There are two problems now in the Nets camp. One being the lingering injury of Devin Harris and the other what the lineup will look like come October 28th. We know that if Devin is healthy, he will start at point, along with Brook Lopez at center, Courtney Lee at the two, and Yi at the three. Coach Frank likes the idea of Terrance Williams backing up Chris Douglas-Roberts, but even that duo isn’t set in stone.

Another interesting dynamic thrown into the mix for the coaching staff is Yi’s success with Rafer Alston running the point. Yi averaged nearly a double double (20.5 points per game and 9.5 boards a game) with Alston while struggling with all-star Devin Harris. Although Coach Frank doesn’t seem too interested in those stats (reminding reporters that naturally with your star out, others will get more shots) it introduces an intriguing dilemma of whether to place Yi on the starting lineup or have him play most of his minutes with Alston on the second string. Apparently we have seven days to see how this pans out.

Don’t ask Lawrence Frank about his bench. Please don’t go there. He continues to stress the Nets depth as one of their biggest strengths but what they are going to do with those players is an entirely different situation. Frank said that “The two guys you want to get a look at this week, because they have a true track record and we think they can help us, are Eduardo and Tony,” referring to veteran power forwards Tony Battie and Eduardo Najera. If they impress this week, the big man rotation will be much more clear. It should involve Yi and Lopez, along with Battie, Najera, and Josh Boone. Whether Sean Williams will live up to his exciting rookie year is yet to be seen; as is much of the Nets rotation. Just remember, it will all be dealt with by eight o’clock next Wednesday…hopefully. Hurry up, Coach!

The game, which Courtney Lee watched from the sidelines with an inflamed left foot, was an average preseason battle: sloppy (24 Net turnovers), somehow high scoring (115 Knick points and 107 for NJ), and a little flashy (dunks and three’s galore). The players needing to prove themselves on both teams came out and played well and the old stars tallied just enough minutes to show they were worthy of their starting jobs (Devin Harris and Brook Lopez). Chris Douglas-Roberts had a 21-point breakout performance as he bids for his spot, and rookie Terrance Williams added eleven points. A man who many forget but who may very well be the starter come October 28th, Bobby Simmons, had a great game, hitting five of six from downtown for a total sixteen points. With Vince Carter enjoying Florida weather now, the Nets are looking for anyone to step up from behind the three-point line, and thats just what Simmons did. Yi scored a modest nine points as the aforementioned Lopez and Harris had 19 and 14 respectively.

As for the defense, New Jersey was… forgettable. Allowing 115 points is one thing, but doing it to the Knicks, in preseason is another. They looked confused at points, giving up threes and losing their men too much. Even Devin Harris admitted his team was less-than-stellar on the defensive end, stressing the fact that the Nets needed to communicate on pick and rolls better.

The reason this is so frustrating: Lawrence Frank’s training camp mindset. When asked about the new look offense, Frank bluntly said, “we don’t do offense”. So why is it that a team who has done nothing but focus on defending the basket for three weeks, give up 115 points (to the Knicks…in preseason). “This is a little bit of a litmus test in terms of seeing where we’re at defensively,” said Coach Frank, ”Our inability to contain that first dribble puts the burden on everyone else, and we’ve just got to continue to work at it and find the guys who can get it done.” Hopefully this was just a bump in the road for the Nets because if anyone has noticed, New Jersey isn’t exactly a force on offense either. The vitality of defensive success needs to continue to be stressed by Frank and his staff, or Nets fans may have to put up with much worse than giving up 115 points…to the Knicks…in preseason.

The Jersey Side gives you the good, bad, and ugly (most of it the latter) in the latest, and last, Summer League Report.

Chris Douglas-Roberts:

After the trade of Vince Carter, Douglas-Roberts found himself with a legitimate chance at the starting job in New Jersey. He was one of three candidates: himself, Courtney Lee, and summer league counterpart Terrance Williams.

In a summer league that would surely decide his standing among those listed above, CDR shone in games one and two, scoring 20 and 27 points respectively. He was dubbed the leader of the squad not just because of his experience but because of his outstanding play to begin the summer campaign.

It seemed to fall apart after that. Head Coach Lawrence Frank said, “From an individual standpoint with Chris, he got off to a really hot start scoring the ball in games one and two. Games three and four, the ball wasn’t really coming his way and that is when he has to learn how to still be effective off the ball, whether it is making hard cuts or running the floor.” That was being generous. The truth is, CDR was terrible in both games 3 and 4, scoring just seven points combined! It brought back memories of last year and his ability to look so promising one game and so awful the next.

Douglas-Roberts ended up wrapping up on a decent note when he dished out 4 assists and scored 15 points in the Summer League finale against the Celtics. Although he had two tough (okay, downright disgusting) performances, CDR did take a few steps forward and showed enough promise for me to be at least excited about him for next year. His key to success: work on his jump shot, and bulk up at least ten pounds, it will make all the difference.

