New Jersey Nets; NBA Surprise

Anyone... raise your hand if you thought Devin Harris would average 24 points a game this season.

Me neither.

This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Nets. The New Jersey Nets brought in a lot of solid young talent, especially in the bigs department.

But I thought it was going to be a long year of teaching for the team. I'm apparently quite wrong.

For all of his experience, frank-ly.... Lawrence is good. The second youngest coach in the league to neophyte Erik Spoelstra, is also a veteran coach at this point.

Frank took over in 2003-4, the year of the Byron Scott ousting, and led them to a 25-15 finish. His Net teams played at least .500 ball and went to the play-offs the next 4 straight years. After missing last year, Frank has a new roster of mixed experience players on track much earlier than most pundits expected, including me.

Some even thought that Frank was part of the problem with New Jersey's decline. Honestly, I wasn't sure. I knew him to be a pretty good coach in the past. That doesn't mean there isn't a time when even pretty good coaches might need to move on.

In any event, I thought this year would be all about teaching and very little winning. It seems that it didn't take long for coach Frank to separate the chaff from the wheat and get the New Age Nets in gear.

Wheat - Brook Lopez. Wheat - Josh Boone. Chaff -Sean Williams.

An athletic shot blocker who apparently does not show the necessary tools for improvement, Sean had this to say in Fred Kerber's New York Post article...

"Until Josh Boone (ankle) plays, Stromile Swift is the backup center, knocking Sean Williams out. "Obviously, I'm not one of the young players they want to develop," Williams said . . ."

Another big in trade play? Time for Celtic internet rumor machines to get oiled up? I don't think so. Too raw, I would say. He is a 'live' big, listed as 6' 10". He plays tall and blocks shots to justify his existence in the NBA.

In a situation like that, why would the Celtics want him if he can't make the grade in New Jersey? Does the discipline of the Power of Three create a successful environment for Sean? All that would be requested of him in Boston is fundamental defense with his length. Hmm....Just asking.

The emergence of Devin Harris into a top flight NBA scorer was beyond my concept of reality. I viewed Devin Harris as an adequate scorer but nothing more. He was an open court slasher, disher, and could defend, but wasn't going to be a consistent 24 point scorer. Wrong.

Devin is 10 points (24.4 per game) over his best previous season. Only Caron Butler in recent memory comes to mind for elevating his game so much so late in his career. I'm sure there are others, but it is rare.

Would that have happened in Dallas? Mmm....It could have.... but never would, in my opinion. It is interesting how differently see each team sees its own personnel.

The early development of Brook Lopez, the number 10 pick this past draft, has been a pleasant surprise. Nineteen games into his pro career, he is close to being a double double machine already. And the kid can block shots.

I've usually been on the "Lawrence Frank is a very good coach" side of things. But I was worried about the attitude and the unmotivated game of team star Vince Carter in what was to be a rebuilding year after dumping Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson last season.

I've also thought that Net President Rod Thorn is one of the better league executives. Net GM Kiki Wandeweghe built his reputation in turning around a poor Denver operation.

One curious point of reference between the these two people is that Rod Thorn traded Kenyon Martin to Kiki's Nuggets in a sign-and-trade after Rod decided he couldn't afford to keep him at the money he was seeking and continue to sign quality players around him.

I felt Kenyon wasn't worth his asking price then and still do. Thorn was right to trade him, though he incurred a lot of criticism from fans and possibly even some players (Mourning?) for pulling the trigger on that move.

My point is that Kiki was on the receiving end of that 'pass.' Now he and Thorn are the architects of the "No Kidds Allowed", Net Modern Age. Hey, no executive is perfect.

Even the 5th face on Mount Rushmore, wunderkind Danny Ainge has had his moments of sheer uninspiration. Raef Lefrenz, Dan Dickau, or Tom Gugliotta anyone?

Anyway, the Nets are currently 11-8, 7-3 over their last ten games, and in second place in the Atlantic Division.

Harris and Carter do the driving (in both respects) and they have Yi Jianlian, Bobby Simmons, and Ryan Anderson keeping things honest from long range. It is a simple plan that usually works when players are willing to do the other things that help a team win and you have two tough pointmakers in the top ten in scoring.

The Nets are the foulingest team in the league versus their opponents (+3.6 - a whole point higher than the #2 team) and need work defensively, coming in 25th in the league at 102 points allowed per game.

They are in a three way tie for the 5th seed in the play-offs, ahead of regrouping Toronto and Philadelphia. Who would have thunk it?

Apparently Lawrence Frank would. In a league of relatively high predictability from year to year, that's why you play the games. The Nets are playing indeed.

Tom Halzack writes the CelticsCentral blog at the Connecticut Post. This article first appeared there.