Posts tagged ‘Devin Harris’

As Dallas fans watched Chris Paul torch Jason Kidd for 33.5 points and 13.5 points in the first two games of its first round series with New Orleans,  both losses, they had to wonder if the Kidd trade was worth it. Would things be different if Devin Harris was still around? Lo and behold, the former Mav showed up on Friday night, unfortunately for Mark Cuban he was in civvies in the front row.

Interviewed by ESPN during the game, the Nets point guard stated he came to the game to support good friend Josh Howard, who had a rough week, struggling in both losses to the Hornets before admitting to smoking marijuana during the offseason on Michael Irvin’s Dallas radio show. Harris did not directly comment on Howard’s remarks, instead saying that Howard typically says what is on his mind. ]

Nonetheless, rare to see a current player at a game supporting his former team. Makes you wonder if Harris wishes he still donned the blue and white in Big D?

Richard Jefferson went as far to say the Knicks win does not even count as a road win. At least RJ has a grasp on reality. Besides Monday’s 106-91 win at the Garden, the Nets have not won a road game since February 8^th, and hold a 3-18 record away from home since January 8^th, and those three wins – Miami, Charlotte, New York – are nothing to write home about.

Since Devin Harris debuted against Milwaukee, the Nets have been an offensive juggernaut at home, eclipsing 100 points and 50% shooting in 6 of the 7 home games, posting a 5-2 record. With Harris leading the way, the entire team, particularly Vince Carter, have elevated their games. The Nets play with confidence at home, even appear to have fun at times – a shock if you saw them earlier in the year.

However, New Jersey has failed to pack up the newly found offense for the road trips. They play like two completely different teams at home and on the road, and it starts with the offense, notably ball movement. When adversity hits, a few missed shots or a run by the opponent, the Nets forget how to run offensive sets, stop passing, and transition goes by the waste side. Lack of ball movement leads to tougher, lower percentage shots, combined with less fast break points, and it’s no surprise the Nets have not shot over 50% during this treacherous road skid and only cracked 100 points once – ironically, in their visit to Indiana.

Offensively, the recipe is simple for the Nets, do as you do at the Izod Center. Push tempo, play aggressive and drive to the basket, make the extra pass, look for high percentage shots.

Jermaine O’Neal expects to return to the Indiana lineup tonight, giving the Pacers another weapon to throw at the Nets. In the three match-ups this season, Mike Dunleavy has torched the Nets, averaging 28.7 ppg, while Indiana has feasted from behind the arc, burying 40% on 33-81 shooting. O’Neal brings another inside presence for the Nets to worry about, along side second leading scorer Danny Granger and big man Troy Murphy, who also sat out Wednesday. Knowing Indiana’s 3-point shooting prowess, Coach Frank must make sure his defenders don’t get caught trying to double team the post and leave shooters open, especially Dunleavy. Though the Nets 3-point defense has improved recently, which may have more to do with the opponents than the defense, they allow about 1.5 more three pointers per game in losses. Too often this season, they have left good shooters open, and paid the price. It’s no secret Dunleavy can score, the Nets can’t allow another 30-point outburst.

After tonight the Nets embark on a treacherous six-game stretch against playoff teams, magnifying the importance of this game. When the Pacers make a run – and its inevitable, basketball is a game of runs – will the Nets counterpunch, or fall back to the bad habits they’ve exhibited on the road?

Two critical wins against playoff caliber teams prove the Nets are capable of great things, however now is not the time to rest on those laurels. Tuesday starts of four games in five nights, 25% of the 16 remaining games, including the next two against the teams battling New Jersey for the final Eastern playoff spot.

Following Monday’s action, the Nets head to Chicago in 9^th place, two games ahead of the Bulls and ½ game behind Wednesday’s opponent, Atlanta. The next seven games, particularly these two, may well determine the Nets playoff fate. Six of seven against sub-.500 teams, five against teams outside the playoff picture, and five against the group battling for the final two playoff spots, if we stretch to include streaking Philly in that group. Besides taking advantage of the last weak portion of the remaining schedule, these head-to-head match-ups may have tiebreaker implications.

To earn a playoff berth, New Jersey needs to win some road games. The Nets dropped seven straight away from the Izod Center since the Kidd trade, and are 2-16 dating back to mid-January. Tomorrow is the perfect chance to get on track, against a Bulls team playing back to back nights after blowing a double-digit second half lead in New Orleans on Monday, and that the Nets beat twice already this season. Opening night seems like an eternity, two teams with high hopes battling into overtime. Looking back, that game was more April Fools for both teams, than it was Halloween.

