I think what some of you guys saying "when Kidd was in control" are neglecting is that first of all Kidd is a lot older now than he was before, and secondly the East is a lot better now than it was then. Kidd though still making defensive teams is definately not as good as he was before. Kidd wasn't able to get past the Semi's when he was on Phoenix in the West, remember that. He got past the first round once in 4 years and lost 4-1 when he did. He had good team, they lost in the first round in years when they won 56 and 53 games. The losses weren't close either, the most they ever won was one game.
I'm not really sure what some of the complaints are though. Kidd has never been a guy to carry an offense with his scoring ability, he isn't a scorer, I'm pretty sure we all know that. When he was the leading scorer, the Nets were not winning on offensive efficiency, but on defense, and using the break. He carries teams with his playmaking, not his scoring. What needs to happen is not for Kidd to start running the show (which I'm not sure what is meant by this, he's still by far the primary playmaker), but for the Nets to go to their players strengths more, and to have a much less stagnant halfcourt offense. Run Vince out of the post, not this perimeter stuff, keep using Jefferson the same way, run a lot more things off the ball and with movement instead of just iso's. They also need some better shot blocking help defense from the bigs on the team.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Jason Kidd has done a lot for New Jersey. 2 straight East titles. Maybe the east was weak, maybe it wasn't. But the fact is, Kidd's arrival had made an immediate impact for New Jersey. 2 seasons on top... without Carter. Kidd has gone through surgery and Jefferson got hurt as well... along with Martin's exit what can you expect from the Nets? Carter came into a situation where the only thing he can do is help with the line up they had. It would have been a different story if Kidd and Jefferson were healthy. True, Kidd won't say that to Vince, it's not in his character, Jason will do his talking on the court.</div>
This is not questionable, it's a fact. The Nets were the best team in the East in 01-02, and won 52 games. Detroit and Miami matched or beat that this season. In 02-03 they were the second best team and won 49 games, 4 teams in the East this season matched or beat that.
If Kidd and Jefferson were healthy, this team is still far from an elite team. I'm sorry, but Kidd and Jefferson does not win you 49 games, it does not even get you past the Pacers in the first round. Both guys are nice, but a team with those two + Krstic, and no depth is a bad offensive team, and the can't make up for it defensively. Who would start at shooting guard, Eric Williams?