The New New Jersey Nets

12/10/09 addition:  ouch!  The Nets have gotten off to a horrible start and have been anything but exciting.  They are a very young team and the loss of star point guard Devon Harris for a few weeks hurt a lot.  But still...... ouch!  I got this one wrong.....so far.


begin original article:


A few years ago the aging Jason Kidd, the disgruntled Vince Carter and the inconsistent Richard Jefferson formed the nucleus of a promising but enigmatic Nets team. In reality, those Nets were a playoff team at best but had no real chance of winning a championship. So management tore the team apart, trading Kidd, Jefferson and most recently Carter.

Trading star players for young prospects is risky business, often leading to regret for the fans and unemployment for the GM but in this case the Nets leadership got it right! President Rob Thorn and GM Kiki Vandeweghe have put together a group of young athletic players who should gel into a formidable team in the years to come.

Devin Harris, acquired in the Kidd trade is the star. A point guard who controls all aspects of the game, scoring, passing, defense and leadership. Then the Nets have a trio of young wing players all hoping to earn minutes and recognition. The recently added Courtney Lee (Carter trade) showed flashes of brilliance towards the end of last season and in the playoffs. A classic two guard with all the skill and athletic ability of a future NBA All Star.

At the small forward position rookie Terrence Williams will battle Chris Douglas-Roberts for minutes. These players should complement each other nicely and bring a ton of energy to the defense and transition games. Also battling for minutes at the 3 and 4 is Yi Jianlian, a crafty offensive player who needs to man up and learn to battle in the trenches.

The Nets are not as loaded up front but have some nice prospects in Brook Lopez and the talented but often troubled Sean Williams. Lopez could be an All Star center for the next decade but adding a true back to the basket threat at the power forward position would open space for the young guards and solidify the Nets rebounding and defense which, as we all know, "wins championships".

So look for the Nets to build around their new young nucleus of guards and wing players and look for a lot of excitement in New Jersey (or Brooklyn) for years to come. I never thought I'd be saying this but..... I can't wait to see the Nets play!