Nets Are Scorching

It’s been more than two weeks since the Nets organization’s world was turned upside-down (in a good way) and Deron Williams was acquired for Devin Harris and Derrick Favors (and picks). I recently answered some questions about Harris and Favors for Kevin Malphurs, a blogger for the True Hoop Network’s Jazz blog, Salt City Hoops. He’s nicely returned the favor, giving us some perspective on Deron going forward:

After the Nets-Jazz trade, a lot of the media reports indicated that the Jazz front office had grown tired with Deron Williams. How do fans view Williams? Is he considered the “bad guy” for the resignation of Jerry Sloan? Is the fanbase happy to be rid of him?

Deron Williams was always supposed to be the next great point guard of the Utah Jazz. I remember seeing Williams at Illinois during the 2005 NCAA tournament and thinking he would be a perfect fit for Utah. The Jazz at the time were a bad team that was going to have a top lottery pick. When they traded up and drafted Williams, it seemed like the fates aligned to provide a team that needed a point guard with a young, talented one. Jazz fans thought his size, shooting ability and most importantly passing ability would translate well in the Jazz system.

He went through some growing pains in his rookie year, but by his 2nd year it was clear he was going to be a special player. The Jazz were an up and coming team with Boozer, Okur, Kirilenko, Brewer and Millsap. At that point Jazz fans had nothing but great things to say about Williams. We (myself included) would defend Williams against any accusations that the Jazz should have drafted Chris Paul. The thought being was that while Paul might put up better numbers, Williams was still the better pick for Utah.

However, things started going sour last year.  Over the course of three years, the Jazz went from reaching the conference finals, to conference semi-finals, to losing in the 1st round. They were a team going downwards and when things started going poorly, Williams didn’t act like the leader he was when things were going well. He started expressing his dissatisfaction, and in retrospect, he planted the seeds for the eventual trade. For the longest time Jazz fans made excuses for his negative behavior.

However, the Jerry Sloan thing was the final straw. Coach Sloan is a legend in Jazz fans eyes and the fact that he decided to quit due in part because of his relationship with Williams was a huge negative. Once that happened, I think Jazz fans started noticing the negatives. His attitude was terrible, and the way he interacted with new players (namely Gordon Hayward) left a lot to be desired. His Jordan-like competitiveness once was considered a positive, but now he was being viewed as stubborn and the wrong leader at this time. The Jazz needed a Steve Nash-like leader, who would help nurture the young talent and not someone like Kobe Bryant constantly asking for more help.  

When Williams was traded I was at first shocked, but then after that the fan base was for the most part happy with the trade. The Jerry Sloan thing helped remove the rose-colored glasses Jazz fans viewed Deron Williams through. He was no longer the perfect point guard.

Since coming over, Williams has been dealing with a tendon issue in his left wrist. How serious was this injury earlier this season and did you notice a drop in his performance from previous years because of any injury issues this year?

I didn’t notice much of a decline in play because of the wrist injury. It seemed like he was still shooting the ball well and wasn’t adjusting his style of play, like for example the way Chris Paul has adjusted this year. The only thing I could notice while watching the game was that he would grab his wrist after certain shots. It seemed like he was having difficulty with it, but the results of his play didn’t seem noticeably different. I checked some of the stats on shooting and it looks like my opinion is backed up there.

A criticism of Deron’s since coming over was he felt the Jazz playbook was “antiquated.” Any insights on to that?

Deron Williams played well in a fast-paced game. The Jazz drafted him thinking that with his size he would be perfect for a half court game, but in reality his size made him better suited for transitions. In some way he was like LeBron James when out in transition. His size would allow him to absorb the contact and still make shots. With his speed and size it was hard to stop him on a fast break. With that I think his criticisms of the Jazz regimented play calling were valid. The Jazz should have sped things up a little bit and worked on improving that aspect of their offense.

Do you think the Jazz front office could have done more to surround Williams more talent? Did he ever voice his displeasure about the personnel surrounding him?

Yes, the Jazz should have done more to surround Williams with more talent. Also, yes, he did voice his displeasure for the talent level surrounding him. He was angry when the Jazz traded away Ronnie Brewer last year and I can’t really blame him for that. The Jazz have made some questionable moves that have left them with below-average wing players. It seems like every move they made (signing Okur to an extension, trading for Jefferson, resigning Millsap) was made to improve their frontcourt, but not their backcourt. Every move they have made for their backcourt (drafting Hayward, signing Bell, not signing Korver or Brewer) has been a failure. Williams was the only reliable backcourt option on the Jazz team.

It got so bad that one of the Salt City Hoops writers suggested moving Williams to shooting guard to try and help out there. It is as if the Jazz needed him to play both point guard and shooting guard to field a decent team. Maybe Williams could have gone about voicing his displeasure another way, but make no mistake about it – the Jazz have some of the worst wing players in the NBA.

