Luka’s Corner

I thought that, before they were eliminated in the Playoffs, it was about time that I talk about the New Jersey Nets, and why they are struggling in recent years. On paper, the Nets should be one of the best teams in the league year in and year out, but there are three main problems with New Jersey.

The first is injury. Throughout the season, they have played with a depleted roster and have had to look to their bench for help. The Nets’ all-star small forward and second-leading scorer, Richard Jefferson, was bothered by ankle problems for the entire year and missed significant time due to ankle surgery and rehab. Nenad Krstic, their starting center, was injured in late December and missed the entire season with a torn ligament. This was extremely unfortunate for the Nets because he was their only offensive option down low and was averaging a career high 16.4 PPG and 6.8 RPG prior to his injury. Since Jefferson and Krstic both missed significant time, this weakened New Jersey’s team chemistry because the player rotations were constantly changing.

The second problem is the lack of a inside presence. Now…I know Nenad Krstic was developing rather quickly before his injury and was putting up career numbers, but he still hasn’t proven that he can keep that up consistently (for a whole season) and is still a huge hole on defense. Krstic only averaged 0.9 BPG, which is not great at all for a starting center. What is even worse, without him in the lineup, New Jersey only has Mikki Moore and Jason Collons to fill his role. Both are incredibly inconsistent and were always underachieving (or just not that great at all) throughout their careers.

The third problem is (and most of you won’t believe me) is actually their superstar, Vince Carter. I believe that Carter hurts the Nets more than he actually helps them because he constantly moves away from what he does best on the court- driving down the lane and finishing in dramatic fashion. Instead of attacking the paint, "Vinsanity" just stays behind the three-point line and shoots contested fade-away threes. If he were to drive, that would free up New Jersey’s two deadly three-point shooters- Bostjan Nachbar, Eddie House, and Jason Kidd. Also, Carter has not been known that well for being clutch in the final minutes, and that hurts the New Jersey game plan because he is their leading scorer and the guy they want to look to in the fourth quarter.

Now, enough of me criticizing New Jersey. I think that Jason Kidd is the best all-around point guard in the NBA today (sorry Steve, but Kidd is also an excellent perimeter defender). We all know that he has been averaging a triple-double during the Playoffs (with 14.2 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 11.2 APG) and was very close to doing the same thing in the regular season, but I am just astonished at Kidd’s remarkable rebounding ability (for a PG). He is arguably the best rebounding point guard in history, but the way he does it does not seem at all remarkable. Unlike other point guards, J-Kidd steps about two feet into the lane and just waits for the long rebound or the ball to be deflected off of another player. When this happens, he jumps up at the top of his ability and secures the rebound. This is not at all difficult, and yet he controls 10.8 rebounds just because of it. Kidd also competes with Steve Nash as the best play-maker in the league and has been at the top of the assist charts throughout his career. He runs the fast break flawlessly, sets up plays efficiently, and (most importantly) always has a pass-first mentality.

It is because of Jason Kidd’s rock solid scoring, outstanding rebounding numbers, and great assist totals (along with his persistent lock-down defense) that make him, in my opinion, the most versatile point guard (and maybe player) in the league. He truly is Mr. Triple-Double and he has been showing that skill for his entire basketball career.

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