Nets: Packed with X-factors, but look pretty strong

[BALLAHOLLIC]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Familiarity is their greatest asset, they all claim. It's the thing that should separate the Nets from most of those patchwork contenders -- the ones with impulsive management types who feel the need to overhaul the roster every summer. And to a man, they are convinced that their core can compete with anyone in the league now.But there's something else that Jason Kidd finds appealing, something he claims the team hasn't experienced in five years. "I like our unknown," he said yesterday. "That's what we had our first year -- there is a lot of unknown."In other words, if you take the captain's temperature -- which is a routine practice on media day -- he can go on forever about the starting five, which ranks among the best in the NBA.But what he likes best are the X-factors, and the roster is loaded with them -- from veterans like Eddie House, whom Kidd says he dreams of emulating, to the four rookies. Indeed, none has proved a thing about their worthiness yet. But he's looking forward to watching them try."I think we have a great opportunity. It kind of reminds me of that first year, when we had a mixture of veterans with the rookies -- R.J. (Richard Jefferson), Twin (Jason Collins), Brandon Armstrong and Brian Scalabrine," Kidd said. "Now we have (Josh) Boone and (Marcus) Williams and those other guys can come off the bench and help us. Hopefully we can have that same success that we had with that first year with that group."But I do like our team. We can go a lot of different ways. We can go small. We can put an offensive unit out there. You can put a team that can defend. You can go big. This is one of the best groups on paper we've had since I've been here, except that first year. We were pretty good. I just think that the pieces, hopefully, fit."Following their leader, the others couldn't find many smudges in the blueprint, either."We're a year better, smarter, and we've added some important pieces," Vince Carter said. "If you really look at the formula of our team, we pretty much have everybody back. We just hope our rookies can give us anything, which I think they're very capable of. So we expect a lot from ourselves."Jefferson dusted off his annual mantra (he's still "insanely optimistic") before putting a finer point on it:If I and Nenad Krstic -- who are two of the younger guys -- improve, then the team is going to get better. That's what I look at."As for what it will look like, that will all play out over the next month, but Lawrence Frank did target a few specific areas in which he'd like to see improvement."Defensively we've been among the better teams in the league," the coach said. "(But) we'd like to improve on our 44 percent field-goal percentage, and one way to do that is to create more transition opportunities. We were ninth in the league in fast break points, but we feel with our personnel we should be in the top five."So, one of the goals is to be more of an attacking, up-tempo team. You might have to concede a little bit, but you can't give up a defensive presence in order to win the types of games we'd like to win."Kidd, who coming off a season in which he sacrificed more than ever, is ready for anything. And everything."Even though the nucleus is together, we still have some unknowns," Kidd said. "Will Krstic continue to grow? Will we stay healthy? People are saying or writing we are too old. Thirty-three feels like 23 in today's world. We'll see what happens. We have a good opportunity. We have a great coaching staff. If the ball bounces our way like it did that first year, hopefully we can get back to the Finals."Notes: Carter vows that his contract situation won't be a distraction for him this season (he can opt out next summer, or just take the $16.3 million he's owed), unless the media decides to make it so. But he reiterated that he wants to finish his career with the Nets ("I love it here"), and that he and Rod Thorn have agreed to table talks of an extension until after the season."When it's time, definitely: Everybody, I'm sure, will know we're talking about (it)," Carter said. "I don't feel like I have a deadline. Rod and I have already agreed the main focus right now is to be effective this year. I think taking care of business will take care of business, so to speak."...Antoine Wright, now a chiseled 218 pounds, logged more miles than any other player after summer league, spending months at a time with Carter in Orlando, a week with Jefferson in San Diego, one week in Vegas for Tim Grgurich's camp, and back at the training facility to work out with coaches. One guess what he venue he liked best: "Vince has a plane," Wright said. "You can go wherever you want when you have a plane. You can wake up and say, 'I want to go to Vegas,' and then we go. Richard is pretty cheap. He won't buy a plane."...The Nets filled out their camp roster with four invitations, including old hand Awvee Storey (he played with the Wizards last year), and Darvin Ham, who spent last season broadcasting for Fox Sports in the Dallas market....The team had its kickoff dinner last night, and will begin two-a-days this morning.</div>http://www.nj.com/nets/ledger/index.ssf?/b...ll=1&thispage=2

 

[Illosophee]

Good read.