Shareef Abdur-Rahim To Sign With The New Jersey Nets

[THUNDER HANDS]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2110920

I love it!

A 20-ppg scorer added to a team that already has the best 1-2-3 combo in the league with Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson.

Now we have the best 1-2-3-4 combo in the league. Very, very balanced.

And our rookie center averaged 10 ppg last year, and he didn't start until the midway point of the season! He also averaged 17-ppg against Shaq in the playoffs.

With Larry Brown out in Detroit, the Nets are poised to challenge for the top spot in the Eastern Conference along with Miami and a healthy Indiana.

I can't wait for basketball season to start again. :D

[DaveinMD]

1. Rod Thorn

is a very good GM. Much better than Isiah.

[democracyindanger]

2. As long as Vinjury can stay healthy

Nets could be a contender. Only downside is that SAR is a mediocre defender--and you'll need a good frontline D against MIA and IND.

[lazarus]

3. Hmm

An aging, injury prone point guard; an injury prone admitted slacker who hasn't made an all-NBA team since 2001 (second team, at that); and one of the most overrated players in the game, as shown in Athens.

Yeah, adding a forward who, since his rookie season, hasn't even managed to make a third team All-NBA, and has never even whiffed the playoffs, should make you guys a lock. For something. :eyes:

You've forgotten the Bulls, btw, who should be a real threat. And I wouldn't count out the Pistons just because they lost their flake coach.

[THUNDER HANDS]

4. boy, of all people

I'd think you would be more respectful. Afterall, an inferior Nets team to the one currently constructed took the Spurs to 6 games a few years ago.

And if you think Jefferson is overrated then you don't know basketball. The guy is a 22+ ppg scorer and plays terrific defense. He absolutely OWNS Tayshawn Price and can more than hold is own against Ginobli.

I look forward to a rematch this year.

[lazarus]

6. Well

We were looking to sign SAR as a backup forward. :evilgrin:

That means coming off the bench.

After all, he only managed to play in 54 games last year. And he's never seen the playoffs, ever.

Oh, and that inferior Nets team? Lost. To an inferior Spurs team to the one currently constructed.

I don't remember Jefferson "holding his own" while Manu was romping against us in the Olympics, either. And if he was so good, he'd have at least made a third team All-NBA in something, right?

I look forward to a rematch, as well. Of course, we'll just have the two, because I will put real money that New Jersey isn't going to the Finals.

[THUNDER HANDS]

7. hey

The only reason you wanted him as a backup is because he'd be playing behind Duncan. I'm not going to sit here and say he should start over HIM.

And Jefferson probably would have made the second or third team All-NBA had he been healthy the whole year.

He did come back for the playoffs and played great, even though he had practically NO time to work out.

Just watch, we'll see you guys again in June.

[lazarus]

8. what, the Nets have tickets already?

:evilgrin:

SAR is actually a better small forward, so we'd have him backing up Bowen. Jefferson's never even made an all-NBA team, except for the rookie squad.

[manic expression]

11. Please...

That "aging" point guard can pass better than anyone in the league, as well as push the transition. You wish you had Kidd.

Carter didn't try on the Raptors because it was a dismal team. He cares more than ever now, and I think his 40+ point games more than demonstrate this.

First of all, EVERY US player sucked in Athens, Iverson especially (although Iverson is the hardest working and most valuable player in the NBA, he got the 6ers to the playoffs BY HIMSELF). The olympics have no correlation to the NBA, sorry.

We added a solid forward who will work with the team well. He's been on piss poor teams, so it's natural that he's never been in the playoffs. With Kidd at point, he'll be in good hands (the best hands in the NBA) during crunch time.

[lazarus]

12. wish we had Kidd?

Yeah, okay. He'd have put us over the edge, and we might have won a title by now.

Oh, wait....

See, if we'd have signed Kidd, we couldn't have signed Manu. Or other players. No cap flexibility.

It's not just the age (he's not that old), it's the mileage. Too many injuries on too many teams.

Carter didn't try because he's a slacker. As soon as he feels like pouting, he'll go back to slacking. There's a reason his nickname is Half Man/Half Season.

I'd put Nash over Kidd for passing right now. He's a blast to watch.

And Kidd has a couple of years left, tops. There's a reason he's been on that many teams.

How's the defense on this team? The bench? I put New Jersey as fighting it out with Boston for the Atlantic again.

I will agree with you that AI should have gotten MVP last year.

[manic expression]

13. If you signed Kidd,

he would make every player on that team 3x better. For goodness sakes, Kittles was a great player when he was playing with Kidd. Duncan takes up the same kind of money on your cap, so don't tell me about flexibility, especially when (IMO) Kidd makes a bigger impact on his teammates.

The thing is that Kidd doesn't really have to push himself physically to do well this year, he has the players around him to do that. All he has to do is make great plays and pass the ball, and there's no doubt he's pretty durable anyway.

