The Olympic Roundup

OK, Netsfans, now it gets interesting as the Olympic basketball tournament gets to the medal round. Does anyone really expect the Redeem Team to lose to anyone?

The only real interest of note around these parts is the play of Nets newbie Yi Jianlian. In a word, it's been mediocre at best, and at times pathetic. He's young, it's a ton of pressure, and he's been playing basketball for Team China, so you could understand his almost complete lack of grace in the tourney. But what does this mean for the Nets?

Probably not a helluva lot. Unless you are one of those few who think that Yi will light up the NBA (and the Izod, or whatever it's called this year), what difference will it make if he struggles in the Olympics? We'd like to think this experience will make him a better player, and it may yet, it's just not going to translate to much in the Nets' 2008 - 2009 season.

Hopefully, you can accept that.

We get an entire season to see if this ploy works out, this salary dump to rid themselves of Richard Jefferson and invest in a younger, taller, much more Asian forward who can sell tickets and hold cap space for 2010. Sure, the Nets are hoping the Asian population buys every ticket in the arena so they can focus on moving to Brooklyn without having to declare bankruptcy, so what else matters?

The play on the court, that's what.

Like the Olympics, there's going to a lot of USA - Angola type matchups, I'm afraid. Vince Carter jacking 25 shots a night, Devin Harris driving and dishing (to whom, we wonder), and frankly, anything else they can scrape together. Keyon Dooling and Bobby Simmons will each have to score 15 points a game at this rate.

But at least the vaunted rookies should hopefully get some seasoning.

Sit back, relax, enjoy the Olympics and the expected domination by LeBron, Kobe, JKidd and co. It's the last look you're likely to get at a championship calibre team until 2010.

-Joe

Games Without Frontiers

So as the world takes a pause from its troubles and strife and heads to China for the Olympics, let us take a moment and contemplate the NBA as of August 2, 2008.

There has been a lot of retooling around the league, to be expected in the annual chase to catch up to the latest thinking on how to win a championship - this time it's defense, 3 superstars, and the "right" role players. Of course, some of those role players have taken themselves to the Euroleagues or other places beyond, so it might be a bit more difficult for teams to find the right 10th, 11th, or 12th man. The money grab isn't exactly troubling, at least not until one of the big NBA stars decides to cash a $40 million per year check at the expense of some rich Russian team owner.

Many of the world's finest players will be on display at the Olympics, including our own Yi Jianlian, part of the home contingent. So too is Jason Kidd, the ex-Net and world beater (no pun intended) who still has an undefeated Olympic record, though he should be turning over the keys to Chris Paul any moment now. The USA squad, led by LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, looks pretty motivated, judging by the beatings they've put on teams in the pre-season so far.

Back closer to home, we continue to ponder this new-look Net squad, and the pieces that remain after losing Nenad Krstic to Russia. It has all the makings of a team in transition, one whose success will depend entirely on the whole being better than the sum of its parts. Yes, we're worried about scoring, shooting, and right now, even defense, but if these guys can put out maximum effort and get strong coaching, they could surprise, we suppose.

Of course, it'll come down to coaching, since the veteran quotient shrunk dramatically in the off-season. Two new coaches climb aboard - classic NBA overachiever Doug Overton and NBA washout Roy Rogers (hold off on the names till we play the name game). Plus, it appears Jim Sann may have a bigger role on the coaching staff as well, with holdovers Tom Barrise and lead assistant Brian Hill supplying the consistency.

But it will come down to head coach Lawrence Frank and his ability to whip together not only the new coaching staff, but all the new players as well. Since East Rutherford has become the international house of basketball players, will there be any large cultural adjustment needed that the coaching staff will have to smooth over? After all, one of the biggest off-season additions was Yi, who finds himself in the world's largest media market (even though the Nets might as well be playing in Siberia now that Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson are gone) and all the accompanying baggage that will follow. Can he perform at a high level under this coaching staff and the glare of bright lights (plus the knowledge of Netsfans that he was traded for Richard Jefferson, a local fan favorite?).

Right now the roster is unbalanced, and the more I review it, the more afraid I become. Too many front line players, not enough guards or shooters, and my word how about another point guard? A trade will likely have to follow, but who's buying what the Nets want to sell? So far, according to Al Iannazone, no one is interested in the two Net frontliners they'd like to be without, Stromile Swift and Sean Williams. Why you would give up on an athletic freak like Williams is beyond me, but again, if he's one of those guys the coaching staff deems will "never get it", then I guess it makes sense. Not having a true position doesn't help either. So if the Nets can rid themselves of at least one of those two, they could be forced to deal a player they'd rather keep, like one of the rookies or other youngsters who might have value. That wouldn't be optimal.

Instead Netsfans should get used to Vince Carter and Devin Harris at the guards, Yi and Bobby Simmons (or Eddie Najera) at the forwards, and either Josh Boone or Brook Lopez at center. Not exactly awe inspiring, but the bench is at least better than last year (with the exception of shooter). Keyon Dooling will back up both Harris and Carter, so he's in the rotation. But who else will be a regular contributor? Najera (or Simmons) for certain - Jarvis Hayes because he fills a definite role off the bench (shooter) - and at least one or two more big men. Figure Lopez (if he doesn't start) and fellow rookies Ryan Anderson and Chris Douglas Roberts get time in and out of the lineup (rather than regular, steady time so they can develop). After that? With the way Frank operates, your guess is as good as mine.

Celebrate the Olympics, and the US Olympic team (like him or hate him, you can't root against Kidd in this situation), and understand that the NBA will likely take a giant pause over the next two weeks. Things probably won't get interesting again (if they do at all) until late August or September, and then before you know it, the Nets will be right back in training camp.

Let's hope there's more to the story...

-Joe