Hello Again,
The second half of the back-to-back previews, the first team
that I have previewed that is expected to make the playoffs. We will get more
into how good they actually will be.
NEW JERSEY NETS
Key Additions:
Joe Johnson (trade), Reggie Evans (FA), Mirza Teletovic (FA), C.J.
Watson (FA), Andray Blatche (FA)
Key Losses: Jordon Farmar, Anthony Morrow, Johan Petro, a
few Williams’ and other really bad players.
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG: Deron Williams
SG: Johnson
SF: Gerald Wallace
PF: Kris Humphries
C: Brook Lopez
Role Players: Watson, MarShon Brooks, Teletovic, Evans, not
Jerry Stackhouse…or Keith Bogans.
Comments: Avery Johnson will have to deal with some pretty
large expectations this year. Moving to Brooklyn where the fans will surely be
harder than those in New Jersey, and an owner who has gone to great lengths to
make sure that he is better owner than Vladmir Putin (oh wait).
A brief aside about New Jersey: I was recently visiting the
fine state, and I determined that the state needs to either declare its
allegiance to Philadelphia or New York sports, or just split into two states.
The uncertainty in the sports world causes other problems, and I think the
people would be happier with it settled.
Anyways, Deron Williams is arguably the league’s best point
guard. He is strong, is an excellent shooter and passer, and can defend. He has
had to suffer a year and a half with the losers on the Nets, but as long as
everyone is healty, he should have the pieces to raise his game back up to the
level it was with the Jazz. He had a pretty solid Olympics, and it is safe to
say that it won’t be his fault if the team disappoints. C.J. Watson is an OK
backup PG. He doesn’t really pass, which you would want, but his scoring and
defense are good. Part of a very weak Nets bench.
Joe Johnson is the big piece that the Nets added. While he
is no Dwight Howard, he is someone that can be counted on to make any type of
shot at any time. He can take over in the 4th quarter, as can
Williams, so this team should have no problems closing out close games. Johnson
has also really improved his defense over the last few years. He is definitely
not worth 20 mil a year (one of the highest paid players), but he is a
perennial all-star, and the Nets will be considerably better just because of
his arrival. Brooks was a surprise rookie last year, but I have a feeling that
was due to the fact that he was allowed to be a major part of the offense. We
will see how he does in a supporting role. Definitely a capable scorer, he will
have to take on the responsibility as the leader of the bench.
The Nets traded a top-10 draft pick last year for Gerald
Wallace. Wallace is getting a
little old for a player that relies basically on his athleticism, but he is a
quality defender, and if not counted on to score, which he certainly will not
be with this team, will be a valuable contributor to the starting group. I
always wished he was a better shooter or just more assertive on offense, but as
long as he plays solid defense and scores 10-15, he has done his job. This team
actually has no backup SF, unless you count Jerry Stackhouse. Maybe Mirza
Teletovic, but I don’t know much about him except that the Nets thought he was
worth 4 mil, which doesn’t mean much with their owner. He is Bosnian, so he can
probably shoot well and not play defense or rebound, like his fellow European
players.
Kris Humphries has risen to popularity for the wrong reasons
(see Kardashian, Kim), but he has actually been in the league for a while and
only recently has become a really good rebounder, offensive and defensive.
Reggie Evans is a very similar player, just 5 years older. Whenever I think of
Reggie Evans, I think of this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv1cBN8M-9I Both of these guys will stick to
their role as rebounders and defenders, getting put back baskets, and overall
contributing nicely to the team.
The success of the team does not rest on Deron Williams or
Joe Johnson, but the center Brook Lopez. Lopez has really good touch around the
basket, and when healthy has shown the ability to score inside. But, he is
injury prone, and when he is healthy, is not a good defender and a very poor
rebounder. I know, he was on my fantasy team and average 5 rebounds a game.
Unacceptable for someone 7 feet tall. He needs to get stronger inside on the
defensive end, or he will get tooled on by the big men in the east, Andrew
Bynum, KG, Amare, and even Chris Bosh. This team also doesn’t have anyone else
over 6’9, so they will have to acquire a backup big man at some point this
year.
The New Jersey Nets will find out what the Knicks and
Clippers have recently discovered. Putting two quality offensive players does
not translate into immediate success. Williams and Johnson are good enough to
lead this team to a mid-range spot in the playoffs (as high as 4, Heat,
Celtics, and Bulls [given Rose for half a season] are all still better). However, I think they will be a bit
lower. The lack of quality big men and a very weak bench will make it hard for
this team to overcome any adversity that it will surely face.
Next up, Golden State Warriors
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