'Zo's sudden retirement isn't the only thing gone
wrong in Nets-land this year..
Where Do We Go From Here?
It is with deep regret that I write this column on a day when tragedy has reared its ugly head at the face of the New Jersey Nets Basketball organization once again. The sudden retirement of Alonzo Mourning is not just a loss to the Nets and the sport of basketball as a whole. Mourning's departure leaves a hole in the overall universe of professional sports, as one of its truest and fiercest remaining competitors was forced to hang it up for good.
Mourning's retirement joins a long line of tear-jerking events that have transpired within the Nets family, most notably Drazen Petrovic's fatal auto crash in 1993 and Jayson Williams' career-ending leg injury that was followed by his accused murder of his limo driver on a cold February night two years ago. If one didn't now it already by the lackluster 5-7 start, Zo's fateful announcemnent confirmed the New Jersey Nets as a team, as an organization and in mere existence are at the crossroads.
Since Jason Kidd rode into town as the long lost knight in shining armor (In Rod We Trust), not once has this cursed, snake-bitten club ever possessed the sense of doubt and uncertainity that it does now. At 5-7 overall (just 2-5 in the House that Bruce built) heading into the annual Thanksgiving Week West Coast swing, these are clearly not the Nets that we have come to love and revere over the past two seasons...
From this onlooker's vantage point, there is a five-pronged problem that is plaguing the club, and each complication is attacking at the inner core of the team day by day, quarter by quarter, minute by minute to the point where this season may not be salvageable in the long haul. This season was supposed to be the year that the Nets (our Nets!?!) were going to climb that final rung on the proverbial ladder and bring home the NBA Championship and raise their own banner some 75 yards across from the trio of ornaments that the New Jersey Devils have hung in the Meadowlands rafters.
Unfortunately, aside from today's tragic disclosure by Mr. Mourning just 12 games into his comeback, there are now these five issues for the Nets to contend with:
1. Sale of the Team: Where is this club headed? Last season, Jason Kidd's impending free agency was the ominous black cloud hindering the team. After all, the club had won just one playoff series in its ill-fated history before Mr. Thorn pulled off one of the greatest heists in NBA history, unloading the disgruntled and underachieving Stephon Marbury in exchange for someone that singlehandedly reversed 25 years of misery otherwise known as the Nets' NBA existence. Now the team must ponder where it will be playing next season and beyond.
There are 4 groups interested in purchasing the team and the problem with all the desired locations of those potential buyers are the same: lack of fan-interest... In Jersey we now know the only time the Nets will play in front of a full-house are when the Lakers come to town or the Nets are playing in the NBA Finals... If a team can not sellout for the Eastern Conference Finals, it clearly does not have a legitimate fan base to speak of... The fans that do show up are not vocal or even attentive. It is a place where middle upper class parents can take their young children for a quiet night out on the town with plenty o empty seats to pile the coats up on... Only a collection of die-hards such as myself can honestly declare themselves fans of the New Jersey Nets basketball team.
Long Island is a pipe dream for Charles Wang - fans were indifferent to the Nets when Julius Erving was swinging from the rims in the mid 70s in the prime of his brilliant career...They carry the same suburban lackadaisacal attitude towards pro basketball there that they do in Jersey... Whats more, of the true basketball fans in the Garden State, Northern residents follow the hideous collection of beings known as the New York Knicks, while Southerners follow the Sixers...
Well what about Brooklyn? Forget about it, thats New York Knicks country, true and true...Borough pride aside, you would be asking life-long Knicks fans to essentially abandon their team for a club they have long considered a laughingstock- not gonna happen...
What's my solution - Keep 'Em in Jersey ! If they can get to the Finals twice playing in front of a half-empty Meadowlands crowd, they can do it again... To sum up, this sale must go through soon, so the players, the fans, the coach, and anyone else involved with the team can get back to just playing basketball with the future clearly outlined.
