Nets Are Scorching

With the Nets in Memphis last night to play the Grizzlies, I was expecting some news about CDR to come out of it.  The city of Memphis loves CDR from his college years, and with him not getting much time fans are probably curious about why it is happening.  This afternoon an article from Scott Cacciola of the Memphis Commercial Appeal popped up, and in it were some interesting quotes about the relationship between CDR and Kiki Vandeweghe.  Here are some excerpts:

The disconnect between Douglas-Roberts and coach Kiki Vandeweghe could not have been more obvious. Not counting the two times Vandeweghe requested that Douglas-Roberts report to the scorer’s table, neither appeared to acknowledge the other’s existence. And while Vandeweghe has been diplomatic in his public remarks about Douglas-Roberts, their relationship is strained. It is one of the worst-kept secrets in the NBA.

When Douglas-Roberts was asked about the situation, he craned his neck to check if anyone was listening and lowered his voice to a whisper.

“It’s unique,” he said. “We talked a lot when he got here. But then he took over as the head coach, and it’s … it’s, uh, unique.”

…

Under Frank, Douglas-Roberts averaged 16.3 points on 14.3 shots per game. Under Vandeweghe, he is averaging 8.3 points on 7.7 shots per game. And his playing time continues to deteriorate. In February, he averaged just 3.3 points on 39-percent shooting in 14.4 minutes per game.

He also was benched twice, and that included the Nets’ 104-94 loss to the visiting Grizzlies on Feb. 21. Vandeweghe told reporters it was the result of an “internal matter,” which provided at least an indication of the turmoil that has hindered the Nets – and CDR, in particular – this season.

“I’m fully aware of what’s going on,” Douglas-Roberts said. “Earlier in the year, I was really successful. The first 30 or 35 games, I was averaging 17 a game. But we were still losing. And then the coaching change, and he came in with a different system, philosophy. Basically I had to take a backseat.”

Asked how the system is different, Douglas-Roberts said: “It’s more of an inside-out team. We have a great big in Brook Lopez. And another young big in Yi Jianlian. And then basically we have to play through them, which is fine. But I’m suffering a little from that.”

…

Douglas-Roberts, during his cameos, often stationed himself outside the 3-point arc along the baseline. He looked almost uncomfortable.

“I don’t really know what my role is,” he said. “I just go in there and, you know, play while I’m in there. It’s not really an established role like it was earlier in the year. So I just go out there and try to play and help us out however I can.”

That is a lot to take in, so let’s look at each individual topic.

The Disconnect

CDR has been saying something to this effect for a while now.  I don’t know what happens behind the scenes, but I have been to a couple of practices and to me it doesn’t seem like Kiki is going out of his way to talk to him, but he isn’t going out of his way to avoid him.  Again, just based on my observations it seems that CDR is more of the initiator of the disconnect.  It all probably started after Kiki’s first benching of CDR.  I am not saying he needs to be happy, but it is pretty important to have a working relationship with your coach, and if the coach doesn’t feel like he can trust a player to listen to him, he isn’t going to play him.  It is that simple.  The problem is that the more CDR sits, the more introverted he becomes.

The System

This has been CDR’s biggest complaint of the season and of Kiki.  That Kiki’s decision to play inside-out is disrespectful to CDR and his game, but in all actuality this was the decision that turned the Nets’ season around (from 0 wins to now 7).  The fact that CDR still spouts off his scoring average after the first 30 games off the top of his head is troubling.  He seems to be hanging on to that despite not doing what got him there.  Ever since Yi returned and Kiki decided to play inside-out, Kiki has lost that aggression and willingness to attack the basket.  That’s why his shots and his scoring have gone down.  The shots are out there (especially now that the Nets need a 4th scorer with Yi out).  Even the Memphis paper admitted this:

Douglas-Roberts is a slasher, not a distributor. But there does seem to be room in Vandeweghe’s system for guards and wings who are capable scorers. Against the Grizzlies, swingman Courtney Lee scored 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting and point guard Devin Harris added 28 – though, in fairness, they had to take on more responsibility because Jianlian was sidelined with an injury.

CDR’s Role

This seems to be CDR’s new complaint about the Nets and Kiki.  That CDR doesn’t know his role anymore, as if it is an excuse for him to stand out beyond the three point line when he is in.  I have an idea for CDR, if he doesn’t know his role, why doesn’t he ask his coach?  Oh yeah, I forgot, their relationship is “unique”.  Not knowing his role shouldn’t prevent him from doing things like boxing out (gave up a key rebound in the fourth quarter against Memphis) when he is in the game.

—

Talking about CDR and his complaints about the Nets is getting old.  It seems like he needs to come up with a new excuse or reason why he isn’t playing (or playing well) about every month.  CDR is a guy with a chip on his shoulder, and rightfully so.  That chip is what makes CDR a potentially special player, but he needs to realize that not everyone is against him, especially his teammates and coaches.

While watching last night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, I couldn’t help thinking about Mark’s terrific post on the Nets new “Big Three.“  As I watched the game, I saw two thirds of this new big three play very well.  Courtney Lee scored 30 points on 13-20 shooting and Devin Harris put in 28 points on 9-18 shooting.  However the big man in this triangle of players, Brook Lopez, battled foul trouble in the first half and really seemed to struggle the entire game.  Lopez scored 10 points on 3-10 shooting and was only able to pull down 7 rebounds (including a whopping 0 in the first half).

