.:: Official New Jersey Nets Thread ::.

I think that Dallas' style of play actually held him back from playing at this level. The talent is obviously there and he's cashing it in as a New Jersey Net.

Dallas' style wasn't holding him back. It's because he's the 4th scoring option after Nowitzki, Howard, and Terry. If we only take into consideration the backcourt, he's still the second option after Terry.

In New Jersey he's the 3rd (or 2nd if Carter disappears as usual) scoring option and first option in the backcourt.

Harris isn't even as playing as well as he did in Dallas. He's still, as some people pointed out, a far superior offensive player to Jason Kidd. Thus, the Nets improved offense post-trade.

Well, his per-minute and per-game stats haven't really changed much since he left Dallas for New Jersey but I liked what I saw from Harris in the game.

More than just the stats. Back in Dallas, I didn't view Harris as a franchise point guard. He had the ability to attack the basket and he could guard the bigger guards and was quick enough to stay with the quicker point guards. But in Dallas, I never really saw him "take control of a game." I find it difficult to express in words what that really means but it's something beyond stats. Watching him in that Nets-Jazz game back then, he was basically orchestrating the tempo. He was pushing the ball up the floor and his teammates followed suit. He was changing the pace of the game to a fast-paced one where his team would thrive. The Nets offense seems more fluid in Harris' hands actually than in Kidd's earlier this season.

Kidd is no longer the player he once was. He's lost that foot speed to make up for that lack of a jumpshot and get to the rim. But he still has that uncanny ability to thread the needle. With the loss of foot speed, his defensive ability is shafted too. He's no longer quick enough to guard the younger, quicker point guards in the league today in my opinion. Kidd was a premier defensive player back then, I remember when he shut down Paul Pierce in the playoffs. Kidd is on a decline even though his stats don't show it.

On a side note, I've realized why Stromile Swift, for all his talent, does nothing in the NBA except fill up a few highlight reels. He is retarded. I remember that moment back in the Nets-Jazz game (how many times have I cited that game?), Swift tried to hit a lay-up from baseline and got whacked in the process. The refs didn't call a foul though but with the ball still live, Swift turns to the ref and complains. No player in their right mind would complain for a call with the ball in play. He followed that up by landing one foot on the baseline after grabbing a defensive rebound.

Kidd's stats do show it, he's lost a ton since his prime, he's basically worthless at this point. And most people realized he had lost his speed and defensive domination at least a couple years ago. That's why the trade was so great.

Harris did not have the opportunity to get out and run because of the Mavs system which is a slow down system focused on getting the ball to the right spots. (Actually, Wisconsin was the same way, so he's never really been able to run in a high paced offense.) He got few assists because the ball was mostly taken out of his hands even if he did bring it up court. Kidd on the other hand dominated the ball, and would push, once the break stopped, he'd hold it most of the possession before giving it to Carter or Jefferson for the shot.

Swift is this generations Derrick Coleman. He could be a regular All-Star level Forward, but he doesn't care enough, and he gave up after being stuck behind Gasol for so long. Plus he seems to have no real situational awareness, back in Memphis during the games you could hear the coaches yelling at him on defense during the broadcats. Somehow, he's still a great shotblocker because of his raw skill and capabilities. He really should be the best player out of his draft class at this point.

I agree on Swift being the 00s Derrick Coleman. As a Rockets fan, I was actually so excited that they signed him. I was a Nets fan during K-Mart's year's there and I loved seeing K-Mart getting up and dunking the ball or emphatically rejecting the ball now and then. I imagined Swift would bring that kind of player to the Rockets. Boy, I was VERY wrong. Interesting though how Swift was drafted 2nd overall exactly 10 years after Coleman was picked 1st.

While, we're on Swift. I can't help but compare Tyrus Thomas to Stromile Swift. Both are extremely athletic 6'9 power forwards, with the ability to throw down highlight reel jams and swat shots to the stands. Both were from LSU; both were drafted 2nd overall; both have attitude problems. Possibly the only difference I could see though, is that pre-Wallace trade, Tyrus seemed to be the only man motivated on the Bulls. Swift is never motivated. During his stint with the Rockets, I was always waiting on Swift to take Juwan Howard's starting spot over time. Never happened. The guy doesn't care much about getting better as a player.

I still can't, for the life of me, understand why the Nets traded Jason Collins for Stro.

I imagine they thought they needed more offense, not realizing it was Kidd that was killing their offense.

The Mavs didn't need offense, they needed someone to bring in "toughness, leadership, experience" and other cliche words which the Mavs agreed Kidd brought in just after the trade was completed.

Don't forget "making his teammates better" or "makes them play better just by being on the court and setting an example."

There's nothing the media and their ilk enjoy more than meaningless memes to explain everything!

It's true that Kidd does make his teammates play better.
You would try to play better too if your star PG and "leader" have horrible FG%, high TOs, and "old man" defense.
You have to make up for the slack in his offense and defense.

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archi ... _van_horn/


Well, looks like the honeymoon is over. Keith Van Horn has been waived by the Nets. Let's all take a moment to ponder this.



Oh, and 2 other guys got waived as well.

Not altogether surprising. The "comebacks" he and Aaron McKie made last season were certainly unorthadox, though in McKie's case it definitely helped the Lakers greatly.