The Long And The Short Of It
Stay positive, Netsfans. The chemistry on the court is brewing, the locking room is one big harmonic convergence, and all is right in the Nets universe.
It's only preseason.
The Nets are starting to sort out the pieces, especially with big men. We've read how well they're all playing, even seen it in some cases, but hey, you can't play 7 or 8 big men in one game, can you?
It's a startling amount of depth for Netsfans used to Jason Collins being the glue guy, Mikki Moore being the energy off the bench, and Nenad Krstic providing offense, with a whole lot of other roster fodder thrown in (anyone remember how Marc Jackson worked out?).
But it's a young bench, and aside from Josh Boone, who gave it his all each and every night last season, it's a seriously unproven one. Hell, even the vets on the squad, namely Stromile Swift and Eddie Najera, have question marks next to them because they're either consistently inconsistent (Swift) or NBA journeyman making the most of his talent (Najera). You've got 2 rookies in the mix - Brook Lopez and Ryan Anderson; a second year athletic wonder (but without a true position, according to anyone you ask) in Sean Williams; Josh Boone, who continues to grow and surprise (he added a damned outside shot!); Yi Jianlian, the Chinese sensation (or Chinese, anyway) who was traded for Richard Jefferson; and Swift and Najera. Plus you have Jarvis Hayes, Bobby Simmons and Trenton Hassell to consider at the small forward (maybe even Chris Douglas Roberts, when he isn't in for Vince Carter). That's one helluva stew.
Time to weed it down some, whether it be to a DNP-coaches decision or off the team entirely. I think we're all there with Stromile Swift, since we can't quite figure out what it is he does well. I don't see what he adds to this team if he can't begin to harness any of that athleticism for anything more than a minute or two at a time.
Great, that's one. Now it gets much harder. I think you have to play Yi regular minutes and see what you have. Boone's earned the right to be in the rotation. I think the team is insane if Brook Lopez doesn't get some minutes in a semi-regular role (why pick him 10th, dump half the team as you rebuild and then NOT play him?) I think Eddie Najera has to play, or at least you have to see why you brought him to the team. That's the preferred list of regular minute getters at the power spots.
I think Ryan Anderson has a place on this team, but he'll have to outperform someone to get that chance. Maybe he can bump Sean Williams from any sort of rotation, or maybe Williams does that to himself. Frankly, I think he's a difference maker on the second unit, as long as you don't give him a major role in the offense.
So let's say you keep Yi, Najera and Williams at the power forward, Boone and Lopez at the center (with Williams occasionally floating through the spot as well), and Anderson in a spot role. Now you add in Bobby Simmons (who has to start based on the amount of money he's being paid, plus the lack of other overwhelming choices)and Hayes at the small forward spot, Devin Harris and Keyon Dooling at the point (lord, do we not look forward to Dooling running the point, but that's for another day), and Carter and Chris Douglas Roberts at the shooting guard. That's no less than 11 players you have to find time for on a regular basis (10 if you say that Anderson is brought along slowly), and a coach that loves to play 7 or 8 regularly. As for having two complete teams (Harris-Carter-Simmons-Yi-Boone being replaced by Dooling-CDR-Najera-Hayes-Lopez, for example), I'll believe it when I see it, especially when it gets past the end of December or January.
That's the long and short of the roster at the moment. Not everyone can (or will) get playing time, and what will that do to team chemistry? If the team is playing the rookies regularly at the start, will they necessarily still be in the rotation in January, or will they fall out of favor by then as they make rookie mistakes?
They're good questions I am curious to watch unfold here as the preseason gets going. A game against the Celts tomorrow should be a really good measuring stick, since the second teamers on the Celts put a licking on the Nets regulars several times last season.
More after the game tomorrow night, which is being televised on YES.
-Joe
It's only preseason.
The Nets are starting to sort out the pieces, especially with big men. We've read how well they're all playing, even seen it in some cases, but hey, you can't play 7 or 8 big men in one game, can you?
It's a startling amount of depth for Netsfans used to Jason Collins being the glue guy, Mikki Moore being the energy off the bench, and Nenad Krstic providing offense, with a whole lot of other roster fodder thrown in (anyone remember how Marc Jackson worked out?).
But it's a young bench, and aside from Josh Boone, who gave it his all each and every night last season, it's a seriously unproven one. Hell, even the vets on the squad, namely Stromile Swift and Eddie Najera, have question marks next to them because they're either consistently inconsistent (Swift) or NBA journeyman making the most of his talent (Najera). You've got 2 rookies in the mix - Brook Lopez and Ryan Anderson; a second year athletic wonder (but without a true position, according to anyone you ask) in Sean Williams; Josh Boone, who continues to grow and surprise (he added a damned outside shot!); Yi Jianlian, the Chinese sensation (or Chinese, anyway) who was traded for Richard Jefferson; and Swift and Najera. Plus you have Jarvis Hayes, Bobby Simmons and Trenton Hassell to consider at the small forward (maybe even Chris Douglas Roberts, when he isn't in for Vince Carter). That's one helluva stew.
Time to weed it down some, whether it be to a DNP-coaches decision or off the team entirely. I think we're all there with Stromile Swift, since we can't quite figure out what it is he does well. I don't see what he adds to this team if he can't begin to harness any of that athleticism for anything more than a minute or two at a time.
Great, that's one. Now it gets much harder. I think you have to play Yi regular minutes and see what you have. Boone's earned the right to be in the rotation. I think the team is insane if Brook Lopez doesn't get some minutes in a semi-regular role (why pick him 10th, dump half the team as you rebuild and then NOT play him?) I think Eddie Najera has to play, or at least you have to see why you brought him to the team. That's the preferred list of regular minute getters at the power spots.
I think Ryan Anderson has a place on this team, but he'll have to outperform someone to get that chance. Maybe he can bump Sean Williams from any sort of rotation, or maybe Williams does that to himself. Frankly, I think he's a difference maker on the second unit, as long as you don't give him a major role in the offense.
So let's say you keep Yi, Najera and Williams at the power forward, Boone and Lopez at the center (with Williams occasionally floating through the spot as well), and Anderson in a spot role. Now you add in Bobby Simmons (who has to start based on the amount of money he's being paid, plus the lack of other overwhelming choices)and Hayes at the small forward spot, Devin Harris and Keyon Dooling at the point (lord, do we not look forward to Dooling running the point, but that's for another day), and Carter and Chris Douglas Roberts at the shooting guard. That's no less than 11 players you have to find time for on a regular basis (10 if you say that Anderson is brought along slowly), and a coach that loves to play 7 or 8 regularly. As for having two complete teams (Harris-Carter-Simmons-Yi-Boone being replaced by Dooling-CDR-Najera-Hayes-Lopez, for example), I'll believe it when I see it, especially when it gets past the end of December or January.
That's the long and short of the roster at the moment. Not everyone can (or will) get playing time, and what will that do to team chemistry? If the team is playing the rookies regularly at the start, will they necessarily still be in the rotation in January, or will they fall out of favor by then as they make rookie mistakes?
They're good questions I am curious to watch unfold here as the preseason gets going. A game against the Celts tomorrow should be a really good measuring stick, since the second teamers on the Celts put a licking on the Nets regulars several times last season.
More after the game tomorrow night, which is being televised on YES.
-Joe
posted by Joe Netsfan at 10:51 PM
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