Tagged: New Jersey Nets
Nets endure another loss, but move on
NEWARK, N.J. – This has become a common sight this preseason: the Nets playing at far less than 100 percent and losing to the Knicks.
Half of the winless Nets’ six preseason games have been against the Knicks, and half of their six losses have come to their Atlantic Division counterparts. Last night, the Nets came back from 18 down in the third period to lead in the fourth, but still fell 94-92 at the Prudential Center.
The Nets have just one more tune up and hope to have Devin Harris and Jarvis Hayes healthy for Friday’s game against the Sixers. They both missed the prior two games; Harris with a strained groin and Hayes with a stress reaction in his right shin and neither have practiced in eight days.
In all, Harris, the Nets’ best player and main ball distributor, has missed three preseason games, parts of two others and about eight practices total with different injuries. Courtney Lee, Yi Jianlian, Eduardo Najera have all missed time and Keyon Dooling hasn’t practiced once following off-season hip surgery.
This isn’t good for a young team that’s still getting to know one another, learning new offensive sets, trying to develop a defensive mindset and chemistry. Now if the Nets stumble when the season starts it won’t be just because they’re young and superstar-less and starting four guys with less than three years of NBA experience.
Little was expected of the Nets last season, but they were healthy at the beginning and were out to prove they were better than most predicted. They surprised by winning their opener on the road and 11 of their first 19 games.
Overall the Nets were in much better shape last year – not to mention they had Vince Carter. It could mean trouble when the regular season opens Wednesday at Minnesota.
“We’ll have a little bit of a stagger,” Harris said.
That’s stagger not swagger. And if the Nets stagger at the beginning they could be down for the count. But Harris tried to put a positive spin on this boxing analogy
“Staggering, you’re still moving forward,” Harris said. “Although you’re not getting there as fast you would like to be, you’re still moving forward. Stagger into a run.”
Realistically, that’s expecting a lot, but this will be a big week and weekend for the Nets.
They practice Thursday, play Friday and then likely will have three more practices and a shootaround before the opener. They hope their players return, there are no more setbacks, and it’s enough to build something because Hayes said the Nets are behind.
“From a chemistry standpoint, yeah,” Hayes said. “We haven’t had a full team one game this preseason. We’re trying to implement the younger guys and not having Devin for a big part of the preseason and he’s our point guard. From a chemistry standpoint we still have a little ways to go.
“I think it’s something we can somewhat gain some traction on in practice. You can’t gauge anything until everybody gets out there in practice.”
So include Hayes among the people unsure of exactly what this team will look like
“We have no idea,” he said.
“It’s strange,” Hayes added. “We have guys that can put the ball in the hole. But what roles are going to be on this team, how prominent will that depth chart be – that’s something that we got to all get healthy and get out there for a good week or so and try and come up with.”
At least the Nets won’t have to see the Knicks again until Nov. 21. Maybe by then they’ll be 100 percent, have developed chemistry and defined roles and have a win.
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The Nets had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds after Lee rebounded his own free-throw miss and was fouled. But he misfired on the first foul shot with 1.1 seconds left. He missed the second on purpose. Brook Lopez tried to tip in the miss with his left hand but missed
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The Nets drew 15,721 fans in the final preseason game at Newark, but it’s possible they could play more games here in the future. Among the faces in the crowd were several of prospective owner Mikhail Prokhorov’s representatives, former Yankee and Met Dwight Gooden and Joe Jackson, Michael Jackson’s father.
More questions than answers after loss to Knicks
NEW YORK — Three of the Nets’ five top scorers from last season were sitting behind the bench showing off their wardrobes instead of running up and down the court showing their skills.
The Nets better hope something changes by Oct. 28 when this season starts with a winnable game at Minnesota. They expect to be near 100-percent by then, but you can’t say for sure.
There are two preseason games and roughly nine practices/shootarounds before the first tip. Anything can happen, but the Nets can’t afford anything else.
Not long after these words were written, likely starting small forward Chris Douglas-Roberts left the 93-89 preseason to the Knicks last night with a strained neck. He’s day-to-day, but already said he won’t miss any time. Still, one of the Nets’ goals in the next two weeks has to be to get healthy.
