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

According to the Associated Press, Nets Center Nenad Krstic is still a ways away from being the same player that averaged 16 points a game last season.

Going down with an injury last season, Krstic played in only 26 games last season and is looking to get back on the court and help the Nets rebound after a mediocre season.

However, in an article published on October 11, AP’s Tom Canavan goes into how Krstic fired an air-ball in practice and Nets coach Lawrence Frank was busy making excuses for him.

If you’re a Nets fan, this isn’t great news.

Making things even worse is that towards the end of the article, Richard Jefferson goes on to say, “It might be 25 games before he is his normal self and even then he might have his ups and downs. It might not be until after the All-Star break that he is the consistent player that we are accustomed to.”

Considering that they lost Mikki Moore this offseason, the Nets better hope that Jamaal Magloire can relive his glory days from 2004, when he averaged 11.4 points and nine rebounds a game. However, with Jason Collins nursing a sore hip for the past week, Magloire may be getting more minutes at power forward then at center. While many thought that Magloire would be getting plenty of minutes as the team’s backup center, he may have to take over at PF until Collins is healthy.

From my point of view, I’d rather have Magloire at PF than Collins, just because he’s a better rebounder, a better shooter and can get around the court better than Collins can. However, with Krstic and Collins not at 100 percent, Magloire is going to have to do whatever he can to help the Nets, in what even position they put him in.

Trouble for Williams?

According to The Record, Sean Williams was 15 minutes late for practice last week and as a result, was benched in what was supposed to be his preseason debut. With Collins injured and Krstic taking it slow, Williams and guys like Josh Boone could really take advantage of added playing time. They just have to do the right thing on and off the court.

Showing up 15 minutes late to practice in what is supposed to be your first appearance with a team that drafted you in the first round, Williams hasn’t exactly started his Nets career on the right foot.