Nets Are Scorching

Kris Humphries just barely misses the buzzer.

Box Score – Valley Of The Suns – Bright Side Of The Sun

“What an entertaining first two quarters in New Jersey.” These words were uttered by Suns announcer Tom Leander near the end of the first half last night.

If only he knew what was in store.

After A wild final seventeen minutes that featured huge three-pointers on both sides, shocking five-second violations, and foul calls on impossible shots, Kris Humphries tipped in what would have been a game-winner just barely after the 0.0 light flashed, leaving Channing Frye’s three-pointer seconds earlier as the final points to give the Suns a 104-103 victory.

The Nets took the home floor with Deron Williams as their leader for the first time last night and delivered perhaps their most entertaining game of the season. Williams nearly had a double-double in the first half alone, picked up assist after assist down the stretch, and despite obviously feeling the effects of a wrist & hand injury, still led this team within a fingertip of victory.

The Nets played toe-to-toe with an above-.500 team for 53 minutes, and although they lost, that should give you an idea of where their talent level is.

They need to upgrade, but the pieces are there. They’ve got their unquestionable superstar (Deron Williams), who dished out 18 assists, tying his season high that he set just two days ago. They’ve got their low-post building block (Brook Lopez), who led the team with 28 points and picked up his fifth double-double of the season. They’ve got their tenacious rebounder/hustle guy/boyfriend of a famous woman (Kris Humphries), who led the game with 14 rebounds and was literally less than a tenth of a second late on a buzzer-beater.

And they’ve certainly got their three-point specialist. With the Nets down 92-87, Anthony Morrow scored all nine Nets points – two three-pointers and three ice-in-his-veins free throws – in the final 22 seconds of regulation to tie the game at 96 and send it to overtime. Morrow didn’t score in the extra period, but without him the Nets don’t make it there. He finished with 22 points and increased his career three-point percentage to .455081, extending his lead over Steve Kerr for the highest percentage of all time. His porous defense aside, $4 million per year for that is a pretty good deal.

Don’t get me wrong. All of these guys except Williams are assets as much as they are players, and they’re still missing some huge pieces (such as a wing who can create his own shot and any shred of a defensive interior presence). But the foundation they’re building on is a solid one, and this game is proof of that.

There’s no question about what Williams brings to the team. All of the Nets have been getting open looks constantly in these past three games with him on the floor, and Williams has gotten three double-doubles and 48(!) assists in his first three games. He also had 6 turnovers, but they reminded me of the turnovers LeBron James was giving up to start this year – he’s still getting acclimated to his surroundings, and similarly the surrounding players are getting acclimated to him. A few of his turnovers were passes to spaces where a Nets player was expected to fill a lane and wasn’t. These things will fix themselves with time & growth.

Although Morrow tweeted “no moral victories” shortly after the game, there’s a lot of good the Nets can take from last night. The crowd was rocking, the game was exciting, and the Nets looked completely different from the team that we saw last year – or even last week. As hard as it might be to see, this game was an excellent sign of things to come. They were less than a tenth of a second away from an exciting overtime victory. That’s something the Nets can hang their hat on.

More thoughts after the jump.

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It’s been three games and three losses since Deron Williams came aboard, including last night’s absolute heartbreaker. But as is the case quite often in professional sports, time is needed for things to gel. Paul Sondhi of Whoop De Damn Doo takes a look at some early DWill returns and gives some opinions:

He’ll soon know who is reliable and who isn’t, when he needs to pass and when he needs to get his, and most importantly: how to develop a solid two-man game with Brook Lopez. Early in his first game as a Net on Friday night, Deron had a few missed passes simply because he hasn’t had enough time to learn how his teammates play. By the end of that game he was running a solid pick-and-pop with Kris Humphries and learned that Anthony Morrow is the best shooter in the NBA this side of Ray Allen. In time he and Brook should develop a lethal pick-and-roll, à la Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire. It may never be as potent as that combination, but it will certainly be an integral part of the Nets offense.

Agreed. Would have loved to see a win notched next to the Nets and DWill for obvious reasons, but this is going to take time and my guess is more changes are coming for this roster before the beginning of next season.

Dear Robin,

Didn’t you see what happened to LaMarcus?

Sincerely,
-Kris

That is all. Have a nice day. Go Nets.

We’re three games into the Deron Williams era and the Nets are still looking for their first win. Fortunately, they’ll be at home for the first time tonight, but they’ll be facing off against a team that’s fresh off a Channing Frye buzzer-beater yesterday afternoon against Indiana. This is also the third straight game where the Nets will be seeing a former wing player on the opposing team – Richard Jefferson on Friday, Courtney Lee Saturday, and Vince Carter today. The Nets will also be without Jordan Farmar, but have signed Sundiata Gaines to shore up their depth at the point guard position.

Here are a few things to look out for in tonight’s game:

Brotherly Love, or, Hate. Twin brothers Brook and Robin Lopez will be going against one another tonight. This will be the fourth meeting between the two, and they’ve only gone against each other as starters twice. In those two games, Brook had a 26-13 game and a 16-8 game, while Robin has had a 20-7 game and an 11-2 game. I’d say Brook has the upper hand, and the Nets will need that history to repeat itself to get a victory.

Breakout for Deron? Now that Deron has two road games with the Nets under his belt, he’s finally taking the court in Newark. Not only that, he’s taking the court against Steve Nash – an offensive wizard but not a guy known for his defense. After a couple of rough shooting nights, I’m looking for Deron to get back on track.

