Lifting the Bench
by Mark Ginocchio
Feb 4, 2010 Chris Douglas-Roberts, Chris Quinn, Kris Humphries, Roster Moves, Terrence Williams
Before the season started, I thought the depth of the Nets bench was going to be the team’s strongest asset. Veterans like Rafer Alston, Keyon Dooling and Jarvis Hayes would provide shooting and leadership, while big men like Josh Boone, Tony Battie and a healthier Eduardo Najera were hypothetically going to provide a little grit and toughness, especially on the defensive end. And rookie Terrence Williams was potentially a jack-of-all-trades player who could fill a stat-sheet in a number of categories.
But a funny thing happened. A bunch of injuries to the team’s starters forced guys like Alston, Boone and TWill into bigger roles than expected, exposing them as below average, bordering on awful rotation players. Injuries to Dooling, Hayes and Battie kept them out of action for prolonged periods. And Eduardo Najera looked to be all but finished in the NBA. A perceived strength was now the team’s biggest weakness.
In a recent post, Sebastian mentioned that the Nets may have one of the weakest 6-12 guys in the league, referring to the bench, but through a series of roster moves and health upgrades, I’m starting to see positive signs with the bench again.
For starters let’s look at some the recent moves that have bolstered the bench:
Going: Rafer Alston (contract buyout), Sean Williams (waived), Eduardo Najera (traded).
Coming: Kris Humphries (trade), Chris Quinn (trade), Chris Douglas-Roberts (moved to bench in favor of Jarvis Hayes).
Out of the rotation: Josh Boone.
So here are some of the primary changes…
Kris Humphries replaces Josh Boone and Eduardo Najera as F/C: This may be the most dramatic upgrade for the bench. Humphries, who was a “per 48 minute” star with his previous teams was finally getting legitimate playing time, and has even replaced Yi Jianlian at PF in crunch time of games. Hump has rewarded the Nets loyalty by going for double-digits in scoring four times since he joined the team in mid-January, including two games with 20+ points. He’s also had 7 or more rebounds five times. Compare that with Josh Boone, whose season high for points has been 11. Humphries has a slightly lower rebound rate than Boone, but he also turns the ball over a lot less. This has definitely been a move for the better.
Chris Quinn replaces Rafer Alston: Quinn only seems to be getting into games when either Devin Harris or Keyon Dooling are injured, but when you look at some of his numbers, he’s still an upgrade over the 2009-10 version of Alston. In his limited time this season, Quinn has compiled a better True Shooting percentage, assist ratio, turnover ratio and Player Efficiency Rating than Alston. He’s also fits in the team’s mold of building around youth, and seems to be steering clear of some of the locker room issues that were periodically connected to Alston’s name.
Terrence Williams is starting to get it: This is a big assumption, but TWill has been a revelation on this homestand ever since Rod Thorn reportedly threatened to demote him to the D-League if he didn’t get his act together. He’s still not shooting the ball all that well, but he’s backing away from the exorbitant number of jumpers he was taking in November and December, and he’s been rebounding the ball and collecting assists at a better rate than he was earlier this season when injuries forced him into more playing time.
Chris Douglas-Roberts is the wild card: I honestly think the play of CDR off the bench will go a long way towards determining his long-term value with the Nets. His first game off the bench was not much to get excited about, going scoreless and missing his one and only shot attempt. However, he looked a lot more into the flow last night, and it showed as he was on the floor when the team made its big run in the second quarter. If CDR can build on last night’s performance, he’ll be a major asset off the bench, capable of scoring 10-15 points a game and getting to the foul line at a nice clip – similar to what he demonstrated at the end of his rookie season.
February 4th, 2010 at 11:43 AM
I can’t really comment on his apparent lack of maturity, but it still seems harsh to criticize TWill for his early season performance. The kid is a rookie who was pushed into extended minutes, at multiple positions, right off the bat. Even with that, he managed to show his superior rebounding skills (three early season double doubles, I believe).
More recently, TWill has looked, at times, like the most dynamic player on the court for this team. He brings above average court vision and passing ability, he’s a strong rebounder, and his athleticism and hops are otherworldly.
Sure, the kid still can’t shoot much, but lots of guys come into the league needing to improve their shooting, and many do. His defense, which is a problem for most rookies, seems to be getting better as well.
Again, it sure does sound like the kid needs to grow up a bit, and perhaps next season a strong veteran presence on an improved team that isn’t losing every night will help get him in line. But watching him play, especially these past couple of weeks, it sure looks like TWill’s got a chance to be not just a significant role player, but a significant player in this league.
February 4th, 2010 at 12:30 PM
Who – I don’t think it was all that harsh – I mean look at the guy’s numbers in November and December – he was, by all accounts, one of the worst NBA players in a regular rotation at that point, and a lot of it had to do with being forced into a larger than should be role out of the gate. Now that he’s had time to practie and learn the speed of the NBA, he’s turning the ball over less and taking smarter shots. The bottom line is, I’m impressed with the player he’s becoming, but was disgusted with the early version of him. That’s fair, I think.
February 4th, 2010 at 2:34 PM
TWill has been gettin ripped on by everyone who discusses the Nets all year. Mark, I’m not talking about you directly but reading other articles about the Nets, people are already putting him in a group with some of our other 1st rd busts such as Marcus Williams, Josh Boone, Antoine Wright, Zoran Plananic just to name a few. Its definitely not fair to call him a bust at this point. He has already started to improve and looks like hes got the ability to be a very good player that just needs some time to develop. I do like that you guys have been fair to him, however and the fact that you guys realize hes not gonna be a star right away unlike some people (see ESPN) shows you know what your doing
February 4th, 2010 at 3:40 PM
Bdon, anyone calling TWill a bust after 3 months during a 4-44 season is an idiot. There, I said it.
Get some talented guys on this team besides Brook Lopez, and a coach with experience, and let’s see where TW is a year from now before any fans or pundits declare anything. There’s clearly talent there, but a murky path as to how it can be realized.
February 4th, 2010 at 3:41 PM
I also to this day supported the Marcus Williams pick – the people ripping Thorn for that are playing Monday-morning quarterback. He was a steal at the time when the Nets got him where they did. He just didn’t work out. Neither did Kwame Brown or Michael Olowokani but at least the Nets didn’t burn a the #1 pick in the draft on the guy.
February 4th, 2010 at 4:00 PM
Yeah it was pick 21 no problem getting marcus at hat even if he was a bust in the end. As for T will, the skills are all there and who knows what his ceeling. If he could learn to shoot. Wow. He’s shown the last while that he should at least be a nice rotation player. He just needs to keep his head on straight. And to be honest if this wasn’t such a bad season and this team had a real coach and some more veterans this probably wouldn’t have hapened.
February 4th, 2010 at 5:39 PM
[...] The Fu Manchu: Mark Ginocchio looks at how recent additions have bolstered the Nets’ bench. [Nets Are Scorching] [...]