Even though the cast is a bit different this season for the New Jersey Nets, things are beginning to look awfully familiar.

On the outside of the playoff picture looking in, the Nets understand they are running out of time and have to step up their game. Otherwise the only way they’ll make the playoffs is on NBA Live 2009.

“It’s money time,” Carter told the Associated Press this week. “This is when teams make the playoff push, or are fighting for position or homecourt advantage or whatever the case may be. This is my time to step up.”

Averaging over 20 points all season, both Carter and Devin Harris have held down the New Jersey fort all season.

Harris especially has been on his game, scoring 42 points against the Bulls on Wednesday.

“Now is the time,” Harris told the AP after the game. “We really can’t wait anymore. We can’t be patient. I’d rather be aggressive than passive. Being more aggressive on offense is what I’m trying to do right now.”

However in spite of both Carter and Harris, the Nets are in need of another player, anyone at this point, that can be dependable and produce on offense.

While Brook Lopez has the makings of that player one day, the Nets need more from someone else. 12 points and eight rebounds is damn solid from a rookie center and the Nets need something more from the power forward spot, especially if they are going to make the playoffs this season.

With Ryan Anderson and Yi Jianlian battling inconsistency all season, could Sean Williams be the player the Nets need right now?

Six points and four rebounds in 17 minutes may not be much, but Williams did provide a spark the other night, something Jianlian hasn’t been able to do much of the season aside from a handful of games before his injury.

“You’re looking for energy. And that’s one of Sean’s traits. If he’s consistent with it, then his minutes will be consistent,” coach Lawrence Frank told the Associated Press, stressing Williams, in order to play, must show “high energy level, running the floor, crashing both boards, defensively being a presence around the rim, performing your role with maximum enthusiasm, focus, concentration.”

Anyway the cookie crumbles, things will be interesting the rest of the season in New Jersey.

Photo by Bill Menzel.

When Ryan Anderson was drafted by the Nets this summer, some of the pundits and critics in the league expected him to develop faster than Brook Lopez, the center the team drafted to solve their problems up the middle. While that hasn’t exactly happened, with Lopez catching most of the spotlight from the press this season [as far as the Nets rookies are concerned, Anderson hasn’t been too shabby either.

Scoring 12 or more points in six of his past 16 games, Anderson is beginning to understand what it takes to become a success in the NBA. However, the main reason why he’s gotten an opportunity to play as much as he has been lately has had more to do with Yi Jianlian’s injury than anything he’s done specifically on the court. Despite the fact that he’s played well in Yi’s absence, no one knows what the future holds for either of them.

“He (coach Lawrence Frank) really hasn’t talked about long term. He definitely will work Yi back in (until then) we might play together, me at the five and Yi at the four just to get him back in,” Anderson told the Associated Press a few days ago. “The whole season I was playing behind Yi. It’s funny how it works. If anything this stretch gave me more confidence knowing I can play big minutes.”

Shooting five for 13 in 35 minutes in his first two games since returning, it’s safe to say that Yi isn’t exactly ready to retain his starting spot. That should give Anderson a few more games to show the Nets brass that he’s the better player. Despite the fact that on paper Yi appears to be the better scorer and rebounder, I think Anderson is the grittier player and a much more explosive scorer. Earlier in the season, it was obvious that Anderson was the better three point shooter, but inconsistency has gotten the better of him since then. If Anderson can find a way to get hot from beyond the arc again, he may cement his spot in the starting five.

So far, since Yi’s return, Anderson only has 13 points and has only taken eight shots in over 45 minutes of action. If he wants to be a starter in this league, that will have to change. Otherwise, the Nets will have to settle for a pair of underachievers at power forward, rather than one.

Photo by Bill Menzel

With Yi Jianlian, Bobby Simmons and Eduardo Najera all on the shelf and Vince Carter dealing with injuries of his own, the Nets may need this break more than any other team in the NBA.

