All that Brooklynites feared could go wrong with the Nets this season has gone wrong in just 10 games.
The injuries, the lack of chemistry, the clumsy coaching — it has all been magnified by that lousy 3–7 record.
First, the injuries. Any team, in any sport, will face some injury adversity during the course of a season. But with a team built as Brooklyn’s is — a team that has to monitor the minutes of its aging stars — we really didn’t expect it until later in the season. Still, Saturday night against the Clippers saw the Nets without four of its five opening-day starters, including Frontcourt-mates Brook Lopez and Kevin Garnett.
Last week, this column said that it was too early to push the panic button on Kevin Garnett’s slow start and, after Monday’s solid showing against the surprising Trailblazers, we stand by that statement. However, an ankle injury to a 37-year-old is certainly something that should be watched closely — right along with his minutes.
The more concerning injury is Brook Lopez’s bum left ankle. Lopez has been the one consistent starter on the Nets this season, improving his defense and picking up his offensive onslaught right where he left off a year ago. If he were to miss significant time, it would be a huge blow to an already struggling Nets team.
Without their starting point guard for the preseason and now with many key players sitting out parts of the first 10 games, the Nets haven’t had much of a chance to gel. That chemistry should come, provided they are all able to stay on the court.
Beyond the slew of injuries and on-court niceties among new teammates, what is most troublesome about this Nets team is its already well-documented third-quarter woes. In seven losses, the Nets have been out-scored, out-played and out-worked in the third quarter. And that falls squarely on first-year coach Jason Kidd.
It would be nice if some of the vets would help the rookie out.
Tom Lafe is a 6-foot-5 sports-world insider with a middling high school basketball career who believes the Nets will be driven by the success of the team’s big men.
