Offseason Overview: New Jersey Nets

June 29, 2009 12:41pm CDT

The Nets opened last season as a playoff contender in the East but waned to mediocrity in the second half of the year. The trade of a superstar in Vince Carter certainly hurts their chances to compete in 2009-10, and Lawrence Frank, the head coach in the last year of his contract, couldn't have been happy about that. The Nets are still blessed with a fine young nucleus of players and two potential stars in Devin Harris and Brook Lopez, and they still have hope of fighting for a playoff spot before being big players in the summer of 2010.

Cap Situation: $54.55 million committed to 14 players. League salary cap estimated at $58 million for 2009-2010 season. These figures do not yet factor in rookies.

Current Players: Bobby Simmons, Devin Harris, Keyon Dooling, Eduardo Najera, Yi Jianlian, Brook Lopez, Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, Sean Williams, Josh Boone, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Trenton Hassell (early termination option), Jarvis Hayes (team option)

Rookies: Terrence Williams

Free Agents: Maurice Ager

5 Burning Questions

1) Was moving Vince Carter the right decision?
Trade rumors regarding Carter had been surfacing for quite some time, and Nets' general manager Rod Thorn has actually come out and said that anyone other than Brook Lopez would be available for the right price. Still, it came as somewhat of a shock when the official announcement was made that Vince would be joining the Eastern Conference champs in Orlando. Coupled with Harris and Lopez, the Nets could have easily been a competitive team in the East, as they were over the first half of the 2008-09 season, and Carter's 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and perimeter shooting will be incredibly hard, if not impossible, to replace. Losing Ryan Anderson could not have been the easiest thing either, but Courtney Lee is a nice addition to the puzzle. Rafer Alston and Tony Battie both come off the books after this season, while Carter will be due $17.5 million over the 2010-11 campaign. The Nets still have a chance to be relatively competitive with a fine young core led by Harris and Lopez, though the clear motive here was to free up space for the star-studded 2010 free agency class. The Nets will have loads of room to make a move.

2) Can Harris and/or Lopez make the jump toward joining the elite at their position?
Both players are already pretty darn close, and hard work this offseason could catapult each into perennial All-Stars for years to come. Harris, who made his first All-Star team last year, was one of Danny Granger's top competitors for Most Improved Player of the Year after adding six points to his average per game in his first full season in New Jersey. Devin is one of the quickest players in the league and gets to the line at will, as he was top-five in the NBA in both free throws attempted and made. Unfortunately, that can result in the slight-statured Wisconsin-alum to get a bit banged up, but as long as he can stay healthy and improve his three-point range this offseason, it's safe to say Harris will be mentioned amongst the game's top point guards. Lopez is not far from the discussion of top centers, either. The seven-footer showed wonderful progression throughout his rookie season, finishing with great per-game averages of 13 points, eight rebounds, and nearly two blocks, not to mention fine percentages of 53.1 from the field and 79.3 from the free throw line. He is not yet at the superstar level of Dwight Howard or Yao Ming, but Lopez could easily contend for the All-NBA third team at center, without much competition in a declining Shaquille O'Neal and an injury-prone Andrew Bogut, to name a few.

3) Was Terrence Williams the right pick at No. 11 in the draft?
The Nets are weak at both forward positions and also lost their starting shooting guard in Carter, so it made sense to draft Williams, a combo guard-forward that adds nice versatility to the lineup. He could push Bobby Simmons, despite the ridiculous eight-figures that he'll be making this season, for the starting gig at the three right off the bat. It's likely that Williams will be used more often at small forward than shooting guard given the presence of Courtney Lee, who should get well over 30 minutes a game. Not only is Williams is a long 6-foot-6 and with decent strength at 213 pounds, but he was also one of the best athletes the draft had to offer and has a nice all-around offensive game with potential to become one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA. Overall, Williams looks like a fine selection at No. 11.

4) What moves will the Nets make before the start of the season?
While this may not be the most exciting answer for the fans in New Jersey, the Nets will probably not do much more this summer. Given that they still have to sign Williams and should be right around the threshold for the salary cap once they do, management may remain mostly stagnant when it comes to activity in the free agent market. Rod Thorn has already stated that the Nets could opt to carry a player less than the 15-player roster can hold, given the current economy that we all live in. That means one of the players currently on the roster could be cut or that Jarvis Hayes' option may not be picked up. The one possible move I could foresee would be a deal involving Yi Jianlian. He did not win the graces of the Nets' staff last season due to poor defense, rebounding and passing skills, but he does remain a relatively attractive trade commodity with nice potential, given his fine combination of size and shooting tough, not to mention the economic side of things with the great Chinese market that he brings along with him.

5) What do the Nets have to do to bring in LeBron James next offseason?
The Nets have made their desires to land King James no secret, especially given co-owner Jay-Z's close relationship with LeBron, and they do appear to be one of the top potential destinations for James once he becomes a free agent following the 2009-10 season. The Nets will have more than enough money to lure LeBron, as nearly everyone outside of Harris, Lopez, Lee and Williams will be coming off the books, most significantly Simmons and the big money he's been getting since his last deal. Still, a few things will have to happen before James makes New Jersey his new kingdom. First, the Nets will have to prove that they can be a competitive team. James would have a fine cast of players to work with in Harris, Lopez, Lee, Williams, not to mention Chris Douglas-Roberts and Jianlian, but that cast has to prove that they can be at least competitive in the East to show LeBron that they could be legit title contenders with his addition. The other aspect is out of the Nets' hands, as they have to hope that the Shaq experiment in Cleveland ends up flopping. you have to assume LeBron would stay put with the Cavs if they win a title before he hits the market.

Ideal Situation: There aren't a whole lot of moves the Nets need to make, or will make, this summer following the blockbuster trade of Carter. Expect them to mostly stand pat, with the possible exception of a Jianlian deal, and hope that their young core of Harris, Lopez, Lee, Douglas-Roberts and Williams can mesh well enough and show enough maturity to at least be a contender for the No. 7 or 8 spot in the East. Basically, the Nets will look to get whatever positive signs they can out of their roster this year and tread water before Bobby Simmons and company come off the books in 2010.

Resulting Depth Chart
PG: Devin Harris / Rafer Alston / Keyon Dooling
SG: Courtney Lee / Chris Douglas-Roberts / Trenton Hassell
SF: Terrence Williams / Bobby Simmons / Jarvis Hayes
PF: Yi Jianlian / Eduardo Najera / Sean Williams
C: Brook Lopez / Josh Boone / Tony Battie

Strengths: Young potential stars, perimeter shooting, quickness, backcourt depth
Weaknesses: Rebounding, size, immaturity