Posts tagged ‘Jason Collins’

One farewell, one long awaited return, one rumored departure – after two straight wins, the Nets looked distracted last night. Jason Collins started his final game with a thunderous dunk on a back cut off a Jason Kidd assist. From there the Nets appeared old, slow, and disinterested.

Atlanta used a 9-0 run in the first quarter to jump ahead, and an extended 20-7 burst against an apathetic second unit to start the second quarter, to blow the game open. Richard Jefferson came out shooting duds, leading the brigade of Nets settling for long jumpers. While Vince Carter, slowed by foul trouble, made his biggest impact by picking up a technical foul in the second quarter, then sitting the final 9+ minutes of the half.

Meanwhile, the Hawks athleticism and speed overwhelmed the Nets defense. Atlanta, known for its transition offense, scored 23 fast break points and finished with 58 points in the paint, thanks to 15 offensive rebounds, and countless drives to the basket.

Jefferson showed up for the second half, opening the third with five quick points. However, the lack of transition defense killed the Nets, each time the Nets showed a surge Atlanta struck back with easy baskets on the other end, beating the NJ down the floor. Jefferson finished with 23 strong points, and got the Nets within nine points early in the fourth before Atlanta capitalized on the offensive glass with a putback.

Boki Nochbar was the only Net to provide offense in the first half. Following a dreadful offensive outing in Miami, Nochbar buried his first shot and took off from there. He mixed aggressive moves to the basket with touch from the outside to finish with 16 points. More disconcerting, Nochbar and Antoine Wright were the only Nets to visit the foul line in the entire first half – a sign of the lack of aggressive play and offensive rhythm. The second unit had no flow, with Marcus Williams struggling to setup the offense or trigger the transition game.

If you blinked, you missed Nenad Kristic’s return. Kristic played 2:45 late in the first quarter before icing his knee on the bench the rest of the night. If Kristic is not ready to play 20 minutes a night, he should not play at all. If he is, Frank should use him, the Nets have nothing to lose. Atlanta poses a tough defensive assignment for Curly, but nobody else contained Marvin Williams or Josh Smith last night, why not have Kristic try to get into the flow?

Kidd slid into second on the All-Time rebounding list for guards, moving past Clyde Drexler. Lost in his 10 rebound, 7 assist performance was a woeful shooting night, 2-9 from the floor for only five points. You can sum the night up with two plays, Josh Smith pinned a Carter layup – later appeared to be goaltending – then ran the floor for an easy dunk on the other end. While earlier in the fourth, Kidd went to swing the ball around the perimeter and threw what appeared to be a simple pass to Carter into the first row. Lack of concentration, lack of energy – double digit loss.

Note: If Atlanta had 18,102 fans in attendance, I must have won the lottery last night. The building looked almost as empty as most nights at Izod, yet still had more energy.

One last time, for old time’s sake, to show his appreciation for 6 ½ years of service, Lawrence Frank started Jason Collins at center. Collins answered the bell with two handed rim rattler to open the game. Barring a reprieve, the Nets will officially ship Collins to Memphis for former Number Two pick (2000) Stromile Swift on Monday, making tonight Collins’ send off.

Offensively challenged, lacking athletic ability – his vertical leap makes it hard to slide a piece of paper under his feet – other than his 7-foot stature, Collins is not the prototypical NBA player. His offensive statistics rank among the lowest of all NBA players, and have perennially been the worst of any NBA starter. Teams did not even have to defend Collins, often leaving the Nets in 5-on-4 situations. Fans called for his head, stat heads ridiculed him, yet Frank stuck with him.

Through it all Collins acted professionally. Not only with his astute off the court comments, but with his workmanlike attitude on the court. For 6+ years Twin brought his best effort night in, night out. He never complained, not when Frank benched him, not when fans booed him. He played through injuries when the team needed him, as Frank echoed in his pre-game remarks on YES Network. Collins handled everything as a consummate professional, right down to this weekend, when the Nets – having already agreed to a trade with Memphis –short-handed with Malik Allen and Jamaal Magloire out of action, looked to Collins, already a lame duck, to step in. No problem.

Stats aside, Collins is by far the best defensive frontcourt player the Nets have. Coaches should play film of how he defends the pick and roll – hedge on the dribbler to push him away from the basket, and then quickly recover while cutting off the passing lane – for young players.

Collins became an easy target for fans when the Nets went south in recent years, given his lack of offensive output and continued playing time. On a struggling team that often needs help scoring, Collins simply does not fit, he no longer has a place on this team. Though Swift may not be the answer, he brings a bevy of unfulfilled potential. Collins defense, hustle, and solid screening belong on the bench for a championship caliber team, as a role player. Memphis may be furthest from the ideal destination, but no doubt Collins will give it 100% starting Monday.

By the end of the month, Richard Jefferson may remain the last link to the Nets back-to-back Eastern Conference championship teams. The Collins trade – and what follows with Kidd – will officially end the most successful era in franchise history. Collins soon to be former teammate should take some notes on how to act with class.