Nets Are Scorching

Bucksketball | BrewHoop

Remember when the Nets had 8 guys score in double digits.  There was no question that was the main reason for the Nets big win against New Orleans.  Well, last night, the lack of depth is what really killed the Nets.  Outside of Devin Harris and Courtney Lee, nobody really did anything of note.  In fact, other than those two guys, the Nets only had 1 more player in double figures.  It was Yi, who finished with 11 points, but it was 2-8 shooting, and he really didn’t have a major impact.  Jarvis Hayes had a rough game, since he wasn’t knocking down his shot.  It is usually feast or famine with Jarvis, and last night was famine.  Jarvis is a fantastic shooter, but he seems to go in those slumps where he just can’t knock anything down, and that was the case last night.  Brook Lopez also really struggled.  Totally wasn’t expecting that since Andrew Bogut was out, but Brook just didn’t get into a rhythm offensively.  As Jon noted in the comments, part of it had to do with Devin’s hot start.  The other part of it just has to do with the Nets’ offensive strategy.  It just never seems like getting Brook Lopez involved is a priority, and against a team that just lost their best defender in center Andrew Bogut, it’s frustrating.

Trying to focus on the positive a little bit, it was good to see Devin Harris and Courtney Lee get it going.  Now that the Nets have gotten their 1oth (and 11th) win to avoid infamy, the wins don’t really matter.  You want to see the guys who are going to be with the team next year finish on a good note, and seeing Courtney and Devin play well is the start of that.  Both of those guys have been through so much in terms of slumps and injuries that if they can finish the year playing well, they can have something to work off of.  Something to keep them motivated.  On the flip side, I am not really worried about Brook Lopez finishing the year off slow (or slower than the beginning of the year), just because he has played so strong all year and never really had to face any injuries or adversity.

Some more thoughts after the jump:

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Kris Humphries on his future with the team: “I haven’t thought about it much, because nobody knows what’s going to happen with this team, and the way the next Collective Bargaining Agreement will turn out,” Humphries said. “Those things will probably play a role in my decision. There’s a lot to think about.”

As Julian Garcia notes, the Nets managed to clinch something last night: Wednesday night’s 108-89 loss to the Bucks put the Nets in position to at least be tied with Minnesota for the worst record in the league when the season ends on Wednesday. If the Nets finish dead last, they will have the best odds – 25% – of getting Kentucky point guard John Wall or one of the other top-notch college players who declared for the NBA draft yesterday. If they finish tied with the Timberwolves, the teams will have the same lottery chances of getting the top pick.

Al Iannazzone writes that Yi’s status with the team is uncertain: Presuming the Nets don’t get LeBron James or Dwyane Wade, they should have a shot at the likes of Carlos Boozer, Amar’e Stoudemire and David Lee. Each has been an All-Star at some point, so Yi’s days as a Net seem numbered.

Al also takes a look at Mikhail Prokhorov’s riches.

Devin Harris, talking with Madison.com, has some perspective about his career: “If you’re looking to put it in perspective,” added Harris, who won 67 games as a member of the Dallas Mavericks in 2006-07, “I’ve been to the highest of the highs and the lowest lows. I’ll learn from it. I’ll be better next season, I can tell you that.”

Bleacher Report looks at the Top 10 first-round playoff series, and the Nets/Pacers match-up from 2002 makes the cut. I would have ranked it much higher, personally.