On the day after the last day of the (regular) season, the New Jersey Nets organization must have been feeling pretty confident about their future. Deron Williams most notably, was talking like his presence in Brooklyn in 2012 was a foregone conclusion:
“I like this organization a lot. I like the direction they’re going. They made me and my family feel real comfortable,” said Williams. “I like Coach [Avery] Johnson. The way he coaches and the way he carries himself.”
Williams’ right wrist was wrapped in a cast after surgery he admitted angered him. He thought he’d only need rest but was out-voted “2-against-1” by docs.
“I definitely can see myself staying here,” Williams said. “It’s something that’s going to be brought up a lot this summer after the collective bargaining agreement handles itself and then we’ll look at it.”
I don’t know what kind of tapioca pudding or kool-aid Mikhail Prokhorov and Billy King are feeding DWill these days, but just keep doing it. Al Iannazzone seems to think getting Dwight Howard for next season is a bit of a pipe dream and I agree, but this organization still needs to show a very clear plan on putting a talented team around Williams and Brook Lopez. There’s been a bit of buzz about where Sasha Vujacic fits on this roster next season and I have an easy answer for that — he does. Kudos for Sasha for coming here and being a pro, but he’s too costly for a skillset the team already had under contract in Anthony Morrow. The Nets need to start acquiring versatile players for SG and SF who can shoot, defend, and score near the hoop. Sasha and Morrow each can only do one of those things with any consistency, and quite frankly, saying Sasha can shoot is a bit of a reach considering the high volume of shots he takes when he’s on the court.
