What Changes Would You Make? (Non-Trades)

[CalamityX12]

3rd Qtr struggles have been here since coach Frank.... back in Jersey.... not surprised who's back on the bench...

[Ronito]

Let's be honest. None of these change a single thing.

The fact remains we have lost 7 games due to poor 3rd quarters. When we won the 3rd quarter, we won the game.

I don't think a lineup change helps that. It is a isssue that has been here since a year ago.

And that trickles to the coaching.

[DarkXaero]

I think one of JJ and Pierce need to be benched and since JJ is the worse player, it has to be him. JJ fits better with the second unit anyway where he gets to handle the ball and kill the tempo. JJ becomes the sixth man for both SG/SF positions. I'm for benching KG too if he doesn't start to show signs of improvement. He got off to a great in the last game, but went back to building a house of bricks as the game went on, a sight we've become accustomed to. Brook needs to the first option of offense, and the player we should look to get the offense through. It's also on Brook to keep an aggressive level of play, and not just turn up for certain stretches or matchups.

I agree with quite a lot of what TJ said. If KG continues to play like crap, we should start AK over him when he's healthy. An AK and Brook duo might struggle rebounding the ball too well but they should be very good defensively and it gives us speed. I've been asking for Livingston to see more playing time alongside Deron, it has only happened once in a game so far.

I don't like Alan Chuckerson a lot, but he's a much better athlete than JJ, a decent enough defender and he can spot up fine. He gets the nod over Terry to start. Jason Terry should also be used in short spurts, because when used for longer, he becomes a major liability. So I have the same starting lineup that TJ has. It's not supposed to be a permanent situation, but it fixes a number of big flaws the team has right now. It makes us significantly quicker, better defensively, and less iso based. There's too much talent/depth on this team to perform the way we are right now, even if this is a new team. We should be doing no worse than what we were last season.

Deron/Livingston
AA/JJ/Deron/JET
Pierce/JJ/AK/AA
AK/Blatche
Lopez/KG

Blatche NEEDS to operate in the paint, and playing him alongside KG should allow that. If Blatche keeps playing ****, Plumlee or Reggie would take his minutes away. Nets have great depth, but they should try to keep a 10 man rotation for consistency. Right now, having too many guys play is killing the team's chemistry/consistency.

Depending on the matchup/circumstances, we could use a small ball lineup of

Deron
JET/AA
Livingston
AK
KG/Reggie

[bobbyc]

We need more speed in the backcourt.

We need better perimeter defense.

We need better penetration and scoring in the paint.

Shaun Livingston has been our best and most consistent player. We need to start our best player. He also plugs our biggest holes.

Williams/ AA/ Taylor
Livingston/ Johnson
Pierce/ AK
Garnett/ Blatche
Lopez/ Plumlee

JET and Evans need to stop getting minutes. That is a MUST.

[Sharcm1]

major change has to come with the pick and roll defense. So far they have been killed by the pick and roll. Quick guards are getting by dwill and livingston too easy and no one is picking them up. Either they get all the way to the basket (against blatche or plumlee) or they pull up for a wide open mid range jumper (against brook). there has to be a change in this defense.

the guards on the nets are letting guys get by them too easy. It's putting the entire defense in a scramble every time. Brook is the only one blocking shots and he is injured. Tonight's game vs the bobcats showed the weakness. Many times walker blew past the point guard and got all the way to the basket. It seemed to happen every play. without brook in there to defend the paint no one stepped up. blatche isn't a shot blocker and plumlee was too late every time and made it worse by fouling them too.

I think the offense will come. It's the defense I'm worried about. even ian eagle was saying how the nets defense was swiss cheese against the bobcats. one of the worse offensive teams in the league and they scored on the nets at will the first half and most of the third quarter.

[Sharcm1]

We need more speed in the backcourt.

We need better perimeter defense.

We need better penetration and scoring in the paint.

Shaun Livingston has been our best and most consistent player. We need to start our best player. He also plugs our biggest holes.

Williams/ AA/ Taylor
Livingston/ Johnson
Pierce/ AK
Garnett/ Blatche
Lopez/ Plumlee

JET and Evans need to stop getting minutes. That is a MUST.

I would not at this point play dwill with livingston and put jj to the bench. JJ is the only one really hitting shots. it should be dwill to the bench. but the ankle thing looks like it is taking care of that for us.

[DrazenForThree]

We need more speed in the backcourt.

We need better perimeter defense.

We need better penetration and scoring in the paint.

Shaun Livingston has been our best and most consistent player. We need to start our best player. He also plugs our biggest holes.

Williams/ AA/ Taylor
Livingston/ Johnson
Pierce/ AK
Garnett/ Blatche
Lopez/ Plumlee

JET and Evans need to stop getting minutes. That is a MUST.

I would not at this point play dwill with livingston and put jj to the bench. JJ is the only one really hitting shots. it should be dwill to the bench. but the ankle thing looks like it is taking care of that for us.

