Continuing the recent trend on the site of breaking down the Nets youngsters, I figured today would be as good a day as any to discuss Chris Douglas Roberts, the team’s third pick in the 2008 draft and 40th overall. Swing man by trade, Douglas-Roberts has gotten better every season in college and now looks to give the Nets another option off the bench in his first professional season.

Rival.com’s Jerry Meyer in late 2004-

“A wiry combo guard, Douglas-Roberts is a limited athlete with his lack of strength, but he compensates for it with great body control and a very good feel for the game. A mediocre outside shooter with a release from the left side of his body, he prefers to slash to the basket and is very good at finishing. While he can play point on offense, he struggles guarding penetrators on the perimeter.”

A scouting report taken from the Toronto Raptors website just before the 2008 draft-

Strengths: Crafty scorer who finds ways to put the ball in the basket. Excels in the mid-range game and knows how to use the glass to convert opportunities. Uses long wingspan to his advantage on the defensive end. Plays well in big games.

DraftExpress.com April 2, 2008-

Douglas-Roberts is widely expected to declare for the draft this year, and definitely has a strong case to be drafted in the first round, possibly even the top-20. His versatile offensive skills, combined with his size, length, outstanding instincts and overwhelmingly impressive numbers lead you to believe that he will have a long and successful NBA career, particularly when you take into account his intangibles, which are reportedly outstanding. He has a strong work ethic, is an excellent teammate, is very well-spoken, and has a will to succeed and win that can’t be taught.

What I think:

Jerry Meyer’s scouting report, when combined with the information from DraftExpress.com tells a story of a hard-working player that wants to thrive in the NBA. In addition to praising his numbers and instincts, DraftExpress.com also talks about his improved three-point shooting, something that Meyer wasn’t impressed by when Douglas-Robert was in High School. The same thing goes for his defensive ability.

This season, I see Douglas-Roberts playing about 20 minutes a game, playing both guard and forward. However, with the Nets picking up a bevy of bench players this season, Douglas-Roberts is going to have to work extremely hard to separate himself on the court. If his work-ethic and team-first attitude is any indication, I see him thriving, but I feel like the rest of the league won’t consider him a real factor until after th All-Star break, after Nets coach Laurence Frank sees what the rest of the team is capable of.

Photo from Rivals.com

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.

After a great college career in Stanford that garnered him Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 (07), All-Pac-10 Freshman Team (07), McDonald’s All-American – high school (06) and Third Team Parade All-American (06) honors, Lopez will be expected to share power forward and center duties with Josh Boone, Sean Williams and maybe even fellow rookie Ryan Anderson.

Jeff Fox on CollegeHoops.Net did a great scouting report on Lopez before the draft that praises him for being a tough cookie in the post and having a sweet jump hook shot. He also talks about his size, which at seven feet is impressive and at only 20, can get even better. However, Fox, does a great job of pointing out that Lopez missed a bunch of games last season and may not have the polish he needs to thrive in the NBA right away.

MyNBADraft.com is a little bit more negative on the big guy, saying that Lopez needs to develop his offensive game, but also states that his size and athleticism should be in the NBA for the next eight to 10 years regardless of what he accomplishes.

Hopefully for Nets fans, he sticks around a little longer than that.

I on the other hand have a bit of a different opinion on Lopez. I believe that the youngster has the ability and the look of a future NBA star. Considering how the league is starved for talented and marketable seven footers that aren’t named Duncan, Lopez may have came into the league at exactly the right time.

However, he’ll have to develop his game and work extremely hard to be noticed on the Nets. Ryan Anderson is a damn good shooter and Sean Williams showed a ton of promise with his blocking ability last season. Speaking of promise, Josh Boone grew leaps and bounds as an all-around player last season and looks focused on remaining in the starting lineup. That means Lopez is going to have to play a well-rounded game and be someone the team can depend on.

It’s not going to be easy for him, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen.

Photo by the Stanford Daily

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

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.