In early December, exactly 8 games into Kiki’s tenure as head coach, we looked at his team’s playing style. A style that was completely different to what Lawrence Frank was doing. If you don’t feel like going back through the post, here is the spreadsheet:
Sorry this is a little late guys, but I am doing today’s Nets on the Net, and I don’t wake up as early as Mark.
Yesterday, John Hollinger wrote a piece killing the Nets (insider only). It seems harsh until you realize it is all stuff we already know.
According to all the big rumor guys and some locals, the Amar’e to the Nets deal is all but dead. And if he was wanted a max extension, this is a good thing.
Marc Spears from Yahoo provides us with some interesting info about the agency that controls this year’s free agency period.
The Grizzlies and CDR have been linked in trade rumors. This was bound to happen. Memphis needs some more scoring from the wing (which CDR can provide), and CDR is beloved in the Memphis area. I just don’t know if Memphis has what the Nets need in terms of players.
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.
Advanced Box Score | RaptorsRepublic
The Nets are back to competing, and in my opinion that is a good thing. I know, the wins aren’t coming, but when you lose 44 of 48 games, you take what positives you can. The biggest reason why the Nets are competing is because there seems to be some stability in New Jersey. What do I mean by stability? Well, they have finally found a nice pace to play at (somewhere in the 92-95 possessions per game range), and they are selectively running now which is what this team can be very good at (27 fast break points tonight). What I mean by selectively running is when the opportunity is there, take it, but if it isn’t there slow it down. In the first 20 or so games of the Kiki era, he was forcing the Nets to run at any chance they get. The Nets aren’t good enough offensively to do that, and Kiki finally made the correct change.
The Nets are also becoming more stable when it comes to the rotation. Remember when guys like Hayes and T-Will had their minutes fluctuating like crazy? They would play 20 minutes one game then 5 the next. Now everyone is getting consistent minutes, and that makes things easier for the players. As an example, when Terrence Williams was getting limited minutes, he was going out there and forcing things. This is because he didn’t know when he was getting pulled, so he would try to make the most of his minutes, and that caused him to press. Now that he is getting 20 minutes on a regular basis (along with guys like CDR and Humphries), they can let the game come to them, knowing they will have numerous games to effect the game positively. This was proven tonight as the bench looked comfortable out there, and everyone who entered the game off the bench for the Nets had a positive +/-.
As for what the Raptors did to win last night, they hit the three ball. They were 10-19 from deep. The three point shot was a real problem for the Nets in the beginning of the year, but over the past couple of weeks, they have done a very good job defending the three point line. Maybe it was the teams they were playing (The Clippers, Sixers, Wizards, and Pistons don’t light it up from deep), but it was disappointing to see, and I think it cost the team the game. Some more thoughts after the jump.
Al Iannazzone writes that one of the reasons Del Harris left the organization Tuesday was because the players weren’t relating to him. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo seconds that take speaking about the Nets maturity issues.
It’s like a vicious cycle for Devin Harris and the Nets, according to John Schumann: The Nets are as bad as they are because Harris hasn’t been playing well, and Harris hasn’t been playing well because the Nets are as bad as they are.
NJ Gov. Chris Christie is not talking about whether or not the state would enforce a $7.5 million penalty if the Nets jumped the Izod Center for the Prudential Center in Newark.
And…. holy crap that’s Vanilla Ice performing at halftime last night:
In a back and forth game that saw both teams with double-digit leads in the first half, the Toronto Raptors had the last laugh, pulling away late and beating the New Jersey Nets 108-99 in Toronto tonight.
Before we get to tonight’s game, I did a post on last night’s Nets-Pistons game for my other website NBAPlaybook. You can check it out if you want, but it basically comes down to the Pistons executing and the Nets no executing.
As for tonight, well, tonight is going to be tough. I don’t expect to see the type of blowout that happened the last time the Raptors and the Nets met, but with the Nets coming off a tough home loss last night then hopping on a plane and having to play again today, things could get messy (especially with the Raptors a team that loves to run it up and down the floor). No word on Keyon Dooling yet, but expect to see some Tony Battie, Josh Boone, and more of Chris Quinn tonight as the Nets regulars made need more breathers. Onto the lineups:
Devin Harris vs. Jarrett Jack
For 47 minutes and 45 seconds, Devin Harris looked really good. Those last 15 seconds, not so much. Still we shouldn’t discount the rest of the game for those final few seconds (even though that was a really really bad shot). Devin looked great, he was getting into the lane and either finishing or getting the ball to teammates in position where they can score. What I really liked is that Harris was looking to score when he got into the lane. Sometimes Harris gets into a mode where he is exclusively looking for the foul call and just throws stuff up there while trying to draw contact. The refs haven’t been giving him that call, and it seems like Harris has finally made the adjustment.