Yup, with brook back and livingston at PG i think our offense will get beter. defensively it always looks better if dwill isnt on the floor. I want to see more KG/Anderson lineups. Brook needs to step up and carry this team when he gets back. if he wants to be a top player then thats what top players do. having a pretty box score and a loss doesnt help this team.

[GetItDone]

The Kidd hiring even makes less sense as this past offseason was probably the best offseason for coaches.

You have guys like Karl, Hollins, SVG, etc out there and you hire someone with no coaching experience? Not a Nets fan, but I think it will be one of the FO's biggest regrets.

im not sure those guys would consider us. i know SVG didnt. no one wants to coach a team that fired 2 in one season and has a huge coach killer as its star

You can't say that.

I know it was reported SVG wasn't, but you never know if contract negotiations come up. Hollins had no other offers it seems so he could have been a fit. Karl probably not a good fit with an older team as he likes to run n gun. It seems like the Nets had Kidd on tabs right when he retired.

[NCHeels2008]

after seeing last years lakers up close, i think you suffer from some of the same things (too old/slow). Anderson to the starting lineup would be a good move as would AK (is he still quick?) or Plumlee. Boston had Rondo, Bradley and Green around Pierce and KG.

[therealbig3]

Our defense is a complete mess right now, that's the main issue. Really speaks volumes to how valuable Lopez is defensively. We have zero rim protection, and our perimeter players have been turnstiles defensively. Maybe moving AK to the starting lineup instead of Pierce would help with both of those issues, but I just think we need much better effort and communication on defense from our players. And we need a healthy Lopez.

Offensively, I really think we'll be fine. We need to play fundamentally smart basketball though. We clearly don't really have an offensive system in place, so our players are going out there and winging it, and as a result, they're overpassing and playing passively, because they're trying to accommodate each other. Remember last year, how long it took for Deron to take over as the clear #1, Lopez as the clear #2, and Johnson as the clear #3? We need to develop that kind of hierarchy again, but then again, it will only be established once D-Will can get healthy, STAY healthy, regain his form, and assert himself as this team's #1 offensive option. Without D-Will AND Lopez, it gets kind of difficult, because Johnson is a crappy #1 option, KG was never a great #1 option even in his prime and clearly can't be one anymore, and Pierce can be that guy for only a few stretches at this point, and clearly, he's slumping badly right now. What Pierce, Johnson, and KG are at this point are great role players (theoretically), who should thrive once Deron and Lopez are back, healthy, and are established as the top 2 offensive options for this team. That's why our offense hits a screeching halt every game...because Pierce, Johnson, and KG as the best offensive players can't sustain it over the course of a game, especially in a poorly structured offensive system.

Our starting 5 hasn't been together and healthy AT ALL this season, which has forced bench players into starting roles, which has thinned out the bench (especially with AK's injuries), and the two guys that have gone down with injuries so far are by far our two best players (Deron and Lopez). If it was Johnson and KG, for argument's sake, who had gotten injured, I'd say we'd have a much more respectable record right now, because D-Will and Lopez can legit carry a team through injuries (like they did most of last year). Not many teams are going to be good if you take out their two best players...the Heat without Wade and James would suck, the Pacers without George and Hibbert would suck, the Knicks without Melo and Chandler would suck (they suck right now WITH Melo), the Thunder without Durant and Westbrook would suck, and the Clippers without Paul and Griffin would suck. The only teams that I can think of that have proven over the last few years to be able to survive long stretches without their best players are Chicago and SA, and look at the coaching that they have.

[exculpatory]

Our defense is a complete mess right now, that's the main issue. Really speaks volumes to how valuable Lopez is defensively. We have zero rim protection, and our perimeter players have been turnstiles defensively. Maybe moving AK to the starting lineup instead of Pierce would help with both of those issues, but I just think we need much better effort and communication on defense from our players. And we need a healthy Lopez.

Offensively, I really think we'll be fine. We need to play fundamentally smart basketball though. We clearly don't really have an offensive system in place, so our players are going out there and winging it, and as a result, they're overpassing and playing passively, because they're trying to accommodate each other. Remember last year, how long it took for Deron to take over as the clear #1, Lopez as the clear #2, and Johnson as the clear #3? We need to develop that kind of hierarchy again, but then again, it will only be established once D-Will can get healthy, STAY healthy, regain his form, and assert himself as this team's #1 offensive option. Without D-Will AND Lopez, it gets kind of difficult, because Johnson is a crappy #1 option, KG was never a great #1 option even in his prime and clearly can't be one anymore, and Pierce can be that guy for only a few stretches at this point, and clearly, he's slumping badly right now. What Pierce, Johnson, and KG are at this point are great role players (theoretically), who should thrive once Deron and Lopez are back, healthy, and are established as the top 2 offensive options for this team. That's why our offense hits a screeching halt every game...because Pierce, Johnson, and KG as the best offensive players can't sustain it over the course of a game, especially in a poorly structured offensive system.

