5 players on this team COULD be All-Stars in the future. 8 players on this team COULD be out of the league in 3 years. 3 players on this team WILL be out of the league in 3 years. In short, I have no idea what to expect. 30 wins
1. Well, Harris could be. I'm guessing you have Yi and Lopez on the list too....who are the other two? 2. My guess is your list includes Ager, Anderson, CDR, Hayes and Swift. Carter, Najera, Simmons (injuries) because of retirement? I'd say only Ager has a high probability of playing in a different league by 2011. 3. Umm..who?
We have a great deal of uncertainty with this team. But that's what sports is all about. Don't you just love it? The first couple of months will be all about getting to know you, team chemistry, and Frank. Lot's of lineup shuffling, substitutions, hopes dashed and hopes realized. There'll be trade. A couple or three guys will wind up in the doghouse, and for a while we'll play Frank's new formula. Can Frank adjust, or will Yi be missing 3's from the corner to earn his keep? Can Frank or anyone else motivate players? Will our bench win the 2nd quarter consistently? By then we'll have 15 wins and 25 losses. But Brook and Yi will have become players, with muscle from Boone and Najera to back them up. If at that point we still don't have significant injuries, we'll have an exciting 2nd half to look forward to. To make the playoffs we'll have to reverse the first half to 25-15. Can we do it? That'll depend on how many of the other teams tank.
I expect a hard playing defensive minded team. Nets actually have the players to be a competitive. I expect Nets to be in the playoff race even if they dont make it. I can care less about the lottery..it isnt that good of a draft next year anyway. Even with the improved Eastern Conference, I think Nets improved also so we should be alright. A healthy VC and Harris would matchup well with any backcourt in the league. I wish we had one more all star caliber player but even still, we are deeper than we've been in a while. Simmons is now healthy too so we can expect something out of him. Yi..I think will play better than he did in the Olympics and the Bucks because he wont be playing with ball hogs(Redd and Mo Williams) and will just have to feed off of the attention Harris and Vince will get and hit the open jump shot. As far as the rookies go, I dont see Anderson playing much because we are deep at the forward position. But Lopez and CDR will be big pieces to the puzzle. We also have alot of players with something to prove. But alot of this season falls on Frank and this so called new offense. Anyway, I cant wait til the season starts!!!!
I forget the specific players I picked... 1. I think I included CDR and Sean Williams? That doesn't sound right... 2. All the rookies & sophomores haven't proven enough (to me) to make me believe they won't bomb out ala Zoran... I don't think I included Carter. 3. Hassell, Ager, and Swift
http://activepaper.olivesoftware.co...wNDIxMA==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom If we were living in a perfect world, that should be our starting lineup. But since there are so many questions. Yi may not be able to play SF. Lopez has to show that he should have been picked higher. S. Williams must improve drastically to even get decent PT this year or he is getting traded.
I expect a highly competitive team that shows a real desire to win every game. With the possible exception of Swift, I don't expect there to be any whining about playing time and that the bench (no matter who's on it at any given moment) will be very supportive of the team on the floor. So from a chemistry standpoint, I foresee this as an outstandingly good team. The health of Carter and Harris are the biggest single factors in the team's win/loss ceiling this year. If they both play 76+ games without significant impairment, then I think the Nets will be in contention for a playoff spot when it's all said and done and will have between 36 and 44 wins. We know we have solid depth with Najera, Hayes, Simmons, Dooling, and Boone. And I'm pretty optimistic that Anderson and CDR could be added to that list as well. Sean is a wild card. But with all the options in the frontcourt that are less one dimensional, I don't see him getting regular minutes by season's end. He may well be part of a trade before the deadline. Assuming Carter and Harris stay healthy, it's the contributions from Yi and Lopez that will ultimately decide whether we are a playoff team that finishes around or above .500. If those guys are both starting by January, it will be a very good sign.
