Nets Are Scorching

In an interview with the Waterbury Republican-American, Jordan Williams tells Patrick Tischia he’s happy as a Net, and explains how Vince Carter influenced his number choice.

Before the draft, Williams was very confident in his chances of going to the Clippers at #37, but was then thrilled to hear Adam Silver call his name at #36 instead. He sounded hopeful when saying that he could compete for major minutes this season.

However, the main part of this interview that struck me as unusual was Williams claiming he’s a big fan of Vince Carter, choosing to wear #15 as a pro in his honor. At 6’9″ and 250 pounds, J-Will hardly evokes images of VC in his prime. Still, Carter is a big part of Nets history (like it or not), and it’s nice to see that Williams has some fond memories of the Nets past.

If there was ever a Jekyll and Hyde season for the New Jersey Nets, the 2004-05 campaign was it. In all of my years of fandom, I’ve never seen a team go from horrendously awful to fiercely competitive over the span of a few months, but that’s what happens when perhaps the best player in franchise history starts the season injured and another superstar player isn’t acquired until the end of December.

Nets fans, who started following the organization in the past decade, will celebrate the 04-05 season as the arrival of Vince Carter, and perhaps one of the NBA’s earliest instances of a “Big Three” (though classifying Richard Jefferson, always a personal favorite, as a superstar is highly questionable). However, how a team that ushered out an opening day lineup of Jefferson, Ron Mercer, Eric Williams, Jason Collins and Jacques Vaughn, didn’t end up challenging the 1999 Clippers or the 88-89 Heat for worst start to a season boggles my mind. I guess it gives credence to the idea that when the Nets eventually did eclipse the 0-17 mark in 09-10, coach Lawrence Frank was probably not the problem, as to how he got his 04-05 bunch as far as 5-13 before Kidd rejoined the team in December is close to a miracle.

In addition to wins and losses, the season was a roller-coaster for the fan base as well. With owner Bruce Ratner in the early stages of his drive to get the team into a new arena in Brooklyn, fan favorites Kenyon Martin and Kerry Kittles were dumped in the summer of 2004. The front office seemed to be signaling to its players and fanbase that the success of the past few seasons was not as important as building a financially viable team for the future. And given the injury-riddled careers of Martin and Kittles, the front office wasn’t necessarily wrong in their assessment of those players. But the apparent cost-cutting was enough to rankle veterans like Alonzo Mourning (more on him) and more importantly, Kidd.  So it was a bit of a shock when on December 17, I read that the Nets had sent Mourning, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams and draft picks in the Raptors for Carter – who would later admit he “quit” on Toronto to force a trade. Suddenly, the Nets looked like they could make some noise again, if the team could only get over its 9-16 start.

Not helping matters was the fact that the team’s “Big Three” plan disintegrated before it could even get off the ground. During the players’ very first game together on December 27 against the Pistons, Chauncy Billups committed a flagrant foul on Jefferson, undercutting him at the rim. Jefferson tore ligaments in his wrist and after trying to play through the pain, eventually opted for surgery, missing the rest of the season.

Though in retrospect, despite the obvious upgrade Jefferson was over Rodney Buford, I wonder if Carter would have turned it on the way he did in the second half of the season with Jefferson still getting minutes and needing shots. Carter averaged 28.8 points after the all-star break, including an incredible 32.3 points over the final month of the season, when the Nets needed him most. Caught in a footrace with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the final playoff spot in the East, the Nets went on a 15-4 run to end the season, and locked things up on the final day, much to the chagrin of David Stern and the NBA, who were likely rooting for LeBron James and the Cavs to put it together in the future King’s rookie season.

But the fun came to an abrupt end come playoff time. Matched up against the Miami Heat, the Nets were swept away. They made things interesting in game three, forcing double overtime, including a buzzer-beating shot from Carter at the end of the first OT to tie the game at 99. Despite the ultimate sweep, Jefferson was back from his wrist injury, and a rookie center from Europe, Nenad Krstic was evolving into an interesting offensive option. So despite an opening day line-up that looked like a collection of D-League rejects, the Nets ended the season with an interesting bounty of players.

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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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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.

AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

Boxscore – Orlando Pinstriped Post – Magic Basketball

As last night’s game agains the Orlando Magic ended with Devin Harris heaving and missing a near half-court shot (and maybe getting fouled by Jameer Nelson on the play? The way the NBA is these days, it’s a call that certainly could have been made) I had to think that this was a game that needs to be stowed near the top of the season’s time capsule. Because even though the Nets lost 91-90, they proved last night that they have the ability to hang with one of the league’s elite teams for a full 48 minutes.

