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NEW JERSEY NETS 2007-2008 SEASON ANALYSIS
The New Jersey Nets ought to be ashamed of themselves! There is no logical explanation for the lackluster effort exerted by their players night in and night out. In fact, I would go as far as saying that each and every player on the Net’s roster needs to publicly apologize to the fans before the season comes to a close. It is sickening just how poorly New Jersey has played in ’08. Considering the landscape of the National Basketball Association, the Nets unquestionably have enough quality ball players to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Tragically, though, the tantalizing trio of stars Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson underperformed in such a mind-boggling manner that the Nets did not qualify for the playoffs in the lowly East. The lone bright spot of the year for the Nets is the Jason Kidd for Devin Harris trade. Kidd is still one of the top five point guards in the NBA, but he is already thirty-five years old and on the down swing of his illustrious career (read below for more on Devin Harris). NEW JERSEY NETS -- TOP 3 PLAYERS1. Richard Jefferson — 22.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.1 apg, .9 spg, 79.8% (FT%), 36.2% (3p%), 46.6% (FG%), 39 mpg
Richard Jefferson is the least guilty of the N.J. big three. His mentality remains the same for every game. Attack! Attack! Attack! There is nothing R.J. enjoys more than giving the rim a run for its money as often as possible with brutal tomahawks and sleek windmills. He has also greatly progressed this season as a shooter, after putting in the work during the offseason.
2. Devin Harris – 15.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 6.5 apg, 1.4 spg, 82.9% (FT%), 33.5 mpg
Devin Harris, as I briefly mentioned above, is in fact the lone bright spot for the New Jersey Nets this year. The Nets got their point guard for the present and of the future (it’s only his third year as a pro.). His quickness off the dribble is astounding, and he is very adroit at laying the ball up and in over defenders. Harris is a decent shooter, but he much prefers to lead the New Jersey fastbreak. His alley-oop options are practically endless since he can lob it to Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, or Sean Williams.
3. Vince Carter – 21.3 ppg, 6 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1.2 spg, 81.6% (FT%), 35.9 (3p%), 45.6% (FG%), 38.9 mpg
If one were to look soley at Vince Carter’s stats this season, he would come to the conclusion that Carter had yet another tremendous year in the NBA. Sure, there is some truth to that. Unfortunately, I have to disagree with the common assessment of Vince Carter’s season. In the several Nets games which I have viewed during the 2007-08 season, I have noticed that Carter is almost sleepwalking out there. He seems unmotivated, unfocused, and unathletic (of course compared to his old self). He is such a naturally gifted athlete that he appears to have trouble staying motivated to play the game of basketball at a superstar level. Instead, Carter settles for vacationing during All Star Weekend and getting an early start on fishing while sixteen other NBA teams are duking it out for the championship. IT IS A CRYING SHAME THAT HE WOULD CHOOSE THE EASY PATH!
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