This offseason is going to be an exciting one for the New Jersey Nets, but before we can move forward we must look back. Over the next couple of days, I am going to be looking at the Nets who will (most likely) be back, and review their year, from what they did well to what they didn’t. Today we are going to look at the Nets’ Most Enigmatic Player, Chris Douglas-Roberts.
We have been splitting up these year in review posts by splitting up the positives and the negatives. For CDR we are going to do something different. We are going to break it up between the CDR from the first 32 games and the CDR of the remaining 50 games.
The First 32 Games
During these first 32 games, CDR was a revelation. He was able to build on his strong finish during his rookie year and earned himself a starting job, one that he really took advantage of. CDR has an awkward game, and while some may see that as a diss, I think of this as a good thing. His high dribble and length really gave defenders a problem, and when he was determined to take it to the basket, he got there easily:
The activity not only on the offensive end, but on the defensive end is really what excited me about CDR the player through these first 30 or so games.
Though it’s very possible that Lakers coach Phil Jackson could be coaching his last season in Los Angeles, Nets President Rod Thorn threw some cold water on the idea that he is a potential candidate for the New Jersey vacancy:
“I don’t see him leaving there,” Thorn said. “I think he will probably stay there until he retires.”
I still think that Mikhail Prokhorov is going to make a huge splash when it comes to finding a head coaches. There are a lot of assistants in the NBA whose names are being floated into the Nets coaching discussion, and while it would make sense to bring in one of these assistants, I just don’t see Prokhorov’s first personnel decision being promoting another team’s assistant to a head coaching job. He’s going to want a name. Jackson and Coach K may be unlikely, but I think they would be easier for Prokhorov to woo to the Nets than LeBron James and Chris Bosh. And while the rationale basketball person in me wants to see the Nets look to build something by bringing in a young, defensive-minded coach, I can’t say the diehard fan in me doesn’t want to see Prokhorov go for broke and leave a huge bag of money on Phil Jackson or Jeff Van Gundy’s doorstep.
Before the season started if you would have asked me about the one free agent to be I wouldn’t want to see on the Nets, my answer would have been Carlos Boozer. I thought he was a solid player, but I didn’t really see his game fitting in with the current Nets roster, and I didn’t really think he was a guy worth a max contract. However, with that being said, the playoffs have really changed my opinion of Boozer.
As you probably know by now, the Nets aren’t in the playoffs, so when I am watching the games I am keeping my eye on soon-to-be free agents. Some observations have been obvious. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Amar’e Stoudemire are all really really good. Nets fans are going to have to prepare for these three resigning with their current teams (rumors are coming out that all three are planning – or at least going to try - to do so) and look towards other options. That is when I started watching (and rewatching) Jazz games and just focusing on Carlos Boozer, and he has been playing like a man during these playoffs. He has averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds throughout, even as he battles a ribcage injury (he isn’t playing against slouches either).
It wasn’t just the numbers that impressed me either, after watching his play I am really starting to think that Boozer’s style will fit with the Nets. The Nets really need a power forward with Yi Jianlian and Kris Humphries appearing that they both aren’t the answer (granted they are both nice pieces off of the bench) and Boozer could be the guy. His time with the Jazz has really made him into a very good pick and roll player, and pairing him with Devin Harris who is a very good point guard when running the pick and roll could lead to some pretty special things.
What about Brook Lopez you ask? Well, I can come up with two sets the Nets can run with Brook and Boozer in at the same time. The first would involve Brook and Boozer both at the high post on different sides of Devin Harris. Harris chooses what screen he wants to use and goes from there. Both Brook Lopez and Carlos Boozer have a good enough outside game that if they aren’t the screener in this set, they can just spot up for a jumper if their man helps.
So, I got an e-mail yesterday that got me thinking about this topic:
Dear Mr. Pruiti,
The other day I was having a discussion with my friends about the coolest nicknames in sports. After a while, we came to the conclusion that ‘Jedi’ would be by far the coolest; but we could not think of anyone who had it. I would like to give it to Terrence Williams, with your help to spread the word. Lets face it, t-will is very unoriginal. A-rod t-mac d-will k-rod, the list goes on and on for that style nickname. Plus, although this is a corny reason, he is one of the best jumpers in the league, making him a ‘skywalker.’ Of course, I am open to other suggestions from fellow Net fans, but t-will has to go. If you like ‘Jedi’ Williams, help me spread it.