Our starting 5 hasn't been together and healthy AT ALL this season, which has forced bench players into starting roles, which has thinned out the bench (especially with AK's injuries), and the two guys that have gone down with injuries so far are by far our two best players (Deron and Lopez). If it was Johnson and KG, for argument's sake, who had gotten injured, I'd say we'd have a much more respectable record right now, because D-Will and Lopez can legit carry a team through injuries (like they did most of last year). Not many teams are going to be good if you take out their two best players...the Heat without Wade and James would suck, the Pacers without George and Hibbert would suck, the Knicks without Melo and Chandler would suck (they suck right now WITH Melo), the Thunder without Durant and Westbrook would suck, and the Clippers without Paul and Griffin would suck. The only teams that I can think of that have proven over the last few years to be able to survive long stretches without their best players are Chicago and SA, and look at the coaching that they have.

Very insightful.

[DrazenForThree]

after seeing last years lakers up close, i think you suffer from some of the same things (too old/slow). Anderson to the starting lineup would be a good move as would AK (is he still quick?) or Plumlee. Boston had Rondo, Bradley and Green around Pierce and KG.

slow clearly isnt the issue, and playing slow is this teams strength. we played super slow to our advantage last season as well, but defensively we had some issue. there is no reason we shouldnt be a better version of last years team as garnett is a massive upgrade to reggie evans defensively.

the issue is effort, coaching, and some clunkyness on offense. offense should iron itself out eventually. the other 2 were season-long issues last year and i likely will be season long issues this year. we needed leadership badly from a player and a coaching standpoint. king did about as best he could to resolve the issue but kidd/KG/Pierce have been enormous failures thus far on that front.

[DrazenForThree]

Our defense is a complete mess right now, that's the main issue. Really speaks volumes to how valuable Lopez is defensively. We have zero rim protection, and our perimeter players have been turnstiles defensively. Maybe moving AK to the starting lineup instead of Pierce would help with both of those issues, but I just think we need much better effort and communication on defense from our players. And we need a healthy Lopez.

Offensively, I really think we'll be fine. We need to play fundamentally smart basketball though. We clearly don't really have an offensive system in place, so our players are going out there and winging it, and as a result, they're overpassing and playing passively, because they're trying to accommodate each other. Remember last year, how long it took for Deron to take over as the clear #1, Lopez as the clear #2, and Johnson as the clear #3? We need to develop that kind of hierarchy again, but then again, it will only be established once D-Will can get healthy, STAY healthy, regain his form, and assert himself as this team's #1 offensive option. Without D-Will AND Lopez, it gets kind of difficult, because Johnson is a crappy #1 option, KG was never a great #1 option even in his prime and clearly can't be one anymore, and Pierce can be that guy for only a few stretches at this point, and clearly, he's slumping badly right now. What Pierce, Johnson, and KG are at this point are great role players (theoretically), who should thrive once Deron and Lopez are back, healthy, and are established as the top 2 offensive options for this team. That's why our offense hits a screeching halt every game...because Pierce, Johnson, and KG as the best offensive players can't sustain it over the course of a game, especially in a poorly structured offensive system.

Our starting 5 hasn't been together and healthy AT ALL this season, which has forced bench players into starting roles, which has thinned out the bench (especially with AK's injuries), and the two guys that have gone down with injuries so far are by far our two best players (Deron and Lopez). If it was Johnson and KG, for argument's sake, who had gotten injured, I'd say we'd have a much more respectable record right now, because D-Will and Lopez can legit carry a team through injuries (like they did most of last year). Not many teams are going to be good if you take out their two best players...the Heat without Wade and James would suck, the Pacers without George and Hibbert would suck, the Knicks without Melo and Chandler would suck (they suck right now WITH Melo), the Thunder without Durant and Westbrook would suck, and the Clippers without Paul and Griffin would suck. The only teams that I can think of that have proven over the last few years to be able to survive long stretches without their best players are Chicago and SA, and look at the coaching that they have.

i disagree we havent had out starting 5 together and healthy. they were healthy for a 5 or 6 game stetch. a stretch that saw us get blown out by the magic and kings. i dont see dwill and lopez returning to health erasing all of our enormous issues. getting lopez out is a major help, but our issues go much deeper, and even with him we have been god awful. its not like we were racking up wins when he was in the lineup. he has missed 2 games... we were 3-5 with him including some horrible losses

[Keith Van Horn]

Johnson or pierce need to go out of the starting lineup.

Maybe pierce and KG? Bring them off the bench with Livingston, Anderson, and Plumlee. Insert AK and Blatche into starting unit. Sparingly use Terry and Evans now.

However priority #1 needs to be get everyone healthy and stronger.


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[vincecarter4pres]

I can't do the game thread tonight, or at least do it any justice. If someone else wants to grab it please feel free.

I saw DF3's and had just figured Jac or Rich was going to edit it or whatever and roll with that one.

[Ronito]

Rose is down. Sounds really bad. Bulls already were expected to make a trade to avoid the repeater tax.

Any chance we can make a move for Gibson?