Insider Special: Camp Battles ~ Nets

[Weez]

Nets return intact, but are they better?

By Terry Brown

NBA Insider

Wednesday, October 22

Updated: October 22

12:59 PM ET

Participate in 40 playoff games in only two seasons and you pretty much know, at the beginning of the third year, who and what you have in terms of starters, subs, shots and distribution of minutes.

But what do you think will happen to this roster if the New Jersey Nets don't make it to the NBA Finals for the third year in a row?

Or, worse yet, what will happen if they do make for the third year in a row and still have no jewelry to show for it?

New Jersey Nets

Point guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes

Jason Kidd 9 6-4 18.7 ppg,

8.9 apg Jason Kidd averaged 16 points and 10.1 assists per game in his last three seasons in Phoenix. Entering his third season with the Nets, he's averaged 16.6 points and 9.3 assists in New Jersey. Yeah, he's the best point guard in the league. But is he really a better player than before? Is he really a better point guard than before? Is he really the one player who can get the Nets an NBA title?

Zoran Planinic R 6-7 -- Let's just hope Jason doesn't get injured -- or even winded -- for another year or two.

Doug Overton 10 6-3 -- No proof that he's scored a single regular season basket in last 18 months.

Shooting guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes

Kerry Kittles 6 6-5 13 ppg,

3.9 rpg Honestly, he never turned out to be the player the Nets thought he'd be when they skipped over some high school kid named Kobe Bryant to select him. But truth be told, the team didn't make it to the NBA Finals two years in a row until Kittles came off the injured list to play 147 games over the last two seasons after playing only 62 in the previous two.

Lucious Harris 10 6-5 10.3 ppg,

3 rpg Perhaps the best seventh-man in the league over the last two years.

Brandon Armstrong 2 6-5 1.4 ppg,

0.2 rpg Not even sure if he'll survive his rookie contract.

Small forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes

Richard Jefferson 2 6-7 15.5 ppg,

6.4 rpg To add six points, three rebounds and an assist to your totals is one thing. To do it for a contending team in between NBA Finals is quite another. To do it one more time would actually justify his selection to the USA National Team, even if that justification does come after the fact.

Rodney Rogers 10 6-7 7 ppg,

3.9 rpg Drilled 88 3-pointers the year before coming to the Nets and only 44 for them last season, even though only one New Jersey player made more than 78.

Tamar Slay 1 6-8 2.6 ppg,

0.9 rpg Peaked at his name.

Power forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes

Kenyon Martin 3 6-9 16.7 ppg,

8.3 rpg In his mind, he is a 20 and 10 guy, which can be a good thing. On the floor, he is a 16 and 8 guy, which can be a good thing, too, unless you're arguing monetary compensation with management on the basis of being a 20 and 10 guy. Can be a dominating player. Hopefully, will be a dominating player. Not yet a dominating player.

Aaron Williams 9 6-9 6.2 ppg,

4.1 rpg Sturdy back-up who's starting to show miles.

Brian Scalabrine 2 6-9 3.1 ppg,

2.4 rpg Hard worker with many miles to go.

Center Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes

Jason Collins 2 7-0 5.7 ppg,

4.5 rpg His increase in minutes was substantial last season. His increase in production was not. The five more minutes wasn't nearly as important as the 57 more starts, because, quite frankly, if you can't shoot better than 41 percent from the floor you share with Jason Kidd, you'd better be blocking a heck of a lot more shots than 0.5 per game.

Alonzo Mourning 10 6-10 injured Completely understandable why they'd bring him off the bench to preserve him for more important moments (playoffs, end of games, etc.). But do you really think they said the substitute word while recruiting him for exception money? In his last year of actual action, 'Zo averaged 15.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 2002. The Nets are hoping the key number doesn't turn out to be 2002.

Jonathan Kerner 1 6-11 -- Will get in the game right after Collins trips on Mourning's dialysis machine.