2. Bringing back a lame-duck coach: Whether or not firing Rick Carlisle was the right thing to do, the Detroit Pistons made a smart move by letting go of a coach they weren't planning on retaining when his contract expired. Byron Scott is in the last year of his deal, and the team would not extend him even after 2 straight Finals trips. Therefore, Nets hierarchy made a major mistake by allowing Byron Scott to man the sidelines for a 4th season at the helm.
Yes, I'm well aware Scott coached this team to two straight Finals appearances, a seemingly impossible feat considering the putrid history of the team. Truth be told, having Jason Kidd on the floor superceded any coaching that may or may not have taken place (much like Magic with Scott's mentor Pat Riley) during those two miraculous runs.
It became most evident during the '03 Finals vs San Antonio ( a very winnable series by the way), that Mr. Scott simply didn't know how to properly manipulate his lineup (nor draw up a meaningful play) when it really mattered. Players, including Kidd said as much afterwards. All this being stated, once Thorn and company did not extend Scott's contract with just this season remaining on the tab, it became evident that he would not be coaching the Nets past this season and that he was being brought back on good faith for twice reaching the Finals. This allowed top flight coaches that were available such as Jeff Van Gundy, Rick Carlisle, Larry Brown and possibly Eddie Jordan slip through the team's collective fingers. Jordan, who likely did 75 percent of the coaching here anyway is now turning the ship around in Washington with former Net assistant Mike O'Koren along for the ride.
Scott was not handed high level assistants, and it's now clear that this whole staff will be gone in the near future and that the Nets have no interest in playing at a level where it would be hard to oust Scott. The now departed Mourning, who flourished under Riley recently had this to say: "We need Byron to be more vocal and get on us for our actions. I'm used to that." Essentially Zo is saying I know Pat Riley, you're no Pat Riley.
The club has slept walked through these first 12 games with very few exceptions. The offense has gone from run and gun edge of your seat exciting to walk it up, ho-hum 85 pts a game boring. Scott may have all the self-confidence in the world, but his time here has run out, the Nets will not take it to the next level under his watch, the man is simply not a championship coach.
The question now is, who is even available to take off when Scott is eventually relieved of his duties? One could have dreamt of Riley re-uniting with his good friend Mourning in Jersey to chase that last elusive NBA crown until today. The next coach will need to be one that can immediately make an impact and provide an upgrade. Kidd re-signed here to win a title, and its looking more and more like last season's chance may have been his best, if not only chance.
3. The team has not been able to properly address its two biggest needs: jump-shooting and interior presence. After the Kidd trade, and the highly underrated Jefferson/Collins for Eddie Griffin swap, Rod Thorn's hot hand has been luke warm at best. Last year's three imports, Dikembe Mutombo, Rodney Rogers and Chris Childs were all unquestionable busts, save for Rogers' game-winning shot in the 1st round vs Milwaukee.. Mutombo and Childs are long gone, while Rogers can't even up muster up another self dignity to play through the pain of a lacerated thumb.
The jury was still out on 'Zo, before news broke out today. While its clear they wouldn't be getting the 22 and 10 madman that ravaged the Eastern Conference in the mid '90s, oneremained hopeful that he would go for say 13 and 7 in roughly 30 minutes a night when it really counts down the stretch and in the playoffs(should this unmotivated group actually qualify for the postseason). That gamble has now gone by the wayside, and the Nets will likely return to the competent, but ultimately deep into the playoffs inadequate combo of Jason Collins and Aaron Williams. A trade for a true center that can make an impact is unlikely because there simply aren't any out there on the market.
As far as shooting goes, the Nets are even more off the mark. With Lou Harris hobbled and Rogers a shell of his former 6th Man of the Year self, there is little hope in sight. Tamar Slay has shown flashes, but he is not ready to make a significant contribution to a team supposedly contending for a title. That being said, Scott would still be better served trying to work Slay into the mix as opposed to the chucking, out of control Brandon Armstrong.
