New Jersey Nets: Gerald Wallace Has Been a Disappointment with the Nets
After failing to acquire Dwight Howard at the trade deadline, the New Jersey Nets "plan B" was a trade for Gerald Wallace.
On paper, this deal made plenty of sense since the Nets lacked a consistent small forward.
Wallace is a versatile player who brings excitement and energy with him to every game. He's also a solid defender and rebounder—something the Nets needed to improve on—and has a 47 percent career field-goal percentage.
Before the trade deadline, the Nets were only 4.5 games out of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. Reaching the playoffs was not unrealistic and the acquisition of Wallace seemed to make it more of a possibility.
However, since the trade deadline passed, the Nets are 2-6 and have fallen 9.5 games back of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. With only 14 games left, it is safe to say the Nets' playoff hopes are gone.
It has taken time for Wallace to gel well with the other Nets players. He hasn't had time to learn the offense and it has showed. He also hasn't been able to find consistency, which seems to be a disease that everyone on the Nets have caught this season.
Wallace has averaged 14 PPG ever since coming to New Jersey, but that number should be higher given how many shots he has taken.
His field-goal percentage so far with the Nets is 34 percent, which is well below his career average.
Wallace has not been a particularly good three-point shooter in his career, but that hasn't stopped him from shooting them with the Nets. In his seven games with New Jersey, Wallace has shot under 30 percent from behind the arc while averaging more three-point field-goal attempts per game than any other time in his career.
The Nets have to be hoping that their struggles as a team since acquiring Wallace are the result of adjusting to a new situation. An optimistic person would believe that things will turn around as soon as Wallace becomes more comfortable with the Nets and the team.
If Wallace does not improve his consistency, the Nets' decision to trade away their first round draft may have lingering repercussions for the years to come.