Offense, Offense, Offense. Coach Frank raved about the improved passing the past two games, as Devin Harris finally took control of the offense, pushing the tempo whenever possible, setting up his teammates with open looks, and taking better shots himself. The Nets shot over 50% from the field two straight games for the first time this season, and they attacked the rim, scoring 48 and 62 points in the paint in the respective contest along with a season-high 50 free throws on Saturday. It adds up to two 100+ point games, a key barometer for success this season with a 17-7 record when they crack the century mark.

Two players to keep an eye on are Vince Carter and Boki Nochbar. Carter is the lone Net regular to struggle offensively the past two games. Despite the point total, VC has shot often, and shot the ball poorly. Though he did play aggressive Saturday getting to the line 14 times, a knock on him most of the season, Carter needs to become more selective when he’s misfiring and look to pass.

Meanwhile, Boki needs to get involved earlier. He provided the spark the Nets needed off the bench in the 4^th on Saturday, following up a solid 21-point effort against Cleveland. Similar to the Nets, Boki’s capable of great things, but consistency continues to allude him. With a contract on the line, and nobody else on the Nets bench stepping up, Boki can really give the Nets a lift with 15 points a night, and earn a few dollars in the process.

For one night, the Nets played like a playoff team – 51.3% FG, 30 assists on 39 baskets, 6 players in double figures, season-high 38 points in the first quarter – returning home to snap a six-game skid, 5 on the road trip, where they hardly looked like a team, never mind playoff team. One night wonder or new trend? Tonight will provide the first answer when New Jersey hosts the Utah Jazz in one of the seven remaining games against teams over .500 in the Nets 17-game fight to continue their playoff streak.

Utah wiped the floor with the Nets on November 19^th in Salt Lake City, 102-75. A game more remembered for Jason Kidd’s infamous “glass jaw” pre-game comments, the first of many in-season criticisms by Kidd, than for the 27-point drubbing the Jazz handed out. Vince Carter missed the game with a sprained ankle.

The Nets enter the game tied for 8^th in the Eastern Conference with Atlanta, at 27-38, in search of consecutive wins for the first time since a February 12^th win over Minnesota extended the last win streak to three. Ironically, that marked Kidd’s last game as a Net.

Sitting fourth in the ever-changing Western Conference standings, at least for today, Utah’s one kryptonite this season has been playing on the road. At 16-20, the Jazz have dropped games to 11 of the 14 teams currently outside the playoffs, including 6 of the 7 non-playoff teams in the East (Milwaukee the lone exception). Dissecting the stats, defense is the only notable difference, opponents average 94.9 points at Energy Solutions Arena, but the Jazz allow 104.6 ppg on the road, a large ten-point gap. Even in the Jazz recent string of 4 out of 5 road wins, they held the opponent under 100 only twice, and one was Memphis, so take that with a grain of salt.

Tonight’s key for the Nets is another efficient offensive performance to follow-up the Cleveland outing. Utah can score with the best of them, currently 6^th in the NBA in points scored, reaching the 100 point plateau in 46 of 67 games this season. In contrast, the Nets sit third from the bottom in points, and next to last in the field goal percentage, while Utah leads the NBA. To win tonight, New Jersey must score, not necessarily crack 100 points, but play efficient, shoot over 45% and get to the foul line. As evidenced Wednesday, it starts with passing and attacking the goal. Simply put, on the recent losing streak the Nets finished with 15 or less assists in 4 of the six games and did not crack 100 points, before the 30 assist, 104 point game against Cleveland. Passing and movement on offense leads to better scoring opportunities in the paint, and open jump shots off kick outs. Utah’s defense is susceptible away from home, and the Nets must take advantage.

Newly acquired Devin Harris gets another chance to win over Nets fans against an elite NBA point guard in Deron Williams, who dialed up a 32 point, 8 assist effort in last night’s win in Boston. In 5 head-to-head meetings, after Harris became a starter in Dallas, Williams holds a 3-2 advantage, averaging 21.2 points, 8.2 assists, and 5 rebounds to Harris’ 11 points and 6.4 assists, however Williams played more minutes and took an average of 7 more shots per game. Earlier this season, Williams lit up Harris and the Mavs for 41 points, but lost the game. During the road trip, Harris, noted for his quickness and stellar defense, struggled to stop penetration and watched Tony Parker and Chris Paul, two other elite Western Conference points light up the scoreboard in lopsided wins. Tonight, Harris gets another chance to prove his defensive prowess against the best, as do the Nets.

