Comparing the Nets to the formula for a title contender

[Real]

This was posted by cpawfan a while back, but I have my own thoughts, here they are.</p>

</p>[*]2 or more superstar caliber players-Many people will argue different definitions of "superstar." I know Premier for example said there are only six true superstars in this leauge, Kobe, TD, KG, LeBron, Dirk, and Wade. While that might be true, there are plenty of superstar caliber players that aren't really superstars, and I think Carter does belong on this list despite his playoff difficulties that have been well documented. Kidd was a perrenial first team all-NBA selection until Nash signed with the Suns, and one could argue he's still worth an All-NBA team selection today even approaching 35 years of age. Maybe however, you do not need two "superstar-caliber" players, especailly since according to Premier's theory, there are no teams with twoor more superstar players,but rather one All-NBA first team caliber player, and I think on that short list of All-NBA first team caliber players you would have to put Kidd on there along with the aforementioned six, Nash, Amare, and Allen Iverson. If you don't believe me, just remember that John Stockton at age35 and36 led his team to back to backFinals appearances, and like the many other teams Michael Jordan derailed onhis glorious career, the Jazz were one of them. But they arguably were the best. We really could go back and forth on this because everyone has different opinions. [*]A solid point guard-Kidd, no brainer here. [*]A quality scoring big man-Krstic. This is a question mark. Krstic was averaging around 16ppg before he went down with his knee injury. Can he regain his previous form? It's going to be a lingering question. [*]Multiple reliable outside shooters-Boki, Vince, RJ, possiblyWrightand assuming weget him possiblyAllan Houston. This is why Houston would be great for our team if he can regainsome of his previous form. His classic strokehas been well documented, and sincewe let House go to Boston andBoki might be gone after this season (or God-forbid during the season), his shot combined with his veteran leadership and clutch play would be huge for a young benchthat the Nets have. [*]A deep bench-Boki, Wright, Collins,hopefullyMarcus and Boone, and possibly Allan Houston. Again, Houston would be huge but we really do needMarcus and Josh toreach a big improvement. Marcus especially since weall assume that he's still being groomed as the successor to Kidd, and the news today from Dave D about him beingthe best player in the pre-camp team isa great thing to hear.Josh Boonesome might not be as optomistic about because of his injury woes, but he's still athletic, he can defend, and he can grab boards. And alot has been made about pairing Marcusup with Boone, but I loved watching Kidd play with Boone last year, andrun playswith Boone, I would love to see a hell of a lot more of that this year. Forget about all the Wilt jokes, Boone has a lot of potental too, and if we can see a big improvement it will really help our team. The potental of going 11 deep is fantastic. [*]Great rebounding-Magloire, Kidd,Krstic?-Kidd'srebound ability is obvious. Krstic was averaging around six and a halfboards a game last year before he went down. If he can keep that number it would be great. Magloire is the big question mark in this category. He hasa lot to prove. He also has a contract to chase. He holds a career 8.5 rebound average per game, although before his disappointing season in Portland, he was averaging almost 10 a game in Milwaukee in 2005-2006.The question here is can he regain his pre-Portland form. [*]Great defense-Kidd,Collins, RJ, Wright-Kidd, Collins, and RJ have always been known as good defenders. Kidd's been a perennial all-NBA defensive selection for years, Collins' defense on Chris Bosh was a major reason whytheNets beat the Raptors in the playoffsin 2007. RJ is a solid defender as well, but Wright showed some great improvement not only on the offensive side of the ball but on the defensive side in the playoffs last year. We hear about his work ethic and how great it is, andhopefully for him and forthe team it shows this season. [*]Great team chemistry-Last season was a complete circus. Off the court troubles combined with injuries derailed the Nets' regular season. However, it seems that during a stretch of three or four weeks, and it's not just this previous season, they did it in 2006, 2005, and 2004, they rally off 5-10 in a row and everyone's all giddy. They also start off slow every year. All I wish, and I hope it's on your minds too, that this team could play up to their potental 82 games, or at least most of the season, without injuries, without slumps, without drama from Joumana. I'd love that. This team could win 50+ games if that could happen. I'm still waiting. [*]Great coaching-Frank in my opinion has all the makings of a great coach. Brian Hill's return is a big plus for this team as well. You have to wonder when Frank's going to give the ball in to the captain's hands in the final minutes, and take it out of Vince's. News about a new emphasis on defense and half-court offense is refreshing, but I think I speak for everyone when I say, I'll believe it when I see it.

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I think on paper we have a very complete team. Thoughts?</p>

 

[jirohkanzaki]

</p>

nice post. which means:</p>

1. we have to trade rj/vc+krstic for anelite big man.</p>

2. hite must ably fill in house's shoes.</p>

3. malik allen and allan houston would be great signings for the minimum (outside shooting).</p>

4. vc HAS GOT to at least try playing defense...i know he is smart/quick enough to disrupt an offense...krstic at least draws a lot of charges.</p>

</p>

 

[starman85]

