Some pointed to the lack of production and inability to space the floor from forwards Gerald Wallace and Reggie Evans. At SBNation, Mike Prada delves into these spacing issues with a thorough piece on how much the Bulls have been sagging off of Evans and Wallace in order to double, sometimes triple team the likes of Joe Johnson, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. In conclusion, Prada says:
But something has to change if the Nets are to come back in this series. Carlesimo may be reluctant to give up size on the defensive end, but his offense is in such bad shape that the tradeoff is necessary. If I were Carlesimo, I wouldn’t play Evans and Wallace together for another minute this series.
PJ doesn’t necessarily need to change his starting lineup, but he also doesn’t need to play Wallace & Evans together for the entire quarter.
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) April 26, 2013
This has not been a good half for PJ Carlesimo.
— Stefan Bondy (@NYDNInterNets) April 26, 2013
Evans & Wallace have played 25 minutes together. Unbelievable.
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) April 26, 2013
P.J. is saving Brooks for his successor….
— Peter Vecsey (@PeterVecsey1) April 26, 2013
Everything that scared me about the Bulls is coming true…led by them having a big coaching edge
— Evan Roberts (@JoeandEvan) April 26, 2013
You get the point. Schumann also offered a stat that will assuredly leave most Nets fans shaking their heads: in the last two games, Brooklyn is a -26 in 42 minutes with both Wallace and Evans on the court together and a +15 in the other 54 minutes with them off.
So how does P.J. Carlesimo respond? He had this to say:
“Thoughts about it (changing the starting lineup)? Yeah…. But we’re not going to change the starting lineup. If we’re struggling offensively then we need to address that. If changing the lineup or changing who we put on the floor helps us to score points then we’re going to have to do that…. It’s a tough balance because some of the problems we have is not because those guys (Gerald Wallace and Reggie Evans) are not scoring. If we do some of the things that we normally do – if we make some threes, if we finish in the paint, then we’re okay and we can take advantage of other guys skill sets.
Not long after, Gerald Wallace sounded off about his role (or lack thereof) on this Nets team:
“I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you my role now,” Wallace said Friday at the team’s hotel in Chicago. “I don’t have a clue what my role is on this team.”
How did Carlesimo respond to that?
“I think we’re going through a tough time right now and that’s what playoffs are all about,” Carlesimo said. “We’re all frustrated. And we have to -– I have to -– do a better job of constantly defining roles and redefining roles so we perform the way we’re capable of performing.”
Wallace isn’t alone in expressing disappointment with his role. Rookie point guard Tyshawn Taylor says he’s been upset that he hasn’t gotten a chance to perform this season on a consistent basis and that there’s a chance he may need to go to a different team in order to play. We would tell you to check out the full interview somewhere, but unfortunately it appears as though the video has been taken down for reasons unknown. Luckily though, Netsdaily has transcribed much of the content here.
On top of all of this, Nets swingman MarShon Brooks sounded off on his role as well:
“It seems like I’m the last resort, honestly…. If things aren’t going well for the team, throw MarShon out there. That’s been the rhythm all year. I kind of know when my name is going to be called, in a sense.”
