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| Deron has been the only consistent positive force for the Nets this entire season and at points, it seems like its too much for him to handle but at other points, it seems like he thrives on that adversity and uses it to improve his game |
Record: 10-25
Standings: 5th in the Atlantic Division, 13th in the Eastern Conference, 27th in the NBA
Summary
Much like last season, this condensed 2011-2012 Nets season has been riddled by injuries, underperformance, and trade rumors. Even though Deron Williams has played in all games except for one, New Jersey is still close to the bottom of the NBA but has been playing better basketball of late. Not having Brook Lopez for the first 32 games of the season was heartbreaking for a Nets team that clearly suffered from lack of a proven post-scoring center. Meanwhile, New Jersey has suffered more injuries across the board as coach Johnson has had to use a league-high 17 different starting line-ups due to the multitude of injuries.
The position of obvious weakness for the Nets has been at small forward where the first three guys on the depth chart are all out for the season with injuries after under-performing when they were healthy. Shawne Williams, Keith Bogans, and Damion James were all given their chance to start this year and either lost their jobs due to underperformance (Williams) or gruesome and out-of-the-blue injuries (James and Bogans). The Nets simply haven’t been able to catch a break at that position the whole season but with the recent signing of Gerald Green from the D-League, that might all change.
However, everything hasn’t been completely negative for the Nets this season. A few Nets; such as Anthony Morrow, Deron Williams, MarShon Brooks, and Kris Humphries; have played very well and in some cases, are having career-high seasons. Coming into the year, D-Will was the only guaranteed consistent player among these four guys but as of right now, all of them have been incredibly productive and are the reasons why New Jersey has somewhat stayed int he Eastern Conference playoff discussion.
High Performer: Deron Williams, PG
Was there any serious doubt to this one? So far this season, D-Will has showed that he is one of the best point guards in the NBA and can lead the Nets effectively when his supporting cast helps him out. Last season, Deron was hurt for much of his time with the Nets and couldn’t get into a solid groove on the court. Since he has been able to stay on the court and not miss games due to injury, D-Will has been amazing and nearly unstoppable at times, evidenced by his single-handed win over the Knicks along with other periods during games when he rips off self-runs that can bring the Nets back into games in which they are losing and sometimes, like against the Knicks, lead New Jersey to a victory.
Low Performer(s): Shawne Williams, SF
After a career season last year with the Knicks, the Nets signed Williams to a 2-yr, $6.1 million deal to start at small forward but it would be nice to say that he didn’t exactly live up to expectations. In 25 games, Williams only averaged 4.5 points but only shot 29 percent from the field and 24 percent from behind-the-arc. Since his strength last year was his long-range shooting skills, Shawne didn’t provide much at all for the Nets and to make matters worse, he hurt his foot six games ago and required season-ending surgery. Yep, the only thing that’s worse is that Williams is under contract for next season as well. Thank you amnesty provision
Injury Report
Shawne Williams (foot)- Out for season
Keith Bogans (ankle)- Out for season
Damion James (foot)- Out for season
Jordan Farmar (groin)- Out until early March
Mehmet Okur (back)- Out until early March
Kris Humphries (calf)- Day-to-day
Overall Grade
I would give the Nets a C- minus for the first half of the season. It’s not any worse because the volume of injuries New Jersey has suffered has been simply absurd and it’s hard for any team to be competitive with some many key players out. It’s not any better because being the 4th-worst team in the NBA is pathetic, regardless of any other factors.
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