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[BALLAHOLLIC]

FIVE QUESTIONS FACING THE NETS1. What will they get from the bench? More than last year, though that's not saying much. There are three very solid vets (Eddie House, Cliff Robinson, Mikki Moore) and a younger one (Antoine Wright) who can probably keep them afloat before the four rookies are ready to contribute. 2. Can they diversify? They still don't put up the kind of offensive numbers befitting a team with good offensive personnel. One reason for this: They don't run enough, and they have to get back to it.3. How much better is Nenad Krstic going to get? If he continues to develop at last year's pace, the sky's the limit. And he's obviously committed to being one of the best in the business. After the postseason meltdown against Miami -- probably attributable to both nerves and fatigue -- he skipped summer competition so that he could concentrate on preparing for his contract year.4. What's Vince Carter's future? He's going to face that query all year, but it comes down to this: Only Charlotte will have enough money to match the salary the Nets can give him next year ($16.3M), and he's not opting out to play for a loser. He'll get a three-year, $60M bump from Rod Thorn next summer.5. What does Jason Kidd have left? Anybody tired of this question yet? He's only 33, not exactly ancient, and he had one of his best (if also unheralded) seasons last year, regardless of what Anthony Johnson had to say about it.FIVE THINGS TO EXPECT1. Slow start -- In camp, that is. This is inevitable, when five of your guys are 22 or younger. It's going to be more of a teaching camp than Lawrence Frank would like, but it should pay dividends in the second half of the season.2. Fast start -- In the regular season, that is. They're not going 9-12 this time around -- the starting group, which has a nice chemistry, will essentially put the pedal to the metal after a sluggish preseason. An 11-4 November isn't out of the question.3. Cognitive dissonance -- Bid goodbye to Vince Carter, world-class scorer who can drop 40 on any night. He'll still do that occasionally, but now he has one guy (Richard Jefferson) who is ready for a career season, and another (Krstic) who will soon learn that he can take anyone down on the box, anytime and anywhere. Upshot: Carter will average a boatload of assists this year, and love it. 4. Makeshifting -- This is still a perimeter-oriented bunch, one whose strength (and depth) is in the backcourt. So if Jefferson is as bulked-up as they claim him to be, they might try to slot him into the four-spot if they experience injuries up front again, and give a speed lineup a whirl.5. A foray into NYC -- They'll gradually increase their presence there, from giant billboards in Times Square to an open practice (the only one of the preseason) at LIU in Brooklyn -- a dubious show of loyalty to their Jersey fans, but there you go.FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH1. Jason Kidd -- When the captain's happy, healthy, confident, and optimistic, the mood permeates every part of the organization. Now and until the minute he retires, he is the index of their possibilities.2. Jason Collins -- It's fairly simple: When he's healthy, they can defend with anybody. When he's absent, the defensive lane is like a freeway.3. Cliff Robinson -- Every year, you expect the guy to start showing his age. Human biology being what it is, it has to happen one of these days. But the 39-year-old forward continues to baffle biology, and the Nets need at least one more solid season out of their Uncle before the kids grow up. He'll be suspended for the first two games, a carryover from last spring's drug transgression.4. Josh Boone -- They don't have anyone who can do what he does, which is to block shots and compete above the rim. Someday, perhaps soon, he might even be a double-digit rebounder. One snag: They'll probably have to wait until February to see him, because he's still rehabbing from shoulder surgery.5. Eddie House -- The Nets already have the best starting backcourt in the East, so he probably won't crack 18 minutes per game, but he is a volume shooter who can be a game-buster, a luxury they haven't had since ... ever.ON THE HOT SEATLawrence Frank -- He has almost everything a coach could want on a roster, including experience, athleticism, some young legs, willing pupils, and a keen defensive mind-set that was of his own creation. Barring injury to one of the Big 4, this is a team that can go places, and he's the guy to take them there.Woot Woot

 

[Illosophee]

Another good read. However, I must say that for the list "FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH", Marcus Williams should have replaced either Eddie House or Josh Boone because people will be interested to know what JKidd has taught the guy so far.