Ratner: We Can Win It All!

No way are the Nets gonna win it all next season.Their best chance was when they faced the Spurs in 2003.They added a big body (Marc Jackson) who could go against Shaq but they aren't gonna beat the Heat,Pacers,Pistons,Spurs,Suns or the Rockets in a 7 game series.They need a better starting PF/C (I don't know what positon Jackson plays for them)
It's nice to see Ratner belives in the team.

 

I actually agree with Ratner's bold prediction. The Nets can win it all, even though it will be though. I do not think the Nets need a better PF/C. Remember the Bulls won six championships with marginal bigmen. The Nets don't have Jordan, but Kidd+Carter+Jefferson is a very very solid lineup; almost like Harper, Pippen and Jordan. The only question is going to be how all three of them defend, because Jordan, Pippen, and Harper could all defend very well. Kidd and Jefferson can play phenomenal defense, but Carter has been a huge liability in that department.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting xpehbamxyu:</div><div class="quote_post">I actually agree with Ratner's bold prediction. The Nets can win it all, even though it will be though. I do not think the Nets need a better PF/C. Remember the Bulls won six championships with marginal bigmen.</div>
WOAH!! The bulls won with "marginal" big men? They had some quite good unsung big men during their run. And the most important thing about having big-men is interior defense which they most certainly had. Bill Cartwright? Rodman? Longley was solid. Horace Grant? Toni Kukoc? Those are some good Big Men that were simply overshadowed by Jordan and Pippen. Though these guys weren't big scorers, for the most part, they did the dirty work and allowed for MJ and Pippen to do their thing.

And secondly the Nets do need a C/PF to contend. They will win plenty of regular season games with Kidd-Jeff-Carter but in the playoffs if you don't have interior defense you will lose (see Mavericks, Dallas).

 

Ron Harper was a guard ....but I do get your overall point. And I do agree for the most part....but I also agree with xpehbamxyu, that the Bulls found alot of ways to camoflague thier interior weakness.......especially during that 2nd era of championships. The first era with Ho Grant, Bill Cartwright, Stacy King etc...they had more traditional bigs...people forget that Cartwright was a skilled bigman, who could score with his back to the basket from time to time...and could also extend out to that 12 foot area with that funny looking jumpshot...so he was able to provide the Bulls with points in the paint. And Horace Grant was a nice shooter from the elbow of the piant and was good scoring off the offesive boards...and they had alot of depth and size at those frontcourt positions with Perdue, Williams, King and CLiff Livingston......

But that 2nd era of chips in my opinion was much different....I think those teams were great no doubt 60+ wins easy...but they benefited alot from the fact that the league was kind of in a transition period of the Center spot no longer being the most dominate frontcourt position...it was now the power forward spot...so with that they were able to do things like play alot smaller then they would have during the early 90's, so they different have to live with guys like Longley, Wennington and some of their other bigs, who werent that good in curcial spots. They could go small during important times with Jordan at the 2, Pippen at the 3(but guarding the best player from the 1-3 spot) Kukoc playing the four spot but hiding him on a weak frontcourt player..and playing Rodman by position at the 5(but guarding the best front court player whether it be a Center or PF)....why because for most of that era accept when they played Orlando in the 96' playoffs, they were facing smaller teams or teams who's best big was a power forward consistently....... Utah.....Karl Malone, throw Rodman on him...had Ostertag at the 5, so you could hide your weak frontcourt defender on him...and go small during crucial times.....Seattle Shawn Kemp another PF matchup against Dennis Rodman...hide Toni on Sam Perkins...because Perkins never left the 3pt area and Ervin Johnson wasnt a factor offensively...and even if you look at the teams they faced who did have a dominate 5 like Maimi with Zo...he always had a Power Forward style game...not a traditional back to the basket Center style...the Best combination of Forward and Center the Bulls probably actually faced during that era...had to be when they faced the Hawks in 97..when they had Mutombo and Laettner...but Mutombo never really demanded the ball in the post and Leattner was better scoring 15 feet then with his back to the basket.....so they didnt really have to deal with a overwhelming post pressence then either...so I agree with X that the Bulls able to get away with not having a number of quality bigmen during that 2nd era championships.....they had one great defensive bigman...and not much else as far a legitimate bigs.

Problem is we are not the Bulls dont have Rodman....and we definately dont have any Jordan's or Pippen's on the perimeter as good as Jefferson/Carter maybe.....so anything the Bulls did to gain success we could never accomplish...they won cause Jordan as a guard could create a post pressense thru the triangle...they won because they had one of the most verstile perimeter defenders/players in NBA history in Pippen...and a defense led by 3 periennial all-fist team defenders with MJ,Pip,Rodman..me have none of that not even close really.

 

Nets cant win it all
they had a good chance with Martin
but that's it..

i suggest trading RJ or VC
for a big man (PF)

 

I'm biased, so you should probably ignore my opinion.

Anyway, I think if J-Kidd is healthy and Carter works hard then the Nets will probably snatch 3-6th in the East, however I believe that Indiana, Detroit and Miami all have considerably better teams.

Cleveland probably will be on NJ's level, either team could do better depending on injuries for the Nets and depending on chemistry for Cleveland.