Devin Harris Is Ready to Lead the New-Look New Jersey Nets

Don’t sleep on the New Jersey Nets this season.

The Nets will make the playoffs.

General Manager Rod Thorn is nobody's fool. Last season, he knew the Nets time with Jason Kidd had run its course. The fact that Kidd wanted to leave made his job just a little bit easier.

Once Kidd and his $20 million salary was off the books, Thorn begun rebuilding the Nets fresh—his way.

Thorn found a taker quicker than he might have thought. Jason Kidd wanted to go to the Dallas Mavericks and they wanted him. Thorn was in luck!

Two seasons of gut-wrenching playoff losses had turned Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban into a desperate man. He was now like a sucker in a casino, and Thorn was like a loan shark. Sick of waiting, Cuban wanted to win now. Just as a bad gambler does, Cuban upped his stake on his next hand, risked everything and hoped that the return would be instant and large.

It wasn't and he lost—again.  

The proof was when the New Orleans Hornets dumped the Mavericks from last season’s playoffs without breaking a sweat.

I’m glad that Kidd and Cuban are together—they deserve each other. Kidd has been a brilliant player throughout his career, which is without question, yet as often happens when he departs a team, there was someone left with a sour taste in their mouth.

What impressed me about Devin Harris was the way he handled the trade. Prior to last season, he signed a five-year contract worth just over $40million and was made co-captain of the Mavericks with Dirk Nowitzki.

He had every reason to believe that he was a big part of Dallas’ future. 

Harris didn’t pout, though. He was sent to a team seemingly going nowhere, but he responded professionally and maturely and averaged a very solid 15 points and six assists in 25 games.

Thorn continued cleaning house during the draft, dealing Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks for exciting Chinese prospect Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. Jefferson was probably more a victim of the Nets looking for a change in furniture, so to speak, than anything else, but still, he’s gone and that’s all that counts

Yi’s first season was typical of most rookies—inconsistent, yet promising. He had a sweet, smooth stroke which should improve with confidence and experience.

Bobby Simmons seems to have never quite fully recovered from a knee injury suffered a few years ago, but perhaps he could be a player like Antonio McDyess has been for Detroit.

The only remaining old school Net is Vince Carter, but it’s reasonable to think that his days in East Rutherford are numbered.

Carter doesn’t throw down ferocious dunks he once did.  His most important contribution to New Jersey might be that he still draws fans through the turnstiles in the spectator-challenged confines of the lovely, yet swampy IZOD arena. So, from a business point-of-view, Carter might be milked for a little longer yet.

Added to all this is that last season, the Nets saw tremendous improvement from big man Josh Boone and also got a glimpse of what Sean Williams offers. Williams in particular was a beast at times, but also a clumsy, foul-prone rookie at others.

The Nets then went and grabbed impressive Stanford product Brook Lopez in the draft. It’s hard to gauge exactly what role or impact he’ll have this season, other than it’s likely he’ll get his chance, but don’t expect consistency.

Throughout their roster, the Nets have depth, speed, and size. And what they lack in experience is made up for in energy and youth.

Thorn obviously likes Head Coach Lawrence Frank, too and believes he is the right man for the Nets. How else could Frank have survived last season?

New Jersey won’t win the title this year, but watch them win 42-45 games and cause a shock in the Eastern Conference.