<ul>[*]2 or more superstar caliber players- I'd say 3 semi-superstar players, which is good enough. A superstar should simply be a guy who can raise his game to another level to win games when the team can't. I don't see any one individual player on the Nets doing this the way the players named by Premier. Still, the Pistons won without a superstar, so it can be done.[*]A solid point guard- Like you said, a given.[*]A quality scoring big man- I question whether this category is even necessary, but if it is, I'd agree that Krstic, or a combo of Magloire/Krstic, qualifies.[*]Multiple reliable outside shooters- I think the word "reliable" should be stressed, and in this case I argue that the Nets have no one. True, its hard to find a truly reliable outside scorer, but i don't think the Nets have anyone remotely fitting this description. To be sure, guys like RJ and VC can score from the perimeter. But I think a 'reliable outside shooter,' let alone multiple ones, in terms of this equation, ought to be guys whose role this is solely. None of the other guys you mentioned are known around the league as reliable outside shooters, despite what their 3 #'s might have been. The Nets need some players who stretch the defense to make it easier for the Big 3 to drive, penetrate, and do their thing. Right now they have a collection of players coming off the bench who are able to hit the 3, but who I'd shy from actually calling a '3 point threat.' (Houston definitely fit this description in his playing days, but I doubt that he can honestly make a comeback, and further doubt that he'd be able to play enough minutes if he did come back to make much of a difference)[*]A deep bench- I feel that this is another glaring weakness for a team that prided itself on depth six years ago. Marcus is a bright spot, and I have faith in Boone. But this is where the ranks of shooters(a la Lucious Harris on the Finals squads) and instant window cleaners(Rodney Rogers, Aaron Williams) comes in, and I don't see the Nets being necessarily well-stocked with either.[*]Great rebounding- I'd say, especially for an Eastern team, the Nets are fine here. I'd question Krstic far more than Magloire. Magloire wasn't really given a chance to play his style in Portland, especially as they were rebuilding and his minutes fluctuated between days they wanted to win(which weren't many) and days they wanted to give the youth corps some burn. I'd say that besides Nenad, every starter(assuming a lineup of 1-Kidd, 2-Carter, 3-Jefferson, 4-Magloire, and 5-Krstic) is above average in rebounding, and that they don't give up much on the offensive or defensive glass. [*]Great defense- Carter does need to focus on this aspect of this game. But really, Frank needs to bring in a defensive minded assistant who can devise some team defensive schemes. Those work far better than simply having 3 or 4 great individuals defenders anyway. The Nets need to take advantage of their strengths, and going with a twin-tower type approach with Mags and Nenad can definitely work to their advantage, the way the Bullets did in the mid-80's. Jordan used to state that, after the infamous 'Jordan Rules' employed by the Pistons, the Bullets team approach was the most effective half-court defense in the league, as they'd use Jeff Malone(an athletic shooting guard) to channel opposing swingmen into the middle of the lane, where shotblockers and bangers like Jeff Ruland and Rick Mahorn were waiting. The Nets have some of the same tools at their disposal, and it would give guys like Carter and Jefferson actual aims on defense, rather than telling them to simply 'shutdown' opponents' scorers, which rarely works with stars like DWade, Lebron, Rip Hamilton and Ray Allen, the most likely opponents for the Nets in the second and third rounds.[/list]

Team defense will also be especially important against a stacked Celtics team, where stopping KG may be impossible, but where the most effective effort may be similar to Phoenix's approach to stopping Timmy each year - athletic swingmen collapsing as help defenders and then jumping back out on the perimeter if he dishes.</p><ul>[*]Great team chemistry- This takes time, but the time factor is always mitigated when you have a player like Kidd. [*]Great coaching - I agree that Larry Frank is a terrific coach, and will be around for a long time if he so chooses. But coaching doesn't start and end with the head coach. There's a good chance that PJ would be empty handed, or at least a lot lighter in the trophy pocket, if an assistant coach Winters hadn't giftwrapped the perfect offense for those early Bulls teams.[/list]

All in all, not a bad team, and definitely one which ought to hit the second round. As for going further than that, it really will come down to the first factor, and whether the Nets' main players can prove they have bigger cajones than the stars facing them. Last year Lebron won the staring contest, and its up to the Nets to prove that that won't happen again, no matter who they face. </p>

There's no doubt that this team is close to the same level, if not better, than the two Finals squads the Nets produced. But besides the above factors, one must compare the team to the current league, rather than its own past. And the East, with a Heat squad that won the World Championship 2 years ago,the defending conference champ Cavs, a Detroit crew that's been to 5 straight conf. finals, an up and coming Bulls team that many think may be the team to beat in the east, and of course a retooled Celtics team featuring the best trio in the league, is far better than it was in 2002 and 2003, and the Nets are sitting at 6th best in the conference in many people's books. WAAAY to early to be talking about having the right pieces for a title run. </p>

Right now, especially with the rising young squads in the East(Raptors, Knicks, Wiz, Bobcats, Magic), they should just focus on making the playoffs, so that in May they're not sitting on the outside looking in.</p>

 

[Answer_AI03]

The nets are still too weak inside to compete with teams out west. They have the best pg in the league, and a good sg, sf combo in VC and RJ. How would the Nets handle playing against Tim Duncan in the finals? or for that matter, the Jazz, Nuggets, suns, and mavs? They might be a very solid team in the east, but against a western conferance team in a 7 game series? they dont stand much of a chance IMO. I think trading Vince carter or RJ for an allstar PF to play alongside Maglore would be huge. Vince is one of the most gifted and talented players on the planet, but he doesnt have a killer instinct that wins playoff games. Krstic is a very good offensive PF but he isnt a tough, defensive, rebounder, which is what the nets need at that spot. I say really the only good/great defender in the nets starting lineup is Kidd and MAYBE Maglore.