The Nets already know they won’t have Keyon Dooling for the opener and may not see him for the first few weeks at least. Devin Harris is supposed to return Sunday from a strained right groin and Jarvis Hayes hopes to play in next Friday’s preseason finale, presuming the stress reaction in his right shin is fine.
They’re banged up, winless through five preseason games and have unsurprisingly been inconsistent on both of ends of the floor.
“This group is getting a little bit frustrated that we’re not making as much progress as we expect from ourselves,” coach Lawrence Frank said. “We have to expect better.
“We want to be farther along than we are now. We have a lot of work to do.”
With about 12 days to go, many questions remain unanswered. Some of them may stay that way until weeks, if not months, into the season.
Among them:
What’s the rotation?
Our best guess is Harris, Courtney Lee, Brook Lopez, Yi Jianlian and Chris Douglas-Roberts are the starters with Rafer Alston, Terrence Williams, Jarvis Hayes and Josh Boone coming off the bench with either Bobby Simmons or Eduardo Najera. When Dooling returns, things will change, and someone (or more than one player) will be unhappy.
What’s their best lineup?
It’s probably four smalls and Lopez, but it depends on matchups and Yi’s development. If we had to guess today, based on past performance and health, it’s Harris, Lee, Douglas-Roberts, Hayes and Lopez. Other than Lopez, the Nets’ smalls/wings have been their best players.
Has Yi improved?
Some days it looks like he has and others it doesn’t. Yi looked like he had last night against the Knicks. He had 10 points and six rebounds in the first quarter. He had at least as many points and boards in the same game 14 times last year, just once after returning from a broken pinky finger in February. Yi finished with 21 and 11 last night. But to quote Frank when asked about Yi, “It’s going to be a process.”
Will the Nets defend consistently?
No one knows. They are trying, but haven’t been successful. It’s their only shot at winning. Although they picked it up in the second half last night and Lopez was a catalyst with five blocks, they still have lapses on the defensive end. It should be better once they have a set rotation. Then again, they will also be playing better competition.
Who’s their go-to guy?
The Nets hope they play enough close games to have a go-to guy. Harris is the likely candidate with Lopez next. But Douglas-Roberts has shown he can get to the basket against most players, and the other night in a nailbiter against Boston, the Nets were going to Lee. This could be another process, but think Harris or Lopez first.
Will the Nets score enough?
That goes back to their defense, because they need to score off it, using their quickness to get some steals and easy baskets. But they have to be able to score in the halfcourt, too, and they get too disjointed sometimes and take quick shots or miss the open man. After putting up 107 in the first preseason game against the Knicks on Oct. 4, the Nets have scored 88, 92, 93 and now 89. Seemingly, they would score more with a full complement of players, but nothing is guaranteed.
Harris hoping to shed fragile tag
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Devin Harris knows the phrase “injury-prone” is linked to his name, and he would like to change that.
He’s off to a bad start, though.
The Nets’ All-Star point guard spent about five minutes yesterday talking about his injuries this preseason and what he can do to prevent them, and what he did in the off-season to try and strengthen his ankles, which have been the cause of many days off since early 2008.
Harris tried several things, mostly ligament-strengthening exercises. He did some acupuncture and chiropractic work as well as band exercises to strengthen the ligaments.
“Things you don’t do until you injure it to strength it,” was how Harris described it. “We’re doing more precautionary.”
Who knows if the way Harris plays contributes to his injuries. His strength is stopping and starting, changing speeds and directions. He breaks defenders’ ankles — figuratively speaking — and has done some damage to his own.
Harris missed 14 games in 2008, three games last year, one preseason game and part of another and a practice this year because of left ankle injuries. He also tweaked his right ankle early in camp. Right now, Harris has a strained groin that will keep him out of tomorrow’s exhibition game against the Knicks.
But you can tell with all the extra stuff Harris did, aside from regular basketball activity during the break, he really wants to shed the “always injured” tag.
