Is Devin in a funk, or . . .

[FOMW]

What's most bothersome to me about his play -- and I'm talking preseason right up through 3 regular season games -- is that he is not using the one skill he has that is world class, namely his speed in transition to get layups, strong layup attempts, or foul shots . . . becoming a one-man fast break or manufacturing a fast break where there wouldn't be one for most teams. This is something he did last season for the Nets to great effect.

Now I understand the need to be judicious with such attacks and how game tempo can become an issue if it's overused. But I can't recall seeing a single instance (this year) of him just jamming the ball down the throat of an opponent with his blinding speed, something he did 3-4 times in one half when he made his Nets debut last February/March. That is his "go to" move, his way to inspire and motivate his team and take the pressure off his ability to score in other ways, which would no doubt increase his offensive efficiency across the board.

I'm extremely disappointed with his juvenile playmaking this year, but I am giving him a pass on that (for now) because this is a new offense with entirely new teammates and ostensibly new reads and responsibilities for players playing off the ball. He showed he can be an above average pick and roll passer last year, not just finding the roll guy but doing a decent job of finding the secondary play to a baseline cutter and the like. He also did a nice job of decision making last year in team fast break situations. So he has the skills and instincts to be an effective PG, IMO, but he is having a devil of a time accessing those skills this year.

I sense this is really where Frank needs to simplify things offensively for a few games and not try to do too much at once. He needs to keep Harris' confidence and engagement high, or this team is going to be much worse than it could otherwise be.

 

[Netted]

He's a shooting guard. He's Kerry Kittles with a better handle, but not as good a 3pt shooter.

If we wind up reallly sucking and get the #1 pick I would take Rubio and move Harris to the 2 and VC to the 3. He's a good player, but his passes have been horrible.

 

[networks]

He's a shooting guard. He's Kerry Kittles with a better handle, but not as good a 3pt shooter.

If we wind up reallly sucking and get the #1 pick I would take Rubio and move Harris to the 2 and VC to the 3. He's a good player, but his passes have been horrible.

I am definitely for that.

 

[#1_War_Poet_ForLife]

He's a shooting guard. He's Kerry Kittles with a better handle, but not as good a 3pt shooter.

If we wind up reallly sucking and get the #1 pick I would take Rubio and move Harris to the 2 and VC to the 3. He's a good player, but his passes have been horrible.

Too bad Rubio isn't coming out till next years draft.

 

[footswalker]

I am getting worried, but I think it's just an adjustment. He can still get to the rim and take guys off the dribble whenever he wants. You have to figure he'll start finishing. And his jumper to me seems like he has good form. It's not Mike Miller, but it's a solid stroke. He just needs his confidence back, and quickly for the Nets sake, or they will be about 10 games below .500 by Christmas.

 

[ghoti]

I am not worried at all about Harris. He may be asked to do more than he's capable of right now. Big deal. It will make him better. As long as his defensive intensity is there, he's A-OK with me.

I do not want him as the starting SG. If the Nets get a point like Rubio, I'd rather Harris play a role like Jason Terry and Manu Ginobili. I think playing him full time at the two minimizes his strengths and he would lose a lot of his value.

He's not really that far ahead of the rookies in his development. I view him the same way I view Yi, Lopez, Anderson and CDR. They will all learn together. There's a ton of talent there.

 

[footswalker]

The truth is that Devin is just not capable of handling the role the team has given him. He is not an effective 2nd option and he is a horrible play-maker. That will never change. There is no doubt he is a talented player, but he is no sort of star.

You're right he's not a full fledged #2 guy, but their are a lot of effective pgs that are not the 2nd best player on their teams. Like Mo Williams, Mike Bibby, TJ Ford, Andre Miller. He's a second tier pg, a notch below the elite, but he's definitely better than he's been playing.

 

[chris86]

THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH Netted I have been saying this since day one when we got Devin from Dallas. He is a shooting guard, he is not a pg. Look at a couple of things with Devin, his size is more suited for a shooting guard role, not at the point, his assist totals have always been low in his pro career, and he has never averaged 7 or more assist a game. Look at Stephon Marbury, who is not the greatest pg in the nba and he has at least put up high assist numbers throughout his career. Devin was never supposed to be a point guard, he just doesn't have that special talent that those point guards have. I wish we would of shipped carter out of here, kept marcus, and don't get on me for that, cause he was a good passer and would of put up high assist totals, put devin at the 2, kept rj at the 3, boone at the 4, and lopez at the 5


PG- Marcus Williams
SG- Devin Harris
SF- Richard Jefferson
PF- Josh Boone
C- Brook Lopez

I know that team can't happen anymore but that is not a bad team that we would of put on the floor if we had those 5 starting game in and game out. Just my opinion.

