Settling For .500
Right now, friends, hate to say it but .500 is a goal for this Nets team right now.
Consistency is of course the issue - they can't seem to get the whole package flowing at the same time. After two straight games of getting offensive and defensive contributions in wins over the Bobcats (who hung around far longer than necessary) and the Cavs (who got back in it before the Nets showed some killer instinct), the whole consistency thing surfaced again against the Sixers on Saturday night.
The offense was fine - really, there was not anything that struck fear into hearts, but it was fine. The defense, however, suffered letdown after letdown (albeit, in the form of the ankle breaking variety of Allen Iverson) and the Nets are right back at square one.
Tomorrow night's game against the Wizards is game number 20 - really, for all intents and purposes, that's a full 1/4 of the season. How much longer can the Nets afford to be "working through it", "figuring each other out" and any other phrase you want to add?
The bench is still struggling mightily, from the sounds of it to understand their role let alone perform it. McInnis is a shell of his former dangerous self (really, when he enters the game, do you expect some fireworks, or do you just cringe?), Marc Jackson is fairly openly grousing about a) being traded to the Nets at all, b) his playing time, c) his role coming off the bench d) criticisms over his defense, and e) the explanations from Lawrence Frank and staff about how he's been told about his role.
Anyone seen Zoran Planinic lately? Assume as you've read - that it's about defense as well. So who does that leave, exactly? Scott Padgett gotten some increased minutes the past few games, and really, he's been no worse than any starter when he's in the game. Lamond Murray? Dead and buried, apparently. Linton Johnson? Seriously...Jacque Vaughn may get more minutes, because he actually plays defense (you surely cannot hold AI's explosion against him).
A trade might be in the works for all we know, because we can't believe that Thorn and Stefanski haven't seen what we've seen. Of course, there may be nothing out there worth acquiring, but hey, you never know...
A win gets the Nets back to .500. Keep that in mind.
Consistency is of course the issue - they can't seem to get the whole package flowing at the same time. After two straight games of getting offensive and defensive contributions in wins over the Bobcats (who hung around far longer than necessary) and the Cavs (who got back in it before the Nets showed some killer instinct), the whole consistency thing surfaced again against the Sixers on Saturday night.
The offense was fine - really, there was not anything that struck fear into hearts, but it was fine. The defense, however, suffered letdown after letdown (albeit, in the form of the ankle breaking variety of Allen Iverson) and the Nets are right back at square one.
Tomorrow night's game against the Wizards is game number 20 - really, for all intents and purposes, that's a full 1/4 of the season. How much longer can the Nets afford to be "working through it", "figuring each other out" and any other phrase you want to add?
The bench is still struggling mightily, from the sounds of it to understand their role let alone perform it. McInnis is a shell of his former dangerous self (really, when he enters the game, do you expect some fireworks, or do you just cringe?), Marc Jackson is fairly openly grousing about a) being traded to the Nets at all, b) his playing time, c) his role coming off the bench d) criticisms over his defense, and e) the explanations from Lawrence Frank and staff about how he's been told about his role.
Anyone seen Zoran Planinic lately? Assume as you've read - that it's about defense as well. So who does that leave, exactly? Scott Padgett gotten some increased minutes the past few games, and really, he's been no worse than any starter when he's in the game. Lamond Murray? Dead and buried, apparently. Linton Johnson? Seriously...Jacque Vaughn may get more minutes, because he actually plays defense (you surely cannot hold AI's explosion against him).
A trade might be in the works for all we know, because we can't believe that Thorn and Stefanski haven't seen what we've seen. Of course, there may be nothing out there worth acquiring, but hey, you never know...
A win gets the Nets back to .500. Keep that in mind.
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