“I can only control what I can control on the floor,” said Harris, who has missed 31 games due to injury the past two seasons. “Things happen. I don’t know why they happen. You put all the time in [during] the summer. Sometimes nagging things happen. I can only control what I can control.”
This is a big year for Harris on many levels. It’s the first time in his six NBA seasons that he is the star of the team, the focal point, the leader. He had somewhat of a dry run last year, but Vince Carter was still here. Now it’s just Harris.
There are other guys that will be featured, such as Brook Lopez and Courtney Lee, and, thanks to a strong camp, perhaps Chris Douglas-Roberts. There are other guys who can be leaders like Rafer Alston, Jarvis Hayes and Keyon Dooling.
But this is Harris’ team and he knows that how they play will reflect on him. So naturally, he wants the Nets to do better than everyone expects and he wants to make sure he’s out there, directing them and leading them to that type of season.
He says that’s why the Nets are taking this approach of resting him now so things don’t worsen. It makes sense; it’s more important that Harris is out there for 82.
One good thing is that Harris is not just getting treatment, or sitting off on the side when the team is practicing. He’s also on the floor, pulling guys to the side, advising them, encouraging them, telling them where they should be. He did the same thing the other night when the Nets lost to the Celtics in Newark.
“I’m watching practice, [seeing] things I’m trying to correct, whether it’s Brook with his roles or [Terrence Williams] when he’s running the point or [Douglas-Roberts],” Harris said. “Anything I can correct, I try to help those guys throughout the practice and try to build a relationship with those guys.
“Even though I’m not physically out there, I’m going to try to help them from a mental aspect.”
The Nets need Harris physically on the floor, and he wants to be there, and expects to be there. He said these preseason setbacks are no cause for concern.
“Until I miss a whole season,” Harris said, “I don’t worry about it.”
Harris and the Nets don’t even want to think about that.
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Joining Harris on the bench for tomorrow’s game at The Garden will be Jarvis Hayes, who has a stress reaction in his right shin. He will miss at least a week.
Douglas-Roberts, Lopez impress early
The Nets have played three preseason games and lost all three. Some might consider it a look into the near future, but there are two important factors that can’t be underestimated: They haven’t played with Devin Harris, Courtney Lee and Brook Lopez together in the lineup yet, and the young guys keep getting better.
That doesn’t mean the Nets will definitely be playing into May, but if they stay healthy and the young guys continue to improve and the veterans play their role well, this season could turn out better than expected.
A lot has to happen, we know. But the truth is that no one knows what to expect yet because there are so many new parts, guys playing bigger roles and youth. With youth comes mistakes, but also a lot of exuberance and passion that could lead to some interesting, exciting things.
“We understand we’re a very young team and with a young team you have to have patience,” Nets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said. “But every game, what should come with a young team is really high energy and a lot of hard work. We have enough guys that we can do that.”
Three games into preseason, the most impressive players have been second-year guys Lopez and Chris Douglas-Roberts, who is making a strong case for starting at small forward. Douglas-Roberts might be the biggest surprise of the preseason, but with everything he did and said last year and given how competitive he has been, it was easy to see him working his way into the lineup. Douglas-Roberts didn’t want to sit and watch, so he spent the summer working out, working on his game and making sure he wouldn’t be left out this season.
Douglas-Roberts’ emergence means it’s very possible Harris, at 26, will be the oldest starter on opening night. The other four could read like this: Lee (24), Douglas-Roberts (22), Lopez (21) and Yi Jianlian (22-ish — there’s still some question about Yi’s date of birth).
Nothing has been decided yet because Terrence Williams and Jarvis Hayes are in the mix for the small forward job, but Douglas-Roberts has stood out in the three games as the second-best offensive player behind Lopez.
As expected, Lopez is handling his increased workload well. He’s a mature 21-year-old and really wants to be great, so he’s embracing the challenge. The Nets have run the offense through him in each game and he has responded, looking very comfortable in this role.
The 7-footer has played 78 minutes, taken 31 shots and scored 58 points. He’s being efficient, effective and getting to the foul line. And he’s done that with Harris and Lee on the floor with him a total of zero minutes to this point. That will change tomorrow when Harris and Lee are expected to be available for the game against the Celtics at The Rock in Newark.
