The way the Nets offense muddled through most of the season, it’s safe to say that a tighter defensive system could have saved a few games down the stretch and perhaps nabbed them a playoff spot. Early on through this season however, through voluntary practices, the team seems to be taking the necessary steps to becoming a more than solid defensive team.

With a team this young, it’s good they’re shooting for an identity early on and considering the voluntary practices have been going on for quite some time, it’s quite possible that the team could come into camp stronger than the other teams they’ll be fighting for a playoff spot with.

Add in a few young faces like Ryan Anderson, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Yi Jianlian and Brook Lopez, alongside veterans Eduardo Najera, Bobby Simmons, Jarvis Hayes and Keyon Dooling, who all have something to prove on offense and it’s easy to see that this could be an energetic group of guys that have the speed, depth and size to challenge for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

“Defense,” said Najera, told Yahoo Sports. “We’re emphasizing it every day, and you can see the strides. We want that as our identity, especially now, because we’re young and that’s the one thing that you can do together as a team. We’re aware of that. It’s what we want to accomplish, to be known as a defensive team.”

Well, it may not be the most exciting type of basketball to watch if you’re a fan or member of the media, but it may be just what the doctor ordered for this young team. It would be way too easy to try and let Devin Harris, Vince Carter and the youngsters who can shoot go out there and have a grand ole time on the court, running up insane amounts of turnovers and sometimes points on the scoreboard. However, showing restraint and playing a smart game, especially on the defensive end, may play a part in maturation factor of many of these young players, giving Nets coach Laurence Frank an opportunity to take more chances down the stretch and let the guys off the chains as the season develops.

Setting a sort of sublimely mandated system like this, focusing more on the defensive game will also take plenty of pressure off of Carter on offense and instead should build a kind of team camaraderie very quickly. Will it play a part in the team making the playoffs this season? I think it’s too early to tell just yet, but it should be interesting to watch develop as the season progresses.

Over the past few years, NBA pundits and analysts alike referred to Richard Jefferson, Jason Kidd and Vince Carter as the New Jersey Nets’ “Big Three.” With two-thirds of the trio now gone, I take a look at the players that have the biggest opportunity to become the driving force in the team’s rebuilding process and become members of the “New Big Three.”

Devin Harris- I think this is the obvious choice for the second member of the “New Big Three.” Finally establishing himself away from the likes of Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas, Harris proved that he could lead an offense if he had to. Now with a cup of a coffee under his belt and more than enough time to get adjusted in New Jersey, Harris should have the best season of his young career this season.

The rest of these aren’t so easy to assess however. Nevertheless, here are my choices for those who may eventually take up the final spot:

Ryan Anderson- I really like his shooting ability and while I wasn’t originally thrilled that the Nets got rid of Boki Nachbar, I see Anderson filling in just fine for him and providing plenty of depth in a sixth man type role. With Josh Boone stepping up his play last season and guys like Sean Williams needing time on the court, I think it’s fair to say that Anderson will be playing 20-25 minutes a game at power forward.

Brook Lopez- While Boone played well at center last season, I see him moving over to power forward and splitting time with a host of other players. Lopez, however, I see being the team’s go to guy at center, playing about 25-30 minutes a game. Chances are, if his defense can be solid enough, he could turn into a solid center that can score 10-13 PPG and nab about six to eight rebounds.

Yi Jianlian- Billed as an international star on the team’s official website, Yi will have the same opportunity as Harris this season. Can he live up to the hype and be what the Nets need? Let me just say this, Yi will not be able to replace Jefferson, but I do think he’s another guy that can and will score 10-13 points a game this season.

Chris Douglas-Roberts- Because of his ability to play both guard and forward, I think DR may get more playing time than Yi and Anderson. His offensive ability combined with that versatility make him an interesting guy to watch as well.

Final Verdict:

The days of the big three are over.

