New Jersey Nets 2009-2010 Preview

General — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:25:30 +0000

Background of 2009-2010 New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets finished the 2008-2009 season with a 34-48 and well beyond a playoff spot. Their main offseason move included trading away their lone superstar caliber player in Vince Carter. In exchange they got Orlando Magic’s starting backcourt in the 2009 NBA Finals. While that sounds intriguing from that perspective, it is in fact quite misleading. Courtney Lee is still a second year player not too different from the Nets’ Chris-Douglas Roberts and Rafer Alston will most likely be the Nets’ third string point guard. So with that said, there’s not all that much that Nets fans are looking for beyond this year. One thing is that alot of players are in contract years, and the team will next year be handed over to a new Russian Billionaire owner, so this young team will have to mature quick if they want to have a chance to stay with the team for an extended period of time.

Nets additions in 2010

Courtney Lee

Rafer Alston

Tony Battie

Terrence Williams

Nets departures in 2010

Vince Carter

Ryan Anderson

Probably Starting Lineup for the 2009 2010 New Jersey Nets

PG – Devin Harris
SG – Courtney Lee
SF – Bobby Simmons
PF – Yi Jianlian
C – Brook Lopez

New Jersey Nets Guards

The New Jersey Nets have the quickest backcourt in the league bar none. Devin Harris last year had a phenomenal season in which he averaged 21 points and 7 assists and rightfully earned himself a spot on the Eastern Conference All Star team. The only concern is whether he can put up this kind of numbers on a consistent basis during a 82 game stretch. Last year he showed signs of fatigue towards the end of the season, and this year with the loss of Vince Carter their will be even more burden for Harris to carry this team. His new starting backcourt mate is second year guard Courtney Lee. Lee flew under the radar most of his rookie year despite playing quite amazingly well on a championship level team, and he kept this steady performance throughout the 2009 playoffs. He can run the floor, shoot the 3 with accuracy, pull up for jumpers, take it strong to the rack, and is a top level perimeter defender. Long story short he is a top level player and the Nets should be happy in having landed him.

The reserves at the point guard spots include Keyon Dooling and Rafer Alston – both previous Orlando Magic PG’s. Both of these guys are capable of being a starting level PG in this league and it seems like a waste to have all the talent on this team in the same positions. A Rafer Alston trade wouldn’t be unexpected. At the shooting guard reserve spots you have capable second year man Chris-Douglas Robets, Jarvis Hayes, and 11th pick Terrence Williams out of Louisville who all are players deserving of minutes. This amount of depth should hopefully create a competitive atmosphere allowing these players to play at the top level.

New Jersey Nets Forwards

Bobby Simmons most likely will get the start at the 3 spot, but he’s no longer the efficient player that he was once known for. Last year he average 8 points and 4 rebounds, and with the amount of depth this team has on the wings, could see his minutes limited even further. Trenton Hassel and Eduardo Najera are there for Lawrence Frank to take advantage of but all these players are on the downward cycle of their career and are better suited for being a reserve player on a talented team rather than main players on a lesser team.

The Power forward position is where the Nets are probably the thinnest with Chinese forward Yi Jianlian starting at the position. He is a an athletic player with enough skill in his game to do well in his league, but his inconsistency combined with his lack of mental strength prevent the Nets from being really confident in him. If he’s to have a breakout year, this should be it because he’s not going to get too many more chances to show that he can be relied upon as a starter. Tony Battie is the main reserve power forward for this NJ team. He might not look it, but he’s a surprisingly good shooter who puts in the work and makes an impact with limited minutes given to him. He should be a welcomed surprise for this team that has had problems with front court depth for quite a while now.

New Jersey Nets Centers

Brook Lopez really impressed people around the league last year with his strong play right from the get go of his rookie year. He ended up leading all rookies in field goal percentage and blocks and was second in rebounds. He will have plenty of time to grow and officially cement his status as a top center in this league. Josh Boone is the main backup center and while is a good rebounded, he’s only 6’10 and has a horrific 37% FT % that he will need to work on if he wants to have a chance to touch the ball on the offensive end.

Best Case Scenario for the New Jersey Nets

There’s a potential 8th seed up for grabs for a surprise Eastern conference team, but for that team to be the Nets, some trades will need to be made. If they can somehow acquire a player like Boozer or Amare, then this team will have what it takes to become the 8th seed. But that is a huge IF.

Worst Case Scenario for the New Jersey Nets

The NJ Nets are a young and inexperienced team with a 26 year old PG in charge of carring and leading them. They lack depth and talent in the front court and way too much competition on the wings, if they don’t resolve this issue then they’re as safe bet for the lottery as you can find.

Nets 2010 Outlook

The Nets won’t make the playoffs, but the backcourt of Lee and Harris could prove to be a tandem with potential. Lopez as well is a solid young player for this team that should contribute for years to come. If Yi Jianlian develops and the Nets pick up another talented forward, then they could very well be on their way to the playoffs in a year or two.

New Jersey Nets 2010 Predictions

Record: 28-54

Surprise Player: Courtney Lee proving he’s couple years away from being a true All Star

Key Player: Yi Jianlian and whether he can be that solid contributor at the forward position that the Nets desperately need.

That wraps up the New Jersey Nets 2009-2010 season preview and our detailed look at the Nets in the 2010 NBA season.

NBA Basketball » New Jersey Nets 2009 2010