Lee still has missed a bunch of practices lately because of issues with both feet, but when he’s healthy the Nets expect him to play big roles on both ends of the floor. Harris has looked good and done a good job of directing the team before tweaking his ankle Friday in Philadelphia. When the season rolls around, he’ll pick his spots to take over games like he did last year.
Of course, none of this means that the Nets will finish .500-or-better and challenge for a playoff spot. But you can’t judge them off of three preseason games either.
Williams, Douglas-Roberts give hope for Nets offense
PHILADELPHIA — The game didn’t get interesting until late in the fourth period, but rookie Terrence Williams and second-year player Chris Douglas-Roberts gave reasons to believe the Nets could be fun to watch this season.
Fun doesn’t always equate to wins, though, as the Nets wasted a 16-point fourth-quarter lead and fell 93-92 in a preseason game here last night. But the young guys forced turnovers, ran the floor, scored in transition and showed their athleticism and versatility, driving and dunking against the Sixers’ defense.
Williams and Douglas-Roberts will be in the Nets’ rotation, and it’s possible one of them could start. The small forward job seems to be the only one up for grabs, figuring Courtney Lee is the starting shooting guard.
Lee has missed both preseason games with injuries to each foot. He sat tonight for precautionary reasons. When Lee is healthy, he will be a big part of what the Nets do on both ends of the floor. So obviously, the Nets will look much different than what we’ve seen.
Williams and Douglas-Roberts led a spirited effort and combined on an impressive defensive stretch in the second period. The Nets had three steals in a row, leading to two fastbreak buckets by Douglas-Roberts, one that Williams fed. They nearly had a third, but Douglas-Roberts’ lob to Lopez was knocked away. Williams and Douglas-Roberts each had one steal in that span.
Douglas-Roberts led the Nets with 20 points, including a go-ahead score inside with 12.7 seconds to go. Williams had 12 points, five boards, four assists and three steals. Their contributions were needed because Devin Harris left the game with a sprained left ankle in the third period and didn’t return. He said he’s fine. Yi Jianlian fouled out with just seven points, further depleting the Nets’ core.
Whether Douglas-Roberts and Williams can do it every night is the question that still needs to be answered. At least Douglas-Roberts backed up his 21-point night against the Knicks with another good offensive performance.
Williams knocked down a few baseline jumpers and had an impressive driving lefty dunk. He also showed his great vision with a bullet pass from near the three-point arc inside to Yi for a slam.
“It was good,” coach Lawrence Frank said. “The experience was tremendous. There are lot things you teach that they’ll learn and get.”
Frank was referring to some defensive mistakes that he probably wouldn’t have been so blasé about if it were the regular season. The Nets’ youngsters fouled shooters and left Jason Kapono alone for a game-tying three in the final minute.
It was important that they experienced this type of game. That was especially true for center Brook Lopez, who was having a quiet night until the fourth period when the game got tight. The Nets saw a mismatch with Lopez’s size against Marreese Speights and Elton Brand and ran the offense through him more. Lopez scored 11 of his 18 points in the final 5:42.
“He was great down the stretch,” Eduardo Najera said. “Now that Devin was out, I think we did a great job going to Brook and he responded.”
Frank changed up the starting lineup and the rotation that he used Sunday against the Knicks as expected. He said he would be auditioning players at multiple spots.
Williams started and Jarvis Hayes came off the bench. Tony Battie and Eduardo Najera were the first two bigs off the bench. It was the first time Najera appeared in a Nets’ game since Jan. 31 against the Sixers.
One interesting lineup featured Harris, Trenton Hassell, Battie, Najera and Jarvis Hayes. Don’t know how much run that group will get in the real season — our guess is not much — but they outscored the Sixers 10-6 with Najera scoring five and Battie three.
Najera was solid and showed what he can do for this team. But the play of the three young guys has to give the Nets hope, especially since two other cornerstones either didn’t play or sat most of the second half with ankle injuries.
