Who Should Stay And Who Should Go
Wrapping up the season with a back-to-back Tuesday and Wednesday - first the Bobcats in the last home game of the season, and then the Celtics in a game that hardly matters for anyone except those on the end of the bench. Expect to see a lot of Brian Scalabrine (if he's active, or not hurt...).
See that Nets attendance is down 6% - hardly surprising what was served up on the court, and the never-ending storm of economic news to the bad. Oh, and a whole lot of mystery over whether the Brooklyn thing is going to happen any time soon...
But fear not, friends, soon you can slip on your flip flops and glide into summer, where expectations for the fall and winter and spring are hatched in the positive rays of the summer sunshine. Or so it seems...
With the off-season already here, no way to press onward through the playoffs, and a whole lot of necessary change in the offing, it's time to start talking about who should stay and who should go on the Nets' roster. It's clear that there is little chemistry with the current bunch, no toughness, and not enough shooting to get through a successful NBA season in 2008 - 2009. It's also pretty clear that there isn't enough difference in the games of Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter that doesn't make one (or who knows? both?) expendable. With Jason Kidd gone, the strengths of both RJ and VC are a bit of a duplication, and all that seems to have happened is RJ suddenly turned into a bad defensive player. Not good for any hopes of future success.
So with that in mind we'll start whacking around the roster and talk about who should be here next season. I've given it a lot of thought over the last week or so (and trust me, I've had a lot of time to think), and without going in to who should replace those going, what trades should be made or who should be drafted (we'll save that for after the regular season ends), here is what I've come up with:
Should stay a Net:
Vince Carter (because he's got a big contract and the owner loves him)
Devin Harris (you don't trade a legend for the kid and then not give him a chance to pilot the team over a full season)
Josh Boone (maybe he's not a starter, but a good energy/rebounder/pick and roll player off the bench)
Sean Williams (it's far too early to give up on him, unless there is something serious that we're missing)
Gana Diop (I think he brings something to the Nets that the need - interior defense, shot blocking and rebounding, plus he might bring some toughness)
Should NOT stay a Net:
Richard Jefferson (if you can move him with the rather large contract, he's probably the best asset the Nets have to get another player - Elton Brand?)
Marcus Williams (perhaps he needs another team/coach to bring out the best in him, but he's taken a step or three backwards this year)
Stromile Swift (maybe there's something here, but he just doesn't seem like a Lawrence Frank type of player, since you can't trust him to play defense consistently)
Trenton Hassell (I was all for him at first, since he actually plays defense, but now? Well, perhaps he's best moving on)
Mo Ager (Maybe there's something here, like a shooter, but the Nets can't afford to wait and find out unless they want to stash him as player #13)
Darrell Armstrong (retire, friend)
Keith Van Horn (stay in retirement, friend)
On the Bubble:
Nenad Krstic (he's proven to be slower to gain his old form, but then again, can we expect he'll ever get it back? He's a risk until proven otherwise, one dimensional on a team that is currently full of them. Without a Jason Collins to cover for him, I'm not sure the Nets can afford the luxury)
Boki Nachbar - (when he's on, he can be game-changing, but he's really inconsistent, which the Nets don't need. Willing to play hurt a plus, unless someone makes a large offer, they should probably keep him around)
Those are my thoughts. I'll get more into the hows and whys of my thinking over the course of the next week or so, and I'm open to anyone convincing me the error of my thinking ways. Drop me a line and let me know your thoughts, because this is the first time in seven years we're facing the challenge of rebuilding almost from the ground up.
-Joe
See that Nets attendance is down 6% - hardly surprising what was served up on the court, and the never-ending storm of economic news to the bad. Oh, and a whole lot of mystery over whether the Brooklyn thing is going to happen any time soon...
But fear not, friends, soon you can slip on your flip flops and glide into summer, where expectations for the fall and winter and spring are hatched in the positive rays of the summer sunshine. Or so it seems...
With the off-season already here, no way to press onward through the playoffs, and a whole lot of necessary change in the offing, it's time to start talking about who should stay and who should go on the Nets' roster. It's clear that there is little chemistry with the current bunch, no toughness, and not enough shooting to get through a successful NBA season in 2008 - 2009. It's also pretty clear that there isn't enough difference in the games of Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter that doesn't make one (or who knows? both?) expendable. With Jason Kidd gone, the strengths of both RJ and VC are a bit of a duplication, and all that seems to have happened is RJ suddenly turned into a bad defensive player. Not good for any hopes of future success.
So with that in mind we'll start whacking around the roster and talk about who should be here next season. I've given it a lot of thought over the last week or so (and trust me, I've had a lot of time to think), and without going in to who should replace those going, what trades should be made or who should be drafted (we'll save that for after the regular season ends), here is what I've come up with:
Should stay a Net:
Vince Carter (because he's got a big contract and the owner loves him)
Devin Harris (you don't trade a legend for the kid and then not give him a chance to pilot the team over a full season)
Josh Boone (maybe he's not a starter, but a good energy/rebounder/pick and roll player off the bench)
Sean Williams (it's far too early to give up on him, unless there is something serious that we're missing)
Gana Diop (I think he brings something to the Nets that the need - interior defense, shot blocking and rebounding, plus he might bring some toughness)
Should NOT stay a Net:
Richard Jefferson (if you can move him with the rather large contract, he's probably the best asset the Nets have to get another player - Elton Brand?)
Marcus Williams (perhaps he needs another team/coach to bring out the best in him, but he's taken a step or three backwards this year)
Stromile Swift (maybe there's something here, but he just doesn't seem like a Lawrence Frank type of player, since you can't trust him to play defense consistently)
Trenton Hassell (I was all for him at first, since he actually plays defense, but now? Well, perhaps he's best moving on)
Mo Ager (Maybe there's something here, like a shooter, but the Nets can't afford to wait and find out unless they want to stash him as player #13)
Darrell Armstrong (retire, friend)
Keith Van Horn (stay in retirement, friend)
On the Bubble:
Nenad Krstic (he's proven to be slower to gain his old form, but then again, can we expect he'll ever get it back? He's a risk until proven otherwise, one dimensional on a team that is currently full of them. Without a Jason Collins to cover for him, I'm not sure the Nets can afford the luxury)
Boki Nachbar - (when he's on, he can be game-changing, but he's really inconsistent, which the Nets don't need. Willing to play hurt a plus, unless someone makes a large offer, they should probably keep him around)
Those are my thoughts. I'll get more into the hows and whys of my thinking over the course of the next week or so, and I'm open to anyone convincing me the error of my thinking ways. Drop me a line and let me know your thoughts, because this is the first time in seven years we're facing the challenge of rebuilding almost from the ground up.
-Joe
posted by Joe Netsfan at 8:17 PM
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