Crowd uncontrolled. The only reason I’m not at this game is because I’m in Massachusetts. If you’re going to the game, get loud. Get rowdy. Cheer wildly for no reason. Deron Williams is a superstar, and he deserves our praise. Seriously, I hope Deron gets the reaction he deserves. Let’s give him another reason to stay with this franchise.

For more news & analysis on the Phoenix Suns, check out TrueHoop Affiliate Valley of the Suns.

Fresh on the heels of the news that Jordan Farmar will likely miss the trip to London, the Nets reported today that they have officially signed journeyman Sundiata Gaines to a ten-day contract. Gaines has played on three teams in the last two years, including as a backup for Deron Williams on the Utah Jazz for 32 games. He was very effective in his short stint, averaging 17.3 points per game and 6.5 assists per 36 minutes, but failed to catch on and had unimpressive tenures in Minnesota and Toronto this year. He is expected to be active tonight.

Oh, he also did this in NBA debut:

That’s pretty cool.

I don’t think he’ll be around for the season – when Farmar comes back, that would be four point guards for the Nets. But he definitely provides some needed depth, as Farmar has dealt with injuries earlier this season, too.

It’s safe to say that this past week was critical to the future of the New Jersey Nets franchise. The week started with the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors still being tossed around, and then we found out late Monday night that ‘Melo was headed to New York. All Nets fans (myself included) thought the team had missed out on their blue chip yet again, and to make it worse were beaten out by the crosstown rival Knicks. But then we all woke up Wednesday morning and heard the news that was no short of STUNNING. The Nets had traded for Deron Williams, easily one of the best point guards in the NBA.

I know NAS has already touched on the acquisition of Williams in great detail but I feel the need to at least add my opinion here. There is no question in my mind that this is a better deal than the proposed trade for Anthony. The Nets didn’t give up nearly as much and they got arguably a more valuable player in Williams. ‘Melo is a better scorer than Williams, but the Nets new point guard makes everyone better. Carmelo Anthony would have brought some excitement and certainly more scoring to the Nets, but Deron Williams helps the rest of the players. I’m specifically thinking of Brook Lopez here. I think the Nets big man will be much better with Williams, as the point guard will be able to break the defense down and leave Brook open in the post.

Let me say something about Devin Harris quickly. Obviously the Nets got a major upgrade in their floor general with the acquisition of Williams. And there is no denying that Deron is a better point guard than Harris. But Devin Harris is not a bad NBA point guard. Would he have ever taken the Nets to the playoffs consistently? Probably not. But I always liked him as a player and think he could be good in Utah with a change of scenery.

The first two games with Deron in the lineup were strong offensive performances for the Nets, but the team struggled on defense. They averaged 102 points in two games against the Spurs and Rockets but also gave up an average 114.5 points per game over that stretch. It will take time for the team to get some chemistry with a new point guard, and I am not under the illusion that the Nets will get on a big run and even challenge for a playoff spot. But over the last 23 games of the 2010-11 season, it would be nice to see the team develop some cohesion and have a positive to work towards next season. 

As for Deron’s performance in his first two games as a Net, it was about what I expected. He averaged 14.5 points and 14.5 assists in Texas, and while I would eventually like to see some increased scoring, I have no doubt that the Nets will get plenty of 20-point, 15-assist performances from Williams. Deron Williams will be on the New Jersey Nets for the rest of this season and all of the 2011-12 season, unless some unforeseen circumstances arise. All Nets fans are going to grow to love this guy, because he’s just that good. He is a consensus top-5 point guard in the NBA and he’s arguably second behind Derrick Rose. Of course everyone wants Williams to re-sign, but my advice would be to enjoy the next year with him as the team’s point guard, and just hope the front office does whatever possible to keep him.

This upcoming week will be an interesting one for the Nets, with Deron’s home debut tonight against the Suns and the team’s trip to London, England for two against the Raptors this weekend. Phoenix is coming off of a dramatic victory over the Pacers last night, but it would be nice for the Nets to get this game tonight, then go overseas and get a split against Toronto. It should actually be a fun night at the Rock with Deron Williams’ home debut, so if you’re not busy, I’d advise making your way over to Newark.

In a very passionate, yet informed fan rant, NetDaily’s Net Income let’s it rip on the folks in the media (and those who back the Knicks) who are predicting that Deron Williams will surely bolt at the end of the 2011-12 season. NI has pointed out plenty of reasons why Nets fans should be positive for a change:

Here’s his full quote from the press conference at the PNY Center Thursday: “I can’t really give any assurances, or say that I’ll be here [because] I don’t know what the future holds. I look forward to the possibility of it; it’s definitely a strong possibility. It all depends on how the next year goes – the CBA, the type of moves we make and the people we bring into this organization.” (Emphasis un-apologetically added)

Missed that, I’ll bet. Why? Because most of the sports writers decided to ignore it and/or focus on the enormous risk of giving away Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, two picks (one protected) and $3 million of Mikhail Prokhorov’s cash hoard for arguably the best point guard in the game.  Funny, we didn’t see that much last July about how the Knicks were the only team offering Amare Stoudemire five years and $100 million despite three knee surgeries and a retinal surgery. Nothing much again when Donnie Walsh hinted the Knicks hadn’t been able to get insurance on those knees, those eyes.  Risk much? Only the franchise.

And Knicks fans sitting there trying to convince themselves and Nets fans that Williams will just sign with them in 2012 need to take some math classes. They will already have about $40 million committed to ‘Melo and Stoudemire by 2012 and the CBA, in all likelihood will lower the salary cap, not raise it.

Meanwhile, as NI and others note, it’s a trade the Nets had to be made. Even after losing the past two games, it’s easy to see how much better the Nets look, especially on the offensive end with Williams at the point. It will take time to gel. But it will happen.