Nets go small by necessity, not design
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Nets’ roster is loaded with backcourt or wing players that will allow coach Lawrence Frank to play numerous lineups. Their best one may prove to be one with three guards, as it was last year when Devin Harris, Keyon Dooling and Vince Carter played together. Not sure what it will be yet, but you can see Frank playing Harris, Courtney Lee and Chris Douglas-Roberts together or Dooling, Harris and Lee in what would be a small group.
“McDonald’s supersizes,” Frank said today. “The league has downsized.”
The theory is that the more guys who are 6-foot-7, 6-8 and interchangeable, the better. Most of the Nets’ talent, however, is in the 6-2 to 6-6 range. If there are holes and questions at this point, they seem to be up front, particularly at the forward spots.
It was the same last year when the Nets didn’t get consistent production from either forward position. Their starting smalls totaled 594 points, 114 of those scored by Vince Carter during a seven-game stretch late in the season. Take Carter out of the equation and the Nets starting small forwards last year — Bobby Simmons and Trenton Hassell — combined to score 480 points in 75 games, an average of 6.4 points. Yi Jianlian and Ryan Anderson were a little better, totaling 734 points or about 9.0 points total. Still not enough. It’s a team effort, but it isn’t a stretch to say those numbers are not going to get it done this season, not with this team.
The Nets will be fine in the backcourt with Harris, Lee, Douglas-Roberts, Rafer Alston, Terrence Williams and Dooling when he’s healthy. They have Brook Lopez at center. The backup hasn’t been determined from the group of Josh Boone, Sean Williams and Tony Battie, but provided Lopez can stay healthy and out of foul trouble, the Nets should be fine.
Then come the questions and concerns.
Yi will start at power forward. His potential backups are Eduardo Najera, Simmons, Boone, Sean Williams and Battie. Each of them brings different things — and the Nets are hoping for an injury-free productive year from Yi. But Yi, Najera, Boone and Battie have been injury-prone, and Sean Williams hasn’t been reliable. Simmons is more of a small forward, but when the Nets go small, he can play power forward and probably will see more time there. After Yi, he’s the best scorer of the bunch.
At small forward, the depth chart reads something like this: Jarvis Hayes, Terrence Williams, Douglas-Roberts, Simmons and Hassell. Hayes looked like the frontrunner to start when camp opened, but you have to wonder if he’s better suited for providing an offensive lift off the bench. Williams is strong enough to guard some of the bigger small forwards. But it’s hard to know what you’re going to get from young players like Williams and Douglas-Roberts on a nightly basis. Douglas-Roberts can score, but he may not be strong enough to guard the big smalls.
“You figure it out and you see what works,” Frank said.
The Nets are expecting more production all around because they’re not going to be able to rely on Carter this year.
“That’s going to be more opportunity right there in itself,” Hayes said. “If we can get better effort from not only the forward positions but also everybody on the defensive end, that will pick up everybody on the offensive end.”
The Nets have had just one preseason game and less than a dozen practices, so it might be too early to judge. But it’s not too early to wonder whether last year will repeat itself.
Defense lacking in preseason opener
ALBANY — The Nets’ first preseason game showed what you would expect: the future is bright with Devin Harris and Brook Lopez, but overall, this team is a work in progress and will be for sometime.
Probably the most disappointing thing, especially after all the talk the first five days of practice about defense, was how the Nets didn’t play any here Sunday in a 115-107 loss to the Knicks.
It is the preseason and the scores tend to be on the high side in the exhibition season, but after all the talk and coach Lawrence Frank’s bluster about the defense, the Nets should have stepped up on that end. Now he has something to show them over and over and over.
“We got a lot of good footage there,” Frank said.
The Knicks are a tough team to guard because of Mike D’Antoni’s offense, the amount of shooters and scorers they have and the random pick-and-rolls they run. But it’s good that the Nets saw that they have a long, long way to go.
The perimeter defense was bad. The interior defense was bad. The Nets allowed 49 points over a 17-minute stretch between the first and second periods and 79 in a 29-minute span over the first three periods. The Knicks shot 13-of-31 from three overall.
