When Devin Harris was traded to the Nets last season, many fans were in a state of shock. Sure, Jason Kidd and the organization were having their problems, but many were hoping that they would eventually be worked out. When they weren’t and Harris was brought in, no one knew what to expect. They knew the kid had talent, but they also knew he’d been in the shadows in Dallas for a few seasons.

Could he rise above it all and be the player the team needed?

Right away, Harris brought an intensity to the team and averaged 15.4 points the rest of the season, giving many fans and the organization hope that he could not only replace Kidd, but could also be a leader. Scoring only 37 points through his first three games this season, the pundits out there were already accusing Harris of not being able to lead on offense. What occurred afterwards was something that no one expected, as Harris rattled off six 30-point games in the next 10 games he plated. Again, the pundits had their voices heard, as they believed Harris’ stats had more to do with Vince Carter being the real leader on the Nets offense, which of course had made “The Blur,” as he is often called by Nets play by play guy Ian Eagle, the recipient of way too many open looks. Those same pundits also felt that Harris would return to the role player numbers he had in Dallas as the season progressed and Carter would again be the main offensive focal point on the team.

Wrong.

While he has cooled off considerably in January, the entire Nets team hasn’t been on their best behavior as well, playing sub-par second half basketball as a whole. That also shows that Harris’ contributions this season have played an instrumental part in the team’s success. When Harris is off his game, the Nets feel it and so does Carter. When you think of what an All-Star is supposed to mean to his team, you really can’t ask for more.

There’s also the question as to how much of a role has Carter played played in Harris’ success. While it is absolutely unconscionable to say that Carter scoring 20 points a night hasn’t played a role in Harris’ play this season, you can’t have two All-Stars on a sub.500 team. If the Nets were over .500 however, I think the possibility of seeing the both of them there would have been much higher. But the way the coaches see it and the way many other people see it, Harris has been the better player.

That’s why he’s the All-Star.

When you also consider the fact that Jason Kidd is obviously not having the season that he’d like to be having this year and Harris is, his value to the team is at an all-time high right now.

He deserves it.

Photo by Bill Menzel.

When your in the midst of a four-game losing streak, the last team you want to face is a team as dangerous as the San Antonio Spurs.

However, it’s impossible to know when a team is going to struggle when the schedules are made, so the Nets will either have to rise above the adversity beleaguering them, by playing hard and consistent basketball for 48 minutes or, much like they have over the past four games, give up leads and forget how to play defense and score in the third and fourth quarter.

The choice will ultimately be up to them.

Williams back from D-League- After an eight-game stint with the team’s affiliate in the developmental league, second year center Sean Williams is back with the team. How much they’ll use him is totally up in the air. With Brook Lopez needing minutes and Josh Boone being a dependable understudy, Williams would best be used in a trade to bolster the bench, which has let them down on occasion this season, causing Vince Carter and Devin Harris to be collectively benched on Saturday.

That of course is a story for perhaps another time, but at the very least, the Nets should consider benching people that aren’t producing half of the team’s offense every night and doing everything they can to keep this team afloat.

Simmons Trade Rumors- Averaging just eight points a game in 26 minutes of action a night, Bobby Simmons has not been the replacement for Richard Jefferson the team has needed. With the rumors of a possible trade with the Bulls for Larry Hughes in the works, the Nets have an opportunity to bolster their team and add some some spunk in the process. I know some aren’t exactly big fans of Hughes, but the fact of the matter is a simple one. He’s a better player than Simmons and has energy. With Harris running around like a lunatic every game and Hughes feeding off of that, Carter will have more space as well. Once Yi Jianlian comes back healthy, the Nets will be one step closer to assuring themselves of a playoff spot.

While Vandeweghe won’t directly assess the rumors, he did make an interesting comment the other day that alone may show that the Nets are serious about getting into the playoffs and making their team better.

“You’re always trying to canvass the league and find out what everyone’s doing and you’re trying to improve your team, with goals in mind,” general manager Kiki Vandeweghe told the Associated Press. “What we’ve talked about is we’re not going to look to band-aid solutions and whatever we do will be sticking towards the plan.”

