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| Deron Williams is finally healthy enough to play and will return to the Nets' lineup against Charlotte. |
When: 7:00 PM; Wednesday, November 20th, 2013
Where: Time Warner Cable Arena; Charlotte, NC
TV: YES Network
Not much is going right for the Brooklyn Nets right now.
Head coach Jason Kidd is being ripped in the media for a perceived lack of coaching competence (which is impossible to verify less than 1/8 of the way through the season), the team has lost two games in a row–most recently in embarrassing fashion to the Blazers at home, and is tied for last place in the Atlantic Division with the Knicks. Also, Brook Lopez (ankle) and Andrei Kirilenko (back) are still out due to their respective injuries.
Fortunately, though, Deron Williams is returning to Brooklyn's starting lineup this evening in Charlotte, the same place–and versus the same team–where he scored 57 points back in 2012. Deron hurt his ankle in the Nets win over the Suns last Friday and missed his team's last two games–losses to the Clippers and Portland. If he's returning so soon after what looked like a pretty bad injury to an ankle he has hurt often in his career, the Nets must feel pretty confident Deron is at close to 100 percent.
That's a really important development for Brooklyn, which needs a win desperately to right a ship that hasn't been able to stay afloat much this season. 3-7 is a pretty bad record–albeit just through ten games–and it has to be improved relatively quickly in order for the rumors and negative feelings surrounding the Nets to subside, at least for the meantime.
Going up against the Bobcats may not be the worst way for the Nets to get a very necessary win. Al Jefferson, Charlotte's major offseason acquisition, is out again tonight–and has been for awhile–due to an ankle injury which has limited the forward/center to appear in just three games thus far. Veteran guard Ben Gordon, who always seems to torch the Nets, also seen much time for the Bobcats and coach Steve Clifford, but due to coach's decisions rather than injury.
Missing those two key players leave an undermanned Charlotte squad, which is led by Bronx native Kemba Walker and Duke product Gerald Henderson. Michael Jordan's team–without Jefferson–is pretty backcourt-heavy, which happens to suit the current Nets pretty well in Brook Lopez' absence. There's no reason a makeshirt forward-center combo of Kevin Garnett and Andray Blatche shouldn't be able to stop Josh McRoberts and Bismack Biyombo. Also, Deron's size should help him cover Kemba Walker as should Joe Johnson's against Henderson.
Probable Lineups
BKN- Deron Williams (PG), Joe Johnson (SG), Paul Pierce (SF), Kevin Garnett (PF), Andray Blatche (C)
CHA- Kemba Walker (PG), Gerald Henderson (SG), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (SF), Josh McRoberts (PF), Bismack Biyombo (C)
Final Thoughts
Unless they come out flat on the road yet again or just keep shooting at a sub-40-percent level, the Nets should win this game easily. If not, then maybe this team's problem is as serious as its record indicates.
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