Behind Enemy Lines: New Jersey Nets

Nets visit NOLA tonight. New Orleans has had decent success versus the Nets, so hopefully it continues tonight. I talked to the great New Jersey blog NetsDaily about a few topics:

At the Hive: Devin Harris has been flat out awesome this season. In his 25 games with NJ last season, he wasn't nearly as effective. What's changed about his game, and what has caused that?

Nets Daily: The biggest change is the offense the Nets are running. Lawrence Frank adopted the dribble-drive offense because it's tailer-made for Harris' ability to get to the rim. The Nets spread the floor, get the big man out of the way and let him work one-on-one.

But Harris is also a better player than he was last Spring. His mid-range jumper has improved (so you can't play off him) and once he started getting it going this season, he has played with a lot more confidence and aggressiveness.

@tH: Vince Carter is the universal guy one references when talking about lazy players. But his per minute and PER stats indicate that he's played very good basketball for the last four years. Is his lazy attitude a little bit overstated?

ND: Absolutely. Vince takes bad shots at times and he's never made the most of his talent, but there hasn't been much to complain about since he came to New Jersey. He's only missed 10 games in more than four years as a Net and this year, he has shown terrific leadership.

@tH: What's the deal with Sean Williams? He was blocking a ton of shots last year, rebounding well, and generally looked impressive... what do you think New Jersey would expect back in a trade for him?

ND: Williams is talented, but his deficiencies (at this point) far outweigh his strengths. His basketball I.Q. is low and he really doesn't have a position. He's too small to play the four or five and not skilled enough to play the three.

The Nets would probably like to get a first round pick for him, but that ain't happening right now. His stock has fallen precipitously and unless he turns things around, there probably isn't much of a market for him.

@tH: You guys nabbed three of the more desired guys in last year's draft- Brook Lopez, Ryan Anderson, and Chris Douglas-Roberts. Thoughts on them thus far?

ND: Save for a game or two, Lopez has been terrific. He's very good in the low post, can step out and hit a mid-range jumper and is the best shot-blocker the Nets have had in a long time.

Anderson looked good early on, but the combination of a back injury and the rookie wall has slowed him of late. He was shooting 40 percent from downtown after 20 games or so, but has made just five of his last 26 threes. If he can get his shot back, that would be a big help, because Carter and Harris need guys to knock down open shots when the defense collapses. Anderson has been starting since Yi broke his finger.