Nets Are Scorching

For a franchise that has been defined by so much failure and futility, the 2000s may have marked the most successful decade in New Jersey Nets history. In that ten-year span, the Nets made the playoffs six consecutive years, and they took their first-ever trip to the NBA Finals (which they then followed-up with another trip to the Finals the very next year). They had one of this generation’s best point guards at the helm for the majority of the decade in Jason Kidd. They featured charismatic scorers like Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson, intimidating defenders like Kenyon Martin, and one of the most unlikely head coaches in recent memory with Lawrence Frank. During the 2000s, the Nets even got involved with the turbulent real estate market, as they spent the better part of the past decade trying to get a new arena built in Brooklyn, seemingly succeeding before the start of 2010.

Personally, from the moment Kidd was acquired by the Nets, until very recently, the New Jersey Nets never stopped entertaining me through this decade, which is a tough thing to say considering the current state of the NBA and its perceived entertainment value. With 2010, and a new decade upon us, I thought it would be a great opportunity to relive some of my favorite moments of the past 10 years. By limiting myself to 10 moments, there are going to be some obvious omissions, so feel free to use the comments section to share in some of your own favorite memories.

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I am going to do something that I have been doing since after the Minnesota game.  Gush over Yi.  I already wrote a couple Daily Dime pieces on him, but he just continues to impress.  You rarely see a guy change so much from year to year, but Yi is coming in with a new mentality and I love it.  What I liked the most about tonight’s performance is that he only took two shots from outside 15 feet, and he was 0-2 on those shots.  If he had a shooting performance like this last year, it would have been one of those rough nights for him.  This year though, Yi just decided to take it to the basket.  He was 6-9 at the rim, 2-3 inside 10 feet, and 1-2 inside 15 feet finishing with 22 points.  The fact that he is driving the basketball now is what will make him a consistent player in this league.  Nights the shots don’t fall (like tonight) he will be able just to put his head down and drive.  Nights he’s on, watch out.

Rafer Alston picked up a DNP-CD (did not play, coaches decision) tonight, and I think that is a sign that he isn’t working out as a Net.  I don’t think the Nets will make any moves, but if they do, he is probably the guy who will get shipped.  He just hasn’t fit here in New Jersey, and this is coming from someone who thought he was going to be a great fit, but I was using Orlando Rafer Alston as a template, but that isn’t the Rafer Alston that arrived in New Jersey.  I don’t know why (maybe because he is in his contract year/maybe it’s just because he isn’t on a good team), but he has seemed to revert to that guy who played in Houston and Miami, pounding the ball on the floor as hard as he can and just shooting it.  It seems that he was the guy who was in the middle of the “division” and now Kiki and Del aren’t giving him minutes now that Keyon Dooling seems to be 100%.  You could see it against the Thunder when he came in, the ball just stuck in his hands.  The pace and the feel of the offense was noticeably different with Rafer Alston in the game.  Tonight, Del and Kiki didn’t give him the chance to effect the game.

This was only the second game that the Nets had their original opening day starting lineup (they are 1-1 | .500 baby!).  With the right guys finally all on the court, you can see what Kiki and Rod Thorn had in mind when they built this team.  You had 6 out 8 guys who played score in double figures.  What that means is the offense can’t load up on one specific guy.  At one point in the fourth quarter, you had CDR dribbling against Dalino Gallinari.  If you have Trenton Hassell, Josh Boone, or Rafer Alston on the court while this is happening, the Knicks would have been able to send whoever was covering one of these guys to double CDR and force him to give up the ball.  Since everyone on the court could score, no double came, and CDR just attacked the basket, hitting the big lay-up.  With everyone back, it also allows for guys to settle in their natural roles, most specifically Courtney Lee.  Nevermind the fact that we thought he could be a number 3 scorer, it is becoming apparent that he isn’t ready for that at this point in his career.  Where he can help the Nets is being defensive guy (tonight he got his hands on a ton of basketballs), who hits a shot here and there.  Now that everyone is back, he can do this.  A few more tidbits after the jump.

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Outside of the Nets victory over the Knicks last night (more to come on that in a bit), there isn’t a tough of Nets-related news out there this a.m. besides some Brooklyn-related tidbits.

First, Nets CEO Brett Yormark talked with the YES Network before last night’s game and mentioned some tidbits about Brooklyn (“Brooklyn is here”), Mikhail Prokhorov (“he wants to build a championship team”) and the temporary move to Newark and the Prudential Center (“it serves as a great sampling environment to our fans in New York who can take rail”).