The Knicks are no defensive stalwarts, but they were more active and talking much more than the Nets after the first period.
“I’m disappointed defensively,” Frank said. “This is a little bit of a litmus test in terms of seeing where we’re at defensively.
They have a long way to go.
Some other observations:
- Harris, the Nets’ best player, performed like he did last year, only with more of an air that this is his team. He got in the lane and scored when he wanted and worked the two-man game with Lopez well. Harris also pulled guys aside and guided them on where they should be in certain situations.
- Lopez was impressive. The Nets tried to establish him early, which we like, and the second-year center showed he’s ready to be more involved. In the first half, he took 11 foul shots, one less than the Knicks as a team. Lopez had 19 points at the break and finished with 19. He and Harris didn’t play in the fourth.
- Yi Jianlian was assertive at times and showed improved confidence. After missing inside, Yi drove to the basket on the next position, was fouled and scored. He needs to continue to be aggressive, but he can’t forget about the other end.
- Don’t jump off the bridge yet, but the first game looked like many last year where the other team’s starting forwards outplayed the Nets. Between Yi and Jarvis Hayes, the Nets scored 16 points. The Knicks got 34 combined from Al Harrington and Jared Jeffries.
- Chris Douglas-Roberts created for himself and got to the line repeatedly. He led with 21 points and was 11-of-15 from the line. It may not always look pretty, but the guy is a shotmaker inside. Figuring Courtney Lee is the starting shooting guard, Douglas-Roberts should be one of the first guys off the bench unless he continues to play this way and Frank decides to start him at small forward. But because of the size and strength of other threes in the Atlantic (Paul Pierce, Caron Butler, Andre Iguodala and Al Harrington) that may be tough.
- Rafer Alston ran the team well, setting up his teammates for open shots and baskets inside. The Nets will be able to play him with Harris the way they did last year with Keyon Dooling. When Dooling returns from rehabbing from hip surgery, someone will be unhappy and on the trading block, and it won’t be Harris.
- Rookie Terrence Williams missed his first six shots and was rejected twice, but one play that stood out was after a bad Sean Williams pass led to a Nate Robinson run-out. Williams caught up to his speedy Seattle buddy and prevented the dunk by fouling Robinson, who missed one of the free throws.
Preseason game No. 2 is Friday at the Sixers. The Nets expect a better defensive performance. It will be the focus of practice this week for sure. Then again, it was last week, too.
The future of these Nets
The season ended Wednesday. The players have had their exit interviews. The Nets will have meetings early next week to discuss numerous things, including the future of coach Lawrence Frank.
Here’s a look at the future of all the Nets gathered from a combination of sources, educated opinion, speculation and conversations with my 2 ½-year-old son.
Lawrence Frank: The Nets’ NBA leader in wins achieved most of what management wanted, except for developing Yi Jianlian. But, we don’t blame Frank for that. Yi got hurt and you know the rest of the story. Frank did a good job. But, the questions Rod Thorn will ask himself is can someone get more out of this team, are the players still listening, can he come back with one year left on his deal and expect the players to run through walls for him. The owner endorsed Frank if that means anything.
Odds of returning: 50 percent
Brook Lopez: The Rookie of the Year candidate hasn’t scratched the surface of his potential. The Nets see the center as a franchise centerpiece, especially if he continues to develop.
Odds of returning: 99.9 percent
Jarvis Hayes: The Nets will pick up the $2 million option on his contract for next season and gladly call him their sixth man again.
Odds of returning: 90 percent
Devin Harris: The first-time All-Star was great most of the season but didn’t commit to defense. The Nets like what they see from Jason Kidd’s replacement and won’t move the person they dealt their franchise player for unless they have a shot at Blake Griffin or another potential franchise-type of player.
Odds of returning: 85 percent
Keyon Dooling: The ball moved better with him, and he’s the kind of instant energy player every team loves and the Nets of recent years have lacked. He should be back.
Odds of returning: 80 percent
Vince Carter: You’re not going to find many players who can produce the way he can and who makes his teammates better like he does. Money will be a factor both ways. The Nets would like to shed some payroll, but it’s going to be tough to find teams that will take back his $33.6 million salary over the next two years.