Advantage: Push
Courtney Lee vs. Sonny Weems
A lot of CDR fans are pointing to Courtney Lee and saying that he should be the one moving to the bench instead of CDR. Well, a quick stretch in the fourth quarter last night shows why he is on the court. Lee hit a spot up three, and in the next possession, he got a steal, one that lead to another basket for the Nets. Even when Courtney isn’t getting the ball, he is still out there working hard and making things happen, and that is why he is on the court.
Advantage: Push
Jarvis Hayes vs. Hedo Turkoglu
Hayes had another solid game, and at some point during the game, Mike Fratello said of Hayes, “It just looks like it is going to go in every time he shoots it.” Whenever Hayes is in the game, the defense needs to pay attention to him, because he can shoot it. That makes it easier for everyone else. He has his work cut out for him tonight. Turkoglu is a solid player on both ends, and his height can, and probably will, give Hayes problems.
Advantage: Push
Yi vs. Chris Bosh
This is going to be a tough match-up for Yi, and if he starts out cold, I can see Humphries getting a good amount of the minutes, just because he is a guy who will try to body up Bosh on the defensive end. If Humphries can even contain Bosh just a little bit, I think the Nets have a chance tonight.
Advantage: Chris Bosh
Brook Lopez vs. Andrea Bargnani
Bargnani is the type of player who can give Brook some trouble on the offensive end, so if Brook is covering him, he is really going to have to work to close out and get in Bargnani’s face to prevent easy three point shots. Also, the Nets are going to need to go to Brook into the post and force Bargnani to cover him down low. Make him work and he should tire by the end of the game. Also, who knows? The Nets may be able to pick up some fouls on him as well.
Advantage: Brook Lopez
We got a bonus edition of Bloggers Talk today, as the Nets hit the road for Toronto. Here’s Sam Holako from the great TrueHoop Ratpors site, Raptors Republic. I also answered some questions for him over at his site, so as good citizens of NAS, you should check it out.
NAS: A 7-13 start caused a little bit of panic in Raptor-land but the team has settled in nicely and is now above .500 and in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Is there anything you can credit for the turnaround?
The turnaround was due to an improvement on a couple fronts: 1) Bargnani just seemed to turn it on in December, and played the fiercest defense we have seen from him. He has also made a real effort to crash the boards, which has been one of his biggest knocks 2) Calderon went down, and Jack moved to starting unit bringing a bit more defense 3) Production from the bench has increased dramatically. Beinelli and Weems are legitimate threats to score, Wright is our version of Bruce Bowen and Amir Johnson is the best big man we’ve had coming off the bench ever.
NAS: Obviously all eyes continue to be on the Chris Bosh situation. Is there any shot he stays in Toronto beyond this season, and do you really see a suitable trade partner out there if the Raptors want to go in that direction?
The only way Bosh wont be in a Raptor uniform next season is if he comes out and says that he wants to be traded. Given his tone the last few weeks and his comments during the summer (how he considers Toronto home), I don’t see him wanting out. Once you factor in the Raptors reversal of fortunes, and this being his team, and his country, it is tough to leave that and go. Also, if he doesn’t resign, he leaves $30mil on the table, that’s a lot of dough with the CBA coming up ant the end of next season.
NAS: A lot of Raptors fans were seemingly pumped for Andrea Bargnani entering this season (including a few who took umbrage with our site ranking Brook Lopez ahead of him at the C position). Are you happy with the progression he’s show this season or do you still feel like he has room to grow?
The comparison between Lopez and Bargnani is interesting. I bet Thorn wouldn’t trade Lopez for Bargnani if he was offered. Bargnani started the year scoring well, but has really picked up the defense since early December. He is a beast in the paint, just ask Duncan and Howard. The sky is really limit for the guy; if he can rebound at a higher rate (8-9 a game) and take a few more shots a game, that extension he signed in the summer (5yr/$50mill) will be one of the best contracts in the league.
NAS: Putting aside the contract if you can, are you happy with Hedo Turkoglu’s performance so far this season?
The Hedo signing was absolutely terrible. Triano is having trouble getting him enough touches since he, Calderon and Jack all need the ball to be effective on offense. Aside from giving the greatest post-game interview in NBA history (ball), he hasn’t lived up to that contract. It’s hard to separate the contract from whether I am happy with his performance since if he was making the mid-level, I would be super happy. He hasn’t helped his own cause with poor shooting from the perimeter. I’m just bitter with the whole Hedo situation…