Everyone knows, with their roster constructed as is, that the New Jersey Nets aren't going to win a championship any time soon. However, that doesn't mean that they should be 20 games under the .500 mark with a ghastly 11-31 record.
Avery Johnson deserves the blame for the Nets' inability to play up to their collective potential.
Even with that embarrassing record, New Jersey is only six-and-a-half games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. More than half of its losses (16, to be exact) have come by 10 or fewer points.
That statistic indicates that the Nets don't know how to close games. Anyone who has been watching this team religiously is aware of that harsh reality. So what's the problem?
It's quite simple, actually: Johnson's rotation is a mess and he plays the wrong guys at the wrong times.
Let's take last night, for example. The Nets worked hard for an impressive 103-95 victory over the Utah Jazz, thanks to seven double-digit scoring performances. So everything is peachy, right?
Wrong. Starting shooting guard Stephen Graham, a career journeyman, played over 28 mi ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by John Frascella
Avery Johnson Fails To Maximize New Jersey Nets’ Talent
January 20th, 2011 by John Frascella Leave a reply »
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