I can't say enough about this team people, I am shocked at how well we've played ever since Harris came back and ever since Lopez became a starter. We've lost two games to Cleveland and the Lakers two of the hottest teams in the league, but in the process we also beat Detroit, Toronto, Utah and tonight the Suns, all playoff teams (at least last year). This road trip seemed like it was going to be a disaster and a simple 1-3 record would please us, that means only beating Sacramento, but we must all be glad and excited so say that we came out of the annual Thankgiving road trip with a 3-1 record. Devin Harris and Vince Carter are playing phenomenal together, and who would of have thought that they would do so much better than what Kidd and Carter once did in New Jersey This team continues to show their strength night in and night out and that is that they can score the ball in bunches, and we finally got a team that is pushing the tempo and letting the ball fly, which wasn't happening here in New Jersey, many of us blamed Vince, Frank, but the reality is it wasn't none of them. Great road trip and hope to see many more of this as the season continues, LETS KEEP IT GOING NETS!!
it was obvious where the problem was last year. Before that, the biggest problem was the lack of depth, I think. Also, the fact that Kidd is a below-average PG in a half-court set. Notice that now Carter often serves as the PG unless it is in transition; that NEVEr would have happened in the past.
Bingo. Dooling, Boone, Najera, CDR out. Played a rested team on the road in the second half of a back-to-back in a fast-paced game and the Nets absolutely dominated the 4th quarter. Blew them off the court.
Gotta agree with you there, last year whenever Vince or Kidd took a seat it was over for us, if it was a 20 point game with us being ahead by the time they came back it was an eight point game. Also, something else I've noticed is that this year's team is not afraid to go out there and compete, as for last years team if we would play a good team the entire team kind of faded away and never showed up, is it just me? This years Nets are exciting to watch and that's the reason why, even when we are playing a good Detroit, Utah, Phoenix, Toronto, or any team we are right there with them until the final minutes, other than the Lakers and Cavs who just abused of us. What you guys think?
This would be my take: (1) Kidd had absolutely no interest in being a Net, and that carried over to an indifference to playing defense. (2) Carter injured his ankle back in November, gutted through it, but it required surgery after the season. (3) There was all sorts of weird stuff going on with RJ that never really came out, but it seemed like he was no longer the team player he used to be. he wasn't playing defense; he wasn't on the same page with everyone else. I'm not sure how that should rank on this list, since there wasn't just one thing wrong with RJ--he just stopped being a good fit for some reason. Maybe someone else could take a stab at that. (4) The bench was very poorly constructed: A bunch of middling veterans on the downside of their careers, whose skills just didn't mesh well with the identity the Nets were trying to establish. (5) Probably the overall lack of an inside presence should be #5. What do you think?
The team is extremely competitive this year. Everyone is playing with heart. Did you see how Harris dove for that ball late in the 4th on the Suns offense? Incredible.
yup i think all of those are right. even our front court was horrible besides RJ. so the bench/front court are completely different this year. is it me or this team is BETTER than last year? (or too early to ask)
It was a JOY to watch this one. I kept telling my wife that we were going to keep on coming back, but the Suns will always have an answer, but it all changed when Amare got kicked out of the game. Is it just me or did he get away with like three personal fouls in the start of the third quarter? A foul on Vince, a push on Yi who was going after the ball, and then a collision with Harris who almost fell into the ground. This year's team just does not give up, and that's what counts!
Pretty much what you've said. I can only add: (1) Kidd had absolutely no interest in being a Net, and that carried over to an indifference to playing defense and his indifference carried over to the whole team.
absolutely. Everyone treated Kidd as the leader of the team--he's a terrible leader, btw--and so just instinctively adopted his mindset and lack of intensity as their own. No one was willing to step up and slug him.
thanks. the importance of #4 is often understated, but the bench, as a whole, means so much to team success. In the past the nets just had a group of players without a common (or complimentary) skill set. Part of that was due to their lack of money under the salary cap to sign the better free agents, combined with the effect of not having any lottery picks for a long time. Now suddenly they were able to sign some players that they would have previously have had no chance at. Just wait until Najera will be able to contribute also!
A LOT!, I can imagine. We all treated Kidd as if he was a god or something. Don't get me wrong he by himself carried this team to glory when he came to the Nets, but that was now six or seven years ago, not the same person or player he was back then. The new version of Kidd?= Devin Harris.
yes, I remember. I wasn't on board then, and I thought you were a little nuts when you wrote that letting Kidd play on the Olympic team was the worst possible thing that could happen. You were dead on.