Odds of returning: 75 percent
Chris Douglas-Roberts: Showed great potential at the end of the season that made some question why the rookie swingman didn’t play sooner. The Nets would like to see how he progresses. He’s already one of their most competitive guys, a trait they wish more had.
Odds of returning: 75 percent
Ryan Anderson: The Nets like him and what he can become, but other teams like Anderson too. He could sweeten any potential trade.
Odds of returning: 70 percent
Yi Jianlian: The Nets already gave up too soon on a 20-something 7-footer (Nenad Krstic) in part of because of Yi. That was a mistake. But, they should make some calls. Not sure what the interest level is. The Nets would like an upgrade at power forward.
Odds of returning: 65 percent
Eduardo Najera: The Nets’ oldest player played only 27 games due to injury. Teams could be scared away by his age, 33, his health and his contract (three years, $8.5 million).
Odds of returning: 60 percent
Bobby Simmons: Improved as the season went on and is entering the final year of his deal at $11.24 million. It’s a lot for a role player, but he could value if not now then by the trade deadline. The Nets would like an upgrade at small forward.
Odds of returning: 60 percent
Trenton Hassell: Won’t opt out of the $4.35 million due him next season because he won’t sniff close to that if he does. It’s a lot of money for a role player, but better than Simmons’ deal and he’s a better defender. It’s the type of contract that could be used to make a deal work.
Odds of returning: 50 percent
Josh Boone: Serviceable big man has a manageable contract — $2 million next season; qualifying offer slightly less than $3 million the year after. He should have value but needs a fire lit under him.
Odds of returning: 25 percent
Sean Williams: Everyone knows he’s a terrific athlete and shot blocker, but his off-court troubles spoiled what could have been an I’ll-show-you season. If the Nets can’t move him, they always could buy him out.
Odds of returning: 20 percent
Maurice Ager: The only free agent on the roster can begin looking for a job, if he wants.
Odds of returning: 0 percent
Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.).
The fate of Lawrence Frank
Bruce Ratner made his voice heard last night and since he’s the one who signs off on everything, it seems Nets coach Lawrence Frank is safe.
But, Nets president Rod Thorn and other members of management will meet after the season to decide whether to keep Frank or let him go. A ringing endorsement from the principal owner certainly helps, though.
“I think the coach has done a good job this year,” Ratner said last night. “Obviously, our record is not where we’d like it to be, but the coach has done a good job. I like the coach.
“I haven’t talked to Rod, so we’ll discuss generally all our plans for next year, but I’d have to say we’re truly supportive of the coach. He’s a very good coach.”
Frank’s future has been a major topic for the last few weeks and will be for at least one more.
The Nets’ season ends tomorrow. Exit interviews and clean-up day will be Thursday, and then, at some point next week Thorn will have his season-ending meeting with the media. It’s probably then that Thorn will give his decision, unless he makes it sooner. There is plenty to consider.
Arguments for Frank’s return
1. He did his job
The mission statement before the season was to develop the young players — primarily Devin Harris, Brook Lopez and Yi Jianlian. Two out of three ain’t bad. Yi was on the right track before he broke his right pinkie and when he returned he wasn’t nearly the same player before he got hurt. Yet, Frank stuck with him longer than he should because of that mission statement.
2. The players and team improved
Harris, Lopez, Ryan Anderson, Keyon Dooling and Jarvis Hayes played better than expected, helping the Nets disprove some preseason predictions. Most of them had the Nets finishing with 20-something wins and 14th or dead-last 15th in the East. The Nets stayed in the playoff race until April and matched last season’s win total with a lesser team.
3. Money talks
Frank makes $4.4 million next season, which, according to a Sports Business Journal report, is about one-seventh of how much Ratner’s group lost for the fiscal year ending Jan. 31. That’s a lot of money to eat, and then, you have to pay a new coach. Unless you get one on the cheap, you’re paying two men about $9 million to do one job.