The New York Observer discusses Bruce Ratner’s next financial challenge in building the Barclays Center. He must raise $324 million by next December or he will have to refund the bondholders’ money: Some of this money will come from Mikhail Prokhorov, the tentative new buyer of the Nets, who has agreed to pay $200 million for 80 percent of the team and 45 percent of the arena-to-be. He has also, according to bond documents, agreed to fund at least $60 million in losses by the team until the arena is complete, though this amount is unlikely to be sufficient given that the Nets have been posting more than $70 million a year in pre-tax losses lately.

The Nets were able to use a great 2nd quarter to get enough separation to hold on for the win in the fourth.

• Can we put the Brook and Yi stuff to rest?  It was just a bad stretch for the big guy, and seeing that he is 21, it was bound to happen.  Yi (and Dooling to some extent) is actually going to open things up for Brook.  People have been talking about his lack of touches, but that has been happening all year.
• How awesome is it to have balance?  6 guys, yup let me repeat that, 6 guys with double-digit scoring outputs.  All 5 starters Yi (22), Brook (21), CDR (17), Devin (17), Lee (10), and Dooling (12) off the bench were all in double figures.
• Did you notice that the Knicks didn’t go zone, even though it was very effective last meeting?  Well that is what the shooting threat of Yi and Dooling does for you.
• Devin looked real good again tonight.  Keeping his turnovers down, getting his assists, and scoring.  Let’s hope he can keep this going.
• The Nets only attempted 7 threes, they got a whole bunch of points in the paint, which is awesome.
• The Nets defense was great in the fourth quarter.  The offense got cold during a stretch, and that is usually when opponent’s leads expand and their leads dwindle.  Not tonight, the defense stepped up and held the lead.
• Brook Lopez stealing the ball and starting a fast break is the greatest thing I have seen all year.  Bring on the Cavs!

Before we get to the lineups, just wanted to say one thing.  Expect Brook Lopez to get a lot of touches.  He is playing a smaller big man who he put up nice numbers against already this year.  He is also coming off a game where he didn’t get many touches.  A lot of people are equating the return of Yi to this downturn in production from Brook, but I don’t see it.  He struggled against Minnesota because of foul trouble, plus Al Jefferson looks to be 100% healthy, and he is a very good defender.  He played pretty well against Houston, and against the Thunder, well, the Thunder took defending Brook to the extreme.  The Thunder fronted Brook every single time they could.  This made it tough for him to make the catch, and that is why he had such a rough game.  I am expecting a big game from Brook tonight.

As for the team’s health issues, CDR and Josh Boone are back to push to roster to 13 with Hayes and Najera being the only two out.  Yi/Brook Lopez/CDR/Devin Harris all together again, this could get exciting.  Onto the matchups!

Devin Harris vs. Chris Duhon

Chris Duhon has been playing much better since the Nets and the Knicks played last, while Devin has sort of been treading water since his return.  I think the return of Yi and CDR will help Devin not only put up more assists, but it will help him when it comes to scoring, because in CDR and Yi, you have two more threats out there that defenses need to focus on.

Advantage:  Devin Harris

Courtney Lee vs. Wilson Chandler

With all the talk of Yi’s success and Brook’s lack of success, Courtney Lee is getting lost in the shuffle.  He still isn’t shooting the ball as well as you want him to, but he is knocking down more shots, hitting some threes and playing some awesome defense.  Oh and how about that dunk from Devin’s pass against the Thunder?  I thought there was no way he was going to get to it, then he kept rising, grabbed the ball with one hand, and threw it down.

Advantage:  Push

CDR vs. Danilo Gallinari

CDR is back, and he is getting a pretty favorable match-up in Danilo.  I say favorable, because Gallinari is more of a spot up shooter, and with CDR coming off an ankle injury, a guy like Gallinari is easier to defend, than say, a guy like Brandon Roy.  I am going to be holding my breath when Al Harrington enters the game for Danilo.

Advantage:  Push

Yi vs. Jarred Jeffries

Yi has been phenomenal since his return, against the Knicks I see that being able to continue.  Yi should be able to pull Jeffries out with his shot, and now that Yi actually wants to drive, he is going to be able to blow post him when he closes.  New Yi is awesome.

Advantage:  Yi

Brook Lopez vs. David Lee

Brook Lopez had two nice outings against the Knicks and like I said above, I am hoping that will continue.  The only thing that could set everything back is if Brook picks up fouls.  Hopefully that doesn’t happen, and I really don’t think it would because the Knicks shoot more than they drive, and that is less chances for Brook Lopez to pick up fouls.

Advantage:  Brook Lopez

Quick Note

Quick recap might be a bit late tonight, but it will be there, so don’t worry everyone.

The New York Knicks are back in town again, so NAS has talked with Tommy Dee over at The Knicks Blog to get some insights about the Knicks’ improved play, Nate Robinson, David Lee and other things about the team.

NAS: A lot has been made about the benching of Nate Robinson, but the Knicks are clearly playing better without him. How much are these two things connected, and how do you see “Nategate” playing out?

