Notes

[Dumpy]

(1) The Nets really played with some terrific defenisve intensity from the middle of the second quarter on. That's what they will have to do to win. I wonder what happened to make them pick it up.

(2) we're going to continue to see a lot of inconsistency, so don't get your hopes up.

(3) Brook Lopez has potential, but he takes that turn around jumper from too far from the rim.

 

[Universe]

Agree, agree and agree.

We have the potential to be a winner but our standards are set low so failure won't hurt as bad this year. Once everyone gets clicking, we should be on our way.

 

[FOMW]

The game tonight has been on my radar since I first looked at the schedule: after sparse, spread-out games the first 10 days, tonight is the first back to back of the season, on the road. And complicated tonight by Devin's injury and the lack of any conventional 3rd PG. Should be interesting to see how well they compete.

 

[kdub]

The defense was amazing last night after the first quarter as you mentioned, Dumpy. Having Dooling and Harris out at the same time really allowed the Zone to adapt quickly to passes and allowed them to close out on shooters quicker. And there were so many hustle plays on defense, with players tipping balls to each other, diving out of bounds, it was great!

Jim Spanarkel even mentioned during one memorable hustle play, "Wow what a doozy, all that action just to have the score stay the same." Well, Jim, that' what happens when you play good defense.

 

[Dumpy]

The game tonight has been on my radar since I first looked at the schedule: after sparse, spread-out games the first 10 days, tonight is the first back to back of the season, on the road. And complicated tonight by Devin's injury and the lack of any conventional 3rd PG. Should be interesting to see how well they compete.

It also starts a stretch of easier games. How they do against teams like Indiana will determine how their season will go. Let's be real here, last night notwithstanding, no one really expects them to do very well against the top ten teams or so.

But what happened last night showed the potential of the team . . . and that they do, in fact, have the pieces in place to be a playoff-caliber team, despite what the "experts" say. I still expect the first six weeks of the season to be pretty erratic, though.

 

[Dumpy]

The defense was amazing last night after the first quarter as you mentioned, Dumpy. Having Dooling and Harris out at the same time really allowed the Zone to adapt quickly to passes and allowed them to close out on shooters quicker. And there were so many hustle plays on defense, with players tipping balls to each other, diving out of bounds, it was great!

Jim Spanarkel even mentioned during one memorable hustle play, "Wow what a doozy, all that action just to have the score stay the same." Well, Jim, that' what happens when you play good defense.

they were reacting very well, and as you say they were closing out and contesting all shots, and their help defenders converged quickly when the ball entered the paint.

As we've discussed, Coach Frank finally has a roster full of players who will contribute what he wants.

 

[BrooklynBound]

(1) The Nets really played with some terrific defenisve intensity from the middle of the second quarter on. That's what they will have to do to win. I wonder what happened to make them pick it up.

(2) we're going to continue to see a lot of inconsistency, so don't get your hopes up.

(3) Brook Lopez has potential, but he takes that turn around jumper from too far from the rim.

Brook's FG% was below 50% for both years in college. That concerns me.

 

[Belarus]

Brook's FG% was below 50% for both years in college. That concerns me.

he probably relies too much on his jumper and instead, should be duncan... err dunking

 

[SportsTicker]

The best analogy for Lopez may be Krstic in 2004-05. He was 21 and wasn't playing much until after the big man surplus was thinned out by the Carter trade, with Mourning and Aaron Williams going to the Raptors. He had some rough stretches but by the playoffs, he was a solid big man, averaging 18 and 8 against Shaq (which people tend to forget).

The same thing could happen this year. I have to think there will be a trade of one or more of the big men in the coming weeks. The Harris injury is a warning that they better find someone, a distributor, quickly...and Eddie Gill isn't going to cut it.

(My preferences for a third point guard will not be the Nets' preference. I would like to see them get Javaris Crittenton or Sergio Rodriguez and continue the rebuilding, not go the Jeff McInnis route and get some retread. You KNOW that's what they are going to do. If Jamal Tinsley didn't have that third year, he'd be a Net by now.)