 

[ghoti]

THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH Netted I have been saying this since day one when we got Devin from Dallas. He is a shooting guard, he is not a pg. Look at a couple of things with Devin, his size is more suited for a shooting guard role, not at the point, his assist totals have always been low in his pro career, and he has never averaged 7 or more assist a game. Look at Stephon Marbury, who is not the greatest pg in the nba and he has at least put up high assist numbers throughout his career. Devin was never supposed to be a point guard, he just doesn't have that special talent that those point guards have. I wish we would of shipped carter out of here, kept marcus, and don't get on me for that, cause he was a good passer and would of put up high assist totals, put devin at the 2, kept rj at the 3, boone at the 4, and lopez at the 5


PG- Marcus Williams
SG- Devin Harris
SF- Richard Jefferson
PF- Josh Boone
C- Brook Lopez

I know that team can't happen anymore but that is not a bad team that we would of put on the floor if we had those 5 starting game in and game out. Just my opinion.

Even if they all reach their full potential, that team would win 20 games.

 

[Netted]

THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH Netted I have been saying this since day one when we got Devin from Dallas. He is a shooting guard, he is not a pg. Look at a couple of things with Devin, his size is more suited for a shooting guard role, not at the point, his assist totals have always been low in his pro career, and he has never averaged 7 or more assist a game. Look at Stephon Marbury, who is not the greatest pg in the nba and he has at least put up high assist numbers throughout his career. Devin was never supposed to be a point guard, he just doesn't have that special talent that those point guards have. I wish we would of shipped carter out of here, kept marcus, and don't get on me for that, cause he was a good passer and would of put up high assist totals, put devin at the 2, kept rj at the 3, boone at the 4, and lopez at the 5


PG- Marcus Williams
SG- Devin Harris
SF- Richard Jefferson
PF- Josh Boone
C- Brook Lopez

I know that team can't happen anymore but that is not a bad team that we would of put on the floor if we had those 5 starting game in and game out. Just my opinion.

Marcus is crap.

 

[Boomdog]

I think we need to toss this GARBAGE offense because clearly our players are not suited for it and most of them dont look comfortable with it. I agree Harris has been dissapointing and making bad judgement calls but he does not look comfortable at all as opposed to last year.

We have big men who can shoot, Yi, Anderson, and LOPEZ who i guess everyone forgot can shoot the mid range jumper consistantly and we'r running an O that doesnt take advantage of that whatsoever. I think if you saw our team in a not so retarded scheme, or even somthing similar to last years princeton -esq offense, Devins numbers would be way higher. He'd have more assists because we'r getting it to our bigs, there would be better spacing because they can all stretch the floor to some degree, and it would open up lanes.

 

[Netted]

I do not want him as the starting SG. If the Nets get a point like Rubio, I'd rather Harris play a role like Jason Terry and Manu Ginobili. I think playing him full time at the two minimizes his strengths and he would lose a lot of his value.

What strengths does he have that would be minimized by playing the 2? He's fast in the open court, but so was Kittles and he was a solid 2 guard.

His passing scares the hell out of me. Hopefully he's just pressing and that will get better, but I see nothing that says he'd only be effective as a PG.

 

[Netted]

I think we need to toss this GARBAGE offense because clearly our players are not suited for it and most of them dont look comfortable with it. I agree Harris has been dissapointing and making bad judgement calls but he does not look comfortable at all as opposed to last year.

We have big men who can shoot, Yi, Anderson, and LOPEZ who i guess everyone forgot can shoot the mid range jumper consistantly and we'r running an O that doesnt take advantage of that whatsoever. I think if you saw our team in a not so retarded scheme, or even somthing similar to last years princeton -esq offense, Devins numbers would be way higher. He'd have more assists because we'r getting it to our bigs, there would be better spacing because they can all stretch the floor to some degree, and it would open up lanes.

The offense was put in to maximize his talent and skills. The offense has looked pretty good on most nights... it's the defense that is pathetic. Critiquing Devin on his offensive production so far this season is not a condemnation of the whole offense.

 

[ghoti]

What strengths does he have that would be minimized by playing the 2? He's fast in the open court, but so was Kittles and he was a solid 2 guard.

His passing scares the hell out of me. Hopefully he's just pressing and that will get better, but I see nothing that says he'd only be effective as a PG.

He's undersized, not that great a finisher, and a below average shooter.

 

[FOMW]

The offense was put in to maximize his talent and skills. The offense has looked pretty good on most nights... it's the defense that is pathetic. Critiquing Devin on his offensive production so far this season is not a condemnation of the whole offense.

I disagree that the offense has looked pretty good, though that's certainly not all Devin's fault. There is a lot of hesitation by players receiving the ball, a lot of holding and waiting those few precious seconds (while defenses recover) to decide whether to pass, shoot, or drive, partly because their teammates are trying to read what cut or movement they are supposed to be making. There have been a few stretches where the offense looked great -- first quarter in London, 3rd quarter in Washington. But I think we've only been as successful as we have been offensively thus far because we, gulp, have a lot more offensive talent and depth than we've had the last few years and because we've had Vince take over in a few quarters and hide the weaknesses in coordinated player movement and swift, sure ball movement.

I do think this can be a top 10 offensive team by the end of the year if they are still playing with intensity and purpose at that time. But it has a long way to go.