They never nabbed the Nets a championship and now it’s time to move forward with young players. These guys may not have the star power of Kidd and Jefferson, but they’ll be fun to watch. That combined with the other pickups the team has made will give the team more depth than they had last season and will make the season an interesting one.

Photo from BrookLopez.info

After parting ways with Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson, the already mediocre Nets could have done one of two things: make a splash in a relatively stale free agent class or begin to build the future. Bringing in a stable core of veterans, noted for their character and work ethic, along with drafting three quality players who provide depth and some missing dynamism, the Nets are hopefully building what will be a team that can eventually make the playoffs and thrive on a consistent basis.

With players the likes of Eduardo Najera, Jarvis Hayes, Keyon Dooling and Bobby Simmons on the bench, the Nets will have plenty of depth, especially at the guard and forward positions. Add in rookies Brook Lopez, Ryan Anderson and Chris Douglas-Harris with an already young group of guys such as Sean Williams, Josh Boone and Yi Jianlian and it’s easy to see how much potential the Nets have.

However with such potential, there lies a problem. How do all of these players get the necessary playing time they need to be effective? Much like the Jamaal Magloire situation last season, just because you’ve had success playing in other cities, doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily be successful in New Jersey. Nets coach Laurence Frank is known to play favorites [can anyone remember why Jason Collins was even allowed on the floor last season?], so with that being said, who will suffer because of it? Everyone knows that Vince Carter and Devin Harris are locks in the starting lineup, but after that it’s pretty much a crap shoot.

So how exactly does this benefit the team? What I believe is simple: Someone is going to have t step up and take a starting spot. Much like Boone established himself last season after Nenad Krstic couldn’t get it done, someone off the bench needs to make it undeniably clear that they want to be a starter in this league. Otherwise, the mixing and matching will start and the Nets won’t be able to gel.

Simply put, many of the players on this team are used to playing at least 20 minutes a game. How Frank gets everyone the playing time they need to thrive is going to be very tough. Nevertheless, that kind of pressure is nothing uncommon for an NBA coach. In spite of that though, it should be interesting to see who is one the court for the opening tip-off.

Photo by FanNation.com

When Devin Harris was originally traded to the Nets, many saw it as a new beginning for both him and the team.

Being the replacement to one of the greatest point guards in NBA history is no easy task however and while Harris’ play with the Nets was easily comparable to that of Kidd’s in Dallas the rest of the season, the team didn’t make the playoffs.

Making the playoffs every season while with Dallas, Harris is ready to bring the same type of success to the Nets this season.

Recently interviewed by the team’s official site Harris talked about the team’s offseason moves that will play a pivotal part in helping the team get back into the post-season.

“With anybody in the NBA, as far as veterans, you see what they are capable of doing and what they had been brought in for,” Harris told the Nets official site. “Keyon is a great energy guy that comes off the bench. He puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the ball; he can run a team up and down the floor. Jarvis Hayes, [is]obviously coming in to make shots; he’s a shooter. Najera, who I was a big fan of, is one of those dirty work guys; rebounding, defense and doing more of the physical game down low. Some of the rookies coming in I’ve seen a lot of. I watched a lot of Brook at Stanford. Ryan can make shots and CDR [Chris Douglas-Roberts] is more of an all around player. I see Bobby (Simmons) all summer long. We work out together all the time in Chicago.”

Where do I begin with this?

This guy is not only a student of the game, you can also tell that he’d make a great coach one day. Between watching college basketball enough to know his new teammates games and having no problem talking about the Nets new additions, it’s obvious that Harris is dedicated to a cause: building a successful team in New Jersey.

With more of an opportunity this season and more time to understand the workings of the Nets offense, I expect Harris to have a career year in 09 and to continue to prove anyone in the NBA wrong that thought he was just an extra piece in Dallas.

With Richard Jefferson in Milwaukee and Vince Carter getting on in years, Devin Harris is one of the new faces of the Nets and like Carter, will have to become a leader as well this season.

