a tough-lay up to go up, but because Bobby Simmons didn’t get in front of Hibbert, he has inside position and gets the easy rebound and putback.

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Defending the pick and roll is key because the Bucks have a great PG and a real good big man.  The one good thing is that Jennings tends to shoot jumpers from the pick and roll rather attacking the basket, which makes hedging and getting back to your man easier.  We will see what happens tonight.

Brandon Jennings has been playing very well as of late.  How well?  Well, for those of you that have been living in a cave during the past week, he put up 55 against the Warriors recently.  The Bucks won the game, but only by 4 points.  So what does this tell me, if you can keep Jennings from putting up 55, you have a good chance at beating the Bucks.  The Nets play the Bucks tonight, so I thought it would be fun to rewatch that game (Bucks vs. Warriors) and see how the Warriors defended him and if they did anything wrong.  Well, they did a lot wrong.  Fortunately for us, we can look at what they did wrong, and use that as a “what not-to-do” kind of thing:

Off The Ball Defense

When you are dealing with Brandon Jennings, you must know where he is on the court at all times.  He moves well without the ball, so if you are caught peeking, he will cut on you and get an easy look:

Look at how Monta Ellis is playing Jennings.  That is wrong.  I mean, he is in the right position on the court, but look at how he is just staring at the basketball.  Here, Jennings could go backdoor and get a lob with no one trying to stop him.  A big key to stopping Brandon Jennings is forcing him to take all jumpers, you don’t want him getting easy buckets.  A way to keep him from getting easy buckets is to make sure the guy covering him has an eye on him to prevent backdoor cuts.

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AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

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In recent weeks, the injury-ravaged Nets have done a pretty good impression of a scrappy, hard-luck team that was falling just short of success. Last night, their play from the opening tip was more reminiscent of the reality – this is a lousy team that’s not going to beat anybody in this league while Devin Harris, Courtney Lee and others sit on the bench while guys like Rafer Alston, Trenton Hassell and Bobby Simmons are forced into playing big minutes.

On paper, the Indiana Pacers may have looked like a beatable team coming into New Jersey, but even while they weren’t clicking on all cylinders last night, they never really ever lost control of the game, and they held the Nets in check when in counted. Two 7-0 runs to open the first and third quarters, helped get Indiana out to a decent cushion, and a 31-point first quarter had the Nets reeling, who once again only suited up eight players for the game.

Rather than coming out strong, as they’ve done against teams like the Celtics, Magic, Heat and 76ers, the Nets came out against Indiana sluggish and sloppy.  Some missed layups and turnovers by the Nets led to an 11-2 lead by the Pacers in the early going. While the Nets were able to close within four in the second half, the Pacers led throughout.

That may be tough to swallow considering Danny Granger had a relatively quiet night, scoring 22 points, but on 6-16 shooting and the Pacers overall shot only 39 percent, but Indiana’s big man, Roy Hibbert was a force down low all night, scoring 19 points on 9-11 shooting, grabbing 10 rebounds, and blocking 3 shots. Compare that to Brook Lopez, who had more points (26) and rebounds (16), but needed 26 shots, including 10 of them outside of 15-feet (sinking three) to make it happen.

This was one of those nights where you really start to wonder when the Nets can get Devin Harris back. Not just because Harris is such a dynamic player, especially on the offensive end, but because Rafer Alston is such a liability sometimes. Yes, he had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals, but the numbers that matter most to me are the 2-12 shooting and the 5 turnovers. Three of those turnovers came in the games opening minutes and put the team, which is struggling to score on even its best nights, in an early hole. There was even one point around the 4:07 mark in third quarter where it looked like Chris Douglas-Roberts was shaking his head in disgust after another Rafer pass that went nowhere good.

Fortunately for the Nets, CDR looks like he’s back on the offensive side, and not a moment too soon. As the Nets struggled to score very early in the first, I was wondering how this team would turn it around when at around the 7:13 mark, Douglas-Roberts attacked the basket for the first time for two points. CDR led all scorers with 27 points, though even while acknowledging the positive, it’s worth noting that it took him 25 shots to get there. CDR did grab 12 rebounds, for his first career double-double.

After his great Saturday night, Sean Williams saw 13 minutes of game time before picking up three fouls. But it was Bobby Simmons playing the four in the game’s closing minutes and while Lawrence Frank may consider him a good offensive player, he finished with 3 measly points on 1-4 shooting.

Personally I’m tired of speculating when the first win is going to come for this team. It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s Saturday, not just because it’s the Knicks, but because Devin Harris and Courtney Lee are expected to be back by then. At this point, I think that’s just what it’s going to take. Talent. Real talent. Until then I believe this team is as bad as their record says they are.

Let’s look a few more plays after the jump.
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