Nash is amazing, but remember that he relies on his speed rather than pure passing ability. However, The Suns' defense is, well, lacking.

The Nets' bench is not bad, and it doesn't need to be great.

The Nets should go deep in the playoffs this year, up there with Detroit, Indiana and Miami.

[THUNDER HANDS]

14. ...and....

Kidd took a Nets team with less talent than Nash has on his to two consecutive finals appearances and was a bum leg away from making it 3 straight.

Kidd is STILL the best point guard in the NBA until Parker proves he can win without Duncan and Nash proves he can win in the playoffs.

[lazarus]

15. And Kidd has proved he can win what, exactly?

Yeah, he make it to the Finals, and amass a 2-8 record. Whee!

Parker isn't the best. He likely isn't even top 5. But we don't need that, as we have Duncan and Ginobili.

[THUNDER HANDS]

17. well

If Byron Scott hadn't left Kerry Kittles out of game 6 when the team was up in the 4th quarter then who knows how that game would have turned out.

But like I said, we'll all find out this year when the Nets and Spurs have, I believe, the top 2 teams in the NBA. We'll meet in the finals and may the best team win.

[lazarus]

16. You don't seem to understand

Duncan = big chunk of contract, still have flexibility

Kidd = big chunk of contract, still have flexibility

Duncan + Kidd = virtually the entire salary cap, no flexibility, two man team with crap the rest of the way. Think Lakers, only not as good.

Oh, and when's the last time a point guard actually won a championship as best player on his team? Don't you have to go back to Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson, 20 years ago? Before that, it's Oscar Robertson, and I'm not sure if at that stage of his career Lew Alcindor wasn't better.

Point guards are essential. But the big money from the cap needs to go to other positions.

I do agree that the Nets will do much better in the playoffs this year. They're not a bad team, and I'm sorry if I gave that impression. But to consider them as being one player short of the best starting 5 in the league is just homerism, IMO. You have to look at the Finals teams first, Detroit and San Antonio. Then I'd put Indiana in there (they'd have been in the finals if Artest hadn't melted down and JO hadn't gotten injured, I believe).

[THUNDER HANDS]

18. The Nets are better than both Detroit and Indiana

Here's the matchups:

PG

Kidd vs. Tinsley vs. Billups

I'd take Kidd.

SG

Carter vs. Jackson vs. Hamilton

I'd take Carter (but I really like Rip, I'm not shorting him at all) and I'd crap on Stephen Jackson, who I think is waaay overrated.

SF

Jefferson vs. Artest vs. Prince

The best matchup of them all, all three could be All-Stars. But I think both Jefferson and Artest and clearly better than Prince and I think Jefferson and Ron cancel eachother out, RJ is as good an offensive player as Artest is a defensive player and RJ isn't too bad of a defensive player himself, so I'd call this a wash.

PF

Abdur-Rahim vs. O'Neal vs. Wallace

Obviously, we come out on a short end here, but we're a major upgrade from Jason Collins. I give the edge to Wallace here based on his playoff performances the past couple of seasons.

C

Krstic vs. Foster vs. Wallace

Wallace, right now, is clearly the best of this bunch, but don't sell Krstic short. He'll be a 15/9 center within 2 years and that should be enough to get him close to an All-Star game. Jeff Foster is - bleh - but everyone knows Detroit's strength is its frontcourt.

So to recap:

At the point guard position...

1. Jason Kidd
2. Chauncy Billups
3. Jamal Tinsley

At the shooting guard position...

1. Vince Carter
2. Rip Hamilton
3. Stephen Jackson

At the small forward position...

1. Ron Artest
2. Richard Jefferson
3. Tayshawn Prince

At the power forward position...

1. Rasheed Wallace
2. Jermain O'Neal
3. Shareef Abdur-Rahim

At the center position...

1. Ben Wallace
2. Nenad Krstic
3. Jeff Foster

So if you want to doll out point totals, 3 points for a No. 1 player and 1 point for a No. 3 player, it looks like this...

Nets = 11 points
Pistons = 11 points
Indiana = 8 points

So I see the East playoff picture shaping out this way -

1. Miami
2. New Jersey
3. Detroit
4. Indiana
5. Chicago
6. Washington
7. Milwaukee
8. Orlando

[aaronbees]

5. Shareef's a good baller...

He's a steady player, not outstanding, but solid. Good pickup for the Nets and congrats. Wish we'd had a good place for him on the Blazers but he was always an ill fit with Zach emerging.

[THUNDER HANDS]

9. Its official

The Nets are going to send their trade exeption and a lottery-protected 2006 1st round draft pick to the Blazers for SAR. The Nets still have the LA Clippers lottery UNprotected 2006 pick.

Now the Nets will look to sign Miami free agent Keyon Dooling and possibly Charlotte forward Malik Allen.

[manic expression]

10. This is great

Watch out for NJ next year!