If the shooting woes continue as this unacceptable level, the team may even need to shake up the core to try and bring a hired gun on board. That sort of transaction could be risky, since its likely Thorn would need to move a major piece of the puzzle to acquire one. As far as players that could actually make a difference in this regard, names like Ray Allen and Michael Redd come to mind. Getting a player of that caliber would likely mean moving a player such as Richard Jefferson, which may or may not be worth the gamble. FYI a Jefferson for Redd deal actaully would work out salary, give a or take a bit player to completely balance things out...
4. Jason Kidd's health and durability. Anyone that has watched Kidd perform in over 200 games as a New Jersey Net (incuding playoffs) like I have would know that this man is not functioning at anything near 100 percent strength. He hurt himself in the playoffs last year and it showed when he simply couldn't take the Nets over the top in the Finals against a team that was by no means clearly the Nets' superior. He played more in international compeition over the summer and then injured himself again on opening night against Toronto. All of this has been grossly apparent as Kidd simply hasn't turned into that superhuman gear that he has performed consistently at over the past two seasons.
As a result the team's play has suffered dramatically. One problem is that the loss of Anthony Johnson left a major hole in the form of a reliable back-up point guard that knew the system. AJ won over the hearts of Nets fans by learning the plays and providing the Nets with passionate spurts in relief of Kidd in the '03 playoffs. His talent already came back to haunt the Nets once this season when the Pacers invaded the Meadowlands for an easy win on November 6. Zoran Planinic has shown in flashes that he will become a competent playmaker in this league, but now is not the time for experimentation. The signing of former-Net Robert Pack was a smart move and hopefully he will become the key back-up to Kidd until Zoran further acclimates himself with the rigors of the NBA grind. Kidd must play no more than 35-38 minutes on a regular basis. He must have more in the tank should the Nets somehow advance as far as they did in each of the last two glorious playoff runs.
5. The top of the East has gotten better: This is the one hinderance that may truly be out of the Nets' hands. The other top three teams in the Eastern Conference (all in the Central Division as luck would have it) have each upgraded. The Pacers, under the brilliant direction of Rick Carlisle and Larry Bird upstairs have emerged as THE team to beat in the East. The Pistons may have actually taken a step backwards strategically by replacing Carlisle with Larry Brown, although the latter may simply be a better fit for that team's needs. Detroit already has an impressive win over the Lakers under its belt, not too mention a typical crushing of the Nets at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Many felt that New Orleans was doomed when it replaced Paul Silas with Tim Floyd, but thus far there have been no ill effects of that occurrence. Conversely, the Bees appear more primed and ready to go on a nightly basis to play under Floyd than they did under Silas in recent seasons. Not to mention Baron Davis is playing out of this universe basketball.
Truth be told, I had this column prepared and ready to go before today's pain-staking announcement. One can only hope that Zo's intensity and committment to excellence somehow rubbed off on this bunch that for some reason dosen't possess those qualiities other than Kidd. Maybe Kenyon Martin and Richard Jefferson learned a valuable lesson for mocking this warrior last week in practice when he was trying to defy all oddds but competing with his ailment. Maybe this was the painful reminder those two wannabe maxed-out superstars needed to get their acts in gear and help lead this team to the promised land. One won't know if this is so for quite a while, but one begins to get the unnerving feeling that this championship dream may end via a 2nd round exit before an enthralled crowd at either Conseco Fieldhouse or the vaunted Palace sometime in early May.
An early playoff departure this season could derail this train to the point of no return. The time to win is still now. To attain the ultimate goal, the GM will likely have to have a shrewd move or two still up his sleeve, the coaching situation must be rectified ASAP and the club must be sold to a loyal buyer that will immediately unveil the future of the team's very existence. We will likely know a lot more about the heart and soul of this club after the annual grueling Thanksgiving week West Coast Swing (could a Net get to enjoy Turkey dinner at home just once?!?). Heading into it at 5-7, the somewhat realistic hope is that the Nets take 3 of 5 and return home at 8-9. That mark is hardly the stuff dreams are made of, but at least one would have hope that this ship is indeed being steered back in the right direction, the championship direction. Go out and win one for 'Zo, we sure know he deserves it.
- NJNETSBOSS
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