Devin touched on it a bunch in yesterday’s recap, but the buzz from Nets practice yesterday was what has Brook Lopez been eating for breakfast? He’ averaging 22.6 points and 8.1 rebounds in his past 10 games, including five double-doubles:

“He senses the moment more of when he needs to try to dominate and not just be a participant,” Avery Johnson said Thursday. “He talks to his teammates about getting him the ball. He’ll even whisper to me one or two of his go-to plays that he likes or he gives me some kind of signal. I just think it’s maturity. It’s time and guys start feeling good about themselves and that’s a good thing.”

I think it’s a combination of factors. I do think the end of the trade talk and the deal for Deron Williams has probably reenergized a number of Nets players. Brook has always worn his unhappiness with losing on his sleeve. But also, Lopez looks as strong as he’s ever been the last 10 games – blaming his off-season mono may sound convenient, but I think it’s legitimate.

The Sundiata rises in the East.

Box Score – Warriors World – Golden State of Mind

Given the obstacles the Nets were up against last night – and by “obstacles,” I mean “Deron Williams not being there” – I firmly expected a loss last night. It’s not that I was mad, just understanding – the Nets were short two starters, two of their other starters were coming back from injuries, and the high-octane Golden State offense isn’t exactly what the doctor ordered with an injury-plagued Nets squad taking the floor.

I am so, so glad I was proven wrong.

As far as big-time performances, the one that stuck out the most wasn’t one by Brook Lopez or Anthony Morrow – who had great games in their own rights. No, the player to watch in this game was the one, the only, Deron… wait, that wasn’t him? That was who?

Sundiata Gaines. That’s right. A guy recently signed to his second ten-day contract made arguably the biggest impact on the game. At first glance, Gaines’s line isn’t astounding, or even good. He attempted just six shots, making two, and turned the ball over three times. But Gaines had yet another one of those “beyond the stat sheet” games that’s turning mere mortals like myself and Mark into a legion of pro-Sundiatas. Without his constant hustle – saving loose balls, drawing charges, sticking to his man like flypaper defensively – the Nets don’t win this game.

I hate using this number as a standard for success over the course of multiple games, and even more just one. But Sundiata Gaines led the game with a +/- of +21, and it wasn’t an aberration. Whether it was the aforementioned scurrying defense (leading to four steals and a big chunk of Monta Ellis’s 7-22 shooting night) or smart playmaking (leading to eight assists), Gaines was one of the biggest difference-makers on the floor. He’s clearly leapfrogged Ben Uzoh on the depth chart, and while the third-string point guard isn’t a position that gets much playing time, the Nets should feel comfortable with that kind of hard work coming off the bench.

For those of you unconvinced, just know that it was Gaines – not Jordan Farmar – on the floor for the final 3:23 of crunch time, and it was Gaines who picked up a crucial offensive rebound in the waning moments. That should tell you all you need to know.

Even without Deron Williams, the Nets had a go-to scorer in crunch time – the big guy that so many have been down on this season. Brook scored the last nine Nets points – all of them either free throws within eight feet of the basket – and proved again that if he stays inside, there are few big men who can slow him down.

Brookie finished with 26 points on 10-17 shooting, and with ten rebounds, picked up yet another double-double. Folks have recently been giving Deron credit for him “regaining focus” or something, but in actuality I just think he’s finally back at full strength since his mono over the summer.

Also, there’s this.

You’re welcome.

Brookie Monster aside, this win wouldn’t have happened had Anthony Morrow, who originally wasn’t supposed to play, ended up staying out. Morrow continued his torrid stretch of shooting, knocking down his first 4 shots from beyond the arc en route to 22 points on 8-17 shooting. Morrow was found on a lot of spot-ups and also knocked down at least one pretty three in transition. He’s now shooting 45.2% from beyond the arc this year and 45.7849% for his career.

There were a couple of other excellent efforts (and some poor ones) that I’ll discuss after the jump. But as far as a team perspective goes, this game is another one that feeds into my eternal optimism. The Nets were missing their star player, another starter, and still outplayed a decent Western Conference team at full strength over the course of 48 minutes. I’m getting more and more sold on this team as a legit playoff squad next year.

More thoughts after the jump.

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Tonight, a snakebitten New Jersey Nets team will go head-to-head in New Jersey against a not-so-snakebitten Golden State Warriors team. The Nets are missing three – count ‘em, three – starters, having fallen prey to two concussions (Anthony Morrow, Damion James) and one baby (Deron Williams). On top of that, Jordan Farmar will be starting in Deron’s place, and Farmar is just returning from an ankle injury. Also, Quinton Ross is out, so there’s that. Golden State doesn’t have any injuries at all, but are much worse on the road (9-22) than the Nets are at home (13-16). The Nets are trotting out an ugly starting five tonight, but they’ve definitely still got a chance.

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

Keep the wings outside. The Warriors are built around their two-guard tandem, Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis. Both of these guys are excellent at getting into the lane and finding spot-up shooters (including each other). Curry specifically is a much better shooter from beyond the arc through spot-ups and off-ball screens than he is in isolation or through the pick & roll, so if the Nets can prevent the penetration, they can force the Warriors into taking bad shots. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Nets experiment with a 2-3 zone at times to keep guys out of the middle, although they’d have to work to get out to shooters.