Now I am not going to get on Brook Lopez for one bad game.  He has been the Nets’ most consistent performer all year and bad games are bound to happen.  But what this bad game from Brook Lopez goes to show is how dependent this current roster is on the Nets’ new “Big Three.”  For the Nets to get a win, they need Courtney Lee, Devin Harris, and Brook Lopez to all play well because there simply isn’t enough production coming from the rest of the roster.  Look at last night’s game for example, if Brook puts up his average and scores 19 points, the Nets win.  Instead, he scores 10 points and there is nobody there to pick up the slack.  When good teams have their stars struggle, they usually can get someone else to help out in terms of scoring.  Let’s use the Grizzlies as an example as their best player, Zach Randolph, ended up not playing.  They needed some extra scoring to come from somewhere, and Mike Conley ended up picking up the slack scoring 21 (he averages 10).

Is there someone on the Nets roster who can do what Mike Conley did last night (pick up the scoring load when the main guys aren’t able to)?  I don’t think so.  Terrence Williams has been playing very well as of late, but he isn’t a scorer at this point in his career.  Keyon Dooling and Jarvis Hayes are guys who can knock down jumpers, but they aren’t going to go out and get 20 points for you.  Chris Douglas-Roberts has the potential to do it, but he is so wildly inconsistent you can’t depend on him.  Then there is Josh Boone and Trenton Hassell.  These are two guys who are going to work their butt of for your team, but they couldn’t score 10 points alone in a gym.

If the Nets are going to avoid infamy and get that coveted 10th win, the Nets are going to need to find someone who can provide a 4th scoring option, a guy who can help pick up the slack when either Brook Lopez, Courtney Lee or Devin Harris struggle.  Who is that going to be?  Well, when Kris Humphries arrived from Dallas, he was putting up great numbers, but now he is struggling.  My candidate is Terrence Williams, because as teams start to play him for the pass, lanes are going to open up.  If nobody steps up, the Nets probably won’t get to 10 wins unless Courtney Lee, Brook Lopez, and Devin Harris start combining for 80 points a game or something like that.

3 Shades of Blue – Straight Outta Vancouver

At the risk of overstating things, last night’s 107-101 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies could be one of those games that will really stand out at season’s ends if the Nets fail to get to 10 wins and avoid infamy. Not so much because this looked like much of a win on paper for the Nets, especially the way they played in the first half when they were down 67-51 at halftime. But because Memphis all but giftwrapped an opportunity for the Nets to steal win #8 by playing about as bad as an NBA team could play in the second half.

After looking unstoppable in the first half, the Grizzlies laid an egg in the third, shooting 29 percent and earning hearty boos from the Memphis faithful. But that’s where the “what ifs” come to play. The Nets pulled as close as two points when Devin Harris hit a step back 17-footer with about 11 seconds left in the third. But the Nets had the first of their many breakdowns when they fouled Marcus Williams with just a bit too much time left on the clock, allowing Sam Young enough time to get a clean look at the rim to swing the momentum back towards Memphis.

In the fourth, the Grizzlies weren’t nearly as bad, and the Nets weren’t nearly as good, but New Jersey still had their chances. With Yi Jianlian out with a knee injury and Josh Boone seemingly dinged up in a play in the third, the Nets went with a small lineup for a few minutes and settled for too many perimeter shots. And when they still managed to grab a few breaks, like when Kris Humphries intercepted a bad pass from Williams under the rim with about 7 minutes left and the Nets trailing by four, Hump rushed the putback and missed – another opportunity gone.

But the biggest “what if” was regarding the offensive play of the Nets frontcourt – namely Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries. Lopez looked out of it early, and was getting played tough by Marc Gasol (and had the bloody scratches to prove it – in job refs). But he mostly a non-factor from the field finishing 3-10, though he was fairly effective in the give-and-go fame with Devin Harris and Courtney Lee, tallying up 6 assists.

And with a lot of Nets fans scratching their heads as to why Boone got the call over Hump at the starting four, Humphries did very little, if anything to distinguish himself offensively. In addition to shooting 1-7, he just looked tentative out there, getting the ball 16-18 feet away from the basket and knowing he shouldn’t be shooting those shots, but not making a strong enough move to the hoop to either to a higher percentage shot or draw a foul. The saving grace for Hump came on the defensive end, where he blocked three shots and drew an offensive foul when Sam Young pushed Hump away while taking what looked to be, an easy lay-up with 6:37 left in the fourth and the Grizzlies hanging on to a four point lead. But again, the Nets were never able to take the next step. Terrence Williams had a layup attempt blocked by Young and a DeMarre Carroll layup later put the Grizzlies back up by 6.

Final thoughts after the jump:
Read more…

With the Nets inching closer to all-time infamy, the Philadelphia Daily News gives a detailed look at the 72-73 Sixers. Fred Carter, the leading scorer of that team, wants to keep the record in Philadelphia.

Rudy Gay is quietly spreading the word that he would play in New Jersey, but the Memphis Grizzlies expect the restricted free agent to stick around:  Grizzlies’ owner Michael Heisley told the Memphis Commercial Appeal, “I feel we’re going to sign him.”

Post columnist George Willis doesn’t blame David Lee for looking towards the Nets this summer.

Courtney Lee tells Al Iannazzone that he’s starting to regain that scorer’s mentality he had in college:  “I was a scorer in college,” Lee said. “I went to the NBA and I had to switch my role. Just getting back into that scoring role like before, you have to be in tip-top shape and you have to definitely have your rhythm.