After the Utah game, New Jersey has a pivotal seven game stretch where they face only one team above .500 – Denver, who currently sits outside the Western Conference playoffs – and includes fives games against teams in direct competition with the Nets for the final few playoff berths in the East. A two-game win streak against top notch playoff teams would bolster confidences, and be a good way to head into that stretch.

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Devin Harris took the old saying to new levels, nailing his first six shots after debuting for Nets at the 2:30 mark of the first quarter Thursday night. By time his first run ended – 16 points, 2 assists, and 9 minutes later – New Jersey had busted off a 22-5 run en route to a season-high 68 point half and a 13 point lead. Harris slowed down in the second half, but 21 points in 21 minutes after sitting out for exactly one month is a nice debut. Parlaying the season-high points in the first half to a season game-high in a 120-106 win over Milwaukee makes it that much sweeter.

From the sounds of it, Nets fans may carry him straight to Canton if he keeps this up, saluting his first game in Jersey by chanting DEVIN-HARRIS-clap-clap Yankee Stadium style in the closing minutes of the fourth. Ironically, the same night Dallas lost to San Antonio with Jason Kidd watching the deciding second from the bench of all places, Harris looked in-sync with his new teammates, evidenced by his highlight reel, underhanded alley-oop to Vince Carter in transition.

Observers gushed over his speed, Ian Eagle already dubbing Harris “The Blur”. I prefer Roadrunner from the old Looney Tunes cartoons. He ran the break, pushed the tempo, exhibited a killer crossover dribble, extended the defense out, picking up closer to half court rather than laying back, similar to teammate Darrell Armstrong. Harris was not perfect though, Mo Williams took it to him a few times on his way to a solid 24 points, his shooting slumped in the second half, and he picked up a technical foul late in the game, but let’s not knit pick.

Lest we forget, it takes a team effort to post 120 points. Jefferson and Carter continued their solid play in the post-Kidd era with 19 points apiece on an efficient 14-27 combined shooting. However, Jefferson again struggled defensively against a big time offensive threat, as Michael Redd carried the Bucks back into the game in the second half, finishing with 33 points. With the game still in doubt, Boki Nochbar, rapidly losing playing time since the Kidd trade, stepped up to reel off 13 4^th quarter points – his only points of the night – to finish off Milwaukee. A big stretch for Boki, who has struggled through inconsistent play all season, and now seems lost in Frank’s evolving rotation. Clutch scoring with the game on the line will surely win some brownie points.

Overshadowed at the point by Harris, Marcus Williams posted another solid game with 11 points, 8 assists, and 5 caroms. Despite a rough shooting night, Marcus continued to control the offense, effectively run half-court sets, while picking his spots for transition. His biggest improvement is in decision-making, evidenced by the goose egg in the turnover column.

Frank has a good problem, finding time for everyone. Expect Harris to start within the week, if for other reason than they have to justify the Kidd deal. With Antoine Wright out of the picture, Williams solid play puts him as the first guard off the bench and should find himself 20 minutes a night. Expect Frank to use Williams and Harris together at times with RJ or VC on the bench, and each running the point with the stars on the court – Marcus has played his way into the picture.

Thursday was heaven on earth at the Izod Center. Sunday everything crashes back to reality with the defending champs invading the building ahead of a brutal road trip that features a visit to San Antonio, New Orleans, and the big match with Dallas and, what’s his name again. Oh yeah, Memphis fits in there, the must win of all must wins. Nobody should expect a five or six game winning streak, but the Nets need to beat some good teams or Thursday means nothing.

Mark Cuban and Rod Thorn performed the Heimlich maneuver on the Jason Kidd trade during All-Star weekend. After applying pressure to the sternum area of a choking Jason Kidd, the trade demons coughed out Keith Van Horn and Trenton Hassell, allowing Jason Kidd to breathe easy again. Still pending league approval, no given in this situation, the Nets ship Kidd and Malik Allen to Dallas for Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop, Trenton Hassell, Mauric Ager, Keith Van Horn, two first round draft picks, and cash. Subsequently the Mavs send a second round draft pick to Jersey for Antoine Wright and a bottle of Advil – just in case that Kidd migraine problem pops up.

Again, nothing is official until its official. The teams tentatively scheduled a conference call to obtain league approval for Monday, with the use of Keith Van Horn, unofficially retired for two seasons and not expected to play, the only potential obstacle. This trade has had it all – weeks of anticipation after a public trade request, the Bird Exception, the Gary Payton rule, a semi-retired player about to get a few million dollars to show up for a physical. What’s next?

