| Lottery Summit: New Jersey Nets Authored by Andrew Perna & The RGM Nets Forum - May 17, 2008 - 9:45 am
| Current Featured Columns | | The First Three Weeks of 2008-09 Now that we’ve had a little time to watch free agency unfold, along with the usual accompaniment of trades, let’s look at some of the key moves and how they impact the teams involved.
Grading The Deal: W's Sign Maggette And TuriafThe Boom Dizzle era is over, and the Warriors quickly recovered by signing two nice pieces to complement their young core.
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The New Jersey Nets:
2007-08 Record: 34-48
Difference From 2006-07: 7 Fewer Wins
Chance Of Landing #1 Pick: 1.1%
Restricted Free Agents: Nenad Krstic
Unrestricted Free Agents: Darrell Armstrong, DeSagana Diop, Bostjan Nachbar, Stromile Swift (P)
The Verdicts
1. What could the team have done different to make the playoffs?
Rich Rane: We could've kept Jason Kidd and probably would've had another first/second round exit. Post-Kidd, I'd say a consistent shooter to spread the opposing defense.
fasca: We could have given the contract extension to Kidd and have made it to the playoffs, losing in the first or second round.
vincecarter4pres: If we had fired Lawrence Frank. Anybody with even the slightest name recognition as a head coach would have been a better option. We also could have made a better effort to land a premier big man.
G_MoNeY: Not having "implemented" a new offense and taken the ball out of Vince Carter’s hands so much. Also, if we had acquired a legit big man before the deadline. Keeping Kidd would have helped a well.
mack69: Having traded Jason Collins for Mike Miller instead of Stromile Swift.
2. Where were the team’s biggest strengths?
Rich Rane: Our slashers (Richard Jefferson and Carter). Devin Harris had some off games, but was still a good strength for us when he was on the floor.
fasca: We had good finishers on the fast break, and good penetration as well.
vincecarter4pres: Carter's playmaking abilities, Devin's one-man fast break and Jefferson's scoring. Also, towards the end of the season we held down our home court against quality competition.
G_MoNeY: Vince's all-around game, Josh Boone's surprising growth and the high potential of our youth.
mack69: RJ and Vince on the perimeter.
3. Who had a surprisingly effective season?
Rich Rane: I'd probably say Harris. He did well after his arrival, compared to his time in Dallas. Sean Williams was also a surprise as I was thinking he'd end up in the D-League under Frank. I’ll give honorable mentions to Jefferson for completing a full season and Carter playing well after Kidd was dealt.
fasca: Boone was supposed to be a scrub or bench player, but he turned out to be our most consistent and effective big guy.
vincecarter4pres: Boone, hands down. If he was given thirty-forty minutes a game he would have easily averaged a double-double. He also stepped up his shot blocking at the end of the season.
G_MoNeY: Boone and Williams (when he played).
mack69: RJ offensive performance was excellent!
4. Who had a surprisingly ineffective season?
Rich Rane: Bostjan Nachbar. In a contract year, he shot horribly.
fasca: Marcus Williams was horrible this year.
vincecarter4pres: Williams or Nenad Krstic. I thought Marcus was going to have a breakout year, and although he was not as bad as some make him out to be, he was quite disappointing. Krstic was just terrible, although he was never given many minutes. It must be noted that both were coming off injuries and surgery.
G_MoNeY: Williams, hands down.
mack69: Nachbar and Williams.
5. How confident are you in the front office heading into the offseason?
Rich Rane: I'm confident -- if by confident you mean that Bruce Ratner will give us another post-Kenyon Martin year in order to save up for a move to Brooklyn. I'm not saying it'll happen, but I would say it's a very realistic possibility.
fasca: I'm always confident in Rod Thorn, because he isn’t going to make a rash decision that will hurt our franchise.
vincecarter4pres: I am always confident in Thorn and the rest of the front office, although they need to stop with the band-aid one-year, mid-level exception signings and get a true impact free agent with the MLE.
G_MoNeY: Talk is cheap, go get the job done!
mack69: Very confident. Kiki Vandeweghe is a little more creative with a team vision. However, they will not be allowed to pay luxury tax.
6. What are the team’s biggest needs in the draft?
Rich Rane: A consistent shooter to come off the bench and an athletic and reliable big man.
fasca: A shooter off the bench, and a tough big man who will bang inside.
vincecarter4pres: A true outside shooter that can stretch a defense, but also create his own shot. Also, dominant post-scoring big man.
G_MoNeY: A shooter, defensive wing and a big man (in that order).
mack69: We need energy guys for both perimeter defense and rebounding.
7. Assuming the lottery plays out true, who would you like your team to select?
Rich Rane: We’ll probably go to the annual big man pick: DeAndre Jordan.
fasca: We need a wing. I like Danilo Gallinari, Nicolas Batum and with the Mavs pick Chris Douglas-Roberts, Brandon Rush or Jason Thompson.
vincecarter4pres: I am trying to be somewhat realistic, so in this order: Gordon, Gallinari, Kevin Love or Russell Westbrook. I am a firm believer that Love will be this year’s steal of the draft and will turn into, at worst, a Brad Miller-type with a much better post game.
G_MoNeY: If we keep both picks, I'd say with the tenth Jordan and with the twenty-first Douglas-Roberts or Earl Clark. I wouldn't mind trading that second pick along with a package of Jefferson and fillers for a legit big man either.
mack69: We need NBA ready players, like Westbrook, Joey Dorsey or Bill Walker.
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Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM. If you’re a fan of one of the many teams that we have yet to feature, surf over to our forums and weigh in on what is happening within the organization. If you’d like to contact Andrew, shoot him an e-mail at Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
