ESPN reported that Deron Williams and Brooke Lopez are convinced that the team has a shot at the playoffs… queue Jim Mora – ‘PLAYOFFS!’ You can’t be serious????This team has been horrific, especially at home where they are 3-13. Mind you, home is a relative term. Calling The Rock home for the Nets is like calling a random nice hotel you stayed at on your business trip to Des Moines home. The Rock is a sweet place, but the Nets are just visiting. New York Red Bulls MLS tickets are outselling the Nets tickets in late March (about $30 vs. about $1.50 for cheapest StubHub ticket) which is comical. You know you have no home court advantage when the stubhub fee for the ticket is higher than the actual selling price.
Moving on…
Let’s talk players. For real, is there an ice cube’s chance in hell they are making the playoffs? Hmmm, highly unlikely. Why, not because they are way out of it in terms of games and not because they are getting some offensive talent back in the lineup, but because the teams ahead of them are way way way better than them. Boston is the 8th seed right now; they are leagues ahead of the Nets.
Brooke Lopez – A 7 footer should grab 10 rebounds without trying. A 7 footer should really control the painted area. Lopez does neither, the reason, he is kinda, wait don’t say the most evil word in sports…I can’t say it. Uch, I’m stuck here, I just can’t say the word…(bell rings in head), I’ll use a dollar sign so it can’t be google searched… BROOK LOPEZ IS KINDA $OFT. There, it’s kinda out there because he kinda is IT. Lopez clearly deteriorated last year defensively and especially on the boards, there is an argument to be made that Kris Humphries is a great rebounder and essentially stole Lopez’s rebound, but I say there were enough to go around.
Bottom Line: I think the guy should be traded for 75 cents on the dollar as soon as possible. If he shows signs of getting it back together the remainder of this year, get the KINDA $OFT 7 Footer who grabbed 6 boards a game last year and has a back foot problem out of town at the first opportunity.
What the Nets actually have:
Given that every GM in the NBA realizes that Lopez is not actually that valuable (sort of reminds me of Mark Sanchez. Looks like he’s got the goods, but you can’t win because of him…maybe with him if you assemble the perfect team, but not as a number 2 option, number 3 = maybe), here is what the team looks like for the remainder of the season:
Deron Williams: PG – Top 5 in the business. Has the size and skill to dominate every night.
MarShon Brooks : SG – I really like this kid. He’s got great length for a 2 guard (I think he needs to play the
2 to take advantage of his skills). He has nice touch and has a fairly advanced understanding of shooting angles for a rookie. He is also a solid rebounder. The bad is that he is a rookie and he makes a few dumb mistakes every game … stupid fouls, cross court passes become turnovers, standing out of bounds waiting for a pass in the corner – guess what the call is going to be when he gets the ball … whistle, out of bounds! He has a bright future, definitely a piece to build with.
Small Forward – This is a revolving door. They occasionally start both Anthony Morrow and Brooks, but a 6’5” guy ends up getting torched by an NBA sized small forward when that happens. This is the 'we made dumb move after dumb move' spot on the Nets. Last year Travis Outlaw robbed the Nets and was asked to close the door behind him last summer. To replace him, the Nets signed the elite Shawne Williams (having an extra E in your first name doesn’t make you a starter) and decided to promote Damien James to the starting role. This plan has failed miserably – not shockingly though – because both replacements have been terrible and are now hurt. Wonderful! This is still a work in progress. They do have DeShawn Stevenson but he is undersized at SF, an offensive liability/chucker and he is hurt – a piece, but one that belongs on the bench.
Kris Humphries: PF – Knows his role and plays it really well. A beastly rebounder with limited offensive skill, but he doesn’t take dumb shots.
Brooke Lopez: C – See above. Just to add, Humphries is the kind of guy for Lopez to play with because their games complement each other; however, he is still KINDA $OFT.
Bench (as in guys who should actually play off of it):
Anthony Morrow: SG – this guy is a great shooter with very limited abilities other than his 1 skill. Not a strong defender and can’t create off the dribble. Is he really that much better than Steve Novak? Probably not. A bit more athletic, but about as 1 dimensional. A nice bench player because he can score in bunches.
Jordan Farmer: PG – definitely the Nets deepest position. This guy is a legitimate back up point guard. He can shoot and distribute well enough to play the minutes D-Will needs to rest. He happens to be having a spectacular year shooting the ball. (48%,47%,93% is outrageous – not really sustainable, but outrageous).
Sheldon Williams: PF/C – a solid rebounder and that’s about it. He is a terrible offensive player. This really hurt the team this year because of his increased roll due to injuries to Lopez and Okur (who is over the hill and should be enjoying his retirement right now). He and Humphries playing together is essentially watching the Nets participate in the 3 point shooting contest because everyone knows that nothing is going to happen inside. I don’t see him as a rotation guy on an elite team.
Jordan Williams/Johan Petro: PF/C – this 9th and final spot should go to Williams. He is a rookie and should be given a chance to show what he has to offer. He has earned some playing time lately which is good for his development. We all know what Petro is. He is a poor man’s Mikey Moore. I see his career going in the same direction. In about 5 years, when he has perfected that 18 footer from beyond the foul line on the pick and pop, some idiot GM will sign him for 5 years/30 mil to start at center. Just a warning to the idiot GM – DON’T DO IT!
Everyone Else – (Sundiata Gaines, Andre Emmett and especially Okur) – just assume you don’t need to put on shorts underneath your athletic pants, cuz they aren’t coming off.
What will happen?
This team will make a run at some point. I think that they have a nice core with D-Will, Hump and MarShon. Lopez and Morrow can help in limited capacities as well.
Will it be enough to have a chance at the playoffs come April? No Way. They are lacking the skill players needed to get there. It says something when, aside from Deron Williams, no Nets starter would start for Boston, New York, Atlanta or Orlando (the teams that occupy seeds 5 through 8 at the moment).
The Nets have all their marbles in the Dwight Howard basket and I think he will sign with Deron Williams in Dallas (not an original idea).
Looking to 2013, the Nets will be in a spankin new arena with a group of awful players – have fun filling that place Nyets!
Some good points here although I think the Nets actually have a legit shot at Howard and DWill joining forces in Brooklyn. Lopez just scored 38 and won the game for them against the Mavs although he can't seem to get rebounds. If he was not injured to start the season the Nets record would def be better. They may have also solved their problem at SF with the Gerald Green signing so things are looking up as long as DWill stays.
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