By the look of his comments on the team’s official site, that process has already begun.

Photo by NBA.com

Of the 16 players on the Nets roster right now, nine of them have less than two years experience at the pro level. Of the eight that have played significantly at the pro level, only Darrell Armstrong [a free agent who's chances of sticking with the team look very doubtful] and Vince Carter have ten years or more experience. Then you have a guy like Keith Van Horn, who is on the roster because he forgot to sign his retirement papers.

So considering all of this, what can Nets fans expect from this team this season?

As I’ve said in previous posts, Vince Carter is going to have to be a leader. He’s going to be asked to do everything he does on the court and them some, in addition to helping these kids, guys like Brook Lopez, Ryan Anderson and Chris Douglas-Roberts get their feet wet and get them to produce very quickly. If they don’t then they’ll get less time on the court and guys like Yi Jianlian, Josh Boone and Sean Williams will have to take center stage.

For a guy like Jianlian, who Nets GM Kiki Vandeweghe has compared to Dirk Nowitzki, it’s time to prove the Nets got their monies worth when they dealt away their leading scorer Richard Jefferson a few months ago.

The same thing goes for Devin Harris, who now has an opportunity to be a leader and convince the pundits in the NBA that he’s more than a secondary scorer who doesn’t have the consistency to be a legitimate threat on both sides of the ball.

Josh Boone can continue to develop as a center and a guy who has become a much better shooter and rebounder since entering the league. Sean Williams can get back to the play he exhibited during the first half last season and be more than a guy who can stuff the ball down your throat if you give him an opportunity.

And if these guys manage to falter down the stretch, Keyon Dooling, Eduardo Najera and Jarvis Hayes will get opportunities to get the playing time they haven’t gotten in other organizations.

Will it all work out in the Nets favor? It’s too early to tell to be honest, but it’s obvious that for the first time in a very long time, the Nets have options up and down the roster, instead of relying on the “big three.”

It’s going to be a different feeling for Nets fans this season, but it should be interesting to say the very least.

Boki Nachbar’s may be headed to Russia, and Marcus Williams is on his way to Golden State, but the Nets seem to be on their own way to putting a competitive team on the court, while simultaneously planning ahead.

Getting a first round pick for Williams, Nets GM Kiki Vandeweghe just crossed Chris Mullin over and broke his ankles. After a decent first year with the team, Williams was downright awful last season, earning himself considerable time in coach Laurence Frank’s dog house and finding himself lost in the shuffle. With another first round pick in 2009, the Nets will be able to continue to develop from within, while still having the cap-space necessary to make a big time move in 2010.

Sounds good to me.

However, while the first round pick was a good pickup, the acquisition of Keyon Dooling adds some support for Devin Harris, while giving the Nets bench even more versatility on the bench. With all the draft picks and recent acquisitions, this team is starting to fill out quickly and with the addition of Dooling, looks like it can compete for the last two playoff spots in the East.

“Keyon is a versatile NBA veteran, and we are pleased to add him to our roster,” Nets president Rod Thorn said on Yahoo Sports. “His ability to play both the point and shooting guard positions will add flexibility and depth to our backcourt rotation.”

While I believe Dooling will have a diminished role on the Nets, considering Devin Harris is a lock for big time minutes at point guard and Vince Carter’s tendency to eat minutes at shooting guard, Dooling
will be a competent defensive replacement and scorer off the bench when those guys need a break. Being able to play both guard positions, I feel that Dooling was a pretty good pickup and someone that at the very least, makes the Nets look better on paper.

The Nets feel pretty much the same way, but feel his defensive ability and personality off the court was a perfect fit for their rebuilding team.

“I think it’s more relevant on the defensive end,” Frank said Wednesday to Yahoo Sports. “Keyon is a well-coached player. … I love guys who play with energy, passion and who love to play. He’s a bubbly guy and that’s the way he plays. He’s the same way as a person as he is as a player.”