 

[Netted]

He's undersized, not that great a finisher, and a below average shooter.

I agree about the shooter, but he's a pretty good finisher and his size isn't too bad.

What are his PG strengths?

 

[footswalker]

I think we need to toss this GARBAGE offense because clearly our players are not suited for it and most of them dont look comfortable with it. I agree Harris has been dissapointing and making bad judgement calls but he does not look comfortable at all as opposed to last year.

We have big men who can shoot, Yi, Anderson, and LOPEZ who i guess everyone forgot can shoot the mid range jumper consistantly and we'r running an O that doesnt take advantage of that whatsoever. I think if you saw our team in a not so retarded scheme, or even somthing similar to last years princeton -esq offense, Devins numbers would be way higher. He'd have more assists because we'r getting it to our bigs, there would be better spacing because they can all stretch the floor to some degree, and it would open up lanes.

I agree, the new O is suspect. Maybe it'll just take time, but they look like the Hickory Huskers out there with all that passing and handing off before shooting. And there's no Jimmy Chitwood on the way either.

 

[ghoti]

I agree about the shooter, but he's a pretty good finisher and his size isn't too bad.

What are his PG strengths?

He is a very small SG. You are saying he has good size. That only applies if he plays the point.

He's a good finisher for a PG, but he is below average as a SG.

He is a good enough shooter to keep defenses honest at PG, but he won't scare anyone at the two.

A backcourt of Rubio and Harris is not good at all. Harris and Carter is much better.

 

[Boomdog]

Harris-Carter-Derozan....do eet.

 

[Dumpy]

He's a shooting guard. He's Kerry Kittles with a better handle, but not as good a 3pt shooter.

If we wind up reallly sucking and get the #1 pick I would take Rubio and move Harris to the 2 and VC to the 3. He's a good player, but his passes have been horrible.

You might have that backwards . . . Vince may be playing more and more point; he already has been doing so on and off.

 

[FOMW]

What's most bothersome to me about his play -- and I'm talking preseason right up through 3 regular season games -- is that he is not using the one skill he has that is world class, namely his speed in transition to get layups, strong layup attempts, or foul shots . . . becoming a one-man fast break or manufacturing a fast break where there wouldn't be one for most teams. This is something he did last season for the Nets to great effect.

Now I understand the need to be judicious with such attacks and how game tempo can become an issue if it's overused. But I can't recall seeing a single instance (this year) of him just jamming the ball down the throat of an opponent with his blinding speed, something he did 3-4 times in one half when he made his Nets debut last February/March. That is his "go to" move, his way to inspire and motivate his team and take the pressure off his ability to score in other ways, which would no doubt increase his offensive efficiency across the board.

Devin played a terrific attacking game overall against Detroit, but it all got started in the first half when he turned on the jets in transition on a few possessions. So I'm thinking Devin read my post before the game.

 

[kobimel]

Devin just completely dominated the Hawks (30,6,8) on a bum ankle, after returning from a three game hiatus. Not to mention the career high he dropped on the Pistons in the game he got injured. He's been coming up big in the clutch and in tough games. Kudos to him.

 

[Belarus]

Mavs lost again... here is the blurb of some Mavs fan, reading which all I can say: "In Rod We Trust!"

How is that Devin Harris for Jason Kidd trade working out? HarrisтАЩ numbers on the night were 30 pts., 8 ast. and 6 reb. He went to charity stripe 12 times and hit all 12 free throws. He can get to the basket and Jason Kidd cannot at 35 years of age. Harris has gone to the free throw line 44 times this year, whereas Kidd has gone to the line 8 times in 4 more games played than Harris. The Mavs have problems getting to the basket, but Harris doesnтАЩt. He can create his own shot and Kidd cannot. The Mavs have nobody besides Terry and Green that can create their own shots. HeтАЩs averaging 18 PPG, 4.8 APG, and 3.8 REB per game. As I recently stated, I can see Harris eventually averaging 20 PPG and 7 to 8 APG over the next four to five years. Harris is lightning quick, athletic, plays good defense, and he will continue to get better. As I said when the trade was made, I would not have traded Harris straight up for Kidd. On top of that, Cuban, Nelson, and Johnson threw in 2 first round picks, one which has a strong likelihood of being a lottery pick in 2010. The Nets drafted Ryan Anderson with the 2008 draft pick we gave to N.J. as part of the Kidd deal. He went for 15 points and 5 rebounds in 26 minutes tonight. If you donтАЩt like Anderson as a player review the players from the 2008 draft that were selected after the 21st pick and see if there are any players out there that could have helped this roster. IтАЩm sure you will find somebody appealing. Harris was not the problem. He was a young player that we could have built around as players like Stackhouse, Terry, and Nowitzki began to decline, which they are currently doing. I donтАЩt want to come across as knocking Kidd because he has had a great career, but he is in the twilight of his career. My problems are with Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson and formerly with Avery Johnson because he was just as responsible for acquiring Dampier and trading away Marquis Daniels, Devin Harris, and four number one draft picks.

http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/11/mavericks-lose-102100-to-orlando.html#comments