Sure, they don’t have the injuries of some other teams in the league, but the bench especially has been hurt at times, which in effect has kept the team under .500 and without a semi-regular lineup on the court that can gel and grow together.

However, Simmons’ problems shooting ball this season have hurt the team and having him out of the lineup have given the more dependable players on the team like Jarvis Hayes and Keyon Dooling more of an opportunity, making it almost like a blessing in disguise.

In the case of Najera, I think it’s fair to say that he has been very productive in the 12 minutes a game he’s been averaging this season, but with the continued progression of both Brook Lopez as a starting center and Josh Boone and Ryan Anderson as a dependable bench player, the need for Najera on the court hasn’t been a huge one. As a matter of fact, the people who originally questioned the money Najera was getting have plenty to argue about now, considering he’s been less than a spare part on this team thus far.

That isn’t the case Jianlian however, who was just starting to come around and be the player the team needed before he broke his right pinky. During his time off, he’s done everything from lamenting to the press about how he hated being on the sidelines while the team was going through a rough patch, to working with Nets GM Kiki Vandeweghe on developing his dribbling skills with his other hand and going through a shooting regimen.

Now I know what some of you are thinking. Having the 10 points a game that Jianlian scores a game out of the lineup hasn’t affected the Nets too badly, but when you consider the fact that he was averaging over 15 in his last four games before the injury, it’s obvious the Nets could use that type of scoring. Luckily for them, he should be back in the lineup shortly.

“After the break, I think I can play,” Yi told the Associated Press a few days ago. “I’m ready. It’s feeling fine—just a little sore, but no swelling. Shooting, dribbling, no problem.”

While Carter hasn’t been plagued with the same type of injuries as the aforementioned players, it’s fair to say that he’s been banged up most of the season. Giving him a weekend to just relax is exactly what this team needs right now.

One game out of a playoff spot with 29 games left to go, one player the Nets can not afford to have out of the lineup is Carter.

Photo by Bill Menzel.

For many Nets fans, Kenyon Martin will always be the one that got away.

At one time, Martin was one of the core players on a Nets team that finished first in the Atlantic Division. It was before the arrival of Vince Carter and Devin Harris and before Byron Scott got the ax in favor of Laurence Frank.

Oh, how things change in a few years.

Not one player from that team in 2003 is still on the Nets roster today, but the organization has found some of the missing pieces. While Jason Kidd’s creativity was key to that team, it has been replaced by Devin Harris’ spunk and desire. Kerry Kittles’ shooting ability has been replaced with the same shooting ability plus a dose of leadership and consistency from Vince Carter. The platoon of Dikembe Mutumbo and Jason Collins [who at that time was a solid defensive center] has been replaced by a better and younger combo of Brook Lopez and Josh Boone. The bench may not possess players the likes of Aaron Williams, Lucious Harris, Rodney Rogers and Brian Scalabrine anymore but Keyon Dooling, Eduardo Najera, Jarvis Hayes and Ryan Anderson aren’t too shabby either.

Nevertheless, there was one thing the team hasn’t replaced since 2003.

The toughness, desire and in your face attitude Martin brings to the court every single night.

Sure, his numbers aren’t as sexy as they were when he was on the Nets, but he’s a useful player that makes whatever team he’s playing for better. Nothing against Yi Jianlian, but he’s not the same forward K-Mart is and most likely will never be. Now it would be crazy to even think for a second that the Nets should go after him again, but it would even crazier to fail to realize that this team is in need of a banger. Someone who has the grit and fortitude to make the opposition antsy.

Right now, Devin Harris and Vince Carter are arguably the best backcourt in the NBA. They work hard in both ends and do everything they have to in order to keep this team afloat. Not many teams with records under .500 could even fathom having two all-stars, and believe it when it’s said that no one in the league would have complained if both Carter and Harris were in the game.

Nevertheless, no team is ever afraid to play the Nets anymore.

That could be the biggest reason why the team is where they are right now, just not good enough to secure a playoff spot.

Photos by Bill Menzel.