Could Nets push for a Versatile Roster be a problem?

[NyCeEvO]

I don't mean that versatility in general is bad. The Miami Heat have proved that in the last two years by going to the Finals in their first year and winning the title in the next.

However, there's one big difference between us and the Heat.

We don't have the best player in the game and we don't have another top 5 player (when healthy) in the game.

I know we composed our roster thinking that versatility is the way to go, but just the fact that you can simply have many options at many positions doesn't actually mean that you're going to be better than the opposing team.

For example, I really like having Watson on the team. He runs the 2nd unit very well. But for some reason Avery feels compelled (similar to last season) to have him and D-Will on the floor at the same time for long periods of time.

D-Will played 35 minutes last night and Watson played 32 minutes.

The only time when versatility is better than a standard lineup is when said versatile lineup has a much greater edge in the offensive or defensive side of the ball.

But we don't really gain an edge on the opposing team when we go with a lineup that Avery seems to fall in love with.

So offensively, we've taken one of the best ballhandlers, distributors, and passers in the game and run him at the 2. D-Will was 9-21 FG and 2-7 3FG last night. He took 6 more shots than the next highest player on the team (that being Joe Johnson with 15). And because we ran him at the 2 so often, he only had 4 assists. The best PG on your team should be playing PG, not SG!

D-Will is not a SG and if we play him like that, we'll continue to take him out of his game. Defensively, D-Will was guarding the opposing SG, which makes no sense. He was guarding Nick Young during the late stretch where he made a few clutch buckets, especially that dagger 3 at the end.

Um, Nick Young is 6'7" and D-Will is 6'3". JJ or Gerald Wallace could have/should have been guarding Nick Young, because we should've been playing a more traditional lineup.

We talked about D-Will and JJ being able to post up their defenders due to the fact that they're bigger than most of their opposing respective PGs and SGs at their positions. Well, guess what? When D-Will moves to SG and JJ moves to SF/PF, they're no longer bigger than their defender. In fact, defensively they usually become smaller than the opposing position..

To me, it only makes sense to preach and brag about versatility when you actually gain a major edge in putting out a versatile lineup.

And if we're really honest with ourselves, D-Will is not an exceptional shooter and shouldn't be at the 2 often, JJ is not exceptionally fast so it's not like he can just blow by all 3s and 4s, Wallace plays better at the 4 position but he'll get murdered in the post.

I think this also contributed to getting beat on the boards. Before Blatche, BK felt very comfortable only having one guy over 6'9" on the team. I think we're seeing why that could very well be a problem for us in the future.

I understand that versatility can be helpful at times, but that was #1 mantra the front office and Avery preached all summer as if it was the key to winning a championship. To me, it only works when you have the right personnel. I feel our traditional lineup is more effective than these "versatile" lineups.

I know it's only preseason but you can tell that last night was more of an indication of how Avery wants to play. I feel Avery is just killing his own team by running it this way.

Thoughts?

[624]

I hate how much D-Will spends at the 2 under Avery.

[jerseyjac]

I really think the Nets are experimenting right now, not saying they aren't going to utilize certain off. or def. schemes which we have seen already in the preseason...However, when you have a new roster, different players who can play multiple positions you move guys over mixing and matching lineups testing out different looks...

Is this an indication of how we might play, yes. But I wouldn't get too fixated on these various lineups until we see them on a consistent basis...In preseason, you're really trying to get a feel for things in regards to lineups and right now that's what the Nets are doing...hopefully we'll have a decent idea of whats working and whats not...and by game 1 hopefully Avery is only using different looks on both sides of the ball players are comfortable with...lineups which we have executed well in and that have been productive...

This process will continue through the regular season because of how new the Nets roster is and the limited time the coaching staff has had to work with this team...I'm not saying your evaluation is off, I'm saying we need more time to determine what works...

And expect Avery's learning process with this team to last a lot longer than a couple games into the regular season...the Nets have to crawl before they can walk...

[therealbig3]

Well yeah, theoretically, versatility allows your offense to be better while your defense doesn't suffer too much. But Deron isn't THAT big, I never understood why people say he is...he's stocky, and built, and so he can post up other PGs and play through contact better than other PGs...but he actually looks kind of short on screen, so you can't expect him to actually challenge the shots of 6'6", 6'7" SGs. I mean, he's listed at 6"3', but he can't really be taller than 6'1", because Kidd was 6'4", and he looks a lot taller than Deron...he challenged the shots of SGs and SFs very easily. So anyway, Deron at the 2 doesn't really work unless they're running out a SG that's small as well, like the Bucks with Monta Ellis.

I actually do think Wallace is best suited for the 4 at this point. He won't get abused by anyone in the post, he's very strong and still very athletic, and he's quicker than any "true" 4, so he'll give them problems. On offense, he's quicker and faster and should be able to blow by them. I think Wallace is a perfect, albeit slightly undersized, 4.

JJ is actually built to play the 3, so no real issues there. He's 6'8" and built, that's a SF's build. SFs typically guard him anyway, so I don't think he'll struggle with the defense.

Overall, I think when we move those guys up a position, it actually would work well...but we use it too much. It's a strategy that should be used for stretches to put up some points in a hurry. Small ball has never been meant for extended stretches of time...that's why what the Heat did last year was considered so unique, because their entire gameplan was to play small ball, and they got away with it, because their offense was awesome, and their defense was still awesome, because LeBron/Wade/Battier are extremely talented defenders. Deron has been a poor defender for the last few years, dating back to Utah as well, so I question whether or not he can actually play good defense, even if he tries. JJ is a good defender, but he's not All-NBA caliber or anything. I don't have too many complaints about Wallace, because even with a decline in athleticism, he's still an elite defender who IS All-NBA caliber on defense imo. But that's one strong defender out of 3, while the Heat had 3 elite defenders. So right away, we can't play that style defensively for extended stretches and expect to be successful.

Offensively, Deron at the 2 for extended stretches is basically what we did last year, and that doesn't work well. If you have a top 5 PG, you don't make them change positions...you make them play PG. I understand that sometimes you want to use Deron's scoring ability, because of how well he can score, but like I said, you use it for small stretches, not for big chunks of gametime.

[NyCeEvO]

^^I agree with everything you said lol.

I spent most of my post targeting the D-Will/Watson tandem because it just didn't make that much sense to me to play them together for such a long period of time.

Heck, you brought in "Brooklyn's Backcourt" and you don't even have D-Will at the 1 or JJ in the backcourt for 1/2 the game. I guess I was too hyped and upset last night, but like you said, it's not supposed to be something that is used for large portions of the game like it was last night or last season for that matter.