2007 New Jersey Nets Playoff Hopes
New York's Other Pro Basketball Team Struggles for Postseason Play
Feb 21, 2007
It has been a very good 2000’s for the New Jersey Nets NBA team. 5 consecutive years in the playoffs, 2 of them in the NBA finals, with this being a remarkable turnaround for what had been a doormat franchise for over 20 years. Much of this consistent success can be attributed to Jason Kidd and Vince Carter. Though the NBA team as a whole is nearing an end of a talent cycle, this NBA season has shown that the window of possibility for these Nets is still open.
Carter at 30 is having one of his best seasons of his career, and the trajectory for his fellow All-Star Kidd who’ll soon be 34 is at least a stable one at present. His season numbers are a virtual mirror of his career marks, but his shooting at .432 is an up tick from his norm and the percentage from long range is improved also. Off-court divorce issues surrounding the Nets point guard certainly aren’t helping, and trade rumors involving the Lakers before the approaching 2007 trade deadline are swirling, but for now the Big 2 of the Nets are standing tall.
What is needed is a healthy return of Richard Jefferson from ankle surgery to make it the Big 3. His 16 points per game are badly missed, and when Kidd and Carter are bottled up, there isn’t a solid option for Coach Lawrence Frank to go to. Rookie Marcus Williams will be a long-term solution at point guard, but he’s still young and erratic. Kristic is having a career year across the board in stats, (the .526 field goal average is sweet) and he has upside at 23, but they aren’t going to run their offense through him just yet. With Jefferson’s projected return in mid-March, they need to cruise until then at .500, and they will have a strong chance at getting the Atlantic title.
It’s the forward outlook for this team that is most intriguing. Kidd’s contract ($18 million this year, $40 million over the next two guaranteed) is a huge albatross. No matter what he’s shown this season, there won’t be a better time to move him in the next two years. What a team like the Lakers would give up in return could be the impasse point. New Jersey would love to have a banger to complement Kristic, especially since Jason Collins has been so unreliable so the health of Kwame Brown could be the key to this deal. The Nets would be foolish not to demand either Brown or Andrew Bynum in return. They’ll still need a point also as it’s unlikely they’ll play Williams 38 minutes and give up on this season. Sasha Vujacic does not help with this need, but he’s money when he gets the ball delivered to him in the right spots.
Mikki Moore has been a nice fit, and they need to lock him up for at least two more years. Eddie House is shooting over .400 from three range and needs more minutes. The rest of the bench, save for Nachbar who shows signs of finally understanding the American pro game, and Josh Boone the other UConn rookie, is a clear-out situation. The draft could be their friend if they fall into the lottery; otherwise, if they move Kidd, they’ll have scads of cash to lure free agents with.
Frank has to feel that it’s get it done or get out this year, so this situation bears watching as the conflict between management’s vision for the team (mostly how to dump Kidd’s money) and the team’s needs on the floor (more scoring) may come to a head. With the Knicks on the upswing, and Toronto riding their youth to a fragile lead atop the Atlantic, it is a doable task for the Nets to keep their playoff streak alive
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