When someone who is averaging four points a game comes off the bench and scores 23 points in just over 25 minutes, it puts the other team in a shell-shocked position.

Last night, it was the Nets who were feeling the pain every time rookie Jerryd Bayless sunk a shot.

Leading for most of the game, the rookie carried the Blazers to a come from behind win against the middling Nets.

“It was crazy,” Brandon Roy, who led Portland with 29 points, told the Associated Press when the youngster laid down the law with a nasty two-handed dunk in the fourth quarter. “That’s what we have been expecting from him. He does it in practice and he finally got one down in the game. He put it on his head. He was so excited I don’t think he knew he got fouled.”

Questions on Consistency- After rattling off a few wins in a row at home, the Nets loss last night against the Blazers only cemented the fact that as good as this team has shown they can be at times, they still have some work ahead of them.

Things are only going to get rougher as the season goes on, but it looks like Laurence Frank knows that better than anyone.

“Our goals are always the same, regardless of who you play. It’s to get better. Regardless of the competition, we can only focus on what we can control,” Frank told the AP. “We can’t control the other roster. But just our intent. Offensively, sharing the ball. Defensively, helping each other. Coming and playing with good energy and spirit.”

Offensively, I think the Nets are solid, even though Yi’s injury at a time when he was playing well could hurt them if the platoon of players sharing time in his spot don’t produce. As we’ve seen before this season, the Nets seem to thrive when the bench gets going, so with guys like Ryan Anderson, Jarvis Hayes and Eduardo Najera all getting more playing time because of Yi’s injury, the Nets may come out in better shape than before.

Defensively, I think this team needs to do a lot more than help each other. They have to get much more aggressive and cut out the things that have been hurting them, a-la allowing teams to shoot. A lot of the times, the Nets play solid around the post area and limit the high percentage shot, but will let teams shoot from beyond the arc and on top of the key all game long. When a team has a good night shooting the ball, the Nets put themselves in a tough situation and much like last night, they lose because of it.

It happened last night with Bayless and will continue to happen all season if they don’t start to adjust.

Over the past two games, Yi Jianlian has looked nothing like the lethargic and uninspiring forward he was in 2008. Shooting over .500 from the field and shooting with extra confidence, Yi has been exactly what the doctor ordered for this team, especially considering that Devin Harris has been battling injuries lately.

His first 20-point game in a month and a half on Monday against the Kings, Yi’s defense was also markedly better. Is he worth what the Nets gave up for him yet? Absolutely not, but if he can find some type of consistency, basically get himself to about 15 points and eight boards, this Nets team can and will be a lot better than .500.

It may not start with Yi, but it has a lot to do with him. His teammates know it too.

“Yi was tremendous for us tonight, not only putting the ball in the basket, but giving us extra possessions with his aggressiveness, and blocking a couple of shots,” Carter told the AP on Wednesday. “It was great to see.”

Net Fans Angry?-The way the team has played at home this season, going 8-12 through their first 20 games there, you’d expect some type of reaction eventually.

Well it’s come and it’s in the form of boos.

Apparently, Keyon Dooling isn’t a fan of boos.

“You’re not used to hearing it at home,” Dooling said. “We don’t like the boos at home. It doesn’t make us play better. If they come and cheer us, that will be more helpful. We want to get it right. We don’t want to lose especially on our home court. We want to give them a good show. But unfortunately in this league sometimes you have slow starts or rough starts and cheering would help us get through it.”

Well, Mr. Dooling, when you give up 10 point leads faster than Amy Winehouse’s daily sobriety, the fans that pay their hard-earned money to watch you are of course, going to vent.

Rattling off two consecutive wins at home, maybe this team is starting to understand what it takes to win at the Izod Center. One things for sure, if they can play .500 at home and continue to play the way they have been on the road this season, this team may even make the playoffs.

It’s a weird situation, but as long as it continues, this team may end up in a much better predicament than anyone else thought they would.