Terrance Williams:

Also with a decent chance of a starting role (or at least heavy backup minutes) was Terrance Williams, the Nets most recent lottery pick. Although Williams’ scoring performances were anything but consistent, he did do one thing that will be so vital to his success this season: rebound. Lawrence Frank had said that all they wanted to see from him was his versatility, and they got that right off the bat, as he averaged almost seven boards a game while taking the ball up the court numerous times. It was his show of versatility that really made the Nets happy. By the middle of the week Williams began to add points to his array of stats, including 16 and 14 point performances against both the Magic and Thunder respectively.

Overall you had to be happy with what Williams did. He wasn’t spectacular but he showed two of the things that the Nets wanted, and needed, to see: length and defense. He wasn’t all that bad dishing the ball, running the court, or scoring either. Terrance Williams was a definite high spot in a week that had few of them for the Sets (Sixers-Nets, clever, I know)

Despite the losses, the Nets had to be reasonably happy with what went on in Florida. They saw what they wanted to see and can now begin preparation for practice and a year with a more solidified view of both the rookie Williams and a hard to read Douglas-Roberts. Who knew 0-5 could look so decent.

He isn’t a finesse big man. No, not a shooting big man either. He’s tall, but not that tall, bulky but not that bulky. However, in Brook Lopez’s rookie year he played better than almost every big man selected first-overall that had finesse, shooting touch, length, and strength in the last ten years. In fact, if you look at the statistics, he led all of these big men in at least one of  the major categories for big men (points, rebounds, and blocks).

But the thing is, Brook Lopez wasn’t a first-overall pick with a multi-million dollar rookie contract, instead, he slipped into the Nets hands all the way at tenth overall. So if he didn’t have the usual standout attributes of previous star big men, how was he so much better as a rookie than the likes of Andrew Bogut, Dwight Howard, Kenyon Martin, and Andrea Bargnani. The truth is, Brook just seems to get it done, no matter how it looks.

He reminds people of more of an old school force, before the days of baby hooks and ballet style footwork in the paint. Lopez prides himself on being in a position to make a play every time down the court, and that is exactly what he did last year in New Jersey. He often just plants himself under the basket, waiting for an entry pass from his guards or boxing out when those same teammates opt for a shot, instead of a pass.

If you had to draw a comparison to any rookie in the past decade, you may say Yao Ming, who, in 2002-03, posted a similar thirteen points per game and also grabbed eight or nine boards a contest like Lopez. Although the simple and effective offensive game of Brook echoes Yao, he blocked more shots on defense than that of the 7’6” (Lopez maxes out at 7’0”) Chinese superstar and used his body in a way that made him seem taller.

Still, Lopez’s game is hard to match with anyone in the modern history of the NBA, but if his stats improve like those such as Dwight Howard, Yao, Andrew Bogut, Andre Bargnani, and Kenyon Martin, he may become one of the elite centers in the NBA. Lopez is, without a doubt, the true key to the future for the Nets, but while making New Jersey better in the next five years, he will be bringing back the styles of the last fifty years, and for that Brook, we thank you.

Toronto Raptors: After a disappointing season that saw two experiments fail (Jermaine O’Neal and Shawn Marion) the Raptors knew they would come into 2010 looking much different than they did when they entered last season. First, Demar Derozan, a young, athletic swingman was added via the June 25th draft, and Shawn Marion left via free agency (the Raps made it clear they didn’t want to make a deal). Then, former General Manager of the Year Brian Colangelo dropped a bombshell…from his wallet. A disgruntled Hedo Turkoglu opted out of his contract in Orlando and began shopping for a new team. It seemed he might have headed West as talks with Portland heated up, but those discussions hit a snag and Hedo (above, left) decided to accept another offer, this time North in Toronto. His experience and versatile talent will surely allow Toronto to make a case for the 2010 Playoffs and the addition makes Toronto one of, if not the, longest teams in the East. This length is what will reek havoc for the Nets and other opponents next year. Heads up, here come the Raps.

Boston Celtics: A regular season equally as great as the 2007-08 campaign ended very differently in 2009. Superstar Kevin Garnett went down late in the year, keeping him out of the playoffs and keeping his team from reaching the Conference Finals or a rematch with Kobe and the Lakers. Although this was mostly negative for the Celts, it made them realize that they not only needed talent off the bench (which they had) but level-headedness and experience. They got this and way more when they added Rasheed Wallace, longtime Detroit frontman earlier this week. Ray Allen said “he makes us better on both ends of the floor” and Doc Rivers seemed extremely excited to have his skill backing up Kevin Garnett. This makes the already fantastic Celtics even better, another division win looms.

New York Knicks: Although no big names have yet agreed to sign, the Knicks have reportedly been talking to former Net hero Jason Kidd about a return to the tri-state. If this did happen and they managed to keep key free agents Nate Robinson and David Lee, the Knicks may have  a more impressive team than many would expect. Sleeper alert: (don’t laugh) Danilo Galinari and Darko Milicic. Jordan Hill ain’t half bad either.

All in all the  Nets might have to be a little worried with the way their division rivals have all strengthened. If the Nets play well and New York has a dream season, the Atlantic might, (might!), have five teams above five hundred next year. Scary division to be in if you ask me.