Yes, losses are losses and moral victories are typically for those making excuses for lack of execution, but by taking multiple shots to the chin throughout the night by the Magic, and still finding themselves in the position to come away with the victory is a major step for an organization that’s still rebuilding its image from a horror show that was last year. I know Devin Harris and co. scoff at the ongoing comparisons to last season, but when you play on a team that’s known for barely avoiding the worst record in NBA history, the comparisons are going to continue. Fortunately for Harris and the Nets’ sake, the vast majority of these comparisons are, “wow, aren’t the Nets playing so much better than last year?”

By my count there were three definitive points in this game where the Magic were setting up to close the door, and the Nets came back from the dead on all three occasions – cue the obligatory they would not have done that last season, but guess what, they wouldn’t have. Down 12 in the first half, with the Magic cruising with primarily their second unit playing, the Nets went on a 12-2 run to end the second quarter, fueled primarily by 5 points each from Jordan Farmar and Travis Outlaw.

Fast forward to about 5 minutes to go in the fourth quarter and the Magic starting to pull away when they were up by 7. The Nets responded again, with some crafty short-range jumpers from Devin Harris – who was just fantastic last night with 26 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds on 9-16 shooting – and Anthony Morrow’s first three from the game, a shot from the corner that circled the drain before falling in. The Magic would go on to pull ahead by 7 AGAIN in the fourth quarter on some vintage, out-of-nowhere drives to the rim by Vince Carter and two free throws by Dwight Howard. With less than a minute to go, I was half-expecting the Nets to miss a shot on their next possession and seal the game for the Magic, but Outlaw came through again with a short-range jumper and then Farmar came through again with a three pointer (is it in his contract to hit a three in the final minute of every close game the Nets have played? It’s uncanny how despite an otherwise poor shooting game he found a way to drain that shot. And Magic coach Stan Van Gundy’s reaction to Dwight Howard giving Farmar room to shoot was absolutely priceless). Two missed free throws from Jameer Nelson gave the Nets life down one, and Brook Lopez obliged, attacking the rim, drawing the foul and sinking both his free throws. The only problem was there was still too much time left the clock. And with 11 seconds left, the Magic made the Nets pay when they went coast-to-coast and scored on a fadeaway baselines jumper from Nelson over Lopez’s outstretched arms. It was vindication for Nelson, who’s a good player and deserved the opportunity to right his own wrong, but it was a crushing blow all the same. Even with four seconds left, the Nets seemed doomed unless Harris had another miracle half court heave in him, which he did not.

So after a performance like that, it’s my natural inclination to look on the bright side, rather than seek out the negative, because outside of being out-rebounded 43-31, and some quiet play from their PFs (Kris Humphries followed-up his breakout performance on Wednesday with a modest 4 point, 7 rebound, 2 block game), there wasn’t a heck of a lot to be negative about. The Nets shot 49 percent from the field and held the Magic to 41.6 percent. Brook Lopez, after about 10 days of puzzling play, got his mojo back and scored 23 points on 9-17 shooting. Harris, for all extensive purposes, looks like the player he was two years ago when he was an all-star. Outlaw was a legitimate third offensive option all night, racking on 20 points and 7 rebounds on an efficient 8-12 from the field. Yes, the Nets and Lopez specifically were able to get a lot of this down with Dwight Howard be limited to 27 minutes, and in those 27 minutes, Howard was fantastic, scoring 16 points on 6-9 shooting. But Lopez went aggressively at Howard all night long, and were able to draw his 5th foul with nearly 11 minutes left in the game. Despite falling behind the Magic at various points throughout the game, Avery Johnson seemed to come up with a legitimate game plan, and the team stuck to it for all four quarters. That’s progress, even if the Nets don’t want to discuss where this progress is being born from.

A few more thoughts after the jump.
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Tonight, the 3-5 New Jersey Nets take on the Orlando Magic for the second time in the first nine games. While the Nets have struggled against the Florida powers – dropping two to Miami and the first matchup against Orlando – the Nets have the benefit of a gelling roster and home-court advantage tonight. Still, for obvious reasons, this is going to be a tough one – between Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis, and ex-Net Vince Carter, the team will have its hands full.

