NBA TV Preview

Are the New Jersey Nets a looming Eastern Conference powerhouse, or were they simply the beneficiaries of good fortune last season, when they finished 49-33 and cruised to a division title.

Time will tell, but there's no question that 2005-06 was a best-case scenario for the Nets. New Jersey's talented triumvirate of superstars – Vince Carter, Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson – missed only nine games among them, and four of those were in the final two games of the season while they rested up for the playoffs. In 2004-05, for comparison, the Big Three missed 70 games.

Nenad Krstic (2 games missed), Jason Collins (11) and top reserve Clifford Robinson (2) also stayed healthy, which kept New Jersey's best players on the floor and didn't expose New Jersey's underwhelming second unit.

New Jersey's only productive bench player, Robinson, turns 40 in December. Nets reserves were outscored by 7.8 ppg last year, so wholesale changes are being made. Jacque Vaughn signed with San Antonio, Scott Padgett and Zoran Planinic were waived and Lamond Murray remains a free agent.

In their stead, the Nets are counting on veteran forward Mikki Moore and guard Eddie House, as well as several young players.

UConn teammates Marcus Williams, a point guard, and Josh Boone, a 6-10 forward, were selected with consecutive first-round picks. Both might have the opportunity to contribute as rookies, though Boone will be sidelined until December with a shoulder injury. Williams might be the best understudy that Jason Kidd has had with the Nets.

"Not to put any pressure on the coaches but I think they both should play," General Manager Ed Stefanski said on draft night. "Rookies are hard to get in the lineup but these kids have a lot of experience from a high-level program and played against very good competition in the Big East. So I think these kids are little bit ahead of most rookies."

Mile Ilic, a 7-footer selected by the Nets in the second round of the 2005 Draft, has signed a multi-year deal. He draws comparisons to Krstic, his countryman from Serbia, and gives the Nets four 7-footers.

As long as Lawrence Frank can trot out Carter, Kidd and Jefferson, all is well in the swamp, where the Nets have had five straight winning seasons for the first time in franchise history and figure to add a sixth in 2006-07.

Though we're getting a little ahead of ourselves, it's not to soon to suggest a change in playoff seeding could hurt the Nets come playoff time. Since they project as the third-best division winner once again, the Nets could lose the #3 seed to a better team from another division. That would likely put them on the same side of the bracket as the #1 seed and hinder their chances to advance very far.
-- Bill Evans

2006-07 Nets Mini-Plans

Kidd

We've seen nothing yet that foretells a decline in the skills of Jason Kidd, but the 12-year veteran bears watching.

Kidd turned 33 this year, an age at which the wear and tear on his body must be managed by Head Coach Lawrence Frank, especially during the regular season.

Kidd played 80 games a year ago, averaging better than 37 minutes a game, a heavy load for someone who missed 31 games over the previous two seasons with knee injuries.

Over the final two months of the 2005-06 season, Kidd's shooting percentage dipped to just over 35 percent and his scoring average dropped four points, so there is evidence that he tired late in the year.
-- Bill Evans

X&O STRENGTH

Frank

They're a good defensive team. They're aggressive and they've got quickness ... With Kidd, Carter and Jefferson, they can push the ball.

X&O WEAKNESS
They would like to be a running team, but for some reason, they got bogged down in a half-court game last year. I think that's when they struggled some.

HEAD COACH PHILOSOPHY
Lawrence Frank is a good defensive coach and they're easily the best defensive team in the division, but I'd look for them to play a little more zone than they did last year.
-- Kevin Loughery (courtesy of the National Basketball Coaches Association)

It's not exclusively a Princeton offense like it was a couple of years ago. They'll run it until Carter gets the ball on the wing and then everybody gets out of the way.
You're just trying to get to get him out of his comfort zone, maybe catch the ball a step or two further out, so that he doesn't use that explosive first step to get to the basket in one dribble. You've got to make him using at least two dribbles and give the defense a chance to rotate.
Collins is one of the guys you can rotate off. Since Kenyon Martin left, they have not found a four who can score consistently and keep the defense honest.
They have great concepts defensively. They keep the ball on the side as well as anybody. They have a solid handle on when to double, who to double and where the double is coming from.
The key against any defensive team is to make sure that you get ball and player movement so that they can't get set. If you can reverse the ball once or twice, invariably something breaks down.
-- Eastern Conference Scout

Nenad Krstic: Krstic had solid post-All-Star Break and playoff numbers and will likely build upon that performance this season.

Jason Collins: A steady starter in the NBA? Sure. A viable fantasy option? Nah…

More fantasy news

The Nets’ triumvirate has struck a balance – nobody is a complete stat hog – although this harmony keeps both Kidd and Carter out of the first round of fantasy drafts. Grab RJ. Let Kidd and Vinsanity fall to you but don’t reach. Marcus Williams is money, but probably not this year unless Kidd gets hurt. Don’t expect much from the rookies or Jay Williams. Look for Krstic to help many a fantasy team, and for the Nets to advance in the playoffs but fall short of the Finals.
--Josh Whitling
Nets Fantasy Preview

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