According to Yahoo Sports writer Adam Wojnarowski, the Nets have signed forward Jarvis Hayes to a two-year contract, reportedly worth four million a season.

If you could have heard Hayes on the phone after the contract was signed, it probably would have sounded something like this:

There’s a party goin’ on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times, and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you

Watching this guy on Detroit last season was almost miserable. Wherever he’s gone, he’s been a more than adequate bench guy who can hit the open three and play solid defense. Why the Pistons cut his playing time in half was a mystery to me, but in the end, Hayes got the last laugh. Despite averaging only 15 minutes a game last year, a good seven minutes less than he’s averaged throughout his career, he was still scoring nearly seven points a game.

So what can Nets fans expect from him?

He’s th type of player that can play his game on any team. Expect another option off the bench who is dependable on offense and trustworthy on defense. With guys like Bobby Simmons, Sean Williams, Trenton Hassell and recently signed Chris Douglas-Roberts and hopefully Boki Nachbar coming off the bench, this team will have plenty of options. As I’ve said before, with the Eastern Conference being so weak, it’s an almost certainty that this team will be able to fight for the last two playoff spots.

On another note, the Nets also introduced Yi Jianlian and Simmons this past week to the media and I’ve got to say, you gave to be dead to not start getting excited about the potential of this team. Sure, not having guys like Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd around at first is going to hurt, but at least they have a well-balanced team with both youth, size and speed.

Brook Lopez is going to be a fun player to watch and even though some insiders see him as a potential flop, he might surprise a few people with his shooting ability. I think with more polish on defense [when he's not blocking the crap out of shots] Sean Williams can develop into a solid NBA forward/center. With Josh Boone, I’d like him to take a few more chances on offense and use his size a little more.

Al in all, this offseason has been different from the past few years, but this season is looking to be a fun one, even if it is one that will go down as a developmental one.