Arguments against Frank’s return
1. Lame-duck status
I hate the expression, but it’s true. If the coach is in the final year of his deal players know he’s probably not going to be around as long as them. How motivated will they be to play for him? This isn’t just Frank. It’s any coach in this situation. The first three-, four- or five-game losing streak, and he’s really on the hot seat.
2. Is anyone listening?
The players played hard until the end, but are they doing it for themselves or for their coach? Some of them didn’t like being called quitters. You have to wonder if someone else can get more out of these players, especially considering his status. Frank isn’t beloved by everyone in the locker room — and certainly not in the organization. Sometimes things just run their course.
3. The fans
Everyone in the organization is fully aware of some of the fans’ dislike for Frank, many of them season-ticket holders. (There aren’t nearly as many as other teams have). It’s been reported that the business side wants a more marketable coach. Yes, they would love a dynamic personality, but how many of them are out there? They would rather have more wins and better performances at home. It’s easier to sell that, but in this economic climate and in that building, how many people are buying?
Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.).
What will the Nets do this offseason?
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Speaking to a scout the other day, he said the Nets had the best draft on any team last year. Overall, they had a pretty underrated offseason.
But, this year, it has to be better.
The Nets don’t have as many draft picks or tools in free agency. But, they may have more from the standpoint of good, young, relatively low-priced talent and expiring contracts.
First, it appears they did have the best draft, getting Brook Lopez, Ryan Anderson and Chris Douglas-Roberts. The three combined to score 52 points in the Nets’ 100-93 loss to Detroit on Friday night.
The only team that came close to having a draft like the Nets was the Miami Heat, which got Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers. That duo may prove to be better in the long run, although Lopez looks like a franchise center.
The Nets only have one pick this season, so they have to use it wisely. They’re tied for the NBA’s 10th-worst record. They have three games to better or worsen that, depending on which side of the fence you sit.
Unless they win the Lottery, expect them to try and put together a package to move up for Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin, the consensus No. 1 pick. The Nets and many other teams, that is.
Get Griffin and put him next to Lopez, and you’re set for years. The Nets would have two inside forces and, in Griffin, a fierce rebounding power forward, which they need. But, we’re getting way ahead of ourselves.
Teams make the most change via trades or free agency, and that’s where the Nets are expected to be the most active.
They only have the mid-level exception and chances are they won’t be allowed to use all of it. They also have a $1.2 million trade exception from the Marcus Williams deal that they have until July 22 to use.
Last year, the Nets used part of their midlevel, their bi-annual exception and trade exception on Eduardo Najera, Jarvis Hayes and Keyon Dooling. Hayes and Dooling wound up being excellent pickups.
Nets president Rod Thorn and GM Kiki Vandeweghe have to make similar moves. Find good players at low costs — which is what most teams will try to do. Everyone wants to trim money to be in position for the summer of 2010 when LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire are free.
This summer, there isn’t a great crop of free agents, aside from Kobe Bryant — if he opts out — Carlos Boozer and Lamar Odom. You’re not getting any of them. Shawn Marion is an interesting name considering he’s a Dan Fegan client, of which the Nets already have some.
All of that said, look for the Nets to make trades.
They made one big one last summer, dealing Richard Jefferson for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. That move didn’t work out that well this season and was the only thing that kept the Nets from having a great summer of 2008.
Management can make up for it this summer.
Simmons, Trenton Hassell, Josh Boone, Sean Williams, Yi, Douglas-Roberts, Anderson — basically everyone but Harris, Dooling, Najera and Vince Carter — could have expiring contracts next season, so some of them could draw interest.
Then there’s the matter of coach Lawrence Frank. He could be coaching his final three games or could be brought back to finish out his contract.
From a financial standpoint, it makes sense for the Nets, who are losing millions, to keep Frank. But, a decision has to be made right away because there are good coaches available that may be scooped up.
If a coaching move is made, that will have a huge bearing on the type of team the Nets have and players they pursue.
The Nets gave their fans hope by hanging around the playoff race this season. Just hanging around won’t be good enough next year. So, this has to be a better offseason than last year. Forget about 2010.
Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.).
The Nets Insider 