Reconstruction Days
Eddie Gill, we hardly knew ye...
No surprise that Eddie was cut today - with both Darrell Armstrong and Marcus Williams back in the fold (and almost back in the fold), he was a luxury the Nets couldn't afford. Not to mention that he didn't do much to move the needle when Kidd was out of the lineup.
But with everything that's gone on during the 9 - 12, most dreadful start, there's a very real sense that the Nets got it all wrong when they built this roster over the summer, and that feeling's not going away any time soon.
Rod Thorn stocked up on big men, and while a noble effort, it seems that aside from Sean Williams, who has no track record, every other big has had a serious backslide from their season last year (or from what their history would indicate). Jason Collins has gotten progressively worse offensively and on the boards, Josh Boone hasn't begun to touch the effectiveness he had later last season (though much of that chemistry was with Marcus Williams, to be fair), Jamaal Magloire is a shell of his former All Star self (he's got no moves inside, or at least they've disappeared) and while Malik Allen should have been a nice veteran pickup for depth, he's in the starting lineup but aside from making some open shots, he's not delivered much, or has been asked to deliver too much, more likely.
And then there's Nenad. Mr Krstic blew out the knee, tried to come back too soon this season and was dismal, and he's trying to work his way back into form. Combine his absense (and make no mistake, for his flaws he's still an important part of what made the Nets dangerous, and he can do things no one else on this roster can do offensively) with the missing offense of Marcus Williams, who at least could create his own shot, and the Nets have been nothing like what was envisioned last off season.
Rod said he wants to wait for those two to return to the lineup before his passes final judgement on these underachieving Nets.
I say, let the reconstruction begin. Gill was the first step, a nice practice player and 13th man, but the Nets have other needs. This whole Big Three thing isn't working, and who exactly should be blamed is a hard thing to figure, but in any case it's time to move on and rebuild on the fly (or just plain rebuild).
Jason Kidd probably has the most value, but he'll be hard to trade because of the age and the big contract. Only those who feel they are one last piece away from a championship need apply.
I would believe that very few teams have a use for Vince Carter, who shrinks when the going gets tough, and now makes less trips to the rim than ever. A standup jump shooter making $62 million is going to be hard to move.
That leaves Richard Jefferson, the youngest and for now the most successful of the three so far this season. But do you really want to move RJ, and what exactly would you get back?
I'm not terribly talented as a GM, dreaming up deals and working the salary cap, but now is the time to either get draft picks, young talent or expiring contracts (or all three) for one of the Big Three, or else try to add one more piece to them, mortgaging the future, to get Kidd a championship.
Or, start moving the other, minor pieces around. Wouldn't Magloire look good in San Antonio (get Ian Mahinmi or Ime Udoka)? How about Antoine Wright in New Orleans (get me Bobby Jackson)? And on...
You guys actually have better ideas, give me some of them.
All I'm saying is it's time for change, for reconstruction days to begin. Forget Brooklyn, it's time to either win now, or rebuild from scratch.
It won't be easy, but it's got to happen.
More to come on this topic in the days ahead as I vent my spleen on everything from the offense, the defense, Lawrence Frank and the current state of the Izod Center. It's almost time to resurrect the "No Stranger To Frustration" Logo.
Joe
No surprise that Eddie was cut today - with both Darrell Armstrong and Marcus Williams back in the fold (and almost back in the fold), he was a luxury the Nets couldn't afford. Not to mention that he didn't do much to move the needle when Kidd was out of the lineup.
But with everything that's gone on during the 9 - 12, most dreadful start, there's a very real sense that the Nets got it all wrong when they built this roster over the summer, and that feeling's not going away any time soon.
Rod Thorn stocked up on big men, and while a noble effort, it seems that aside from Sean Williams, who has no track record, every other big has had a serious backslide from their season last year (or from what their history would indicate). Jason Collins has gotten progressively worse offensively and on the boards, Josh Boone hasn't begun to touch the effectiveness he had later last season (though much of that chemistry was with Marcus Williams, to be fair), Jamaal Magloire is a shell of his former All Star self (he's got no moves inside, or at least they've disappeared) and while Malik Allen should have been a nice veteran pickup for depth, he's in the starting lineup but aside from making some open shots, he's not delivered much, or has been asked to deliver too much, more likely.
And then there's Nenad. Mr Krstic blew out the knee, tried to come back too soon this season and was dismal, and he's trying to work his way back into form. Combine his absense (and make no mistake, for his flaws he's still an important part of what made the Nets dangerous, and he can do things no one else on this roster can do offensively) with the missing offense of Marcus Williams, who at least could create his own shot, and the Nets have been nothing like what was envisioned last off season.
Rod said he wants to wait for those two to return to the lineup before his passes final judgement on these underachieving Nets.
I say, let the reconstruction begin. Gill was the first step, a nice practice player and 13th man, but the Nets have other needs. This whole Big Three thing isn't working, and who exactly should be blamed is a hard thing to figure, but in any case it's time to move on and rebuild on the fly (or just plain rebuild).
Jason Kidd probably has the most value, but he'll be hard to trade because of the age and the big contract. Only those who feel they are one last piece away from a championship need apply.
I would believe that very few teams have a use for Vince Carter, who shrinks when the going gets tough, and now makes less trips to the rim than ever. A standup jump shooter making $62 million is going to be hard to move.
That leaves Richard Jefferson, the youngest and for now the most successful of the three so far this season. But do you really want to move RJ, and what exactly would you get back?
I'm not terribly talented as a GM, dreaming up deals and working the salary cap, but now is the time to either get draft picks, young talent or expiring contracts (or all three) for one of the Big Three, or else try to add one more piece to them, mortgaging the future, to get Kidd a championship.
Or, start moving the other, minor pieces around. Wouldn't Magloire look good in San Antonio (get Ian Mahinmi or Ime Udoka)? How about Antoine Wright in New Orleans (get me Bobby Jackson)? And on...
You guys actually have better ideas, give me some of them.
All I'm saying is it's time for change, for reconstruction days to begin. Forget Brooklyn, it's time to either win now, or rebuild from scratch.
It won't be easy, but it's got to happen.
More to come on this topic in the days ahead as I vent my spleen on everything from the offense, the defense, Lawrence Frank and the current state of the Izod Center. It's almost time to resurrect the "No Stranger To Frustration" Logo.
Joe
posted by Joe Netsfan at 10:59 PM
3 Comments:
I read your blog entry AFTER watching the impressive team effort over Cleveland. As it turned out, everyone you criticized in the blog had a solid contribution tonight. Let's just calm down -- it's freaking December for God's sake. The ironic thing is that Marcus and Krstic are the damaged goods, and healthy, they carry more true trade value than anyone else on the roster. Maybe tonight was a flash in the pan -- but it might also be the beginning of the team's true focus.
And then there was Saturday night against the Knicks. You've got to be able to read the writing on the wall in this league, and it's not good for the Nets right now...
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