Russian Winters

Maybe the Nets are considering a farm team in Russia?

For the second time in a few weeks, it appears a Net will ply his trade in Russia intstead of hanging around the NBA. First it was Boki Nachbar, now it appears that Nenad Krstic ("we want him back, we swear") is leaving for more money and less pressure out in Russia. Good for him, we say.

Since the Nets have a glut of players up front, why not see if he can round back into form out in Russia? It doesn't cost the Nets anything, the retain his NBA rights, and for all we know at this time next year (Krstic has an opt out after the season to return to the NBA), the Nets are once again lacking depth up front and Krstic steps right back into the rotation. Of course, if he can't get his most formidable skills on the court back, well, Trader Rod was once again smart.

The Nets were hoping to do a sign-and-trade with another NBA team to get something back for Krstic, but this works just as well.

Frankly, even with the shaky comeback from the knee surgery, he was one of the Nets' more known commodities. Now what happens if all the depth up front doesn't quite pan out? If Brook Lopez isn't ready for prime time? If Sean Williams (if the Nets hold on to him) doesn't show any more maturity? If Josh Boone regresses? You get the point.

We'll miss Nenad - he was a godsend just a few short years ago when the Nets were thinner than thin up front, he was a rookie, and we expected absolutely nothing but 12th man status, and Nenad carried the frontliners? It all ended too quickly back in December 2006, for him as well as for us.

So the changes continue in Netsland, the Russians get a bonifide question mark, and we're not nearly done seeing all the new concepts in the NBA circa 2008. Who would have thought that the Euro would be the drawing card to lure talent away from the NBA?

- Joe

Marcus of Golden State

Great fit - the no defense Warriors and the no defense Marcus Williams.

So, the Nets get a conditional first round pick (in 2011, 2012 or 2013, or 2 second rounders...interesting how complex this stuff gets) back for a guy who was clearly not in favor in Netsland (and with Lawrence Frank).

Shame, since he appeared to have all the talent in the world, but as I said before, no idea how to harness it. A questionable work ethic combined with an allergy to defense doomed him in the eyes of management.

Remember a few short off-seasons ago when it appeared the Nets got a steal and the heir apparent to Jason Kidd? Well, now you have Devin Harris and Keyon Dooling as your point guards, and Marcus is off to score a million and one points with the Warriors. Kind of makes you a bit nervous as to how he'll turn out under someone else's watch, since he does have the ability to do well in the all offense all the time game the Warriors play.

But, that leaves the Nets with 15 guaranteed contracts, and the likelihood that one or more current Nets will also be leaving the building (somehow, I don't think Nenad Krstic will be on the opening roster, and Mo Ager probably shouldn't be making firm plans for Christmas 2008 in NJ...). The glut of fowards also needs resolution, because there are just too many players to spread the playing time around for.

That's going to be the big challenge for Lawrence Frank - fielding a competitive though young team, and keeping them in games, without having a 12 or 13 man rotation. We all know Lawrence would like an 8 or 9 man rotation, so there are an awful lot of players who could be on the outside looking in.

Problems for another day. Marcus, we hardly knew ye, and though we were teased by your potential only occasionally, we wish you nothing but luck in the Western Conference.

-Joe

Taking Shape

Wow, did you ever think you'd see a Net team under Bruce Ratner (motto: I ain't losing $40 mill a year forever) have 16 guaranteed contracts?

Well, that's what the Nets will have after they do a sign and trade for Keyon Dooling, who's been the object of the Nets affections for years.

A complete turnover of the roster since the start of last season leaves the Nets a very interesting team right now. Dooling is a young vet who can add some legs, some defense, and a turn at the point if necessary, which probably leaves young Marcus Williams packing his backs for points elsewhere (hey, is Memphis still collecting point guards?). A shame about poor Marcus, who appeared to have a world of talent but doesn't have a clue as to how best to harness it.

So with Dooling backing up Carter and Harris, and a logjam at the center and forward spots, this Nets team is taking shape and looking very much like a bit more than a rag tag team of definite losers. If Brook Lopez can learn the NBA game on the fly, if Chris Douglas Roberts can add a spark off the bench, and if the Nets can get some offense from a bunch of these role players, well, then maybe the Nets won't be a challenged as we had thought just a week or so ago.

And with Carter to (hopefully) sell some tickets, the rookies, Harris and a few others, it might not be the worst game in town (think maybe the Knicks will still play that role in the NYC area?).

