Nets Training Camp Notes

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I'll start posting notes from training camp. Starting from Tuesday.

Day 4

With Harris having played under Johnson in Dallas, he’s comfortable adapting to a small-guard lineup, and some of his best moments last season came playing off the ball while Terrence Williams manned the point. Harris knows Johnson wants them to push the ball, and feels he and Farmar should complement each other well.

“I think, with his shooting ability and his IQ for the game, he’ll fit in perfectly,” Harris said. “I know that coming into the NBA, he didn’t get to run as much pick-and-roll as he’d like, so he’s still learning and reading situations. But the more he runs, the better he’ll be.”

Six practices into the 2010-11 season, Farmar’s excited by what he’s seen so far, believing his talents will be utilized well once he gains a better feel for these teammates.

“I feel great,” Farmar said. “It feels incredible to play this kind of basketball again. It’s been quite a while for me, so for me, it’s just about coming here every day and trying to get better, trying to feel my teammates out, trying to understand where everyone can be successful and how to put them in those spots, and then just go out there and play hard.”

Troy Murphy again stayed out of contact drills, and Johnson mentioned that he was waiting on clearance from athletic trainer Tim Walsh, at which point he’d hold Murphy out an additional two days…Johnson added that he’d be comfortable starting Kris Humphries in Murphy’s place, calling the returning veteran one of the surprises of camp…Johnson also praised rookie forward Derrick Favors for not making defensive mistakes, crediting assistant coach Popeye Jones for his behind-the-scenes work.

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Day 5

Terrence Williams and Anthony Morrow, they know the stakes. The sophomore swingman and the third-year three-point specialist are going to spend the preseason vying against each other to earn coach Avery Johnson’s approval to start each game as the Nets’ shooting guard. It has been one of the team’s most-anticipated position battles, and has thus far lived up to the hype.

“We go one-on-one everyday,” said Morrow, after Wednesday’s practice. “Every dribble we look at each other like, ‘You’re guarding me again, man?’ It’s fun to have that matchup every day.”

Johnson praised Williams for improving his decision-making, now doing “something crazy” perhaps one play out of five, down from four of five earlier in camp. That Williams gets even that one is due to Johnson, now in his second coaching stint, recognizing Williams needs occasional room to flourish creatively.

Morrow, by contrast, has Johnson considering his three-point attempts as automatic as layups. The floor spacing he creates complements both Harris’ penetration and Brook Lopez’s post game, yet he’s been working hard to show there’s more to his game than catch, shoot, swish.

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Maturing Terrence Williams has chance to be Nets' starting 2-guard