Both Dallas and New Jersey gave a little to solve the Devean George and Stackhouse problems from the original trade, which I thought were too much to overcome to get this trade done in under a week. Dallas takes a luxury tax hit by signing Van Horn to replace George in the trade, while the Nets assume more long-term salary in Hassell, who will earn double Stackhouse’s salary in 2009-2010.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized this trade had to happen. It passed the point of no return. Nowitzki’s comments about George, the fan reaction, Diop and Harris questioning if Dallas wanted them put the Dallas chemistry at risk, and the Nets faced an even more disgruntled Kidd, who booked his ticket out of town, magnifying an already toxic situation. Too much at stake for both teams to let a few million dollars here or there, a journeyman’s bonehead decision, and a veteran’s loose lips, to hold things up. Now, if the league office pulls the plug on the Van Horn loophole that will certainly end this trade without help from a third party.

Expect Kidd to rediscover his old self for Dallas, but the rejuvenated point guard may not be enough to overcome defensive deficiencies and lack of frontcourt depth to compete with the now ultra-competitive Western Conference. The trade at least puts them back in the discussion. Similar to Phoenix, the Kidd move is high risk, high reward. Dallas can go on to win the NBA crown this season, or they can give Kidd his extension, flop in the playoffs yet again, then find themselves saddled with a bad contract in salary cap hell two years from now. Replacing Kidd with Harris makes Dallas the oldest team in the NBA, a sure sign of win now.

Over the next few podcasts, and on the blogs, we’ll analyze why Harris is not a major downgrade from the 2007-2008 version of Jason Kidd. Ten years younger, signed through 2013 for significantly less money, a better shooter (not passer), arguably a better defender – all positives. Harris will never approach Kidd in his prime, but if he plays hard every night, fits in with the offense, continues to improve at the same curve he has since his rookie season, New Jersey still makes the playoffs in the tremendously watered-down Eastern Conference. More importantly, three years from now and five years from the Nets are in better shape after this trade.

Ironic Kidd’s last soiree as a Net came in the All-Star game, playfully chatting with future teammate Dirk Nowitzki on the court, while his real teammates sat thousands of miles away. Symbolic of how he played this season – more interested in playing with other teams stars, alienating the guys in his own locker room. All the trade talk must have confused Kidd, during his post game comments he was quoted as saying Jersey is great, has wonderful fans, and he wishes them the best of luck. Too bad he didn’t feel that way earlier this season. Hey, at least as Kidd mentioned, the golf is great.

After months of complaints, public and private requests, a migraine induced walk-out, and sub-par effort, Jason Kidd finally has a reason to smile again. The Nets shipped the future Hall of Famer to Dallas in exchange for Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, Desagna Diop, Devean George, and a pair of first round draft picks, sure to be late in the first round. Dallas also receives Malik Allen and Antoine Wright to equalize the salaries.

Recent speculation led many to believe Rod Thorn would hold Kidd until the summer, unimpressed by the current offers. That was until Mark Cuban witnessed Kidd’s personal audition on Sunday night, leading New Jersey to a blowout of a Dallas team that received ZERO assists from its starting point guard. Toss in the blockbuster moves by Phoenix and LA last week with and the Mavs path to the Finals, and Cuban knew he faced another disappointing playoff run without a bold move. Will Kidd put them over the top? Remains to be seen, since Harris played well prior to the injury, and Dallas has more weaknesses than just the point guard position.

The Nets obtain a potential budding star – though not projected to approach Kidd’s level – three expiring contracts, and draft picks. Probably the best Thorn could do. Harris, who turns 25 in two weeks, ten years younger than Kidd, is averaging 14.4 points and over five dimes a night. With Harris due almost $14 million less than Kidd next season, the Nets now have cap flexibility to pursue free agents or potential trades.

Insert Harris next to a still young Richard Jefferson, a blossoming duo of young, athletic big men, 24-year old Nenad Kristic, and the Nets have a young nucleus. All that’s missing is the superstar shooting guard/power forward. For now, it’s Vince Carter.

The Nets were not winning any championships with the current team, so keeping an unhappy Kidd around provided no positive. Teams often regret waiting too long to pull the trigger on moving an aging star player, Thorn decided to jump the gun instead of waiting it out. Does it make the Nets better today? Probably not, though Harris brings a better offensive game than Kidd – look forward to less 1-9 shooting nights – but puts another piece into place for the future. Now Thorn needs to work his magic, and get a big time scoring guard not named Vince Carter, not over 30 years old, into the Izod Center by next season.

More to come on the Kidd legacy…