Of course, it all comes down to Lawrence Frank and the coaching staff to get everyone to buy in, put together a rotation that capitalizes on strength, and hopefully go against type and give the rookies some PT so that they can develop. That might be the biggest challenge facing these New Jersey Nets - getting the coach to trust his youngsters and give them the PT they need to develop. I for one would rather watch a 35 win team that hustles and learns and grows throughout the season than a 40 win team that's flat out boring and going nowhere fast.

The next trick is to see who goes, and how fast - (no the Nets won't keep 16 guaranteed contracts, or even 15 for that matter) Nenad Krstic? Marcus? Sean Williams? Stromile Swift? Josh Boone or Mo Ager or the Keith Van Horn contract?

Put your money on Marcus and Nenad, unfortunately. The Nets likely want to have no more than 14 guaranteed contracts, and you know the 3 rookies, Carter, Harris, Najera, Hayes and Dooling are sticking around, so that makes 8 potential players that could be had in a trade. There's some value in Swift (expiring contract at season's end), Ager (same), Van Horn's contract, and I would guess that the Williams' boys value has declined somewhat and the bottom feeders will be out in force trying to catch Rod at a weak moment. But as has always been the case, no one will get the better of Rod.

Stay tuned - things continue to get interesting...

-Joe

International Flavor, But What's To Savor?

Oh, dear me...it looks like the Nets are going to fill their roster with "serviceable veterans" after the signings of Eddie Najera and Jarvis Hayes brings the roster to 15. Seems like about 13 of those 15 are forwards or centers, so perhaps the plan by Thorn and Vanderweghe is to corner the market on big men, and hope that some team needs what the Nets have and will want to deal with NJ.

Or not, because frankly, there is no way this can be over (and Thorn even said so himself).

I'm a bit baffled by the signing of Hayes, who has never done much in the "making an impression" department. Supposedly he can shoot, but really, is this an upgrade over Boki Nachbar (and I've read the pros and cons from everyone out there already - perhaps Thorn thought that Boki was a permanent bad back waiting to happen after last season?)? Frankly, I think not. Let's hope this guy doesn't wind up as the 14th man, because that's an awful lot of money to spend on a guy who is as inconsistent as they come.

Najera I understand. Not only is a solid front line player, good soldier and even a decent three point shooter, but he's the league's only Mexican born player, which fits right in with the Nets new motto - "hey, we may not challenge for a playoff berth, but we'll be able to market to any ethnicity in the tri-state area". Eddie's hard-nosed and frankly we don't understand why Mark Cuban didn't want him back (and seriously overpay for him) in Dallas.

So, Eddie got a 4 year deal, that puts him into the 2010 "let's sign LeBron" fantasy camp. He's likely front loaded on his contract so that he doesn't screw up the cap space, but we're still wondering if this is the best way to rebuild the team.

I guess it is if you are refusing to take large losses, but then again, if the team stinks, won't it just be harder to get fans into the Izod?

Jarvis Hayes? Ok, I'll stop repeating his name now, and accept that this may be this year's Jeff MacInnis. Wouldn't the money have been better spent on a backup combo guard like Keyon Dooling (and I am no fan of his either, but he's got to be a better signing than Hayes).

I did read some optimism over the past day about the Nets being better than anything thinks they will be. Well, until Thorn makes more changes, you can forget about that.

But, the Nets do have hope - though it's only the summer league, Brook Lopez looked like a man amongst boys in the pivot, Ryan Anderson had some moments to build on, Chris Douglas Roberts played like he had that second round chip on his shoulder, and this Jaycee Carroll guy may have found himself a home after going undrafted. Suddenly, you have to wonder if Sean Williams or Josh Boone are expendable...Williams because he doesn't have a true position and seems a bit thick in the head, and Boone because there are others on the team that might be better served in the offense.

But again, we'll see what transpires, since the Nets are thin at guard.

Let's hope the 3 rookies stick around and get some NBA tutoring from Vince Carter and others...because otherwise, there really isn't a lot to get excited for with this squad.

More thoughts coming tomorrow.

Joe

Yi Haw!

Well pardners, Yi is in town, and things will never be quite the same again in Netsfanland.

No, he's not an international superstar, at least not yet. But he's bringing in a media horde from the world's most populated country, and he's playing in the largest media market in the world. So, the Nets now have that going for them. Even if no one shows up at the Izod Center next season, the world's eyeballs will be watching...

Oh, we don't even want to get into the details of the wonderous press conference, where it was said that Yi is very talented and they expect big things out of him yada yada...what we want to know is, was it worth trading Richard Jefferson for him or not? Unfortuntately, that won't be proven out for awhile, and it will also largely depend on whom the Nets surround him with on the court.

