Sat 27 Sep 2008
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 camp starting in a few weeks, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the Nets rookie Brook Lopez, who along with Chris Douglas-Roberts and Ryan Anderson, who could turn into the next “Big Three” if it all works out right.
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.