Old Friends

I read the news today - oh boy.

Lots of ex-Nets and nearly-ex-Nets making news these days.

Of course, the biggest news is the suspension of Kenyon Martin by the Nuggets, for refusing the play in the second half of their Game 2 loss after being neglected by coach George Karl in the first half, getting only 7 minutes of game time. Karl appears adamant that KMart can't help him, because of the persistent knee injury and lack of practice time. Man, we still miss the KMart of old around here, but perhaps in retrospect letting him sign a max deal elsewhere wasn't such a dumb, franchise-crippling move after all (of course we already know that since Vince Carter came to town).

But no, Netsfans, no chance of KMart coming home.

Elsewhere, Shareef Abdur-Rahim lit up the Spurs for 27 points the other night, starting in place of Ron Artest, but the Kings still lost in OT thanks to a miracle shot from Brent Barry. Though it certainly does prove that nothing is wrong with his knee, at least not yet.

Tim Thomas, the almost-Net, had a big game for the Suns the other day. Sure, the Nets could have used him, and he seems to have pulled his head out of his ass somewhat, so he would have been useful to boot. But, again, the Nets have survived without him.

Anthony Johnson and Stephen Jackson, ex-Nets both, have been chirping in the media about all things Nets, with Jackson admitting to still being miffed he was sent packing because of his close friendship with Stephon Marbury, and now Johnson essentially calling out Vince Carter as a not-so-tough guy.

Weird stuff happening out there. Never would you see KMart walking off a court, or refusing to play. Just isn't like him. But time marches on, and clearly Karl is not exactly the most beloved person in Denver already after only two years at the helm. Better find a way to win this series, George, or you could be in outplacement once again.

Old friends, continuing to make news. Couldn't have the NBA playoffs without it.

Disclaimer

Warning - I'm about to issue a disclaimer, much like Lawrence Frank has been doing about Vince Carter's shot selection in Game 1.

It wasn't the Nets fault that they lost, it was the refereeing.

Or, how about:

It wasn't Vince Carter's fault the Nets lost, it was that stupid lousy rim.

Anyone out there feel like the Nets DIDN'T play dumb in Game 1? That they did what they needed to to win?

I sure hope not.

Because the Nets just came off an incredible run, in which not only did they win 14 straight, but they shared the basketball and played hellacious defense.

Did you see evidence of any of that yesterday? What happened? Overconfidence? Bad habits from the last week or so of the season?

Too many stupid jacks from bizarre places, right after waltzing inside. Why don't you just give the Pacers some confidence by walking them to the hoop?

Beating yourself is never pretty to watch. It's just that two weeks ago, with things humming along, and then Game 1 comes along and wow is it frustrating to watch the Nets abandon everything they knew made them successful.

I don't want to hear about how well the Pacers played, either. They didn't, and they should have been down by 10 with Jermaine O'Neal out the game , and Peja Stojakovic playing like he should have been.

Instead, the Nets gave the Pacers confidence, and hope.

Those are bad things to hand your opponent.

OH, don't get me wrong. I still believe the Nets will win this series, but it does cast serious doubt as to how they'll handle the Heat in the next round, despite all the success they had against them this season.

OK, one more disclaimer. I'm not letting Carter off the hook, even though everyone else seems to want to. Nor am I letting L. Frank off, for neglecting Richard Jefferson, who was basically unguardable by the Pacers, yet only took 11 shots, and one of them was the desperation heave at the buzzer that should have never happened.

No one gets off the hook, until the stupidity is corrected.

Chances Are

OK, Netsfans, for not the first time this afternoon I was asked what the chances are that the Nets will do well in the playoffs...

You've seen recently where this team is. They couldn't rebound, they had no shot blocker, they didn't play consistent defense, they had no bench, and the relied too much on Vince Carter were just some of the (probably valid) criticisms that were heard about the '05 - '06 edition of the Nets.

And look where they are now. I haven't heard much lately about weak front court depth or the need for a shot blocker - the continued rapid development of Nenad Krstic seems to have blunted the blow.

No reason to question the defensive commitment, either.

With Jason Kidd again playing some good defense, and moving well (if not quite as quickly as he used to), the need for Kidd's scoring is moot and his renewed focus defensively should go far come playoff time.

Carter and Jefferson playing off each other, taking turns carrying the offense or the second teamers, doens't present much of a worry either.

The bench? Well, it's a wild card, but if Uncle Cliffie can stand up, Jacque Vaughn can give 8 minutes of prime backup, and Zoran, Lamond, Antoine and even Scott Padgett can pick their spots, then the Nets will survive with whatever they get.

Krstic is primed, Jason Collins just needs to stay healthy (which, given how unhealthy he still is, will take some doing) and overall, things are pretty much finely tuned and running on all cylinders.

I think at this point that this team is better than either the 2001 - 2002 or 2002 - 2003 editions of the Nets that went to the Finals.

I think this team will go as far as defense will take them, and I do think they can beat Shaq, Dwyane and company in the second round of any playoff matchup (I would feel better about this if Alonzo Mourning will be absent for the matchup).

Can this team beat the Pistons? Yes and No. Remains to be seen. Would have to be proven.

But chances are...