A few keys to this game:

• Three-point shooting. Orlando, for the past few seasons, has been one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league – breaking the single-season record for threes made in a season in 2010. The Nets, however, have a plethora of players who can shoot it from deep, and oftentimes it’s one of the big things that keeps them in games. If Anthony Morrow is hot or Troy Murphy (coming off the bench) can provide a surprise spark, we could be in for an interesting game.
• The resurgence of Devin Harris. In Wednesday’s win over Cleveland, Devin was playing like the Devin we saw in the Vince Carter days – slashing, distributing, and most importantly, getting to the line. If he can help get guys like Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis in foul trouble and play competent defense on Jameer Nelson, it could be a great sign not only for this game but for the future as well.
• The obligatory “Brook Lopez must do better.” Dwight Howard is probably the hardest guy in the league to bounce back against for an offensive big man, but hey, he can’t be this bad for this long, right? Something’s gotta give.

For more Orlando Magic coverage, check out Eddy Rivera’s TrueHoop Orlando Magic affiliate Magic Basketball.

Name: Devin Harris
Position: PG
Height: 6’3’’
Weight: 190 lbs.
Birth Date: February 27, 1983
Birthplace: Milwaukee, WI
Number: 34
Drafted: 5th pick of the 1st Round in 2004 by the Washington Wizards
Experience: 6 years
Contract: $8,981,000
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So I got an interesting e-mail in my inbox last night, it was a couple links to a video interview and Rod Thorn’s breakdown of the roster.  Here is the video, you can also find it on the Nets’ official website:

I know that it is a long one, but I urge you guys to watch the whole thing.  It was interesting to hear Thorn discuss all these topics.  The most interesting thing I picked up from this video was around the 7 minute mark.  Here, Thorn was asked about the potential free agency pool, and while he can’t mention anyone by name (NBA rule) it seemed like Thorn went out of his way to call the pool “average”.  Now this is true, there aren’t any big names coming out, but after hearing this video, I don’t expect to see anyone new joining the roster besides the rookies (A complete change from last year).  This is a real smart move on Thorn’s part though, because the Nets are in a position where they want to save money (whether they admit it or not) and now Thorn is making an excuse not to spend this offseason (even though it is somewhat valid) that isn’t the money.  That way Thorn doesn’t come off as cheap to the fans.

Now this isn’t all we got from Thorn.  He also wen’t down the roster one-by-one and made a little statement about each one of them.  You can find the whole thing here, but I am just going to post and comment on a few of these.

Rod Thorn On Vince:

“I think Vince had a tremendous year, both on the court and in the locker room. I think he was a very positive influence on our younger players with his support. And there are very few guys in this league who can average 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, so you have to give him credit. I think he had a great year.”

Every statement that Rod Thorn has made about Vince as of late has been very lovey-dovey.  It is starting to become obvious that VC will be a Net next year unless some team makes us an offer we can’t refuse on draft day.

Rod Thorn On CDR:

“Give Chris a lot of credit; he hardly played at all at the beginning of the year, but continued to work hard, got better and when his time came, he took advantage of it. he’s as confident as anybody on our team, he’s got deceiving size: he doesn’t look as big as he is. When he goes to the bucket, he’s got great finish on his drive game. An improving shooter, and I think he’s got a good future.”

High praise for CDR here.  I like how Thorn talks about his height, what I read from this statement is that Thorn would like to see CDR get time at the 3 next year.  If this is true you can see the Nets drafting a 4 this year.  Sorry DeMar DeRozan fans (I am not one of these by the way).

Rod Thorn On Yi:

“Yi had his ups and downs early. Right before he got hurt, he was playing his best ball of the year. He can shoot the ball, he’s athletic and can run the court. He needs to work, needs to just play more, and add strength.”

Rod keeps this one short and sweet.  Now I know he can’t just flat out say that he made a mistake with this trade, but you have to believe that is what he is thinking now-a-days.

Rod Thorn On Josh Boone:

“Josh was kind of up and down, had some real good moments, some not-so-good. Athletic, good hands, nice feel for the game, understands how to play. Needs to work on his shot obviously, his free throws and really get himself in top condition.”

This is the most negative Thorn was in these comments.  Again maybe I am looking too much into it (or maybe I want it to happen so bad I am taking everything to mean it), but I think what Thorn says here is just screaming “Boone isn’t getting the job done and we need to draft a 4 this year!”  But hey, maybe that is the conspiracy theorist in me.