Thank you in advance, Vincent
First off, I like any e-mail that starts off with “Mr. Pruiti” it makes me feel much more important than I really am. Second, I really really really like this nickname. What do you guys think? Leave your opinions in the comments, and meanwhile, I will try and get this nickname to stick.
There is something about Chris Douglas-Roberts that makes the homer Nets fan in me want to root for him. Maybe it’s because he’s always found a way to defy his doubters, as Ben Couch aptly put it in his latest column:
At 22 years old, having completed his sophomore season at basketball’s highest level, Douglas-Roberts has long been overcoming skepticism with outstanding results, though most often it’s centered on whether his herky-jerky offensive game will translate to another talent plateau. There is a pattern here: he succeeds, that success is questioned, he is downgraded, he adjusts and succeeds anew.
But I think even the biggest CDR fan could admit that the player known as “Fresh” made it difficult to support him for stretches this past season. There are theories aplenty as to why Douglas-Roberts’ production and playing time dropped off significantly as the season wore on – lack of aggressiveness, bad relations with coach Kiki Vandeweghe, the emergence of Terrence Williams. NAS and other beat writers have written thousands upon thousands of words dissecting CDR’s play and quirky characteristics. And the bottom line is no one can definitively say whether or not CDR will ever play a permanent role with the Nets. That’s why he’s the recipient of the “Most Enigmatic” award.
ESPN’s Chris Sheridan suggests the Miami Heat could free up more cap space to resign Dwyane Wade by unloading a few players to either the Nets or the Minnesota Timberwolves – most notably PF Michael Beasley.
While Beasley would certainly be an upgrade over what’s currently on the Nets’ roster at the four, I hesitate to say he’s worth taking on, especially when guys like David Lee and Carlos Boozer are out there for only money. The problem is, as Sheridan alludes to in his chat on Monday, the Nets may not be able to attract any free agents this summer, Mikhail Prokhorov’s determination be damned. And while it pains me to write this, I think there’s a very real possibility that if the Nets are going to upgrade their roster this summer, they’re going to have to do it in outside the box ways. Rod Thorn has proven he can do that in the past – taking on a troubled Jason Kidd in 2001 for Stephon Marbury. That obviously worked out. But those trades seem once in a lifetime.
This offseason is going to be an exciting one for the New Jersey Nets, but before we can move forward we must look back. Over the next couple of days, I am going to be looking at the Nets who will (most likely) be back, and review their year, from what they did well to what they didn’t. Today we are going to look at the Nets’ Most Disappointing Player, Devin Harris.
The Positives
Pick & Roll Game
In my opinion, nothing is prettier than the pick and roll, and when Devin Harris is right, and he is running it, he is one of the best guards to run it, especially when it is run with Brook Lopez. Whenever I would see those two running the pick and roll, I would always ask myself, “How on earth are the Nets so bad?”
Howard Beck and the New York Times reiterate some themes we’ve been hearing and reading the past few months, calling the transfer of power to Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov “the most anticipated ownership change in NBA history.” But more importantly, the article gets into the crux of what kind of owner Prokhorov may be in the NBA, by examining some of the perks of his CSKA Moscow team:
CSKA could be the Dallas Mavericks of Europe. Under Prokhorov — who gave up the team in 2007 — the club spent freely on players, facilities and travel and established a winning culture. Marc Cornstein, a player agent with clients in both the N.B.A. and abroad, said CSKA was run “the most similar to an N.B.A. team as any team in Europe.”
And this is where Prokhorov’s ownership is important. The Nets haven’t appeared like winning was the only thing that mattered since the summer of 2003 when they resigned Jason Kidd and rolled the dice with Alonzo Mourning, which blew up in their faces, but the team clearly was going for broke, realizing that they needed something big to finally get over the hump and win an NBA championship. Since then, we’ve witnessed major players be traded or leave the organization, and replaced with “nice guys” but hardly game changers. I still think guys like LeBron, Wade and Bosh are longshots this summer, very longshots, but if and when those guys either stay where they are or go elsewhere, how is Prokhorov going to respond? That’ll go a long way in determining if the anticipation was worth it.