Keep your own bigs inside. The Warrior bigs are as bad as the guards are good. Listen to these figures for a moment: out of all 30 teams in the NBA, the Warriors offensively are 27th in the post, 25th on the roll part of PNR’s, and 30th at scoring off offensive rebounds. They’re better defensively, but not by much. If the Warriors are forced to go inside with their bigs, it will not end well for them.

Adjust. Not having Deron Williams around stinks. No way around it. The Nets can’t sit around and hope someone else makes the offense go. At the same time, the Nets still need to run their sets. They can’t sit around and let someone shoot them out of the game with poorly run isolations. (But really, is there such a thing as a well-run isolation? It’s “give one guy the ball and get out of the way,” otherwise known as “a paragon of inefficiency.”)

For more news & analysis on the Golden State Warriors, be sure to check out TrueHoop sister site Warriors World.

Note: After this thread was posted, Nets Basketball posted a video of Anthony Morrow stating he will be available and playing for tonight’s game.

The Nets are now set to play without Deron Williams for the next two games as he goes back to Utah for the birth of his child, but Al Iannazzone is noticing that the team’s confidence is starting to grow since their big trade two weeks ago:

“There was one point in the mid-fourth, I was looking up at the scoreboard and we were down about eight,” (Brook) Lopez said. “To be honest I wasn’t too worried. I thought we would win the game. I was confident that we’d pull through. We had sort of a concentration that had been missing for a while that we found and it helps us late in the games. We’re very focused.”

As Al points out, it’s of course due in large part to Deron’s presence, but also for the fact that the trade rumors that were hanging over this team like a trade cloud were finally, FINALLY put to rest once the trade deadline ended. It’s interesting what a little stability will do for a player’s state-of-mind.

Deron Williams with wife Amy at a gathering for his Point of Hope Foundation.

As reported today by Stefan Bondy, Nets point guard Deron Williams (that phrase hasn’t gotten old yet) will be away from the team for two games to be with his wife as she gives birth to their fourth child. While having him away from the team will of course be a detriment – Jordan Farmar has just recently come back from injury himself, and Ben Uzoh/Sundiata Gaines aren’t fit to be second-string point guards – I can’t really be upset about this. When Deron left Utah, he had to leave his pregnant wife behind, and now that their child (a boy named Desmond) is soon to hit this earth, he absolutely should take the time to be with her.

The next two games the Nets have are both home games, the first against the Golden State Warriors and the second against the Los Angeles Clippers. Neither of those teams are great, but the Nets will definitely have their hands full. Golden State’s backcourt tandem of Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis is already difficult enough to deal with. However, Deron is expected back for Monday’s game against Boston, which is when he’ll really be needed.

On behalf of all of us at NaS, congrats to Deron & Amy on the addition to their family.

Your team’s down three. 10 seconds left to play. You grab the rebound and streak down the center of the court. Derrick Rose … er, scratch that. Rajon Rondo is guarding you tightly — there’s no way you’ll ever get a shot up. You see two open teammates. You have to hit one of them from the dagger three. You turn to the left: there’s Vince Carter, wide open on the wing. You turn to your right: there’s George Costanza, who’s even more open — only his hands are occupied by an eclair that you’re fairly confident he snatched from the garbage can in the locker room.

What do you do?

You chuck the ball out of bounds, you tell your head coach, “I’d rather leave here tonight with my dignity than pass to one of those losers,” and you head to back to the showers.

See, even though they’re divided by the ever-diminishing barrier of reality, Carter and Costanza have more in common than one might think, and those similarities are centered around coming up short — whether taken literally, figuratively or both. The “Lord of the Idiots” and the Lord of … (I didn’t care enough to finish coming up with a representative name for myself)” have both had their fair shares of losing during their careers, and those will be the main focus here.

Just how comparable are the career paths of Vinsanity and Art Vandelay? What do you say we go through this doll by doll?

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Utah Jazz GM Kevin O’Connor recently chatted with Nets beat writer Fred Kerber and told him that he thought he got fair value for his all-star point guard Deron Williams:

“When we looked at what we needed, we thought we had a pretty good basketball team and adding somebody who played in an All-Star Game at point guard at 28 with a couple of years left on a contract, we thought that was a real positive,” O’Connor said. “Getting Derrick (Favors), the third pick in the draft, and the Nets’ pick this year, it answered all of the things we needed to get. From the point of view we got a good young draft pick, then another one this year and then Golden State’s draft pick (2012) after that. And then getting Devin, (Harris) who we feel is a top tier point guard. It answered what we needed.”

People have said if Deron splits town in 2012 then the Nets have given up too much, so the fact that that risk remains means, this was probably a pretty even swap at the end of the day. Just because Denver was able to get the Knicks to pay through the nose for Anthony, doesn’t mean that every team has to gut their roster of every tradeable asset they own in deals like this.