How far do you think we can get without a great front line? We have an incredible trio in Carter, Kidd, and Jefferson but do we have a shot with Collins and Krstic? List whether or not you think they will make the playoffs and if so, which round they will make it to.
In the East, anything can happen, so making the playoffs may not be out of the question. With our dynamic trio, we will win a fair share of games, but If we actually do make the playoffs, there is basically no chance we can win without a big man. I don't really want to make any predictions about our team making the playoffs before our team is set, which will only happen the day after the trade deadline, but as of right now, I think we can win enough games to sneak into the 7th or 8th spot in the playoffs. As long as Krstic plays solidly throughout the year, there is pretty good chance that we can beat a lot of good teams, even elite ones. But Kidd/Carter/Jefferson have to carry the scoring load all year, or the Nets could be at home watching the playoffs on TV.
We will def. get into the playoff since the eastern conference is terrible. They will probably get into the 6th or 7th spot, and probably play and beat their opponents in the 1st round... If they get into the second round and play the heat, they wouldnt have a chance becuz of shaq. He will dominate our front line. So i think the nets can probably get into the conference finals if they dont face the heat in the 1st 2 rounds.
You honestly think we can beat the Pistons, Cavaliers, and Indiana? With the lineup we have right now, I am sorry to break it to you, but we will be fighting until the end of the regular season to get a playoff spot. Our big men are just horrible compared to the big time teams in the East, and don't come close to hardly any team in the West. Our trio of Kidd/RJ/Carter will win us a good amount of games, but come playoff time, if we make it, you can be sure that we will go nowhere, if our team looks the same as it looks now. The regular season is a more fast paced, high scoring style of play, almost every game, while the playoffs is a slower game, which is more dependant on defense to win. Something, we don't have much of. I don't think there is any way we can make the 6th seed, if we don't add a solid big man.
I don't think the Nets match up well with Detroit, Cleveland, Orlando, and Miami because all of those teams have good big men. If we make the playoffs (we most likely will), we will probably end up playing against one of these teams and I can't see us beating them.
I do not think that Clevland and Orlando should be on that list ^. Our big men arent too much low than thier's to make a big difference. I an hesitant to say that we'll be successful if we reach the playoffs, or to predict anything because I think that the team is not yet established and Thorn is still going to make a few moves.
I think the Nets bench is the biggest x-factor. Our bench scores in big spurts and if Rodney Buford stays consistent scoring atleast 10 off the bench with Best adding in 8 points then the Nets have a legit shot at making the 2nd round of the playoffs (even this is a bit of a stretch). Kidd returning to form is key. His offense is why we haven't beeen able to close out games. He needs to get atleast 14 a night and not try to be too flashy with his passes to Carter or Jefferson. Speaking of Jefferson, he cannot be the odd man out now that Kidd and Carter have come in. THe best thing about the Nets the last few years is that they played unselfishly as a team. Recently, they have turned away from that with the arrival of Carter. Not to knock on Carter because he's aggressive but at one point he's going to realize that he'll need Jefferson's abilities to make his game better and RJ's game better. So far I've only seen Carter been able to foil off of Buford's game. Perhaps because Carter and RJ do the same thing, but RJ right now is a better penetrator with Carter the better jump shooter. RJ likes to create off the dribble and Carter is only looking to score. The bigmen situation isn't as bad as it seems. We will get lit up by elite centers and powerforwards, but Collins, Krstic, and Smith will hold their own on mediocre ones. Krstic seems to be learning very fast with each game (knock on wood). If he can control his fouls, he can be the shot blocking presence from the center position we've been looking for so long. Krstic's improvement and desire to bang around has impressed me as not many International big men do that. If he gets stronger and works on that hookshot and post moves, he can be a force in as quick as two seasons. Collins should keep working on his short jumpers and as Carter, Jefferson, and Kidd get into the lane Collins will step out for that jumper. Collins needs to improve his rebounding. Its not all about athleticism but position for 70% of it. If Mutumbo can still get 4 rebounds in 13 minutes at his age, I'm sure Collins can get atleast 7 a game.
