By Chris Ruddick, Contributing NBA Writer
2003-04 FINISH: 47-35
OFFSEASON ADDITIONS: Travis Best (G) - Free agent; Rodney Buford (G) - New Jersey; Nenad Krstic (C/F) - 2002 first round draft pick; Ron Mercer (G) - Free Agent; Jacque Vaughn (G) - Free Agent; Eric Williams (F) - Free Agent.
OFFSEASON SUBTRACTIONS: Lucious Harris (G) - Waived; Kerry Kittles (G) - Traded to LA Clippers; Kenyon Martin (F) - Traded to Denver; Rodney Rogers (F) - Signed with New Orleans: Tamar Slay (G) - Selected by Charlotte in Expansion Draft.
2004 DRAFT PICKS: 1. (22) Viktor Khryapa (F, Russia) - Traded to Portland; 2. (51) Christian Drejer (F, Spain).
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP: PG Jason Kidd, SG Ron Mercer, SF Richard Jefferson, PF Eric Williams, C Jason Collins
COACH: Lawrence Frank
(Basketball News) - The new-look New Jersey Nets begin their first full season under head coach Lawrence Frank with far less expectations than in the past two seasons.
For the first time since star guard Jason Kidd came to town there are plenty of questions surrounding the Nets. So much so that it is believed that Kidd wants out of town and could ask for a trade once he returns from knee surgery sometime in December.
Gone are New Jersey mainstays Kenyon Martin and Kerry Kittles, as the former was dealt to the Denver Nuggets, while the latter was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers with an array of draft picks coming in return from both deals.
General manager Rod Thorn, who is expected to have his contract extended before the start of the season, has done little to replace those two reliable veterans. Eric Williams is expected to fill Martin’s shoes, while Ron Mercer should get the nod in Kittle’s absence.
One thing the team did do this offseason was to lock up young forward Richard Jefferson with a multi-year extension.
"Richard’s work ethic over the past three years has produced a significant development in his basketball performance," said Thorn. "The Nets management feels very strongly that Richard will continue this upward progression and be a cornerstone of this franchise, and we are very pleased that he will continue his basketball career past his current contract with the New Jersey Nets."
The 24-year-old Jefferson started all 82 regular-season games last season for the Nets and averaged 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest.
After two straight Eastern Conference Finals, the Nets got off to a slow start in the 2003-04 campaign and fired head coach Byron Scott, despite a 22-20 mark, in January. The 33- year-old Frank then took over and set a record for major professional sports in North America by starting his coaching career 13-0.
Frank eventually guided the Nets to the Atlantic Division title and a sweep over the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, before falling in seven games to the eventual NBA champion Detroit Pistons in the conference semifinals.
Kidd’s knee was a problem down the stretch and cost the team in the playoffs. How he returns from the knee will decide how far the Nets go. However, he is unhappy with the way the team handled this offseason and could make things very uncomfortable in New Jersey this season.
BACKCOURT
When he is healthy there is not a better point guard in the game than Kidd. He has the ability, as he has shown here in the Garden State, to lift a team to unbelievable heights - no matter who he is playing with. Nobody runs the fast break any better, as he has an uncanny knack of seeing the whole court and knowing what is going to happen instantly.
Kidd, who is also a menace on the defensive end of the court, appeared in 67 games last season and averaged 15.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 9.2 apg.
Travis Best, a nine-year veteran out of Georgia Tech, was signed in early October and should spell Kidd from time-to-time and will likely start the year as the team’s starting point guard. He will be challenged by another veteran Jacques Vaughn for the starting spot in the beginning of the year.
Best spent last season with Dallas and averaged 2.8 points and 1.8 assists in 61 games, while Vaughn averaged 3.8 ppg and 2.8 apg in 71 games with the Atlanta Hawks a year ago.
The 31-year-old Kidd, who is expected to miss at least the first month of the season recovering from the knee surgery, will be joined in the backcourt by Mercer, who will be playing for his seventh team since coming into the league in 1997 with the Boston Celtics.
Mercer brings a toughness to the position that Kittles lacked, but is nowhere near the defensive presence that Kittles was. Kidd also meshed well with Kittles in the transitionIn just 39 games for the San Antonio Spurs last season Mercer averaged 5.0 ppg.
Also seeing some time in the back court will be the "Sheriff" Rodney Buford and European Zoran Planinic, who the team had hoped would be the backup to Kidd. However, Planinic had trouble learning the English language and has not adjusted to the fast pace of the NBA.
FRONTCOURT
Jefferson started to show signs last year of becoming an elite player in this league. Now with a huge contract, and Kidd’s apparent desire to leave, he could become the face of this organization. When Kidd and Martin went down with injuries down the stretch last season, it was Jefferson who carried the team.
The 6-foot-7 Jefferson, who is improving the range on his jumper and is above average defensively, is probably anxious to get the season started after a horrific showing as a member of the U.S. Olympic Basketball team that finished with a disappointing Bronze Medal at the Athens Games.
However, he is a terrific finisher and a tremendous compliment to Kidd in the running game.
With Martin in the Rocky Mountains, power forward is a huge concern for Frank’s squad. Williams should help and will start. A strong defender, Williams also has the ability to knock down a three-pointer. He can also play the three and will from time-to-time.
In 50 games for the Cavaliers last season, Williams averaged 9.4 ppg and 3.8 rpg.
Also seeing some time at the forward spot will be the seldom-used Brian Scalabrine, who will likely spell Jefferson more than at the power spot because he just simply does not have the bulk or size to handle the league’s big men.
Things are so bad at the power forward position, that the Nets are actually considering shifting centers Jason Collins and Aaron Williams there at times. Without the center combination, there is just no inside presence at all.
Collins, 7-foot, will start the season in the middle for the Nets and will do all the little things that do not show up in the box score for the team. He is not about numbers, but he will take a charge, blocks out for others to rebound and is a sound defender. With Martin gone though, his 5.1 rpg are going to have to improve.
Williams will be his primary backup, but at 6-foot-9 is a bit undersized. The team is also a bit worried how he will hold up with an expected increase in his minutes, while playing both positions.
The one wild card could be seven-time All-Star Alonzo Mourning, who is attempting another comeback. This time though he is not just coming back from a kidney ailment, he is coming back from a kidney transplant.
Mourning, 6-foot-10, four-year, $22 million contract prior to the 2003-04 season, but his time with New Jersey lasted only 12 games because of a condition known as focal glomerulosclerosis. He was forced to stop playing on November 25, 2003 and underwent the transplant less than a month later with an organ donated by his cousin.
In his 12 games with the Nets, Mourning amassed 8.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in nearly 18 minutes per game, well short of his career averages. He is a longshot at best, though, to make the team.
New Jersey might also get something out of 2002 first round pick Nenad Kristic, a rail-thin 7-foot, 240-pound forward/center who played for Vlade Divac’s Partizan Belgrade team. Kristic, who has terrific range, bulked up a bit over the summer, but still might not be ready for the big time.
OUTLOOK
This team took a disastrous hit in the offseason when Martin expressed his desire to leave. Not only did it draw the ire of the team’s star, but it also caused the Nets to lose a lot of their toughness and defensive presence. Without Martin rebounding will be a problem, but none of that matters if Kidd is not healthy. Even if he is healthy he could be gone, as the Nets seem to be ready to head in another direction for some unknown reason. Luckily, though, they are in the Eastern Conference and with the new division alignment, the Miami Heat - more specifically Shaquille O’Neal - are not in the Atlantic so a playoff spot is not out of the question. However, if Kidd is gone or injured it is lottery time again in New Jersey.
New Jersey Nets 
