Unless the Nets make another blockbuster - and they have the pieces - next season is going to be about developing the young guys.
Sound familiar? That was the plan this past season. They went away from it a little because of the Nets' fast start, but coach Lawrence Frank did have many of his players perform better than expected.
Encore time.
Next season, as of now, is about Devin Harris becoming more of a leader and complete player, Brook Lopez taking the next step and Yi Jianlian taking a giant step, about Courtney Lee becoming a reliable scorer and player, about Terrence Williams showcasing his skills and contributing on both ends, and Chris Douglas-Roberts building off of his end of season.
"Yes, it's still about developing guys," Rod Thorn said. "The guys here pass the ball and those are easy guys to play with. They're not only quick. They're not only athletic, but they'll pass the ball. I'm excited about it. I'm looking forward to it."
Wins and Losses? Can't talk about that yet.
"I don't think we're a finished product," Thorn said. "I think you'll see us do other things between now and the start of the season."
The Nets have pieces, expiring contracts (seven), three trade exceptions (they can't be combined) and as many six picks in the next two drafts.
***
I like Terrence Williams as a quote and as a player. I think it came down to him and Tyler Hansbrough last night.
Hansbrough is an ultra-competitive guy with a legendary work ethic. The Nets haven't had a guy that really cares about winning so much that it hurts when they lose since Jason Kidd left. You want guys who will do anything to win.
That said, Williams is more versatile, better defensively and he's built solid. He talked about working with Gary Payton in Vegas for 4-5 hours a day for like six weeks before he began his workouts with teams.
"As soon as school was over I started doing it," he said. "It will take a long time for me to get out of shape."
Plenty of talk about his athleticism, defense, passing and shot at his introductory press conference today.
Thorn called Williams "one of the best athletes in this draft, if not the best athlete."
"He's a high flyer. He's spectacular."
They all talked about Williams being a great passer and making players better.
"When I saw him work out," Frank said, "I said, 'You know, at the end of the day his best position may be point guard,' because he has great ball skills and loves to pass. I think that's contagious."
Williams said he patterned his game after Magic Johnson, but he never played defense. Williams said his play on that end comes from watching Bruce Bowen and defense was stressed heavily by the Nets. Let's be honest. They need someone to play it.
"They want me to be D-minded and come in and help out a lot and play defense," Williams said. "[There are] some guys that they thought could get better on defense and they want me to try to lead with my defense on the court."
As for his shot, Williams believes he's a good shooter.
"I believe if you leave me open I'm going to make the shot," he said. "Give me 10, I'm going to make seven. All I can do is work, try to improve and go from there. With hard work, it happens. It'll pay off."
***
The trade would have worked without the inclusion of Ryan Anderson, but that was the only way the Magic would give up Courtney Lee. Otherwise it might have been J.J. Reddick coming here.
Thorn thinks Lee can be a mid-teens scorer on average, by the way.
***
The R word came up at Williams' press conference.
"With the other move we made yesterday, we are obviously retooling our team, heading in a different direction, and we feel very strongly that Terrence can be a big part of that," Thorn said.
Retool?
"Anytime you trade a player like Carter, who's a great player, you're re-tooling, re-trenching, rebuilding whatever word you want use for it," Thorn said. "He's a great player."
Why do executives have a hard time saying rebuilding?
"I think it's a question of semantics. They all mean the same thing."
Big gamble on Twill. You can't survive in the nba without a really good jumper especially on the wing. They'll sag and screw up your whole offensive set. I've got my fingers crossed, but he's not 20, he's got a long college history and he's prob what he will always be - a physical specimen who can't shoot. Its a gamble... I'm rooting for him. Gives a good quote though - he's saying all the right things so far huh? Maybe too perfect but hey that's why he's got his own PR staffer! I got a lot of trust in Thorn and Kiki. Doubt Thorn and Kiki can both get hoodwinked. I'm hoping for the best for him and our Nets. I hope he puts it all together man, he'll be deadly if he can.
Posted by: Rich | June 28, 2009 at 12:16 AM
No gamble at all on twill. this guy is not only the best athlete in the draft, he is the best basketball player in the draft. rich, by february, you will be gushing over kiki and thorn's eye for talent. you will be wondering how in the world twill didn't go in the top 3 in the draft.
Posted by: jab | June 30, 2009 at 08:39 AM
The Nets should make up their minds which way they are going. Either rebuild and play the young players and lose alot of games and get a high lottery pick or try to win now. I don't believe you can do both. If the Nets played their young players mistakes and all (Including Yi) they might of lost more games but they would have had a better lotto pick and might of been able to draft the PF they need. They lucked out in 2008 getting Lopez with the 10 pick. I think they might of gotten really lucky this year with T. Williams at 11. You can't rely on luck next year. Play the young players and take your lumps now. The NBA rewards losing big. The fans will understand. As for Carter (a class act) he was not the answer. With Vince the Nets would win more games this year but at the expense of less playing time for the youngsters and a worse Lotto pick in nexts years draft. Winning 36 games this year by playing veterans at crunch time to steal a few games is not the answer. Play Yi, CDR, etc. until you are sure they are keepers or not. I wouldn't mind finishing 20-62 and getting a top 3 draft pick next year. Remember we can't count on getting Lebron, Wade, Bosch etc. Lets go Nets!!!
Posted by: Mike G. | June 30, 2009 at 03:26 PM