Leaps And 'Bounds

A 3 - 3 start about what anyone expected?

Probably not. When they win, they've been tough defensively, and flowing offensively. When they lose, boy, everything seems to break down at some point (if not late, then early...).

One good thing I see thus far - Vince Carter has been an almost-unstoppable force, but it's come within the flow of the offense. Very few 1 on 5's, not a lot of impossibly-off-balance shots that are ill-advised even for him. If he can score 30 a game in the flow of the offense, and the Nets not run 25 isolation plays for him every game, this is a better team on that alone.

However, let's talk about rebounding. Kerber pointed out in his blog yesterday the disparity in the rebounding numbers. Why does it seem like there is always an opposing player poised for a rebound, but the Nets seem to have no one is position to grab one, except for Kidd, and he can't be everywhere all the time...

Nor should he necessarily be the leading rebounder, but that's another story altogether.

Nenad Krstic is never going to be a monster on the boards. He can get 8 a game simply by standing there (or he should), but we've made the same argument about Jason Collins for years. Cliffie's older than dirt and never was a rebounder, so if RJ isn't in the lineup, then who else can be counted on to grab a board? Do you want Carter doing that work?

This is where that back up forward spot, the defender/rebounder/shot blocker/energy guy would come in handy. Maybe that's Josh Boone when he returns from injury. But he's a rookie, so that's not a guarantee. McInnis taking up a roster spot is part of the problem, too.

It'll get done somehow - this team is better than a .500 team, especially with Jefferson back in the lineup (hopefully, he can get healthy, and quick).

It's all a work in progress for the first half of the season. Before you completely panic, Netsfans, let's see what happens when Eddie House and Boone return, and whether or not things improve on the boards, before you jump off the deep end.

Bucks tonight - they shouldn't scare the Nets, but they could be trouble if they don't play defense on Michael Redd...

Leaps And 'Bounds

A 3 - 3 start about what anyone expected?

Probably not. When they win, they've been tough defensively, and flowing offensively. When they lose, boy, everything seems to break down at some point (if not late, then early...).

One good thing I see thus far - Vince Carter has been an almost-unstoppable force, but it's come within the flow of the offense. Very few 1 on 5's, not a lot of impossibly-off-balance shots that are ill-advised even for him. If he can score 30 a game in the flow of the offense, and the Nets not run 25 isolation plays for him every game, this is a better team on that alone.

However, let's talk about rebounding. Kerber pointed out in his blog yesterday the disparity in the rebounding numbers. Why does it seem like there is always an opposing player poised for a rebound, but the Nets seem to have no one is position to grab one, except for Kidd, and he can't be everywhere all the time...

Nor should he necessarily be the leading rebounder, but that's another story altogether.

Nenad Krstic is never going to be a monster on the boards. He can get 8 a game simply by standing there (or he should), but we've made the same argument about Jason Collins for years. Cliffie's older than dirt and never was a rebounder, so if RJ isn't in the lineup, then who else can be counted on to grab a board? Do you want Carter doing that work?

This is where that back up forward spot, the defender/rebounder/shot blocker/energy guy would come in handy. Maybe that's Josh Boone when he returns from injury. But he's a rookie, so that's not a guarantee. McInnis taking up a roster spot is part of the problem, too.

It'll get done somehow - this team is better than a .500 team, especially with Jefferson back in the lineup (hopefully, he can get healthy, and quick).

It's all a work in progress for the first half of the season. Before you completely panic, Netsfans, let's see what happens when Eddie House and Boone return, and whether or not things improve on the boards, before you jump off the deep end.

Bucks tonight - they shouldn't scare the Nets, but they could be trouble if they don't play defense on Michael Redd...

Two For All

Two games down, only another 80 to go before we hit the playoffs.

What have we learned in the first two games? Not really enough of anything to make any sound judgements, but a few things come to mind:

The Nets could have a potent, powerful offense once they settle in to their rotations. Without Uncle Cliffie, and the missing and injured Eddie House and potentially Josh Boone, we won't quite know for awhile what this team is truly capable of. But they are capable of making far more shots than they have in seasons past (if that damned new ball doesn't get in the way of that).

Defensively? Again, still a work in progress, hopefully they aren't as prone to being a step behind the open shooter, or leaving large gaps in the paint (Shaq's abuse in Game 2 nonwithstanding). The one large, and I do mean, large hole in the early defense has been the work of Marcus Williams, who covered his tracks against the Raptors but was exposed repeatedly in Game 2. Let's hope the learning now adds up to far more confident defensive work come April.

Bostjan Nachbar is for real, and will make significant contributions this year. Like the way he did the little things against the Heat game, when he wasn't quite as hot as he was in Game 1.

Hassan Adams, that whirling dervish of a defender, may still have a hard time cracking the rotation, especially when House returns. While we would love to see him, he is still a rookie. Time is on his side.

So far, so good for L. Frank using his bench. And they've been more than ok, so let's hope it continues. Resting Kidd is the best thing for the long term (and hey, if he can get a triple double in 34 minutes, clearly it can work).

We've got lots more learning to do - let's see how they handle the Jazz on Wednesday, who are supremely coached and technically precise on both sides of the ball.

But for 2 games, despite a 1 - 1 record, things are looking pretty good. Even Rod Thorn said so.

-Joe