The Nets have won three of four since Devin Harris has returned from his injury--but it is no coincidence that they have also won three of four since Brook has replaced the injured Josh Boone in the starting lineup. As a starter, Brook is averaging: 31:23 minutes per game 14.8 PPG 59.1% FG% 70% FT% 8.8 rebounds per game, including 4.0 offensive rebounds 2.0 blocks per game Just 0.8 turnovers per game 4.0 fouls per game Those are pretty incredible numbers. The trio of Devin Harris-Vince Carter-Brook Lopez looks to be a dynamic foundation. Moreover, the primary bench guys of Keyon Dooling, Jarvis Hayes, and Ryan Anderson have been great. Ryan is 13-21 in those four games, 9-11 on free throws, and 16 rebounds with just one TO. Jarvis Hayes has scored in double figures in four of his last six games, and has had great energy. Despite his mediocre game yesterday, Dooling has been good: He had six straight games scoring in double figures and since November 8 has hit 29 of 55 shots (53%). Let's assume that the change has happened and that Josh Boone will start to come off the bench, where he'll be no worse than a league-average backup center (and possibly a little better). This is a solid freaking team. That reserve group is SOLID . . . and I haven't included Eddie Najera, who will contribute at some point, CDR, Sean Williams, or even Stro. But wait . . . there are two guys I haven't mentioned. The starting SF and the starting PF. If the Nets could get ANYTHING out of those guys worth writing about, this would be an above-average team. But that's it: two roster spots will make this team a playoff team. Simmons is actually playing a bit better. Over his last six games, he is shooting 13-for-30--that's 43%--and that includes six-for-17 from behind the arc (35%), so on two-pointers he is actually shooting better than 50%. Also note that he is only taking five shots a game, which is perfect for the fourth or fifth option. Over his last four games, he has 17 rebounds, and just two turnovers. I'd like to see him hit 40% of his three-pointers, but really, that would mean just hitting one more of his attempts over the past four games; not a big difference. Defensively, he had Bargnani and LeBron the last two games, so maybe it isn't too fair to judge him on those games. Over the previous few games, the opposing SFs weren't exactly lighting it up. The ones that scored 15+ points did so on poor shooting percentages (Marvin Williams, Danny Granger). I'd really love to upgrade this spot by dangling Sean, but I'm no longer so convinced that the starting SF is what is holding the team back right now. Then there is Yi, who has been horrible. The guy hit 37% of his shots yesterday--and his shooting percentage went UP. He has missed 30 of his last 43 shots: that's a 30.2% shooting percentage. he commits a buttload of fouls and turnovers. He has committed more turnovers than Dooling in roughly the same number of minutes! Anyway, I guess the point of all this is that at this point, if Yi improves, the Nets will just roll. I'm not advocating giving up on him . . . but if he was to suddenly blossom into Bargnani, this team would really be fascinating.
Yi will come around eventually, he looks lost not untalented. The Nets need to do a better job creating for him then everything else will fall into place.
I agree. Both Yi and Simmons need to be set up to be effective. With the current guard-oriented iso offense that won't happen unless the guards pass off more. But then the wings would have to be more efficient to make it worthwhile. Right now, Anderson and Hayes are doing it, Yi and Simmons are not.
I think they are looking so good so early that it may be time to go after a starting SF now, even if it interferes with salary cap in 2010 (i.e., a Nocioni or Wallace). Mike Miller would be even better because his contract ends in 2010, and he would absolutely THRIVE as an offensive threat (and 3rd facilitator) in this system. For more physical SF matchups, let him and Vince switch defensive assignments, which seems doable because he would help release some of the offensive pressure on Carter and allow him to devote a little more of his physical resources to the other end of the floor. ETA: I agree with Dark Defender's assessment re Yi. I think he will come around eventually. He has a rare combination of tremendous shooting ability/form, athleticism, and length. His shooting will become more consistent when he concentrates on the little things that add to consistency: shot selection, not hesitating and wondering if it's the right time to shoot, and making sure to establish proper base and balance to launch. When he's instinctive, in the flow, and just shooting, his shot is as pretty as any I've ever seen -- and as accurate.
Some more notes: Over the past five games--in other words, since Devin returned from his injury and Brook entered the starting lineup--The Nets have been outscored in just FIVE of the 20 quarters (21 if you include overtime). Three times they outscored their opponent more than five points: once by 7, once by 8, and once by 9. Yet three times they were outscored by MORE than 9 (11, 12, and 15). In other words, the few times that the Nets have lost a quarter recently, they have gotten totally bombed. They have given their opponents a ridiculous 159 free throw opportunities over the five games--that's 31.8 per game, just slightly less than their season average of 32.7 per game. The silver lining? They have ATTEMPTED 165 free throws themselves. They have allowed the opposition to shoot 46.6% from the field. Over the course of the season, only four teams have a worse opposition FG% than that, and it is worse than the nets' season-to-date mark of 45.5%. On the plus side, though, they have hit 48.3% of their shots; only Phoeniz (49.7) have shot better than that for the entire season. Season to date, the nets have shot 44.6%, which is the middle of the pack. The Nets are hitting 43.8% of their three-point shots. No team has a higher mark for the season. However, they are allowing the opposition to hit 44.6% of their three-point shots. No team is worse, and that is several percentage points worse than the Nets' season-to-date mark of around 41.8%. The opposition is also attemting more 3s than the Nets--about 4.6 per game more. Over the past five games, the nets have committed slightly fewer turnovers than the opponents, 56 to 64. that's only 11.2 per game, which would be the lowest in the league if they could have done that the entire season. The best for last: The Nets are dominating their opponents on the glass. Over the past five games, they've grabbed 58 offensive rebounds in 202 opportunities, a 28.7% rate. Defensively, they've allowed 45 offensive rebounds by the opposition, in 195 opposition, a 23.1% rate. That's a pretty nice spread. On average, they've grabbed 2.6 more offensive rebounds than their opponents, which would lead to roughly 2.5-3 points per game. The opponent's FG percentage and number of free throws are still red flags, but all in all the indicators look pretty good. I am totally shocked by the rebound figures; I figured that below-average rebounding is what would keep the team struggling for the first 6-8 weeks.
The thing is, they can't continue to shoot 48%. They HAVE to get the opponents' FG% down or they will have to pay the piper.
Also, over the last five games the nets have tied for the highest PPG avarege in the league, at 111.4 (tied with Golden State). They;ve given up the second most, though (108). They've averaged 2.0 more steals per game than their opponent, which is seventh-highest in the league over that span. Only Milwaukee has committed more fouls over their past five games than the Nets. They really have room for improvement. Even if they don't improve their OFG%, if they can just get their fouls down it would make a huge difference.
