The Point

Devin Harris is out tonight, which means another start for Keyon Dooling, who has been very good as a starter. He's been pretty good all year.

No question, Dooling is the best backup point guard they've had this century and would have been the best in the Jason Kidd era when the Nets always were looking for a good sub for Kidd.

They tried to get Dooling in 2005, but lost him to the Magic and then-coach, now Nets' assistant Brian Hill. But the Nets are happy they have Dooling now.

Dooling already has more starts this season - four before tonight - than he had the last two years combined (three). That's probably not a good thing because the season is young still and it means Harris has been banged up a little, but fortunately for the Nets it hasn't been anything serious or else they really would need a third point guard

In those four games, despite Dooling's fine play - 17.0 points, 56.5 percent shooting, 4.8 assists - the Nets are 0-4. Maybe that changes tonight with Memphis in town and the Nets trying to creep back to .500.

Now, the Nets can't sleep on Memphis or anyone else at home for that matter since they've been down double figures in something like 14 of 19 home games.

Dooling didn't want to talk about the fans, which is understandable. He was outspoken after the win over the Kings. Remember: "If they come and cheer us, that will be more helpful. ... Unfortunately in this league sometimes you have slow starts or rough starts and cheering would help us get through it."

The Nets have to avoid falling behind by double digits, though. If they're down against the Grizz by 14 in the second period, whoever comes out in this weather, has every right to boo. Yankee fans booed Mariano Rivera. The Nets can be booed.

But again, it's understandable how Dooling feels about the fans' reaction sometimes and that he didn't want to be "a spokesman" for the team about it this morning.

"I'm not going to talk about that today," he said. "It's not going to do anything positive. I think it's blown way out of proportion. It's not a big deal."

***
No real update on Harris. He got the shot and coach Lawrence Frank said it usually takes about 48 hours to work. So Harris is out and we'll know more tomorrow about Friday.

***
Sticking with the point guard theme: at some point the Nets may have to address the need for a third. They probably should have kept Eddie Gill and found a way to eat another contract or whatever, but it's not my money so it's easy for me to say.

If they can't make a trade in the near future, I think they will buy out someone because once you reach February, guys aren't owed as much anyway.

For the time being though, it's Harris, Dooling and Vince Carter and in a pinch Trenton Hassell and Chris Douglas-Roberts.

"It depends on what we need," Frank said. "Defensively, if we need more of a presence then Trenton. If we need another shot creator then it will be Chris."

Douglas-Roberts hasn't played in 2009, though. In his last two games - against Chicago and Detroit after Carter was thrown out - CDR is 0-for-7 with no assists.

Comments

[StevieG]

Keyon and the other Nets should not complain about being booed. If they played with the same intensity and urgency in the 1st half as they did in the 2nd half of the last 2 games, the fans would have appreciated the effort. They look flat at times during the games and they cannot afford to do that. Bring the defensive intensity, attack the basket on offense, and avoid the lethargic play and the fans will cheer.

[Greg]

Why aren't we looking at someone like Luther Head or Janerro Pargo? Eddie Gill is a career D-leaguer. Sorry, but it's the truth.

And CDR is getting the shaft on this. He's not a PG, we're setting him up for failure. He needs more time on the court with VC/Harris and he'll contribute. This guy is a proven winner.

[hulyan]

i hate booing the nets when im there, but when i do. . .they really deserve it. A nets home game is one of the most frustrating things right now for a fan.

[ds]

AL Can you explain why this team gets booed and last year's team didn't??? Seriously nets fans STOP BOOING THESE NETS......Being a Nets fan my whole life and a season ticket holder for 15 yrs I think its ridiculous that we could even think about booing this team. Despite a considerably lower payroll and less talent this team has done nothing but overachieve. This team has shown heart all year (look at the wins in philly, utah, phoenix, toronto and sacramento, atlanta) something that last year's team had none of. I think JKidd described it as a "glass jaw". This team fights back harder than any of the nets teams in the past couple years and with less talent. And give a lot of credit to Keyon Dooling to stepping up and saying something. I think if anything all of the couple thousand fans that actually show up to the arena should cheer this team and support them because at least there seems to be a direction again. Like RJ used to say "Stay classy Jersey".

[Mr. Dollar Bills]

Al,

2 comments:

a) Dooling is one of my favorite players on this team. The guy plays hard on both ends and its a shame that others on the team don't share his intensity. Easily one of Rod Thorn's best FA signings ever.

b)I agree, we should have kept Eddie Gill. I guess the front office thought that it would be better to keep Mo Ager, who would be better served bagging up my groceries at Stop 'n Shop on Rt. 22 instead of pretending to be an NBA 2 guard, than having 3 PGs on the roster!!!

[ecc]

I would have to agree with ds and his point about Nets fans and booing. I have been a fan for a long time and it is almost depressing going to watch them live. Not because of the team or the game, it is mostly the atmosphere. Nobody is into it and most of the people who go don't know a thing about basketball or the Nets for that matter (which explains the booing). I almost want them to move to Brooklyn so they get a better fan base. As for this year's team, nobody thought they would get close to playing .500 ball, let alone be in the running for the playoffs. This was a well put together team and it is fun to watch because they play hard. I loved the Kidd trade when it happened because we got a young point guard in Devin Harris. Kidd was great and I will always be a fan but he wanted out and Thorn did a great job getting the best available PG in return, not to mention 2 first round picks. Loved the Keyon Dooling pick up as well. He always seemed to kill the Nets when they played against him. He plays hard and has impressed me with his overall game. And I can't get mad at him for saying crap about the fans because it’s true. I know the Nets look awful at times especially when they play at home but they are really not that good to begin with. Yes, if the season ended today then they would make the playoffs but they are not close to the elite teams in this league (Boston, Cleveland, Lakers). They have a good foundation and the rebuilding process looks like it will be quicker than originally thought. As for another point guard, they really do need one. Harris is always going to be injury prone and having Mo Ager, Swift, and SW on the roster is just a waste.