The Bobcats are coming Friday, and by the numbers, that means an offensively inept squad visits the IZOD Center: Charlotte ranks 29th in PPG and FG%, 28th in 3P% and 26th in assists. But the recent acquisition of swingman Stephen Jackson has ignited the offense, fueling a four-game win streak snapped only by the Celtics. After scoring more than 90 points only four times in the team’s first 12 games, the Bobcats have topped that total in each of the last five, twice surpassing the century mark.
Though point guards Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin have struggled overall, Jackson's insertion into the starting lineup between Felton and forwards Gerald Wallace and Boris Diaw has opened up the ball movement. In eight games with Charlotte, Jackson has averaged 16.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals while righting the Bobcats after joining them amidst a seven-game slide.
"(Stephen) adds a lot," said Nets veteran Keyon Dooling. "He comes from a championship pedigree; he was a champion in San Antonio, he was a guy who worked his way up from nothing in this league and is respected around the league. He’s probably one of the most versatile players in our league, one of the toughest players in our league and he gives them a couple different dimensions."
One of them is length on defense, as Jackson stands 6-foot-8 while remaining athletic enough to play smaller guards. That has fortified an already stout Charlotte defense, which ranks among the top-10 in the major defensive categories: 1st in PPG (89.1), 3rd in efficiency (96.8), 3rd in FG% (.439), 4th in 3P% (.320), 7th in steals (8.0) and 10th in turnovers forced (15.9)
Though the Nets have struggled offensively, they should receive a boost from the likely return of Dooling, a sparkplug off the bench last season. Able to play guard positions, Dooling plays solid defense, efficiently runs the offense (notably connecting well with Yi Jianlian) and has developed into a three-point threat, shooting .421 from long range last season.
His return comes as fellow PG Rafer Alston missed Wednesday's game with a sore left knee, an injury expected to be minor. And the man responsible for easing Dooling back into the lineup will be Kiki Vandeweghe, who debuts on Friday against his college coach at UCLA, Larry Brown.
Vandeweghe ran his first practice as head coach on Thursday, and it ran long due to a mini-orientation in the new principles. There will be more running on offense and more pressure and trapping on defense, all of which are easier to accomplish as healthy players return. The focus, Vandeweghe explained, is on making basketball fun for the players, because for all the accoutrements, this game and these players have a base-level bond that will weather any number of losses.
"I was a little nervous at the beginning," Vandeweghe said. "I hadn’t done this in a while. It was great to be back on the court. I really enjoyed it. I missed working with players. Our practices are generally more about improving the players and getting them better rather than different plays. We have a lot of the same things, perhaps a little bit more movement, a little bit learning the game of basketball."
That the Nets were able to offer a concerted effort a day after a disastrous showing against Dallas served testament to what Devin Harris termed a unique group. The team's point guard was impressed by everyone's ability to set aside any ill feelings after Wednesday's loss, acknowledging that's tough to do.
The team was further buoyed by Yi Jianlian's near-complete practice, signaling that the power forward is close to returning from the sprained knee that has sidelined him since the last game against the Bobcats, a 79-68 loss on November 2nd. Vandeweghe indicated that the team will bring Yi along gradually and cautiously because the 22-year-old is an "important part of the franchise." That return could come as early as Tuesday against Chicago, but the Wednesday or Friday games (Golden State, Indiana) are more likely.
Reintegrating Yi means the Nets will have an intact starting lineup for the first time in more than a month, a process that will likely begin tomorrow – Vandeweghe joked that the starters "will be a huge surprise for everybody," seemingly a nod to Courtney Lee's pending reappearance at tipoff.
Facing the Bobcats offers an interesting opening to Vandeweghe's coaching career, one he and the players are aiming to begin with a win.
"It’s a Larry Brown coached team," Dooling said. "They play the game the right way every night, so hopefully we can match their intensity and get a much-needed win."
Moe Advice for Kiki
Kiki opted to phone a friend in advance of his first night on the bench:
"I called Doug Moe, who I played for," Vandeweghe said. "Doug, he had my number and he said, 'Hey Kiki, how you doing?' And I didn’t answer and he started laughing. He just laughed. He thought it was hysterical. He said, 'See? I told you. I'm going to laugh at you the whole time. You're going to get a player just like you were. Drive you nuts.' But he said he thought it was hysterical (I was) starting against Larry. Obviously, I know him well. He's one of the all-time best coaches. So it'll be fun. He's got his team playing great. They're a little bit ahead of us in their developmental curve. But we'll compete."
Devin Harris Post-Practice Interview