And there's the Lawrence Frank factor. L Frank has never has as much talent or depth on the front line in his time here (guards and wing players ruled the day, obviously), but now he's got Brook Lopez (who went for another 22 and 8 tonight in a win over the Seattle Oklahomans...), Yi, Simmons, Josh Boone, Sean Williams, and Stromile Swift, not to mention the other rook Ryan Anderson and Trenton Hassell and possible Nenad Krstic. That's probably too much (who the hell shoots the damned ball from outside if Boki doesn't return, but it's a nice problem to have.

If they produce.

And when Yi is your best immediate hope for offense up front, well, that's trouble right there. His game needs polish, and Joe's still concerned that he doesn't want to put in the time, especially with his international Olympic commitments for China. Will he break down come February, or sooner?

Sure, the marketing will go into overdrive in Chinatown and the New York area (can't you see it now - come see the Chinese sensation from New Jersey and the Italian Stallion from New York in Danilo Gallinari), and it can't hurt when it comes to making news in the post Kidd era, but I think expectations had better not be high for the men on the court. We'll starve until 2010 and the move to Brooklyn as the youngsters learn how to play, and won't that be great for New Jersey Netsfans...

We'll have to comment more on that in the coming days, because the more I think about it, unless Thorn's got more moves up his sleeves, we're doomed to some boring, low scoring ball in New Jersey next year.

Just what Netsfans needed...

OK, we'll give it a chance today, especially if Thorn can move pieces for a Marcus Camby or someone else. But with the Sixers grabbing Elton Brand today, the division hasn't gotten any easier between the world champion Celtics, the improved Sixers and the always dangerous Raptors. More work is needed.

More to come tomorrow. Maybe we'll rank on Bobby Simmons, and talk about some of the other moves in the NBA (since the Nets appear to be striking out on their free agent hit list, with Pietrus and Mason signing elsewhere).

Joe

Who's Gonna Score?

Finally, back online to worry about the Nets and not where the furniture's gonna fit in the office....

Yes, Joe moved JNF HQ, and all the baggage that goes along with it. Memo to self - never have a baby and move within a month of each other...

But while JNF HQ was being prepared for moving, Joe had a lot of time to think, and adjust on the fly, as things started coming together for the Nets on draft night.

This is a very interesting, very young Nets team at the moment. This is both good and very bad.

First, let me applaud Nets management for pulling the plug on something that wasn't working, blowing things up and deciding to reach for future glory (and cap space). Though Richard Jefferson was moved, this is a good thing.

What's not so good, ok, very bad, is what this team is left with. An NBA marketing dream in Yi Jianlian in the New York area, sure, but is Bobby Simmons going to resurrect his career and suddenly throw in 20 points per night? In fact, is this Nets team going to break 70 points a game as presently configured?

Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson have already dissed the Nets as currently configured, by the way...

With 3 Net rookies likely to make the team, and Marcus Williams, Sean Williams, Josh Boone and Mo Ager still on this team, they are certainly young. But they're also without a lot of scoring options aside from Vince Carter, especially if they can't hold on to Boki Nachbar (and don't be too sure he won't wind up in the Garden, playing for the Knicks).

So, it's good to change, but unfortunately, we Netsfans may be the ones to suffer.
No major scoring threat from Carter means you need a whole lot of contribution from Devin Harris as scoring option #2 and try to establish a consistent and regular go-to option #3 (is that Yi?). Maybe they'll play like the Jeff Van Gundy teams of old and they'll win a lot of 72 - 70 games.

Ick.

Looks like the Nets could have found a diamond in the rough as they start play in the Summer League in Orlando. Jaycee (what a dumb name) Carroll might be an interesting bench player, from all early indications. Lord knows they need someone who can shoot. And the big men down there seem to be proving themselves especially defensively, as Michael Beasley ran into a buzz saw named Sean Williams tonight even as the Nets lost. But Sean's uneven play in the first game makes you wonder where his head is at, and if he's ever going to truly get it. He should be dominating that league...

We'll keep an eye on Chris Douglas Roberts and Ryan Anderson, perhaps they may be the keys to some offense this season. Though it's hard to come in as a rookie and make nightly contributions, so that's not exactly a legitimate hope right now...

While we're here - what's with Richard Jefferson expressing surprise at being traded? How could he not know it was coming, and that the team was working hard to accomplish it? Kind of a sad exit for RJ fans (and yes, I was one of them, up to the end and even though he'd decided defense wasn't a priority...).

More thoughts coming tomorrow, as I get back into the swing of things...I would love to know if you are excited or not about the changes made so far, and if you're just dreaming of 2010 and massive cap space (and willing to wait at that...). Drop me a line if your head is there...

Joe