The post Jason Kidd era has been tough on the Nets. Jason Kidd was traded to Dallas, fifty-one games into the 2007/08 season, they would finish 34-48 and miss the playoffs. Since then, the Nets are a combined 46-118 in the past two seasons, they started 0-18 last season and finished 12-70. Kidd is gone, Richard Jefferson is gone, Vince Carter is gone. The Nets haven't made the playoffs since 2006-07 and they're in a slump, but, these are all things that happen when a team is rebuilding. These are the tell-tale signs, people. This isn't the time for hanging your heads. This should be the time that Nets fans start to get excited about their future. Look at the list, it's all there, these are the things that teams do before and while trying to rebuild, and the Nets have done them all. Here are the four phases, in no specific order, that should let you know that a rebuild is happening/coming. 1- They go out and grab big named help: The Nets landed Vince Carter, believing maybe the talk about him folding in big games was all just hype.
2- Panic sets in and the fire-sale on all big named players with big money ensues: They deal Kidd to Dallas, the move RJ to Milwaukee and they trade Carter to Orlando.
3- They draft a stud, who can essentially be the future of said team: Brook Lopez. In this case, the phases weren't exactly in order, because Lopez was drafted before the fire-sale was completed, that tends to be the way it works sometimes.
4- While dealing these big named guys, the team locks up some young prospects, contracts to dump and draft picks. The Nets did all of these things, they landed prospects such as Devin Harris, Travis Outlaw, Anthony Morrow, Courtney Lee. They got contracts they could dump or trade, like Troy Murphy, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie. They also did a good job of using some draft picks. They got Terrence Williams, Brook Lopez, Ryan Anderson and Derrick Favors.
Fast-forward to the 2010/11 season, and the Nets are still playing abysmal ball, and now my "phases to a rebuild" theory has more holes in it than Dennis Rodman's brain https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGdI2RQ0uVLNxH4Sxj9WQ9wHcgjClypCYNExc2z_CtUDfylc3Xa7KAokX-vGJGuYl0940UEMxwSeylYe1KgT8MPo5a5IVL20imh9mLsm46TZVJkhdw-j2VzR05aWmUyV6kLyGHKZPe9k/s1600/Rodman+ventral+brain.jpg (that is a real ventral of Rodman's brain, folks). Anyways, the point I'm trying to get at, is this. Things normally get worse before they get better, the quiet before the storm, if you will. Even celebrated franchise teams, such as the Lakers and the Celtics have hard times, people forget things fast, but, both Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce were asking for trades before their GM's went out and got them help. Brook Lopez is the Nets future player, he's not as good of a rebounder as i though he would be, he's not greatly athletic, but, he commands double teams with his inside post game, can score in bunches, can shoot the ball well and blocks shots. Finding "Big Men" in today's NBA that can score is a big deal, they're not a dime-a-dozen. A lot of teams don't have an answer for it. Name me five NBA centers that you would bet your life savings on to go out and get you twenty points for three games in a row..... Still nothing? I'll make it easier, name three... I didn't think so. Brook Lopez and Dwight Howard may be the only two, and that could be pushing it. The thing is, Brook has a better offensive game than Howard, he has a back-to-the-basket repertoire and he can convert from the line (.812 career). If you think that having a 7-footer with an offensive arsenal isn't coveted, go ask Stan Van Gundy, or watch the fits he breaks into http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rztY0oxObXI when Howard can't convert from inside eight feet, or make ten of his twenty-two free throws to seal a playoff victory.
So now that I've convinced you of Brook Lopez, i have convinced you, correct? If not, scroll back up and re-read. Let's move on to the next step for the Nets. They have some pieces in place to compliment Brook, they have a solid, all-star caliber point guard in Devin Harris, they have prospects in Terrence Williams and Derrick Favors and they also have role players in Travis Outlaw, Troy Murphy, Chris Humphries, Anthony Morrow and Jordan Farmar. To be realistic, my guess is they'll need a SF or SG with big time scoring capability before they become a true contender in the East. Which also means that some of the before mentioned names will have to be on the block, the most obvious is Troy Murphy, because he has an 11 million dollar contract that is nearing expiration and because Murphy is a pretty solid player, making him a decent trade prospect, beyond just his dollar value. Another trading piece the Nets may need to exercise, would be their rookie, Favors. Favors could be the asking price of many teams willing to part ways with a skilled veteran, because of his upside. My last real trading scenario, not a popular one, is dealing Devin Harris, he's a crafty six year vet, with a skill-set that would undoubtedly draw in suitors from across the league. Of course, any of these trades would have to net the Nets something special, whenever you're talking about dealing a player of Harris's ability or a young, raw talent to be, such as Favors, the risk is high. Nobody wants to be the GM to trade the next big time stud. But, as with all trades, there is a risk and reward factor, and that will be for the Nets front office to figure out. Carmelo Anthony in a Navy and Grey uniform does have a subtle, attractive lure to it. Only time will tell. In the mean time. I believe that the Nets still have a decent enough shot at taking the 7 or 8 seed for the 2011 playoffs, it's not impossible. Chemistry is a tricky thing, i think they have a solid eight-man rotation to work with, they have their stars, in Lopez and Harris. They just need to find a way to mesh together and make things work. I can see them finishing 42-40, which could net you a playoff birth in the East, the Bulls netted the eight-seed at 41-41 last season. But, for all of you optimists, lol, for all of you who have given up hope completely this season. Here is a list of free agent help for next season.
Caron Butler, Carmelo Anthony, Tayshaun Prince, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Zach Randolph, David West, Jason Richardson, Carl Landry, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Andrei Kirilenko and Josh Howard all come off the books after next season. All unrestricted free agents, some are far more ideal than others, but, i believe they all have value when mixed and matched correctly. Happy hunting!
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