i posted this in the main NBA section so i figured why not add it here:
Quote:
NETS- depth was a nightmare issue last year. their draft was a good one and the FA signings were solid if unexciting, so fingers crossed the problem has been mostly taken care of. yet it's quite possible the rookies don't play well and the signees are a bust and we're right back to last year.
halfcourt offense- carter needs to stop holding the ball so much.
fullcourt offense- the best fastbreak leader in the game (kidd) only has one player who runs with him now, jefferson. this is not good because it's like throwing away free baskets. in the past he used to have three runners (kmart, kittles and jefferson).
defense- they have the potential to lock teams down and they ripped off some very impressive win streaks last year (10 and 14 IIRC). but too often the defense goes missing and when that happens they are an average team at best. so they need to do something about their intensity.
collins is too one-dimensional of a PF/C and after three years or so the nets still need somoene to step up and take the starter's position from him.
kidd (favorite player) is a fairly clutch shooter but not a good percentage shooter otherwise. it would be nice if he could shore up his three-point shooting altho it's prolly a little late in his career for that. frank needs to find a backup who can give kidd good minutes so he gets vital rest and his knee doesn't get aggravated. it was painful watching the nets lose the 7-game series to detroit a couple years ago because kidd was reduced to playing on one leg.
you think other teams don't have similar problems?
iut's all relative when comparing teams. i dont get why sportswriters hold every team up to a championship contender level and then hate on them?
anyway
depth is not a main problem per say... rather the bench is ineffective. CLiffy would give you mby 10 points on a good night, but other than Lamond Murray, everyone was useless.
Nets had good defense al around only allowing 91PPG on a 43% shooting (though their 3P defense sucked) but their scoring was only 92ppg. bad offense. not because Carter ballhogs and misses (scorfing 25ppg on 45% shootin for a guard is pretty good)
Collins does the little things, plays fundamental D, frustrates the opponents big man, and runs the offense.
people say he sucks, but where else will the Nets find a big man whos competent on offense AND defense? if they get KG then KG will start over Collins obviously.
i dont get why people badmouth COllins and say the Nets need a big man. if they can't get one, then why badmouth? no point in "what ifs."
Kidd's 3p% was actually the highest this yaer in all his career. not saying much, but its relatively better.
i think you misunderstood where i was coming from. that post came from the thread where everyone was invited to list the negative things about their club and their favorite player. i could just as easily have mentioned the positive things about the nets but the point was to be honest and propose how the broken things might be fixed.
i agree about the sportswriters often concentrating on the negative, but then again most organisations plan to win the championship and at the end of the season most fans are not satisfied if the season ended on a loss. personally i was quite satisfied with how the team came together after a rocky start and how we spanked elite team after elite team when the defense was really clicking. those were some damn good times, at least for me.
> Carter... scorfing 25ppg on 45% shootin for a guard is pretty good
i agree it's pretty good but then again those are just numbers. if he has the side-effect of limiting the effectiveness of the halfcourt offense then the numbers don't mean much. like you said... 92ppg avg.
not saying carter isn't a valuable piece of the team. every team needs a go-to scorer. also it's pretty neat that he and RJ are handling more of the point duties... i remember kidd saying that he was a lot fresher last season because he didn't have to push the ball nearly as much.
collins- i'm not saying he's not valuable. i know he does the little things and has a high basketball IQ and i've never been a collins-hater. but if center wasn't such a hard spot to fill then there's no way he's a starter in the league. for one thing he can't jump, which hurts his rebounding and play around the basket. true, he helps run the offense but the nets also have to concede that only four guys are any threat to score. that's not the ideal situation. i'd be a lot happier if they could get him some more midrange jumpers to help keep the defense honest. it seems to me his touch is not bad, but only shooting a couple times a game it's hard to get any rhythm.
i'm trying to think of some C/PF who had some success on offense despite not being able to jump. maybe collins could take a page from that book. rik smits or somebody maybe. hell, i don't know...
if you mean hit em like Michael Redd and Ray Allen, you are out of your mind because those are two of the BEST shooters in the game and it is unfair to hold everyone up to their standards.
but if you mean execute the offense, the starting lineup has shooting,
if you mean the bench is devoid of shooters... well i have two things:
1) that just reinforces the point that the Nets need a serviceable bench
2) hopefulll Antoine Wright's summer of preparation will pay dividends.
> if you mean hit em like Michael Redd and Ray Allen, you are out of your mind
> because those are two of the BEST shooters in the game and it is unfair to
> hold everyone up to their standards.
let's settle down, shall we? no need to put words in my mouth. ask me a question and i'll be happy to explain. thanks.
anyway yea, RJ (.319), carter (.341) and kidd (.351) can all HIT the three, but as you can see from the mediocre numbers they're not scaring anyone. padgett and murray were right in that same area too. none of the starters and none of the bench can hit with consistency, and therein lies the problem. every good team needs at least 1-2 good three point threats and some teams have like 4-5 guys. the nets don't have a single one. that's my point. it would help the spacing of the offense if we did- basketball 101.
maybe house comes in here and gives the bench what they need, and maybe kidd and RJ get better this year but those are big ifs. the point is to mention weaknesses, not put anybody down.
no need to come in here with a sanctimonious know it all attitude.
i may sound like I am putting you down, but rather, I am simply vehemently defending my position.
if I have offended you, i apologize.
this is just a result of posting on ISH too long. the nice guys get phased out and you either learn to talk aggressively or you phase out as well.
anyway, i agree with your points, but it is not as if the Nets can magically get someone who is a good shooter overnight. those "championship spare parts" who sign for the MLE or less are often snatched up by title favorites.
sorry VC, i meant i wasn't trying to put the nets down which it sounded like you were a little touchy about. i have no reason to put the nets down- they're my favorite team and i'm looking forward to an exciting year.
i understand how it is posting in sports forums. i would be posting at the nj.com forum but it's such crappy forum software that i just can't stand to. i'm the admin at a vbulletin site myself so i'm very comfortable with this software here.
i agree there's no magic wand to wave. it's pretty frustrating how a bonehead organisation like the knicks can spend 2-3 times the cap versus a team like the nets with a much wiser GM and wiser president who can't afford to... well.
i don't know what to think about KG. on the one hand his window of opportunity has passed with the twolves and they're never going to win a title with him and they might as well trade him for picks... on the other hand i've heard that his knees have become pretty arthritic which means that the wolves will never get full value for him.
the wolves waited too long to trade him and if i was thorn i wouldn't trade RJ and picks for him because who knows how long he's good for? not to mention, the joe smith deal really screwed that franchise and any chance of KG winning his long-deserved title...
What are the Nets weaknesses?