I noticed mid-year last year that D’Antoni had soured on Nate, but he was playing well at the time and since they had limited options at the guard spot, Nate still go minutes. This year, with the addition of both Larry Hughes and Toney Douglas, who now will receive rotation minutes, D’Antoni has options. He doesn’t feel Nate is his type of player and as a proven coach, he reserves that rite. In the end, I don’t see Nate being traded or bought out based on the fact that teams had the chance to sign him this past off season and received zero offers.

NAS: David Lee may be playing himself out of the Knicks’ price range by the end of the season. If you were Donnie Walsh, would you find a way to ink Lee long-term this summer?

Walsh’s plan has been clear since day 1, he wants the opportunity to sit down with a major free agent July 1st. Lee has said he wants to be part of the solution here, but as you mentioned, he may demand a contract out of the Knicks’ price range. Is he the defensive presence in the middle on a 50-plus win team? Moreover, the four position in D’Antoni system has to be able to stretch defenders out to the perimeter, which isn’t Lee’s game. If a team jumps on Lee right away in July, which they didn’t do last summer, then his career may be over in New York. It will be interesting to see how that shakes out.

NAS: Part of what’s wonderful about playing in the Eastern Conference is you could be under .500 and still in playoff contention. Any chance the Knicks make a deal that could put them over the hump and into the 8th seed?

I think some Knick fans think that player is Tracy McGrady, but that’s a big question mark for me. They will have to trade rotation players to be able to match salaries. If the Rockets take back salary, read Jared Jeffries, I think Walsh would deal, but the team has played well enough recently to at least sniff 6-7 games under .500. If they get to a place where they can sustain 3-4 games under with this group, I think Walsh will pass on McGrady, but again if he can move Jeffries he has to do it. I’d like to see them take a hard look at Randy Foye who is out of the mix in Washington. He’d help them.

Kevin Durant put up 40 on the Nets and was the main reason that the Thunder pulled away from the Nets late.  You would think with a great scorer like Durant, the Nets would do their best to make him work for his, but that wasn’t the case:

It’s difficult to advocate staying the course when the ship is sinking, but for the New Jersey Nets, it may be their best option.

At practice yesterday, the topic du jour for beat writers and columnists was whether or not head coach Kiki Vandeweghe, who’s also still the GM of the team, would consider any potential upgrades for the roster via trade. There are certainly some high profile names readily available, including Tracy McGrady who seems to have played his last game with the Houston Rockets, and Nate Robinson, who’s permanently glued to Mike D’Antoni’s bench in New York.

But Kiki’s plan is to stay put, unless he can acquire any future “assets” that would add to the Nets core, which as currently constituted includes Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Yi Jianlian. Of course, the other goal in all this is to maintain their salary cap flexibility headed into the summer, when a number of high impact free agents will hit the open market.

“We fought hard and obviously sacrificed a lot to maintain the cap space,” Vandeweghe said. “Right now it would be silly to do anything to turn back that [plan].”

This is the right strategy. While the Nets are going to continue to struggle this season, and could possibly approach having the worst record in NBA history if they don’t start winning some games soon, it’s highly unlikely anyone the Nets could acquire right now would make enough of an impact to turn this season around in any meaningful way. Meanwhile, if they acquire a long-term piece, it could end up costing the team in salary cap space this summer when there are likely even better players available, and if they acquire an expiring contract, like McGrady, it’ll likely cost the Nets a piece or two from their core. The only palatable (and thus, unlikely) trade scenario, would be if a team like the Raptors, was willing to unload their marquee free agent-to-be. The Nets could hypothetically acquire Chris Bosh and then be in the best position to offer him the most money and resign him this summer. It’s a risk that’s unlikely to come to fruition as why would the Raptors trade Bosh if they’re in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt?

As much as it hurts, what the Nets need to do now this season is evaluate and evaluate some more, to help determine who is actually a core player on this team, and who’s roster filler or less going forward. The Nets have certainly done a lot of losing this season, but because of injury, they’ve yet to do it together. The only really had their five key guys together for the first two games this season. Even with Yi Jianlian back and looking like a budding superstar the past three games, we haven’t seen him do it with Chris Douglas-Roberts and his 14 shots a game mixed in. Meanwhile, Yi’s success seems to be coinciding with a slide from Brook Lopez, so it’s impossible to know how these five guys can coexist if they’re never healthy enough to play together.

Of course, it’s possible that Kiki and company get slammed by the fan base and the media for doing nothing, and letting this season get further out of hand. There will be talk about all of the empty seats at the Izod Center, and how owner Bruce Ratner has put a lock on the team’s wallet until Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov presumably takes over. While there is some truth to these claims, it doesn’t change what the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets were all about headed into this season – riding out this storm with the promise of better times ahead.