You lose a 7-foot All-Star center who also is your leading scorer, chances are pretty good you can end up in the NBA dumpster.
But you can survive when you have a 6-foot-11 future Hall of Famer such as Kevin Garnett ratcheting up his game. And you can thrive when you also have another 6-foot-11 guy such as Andray Blatche utilizing his wealth of skills and playing with the program.
After missing four games because of “personal reasons” — which were whispered to be anything from personal to conditioning issues — Blatche has helped the Nets compensate for the loss of Brook Lopez. And then some. Monday at Madison Square Garden, Blatche forged his second straight double-double, hammering the beleaguered Knicks for 19 points and 12 rebounds in a 103-80 Brooklyn romp.
“Being aggressive,” Blatche said of his recent surge. “Just being aggressive and confident, taking the shot when it presents itself. Other than that, I can’t say much. It’s just all about being aggressive.”
And doing it virtually everywhere on the floor. Blatche punished the Knicks inside and out — even nailing a 3-pointer.
“He played a good game,” said Knicks center Tyson Chandler. “It’s tough when you’re knocking down jump shots because any time you’ve got a big guy like that who can stretch the floor.”
Since Blatche’s return, Brooklyn has won six of seven games (they are 7-1 in their last eight). In Blatche’s two most recent games, he has scored 39 points, grabbed 26 rebounds and shot 19 of 30. That’s a nice month for some guys.
“The difference is not [just] in Andray but everybody, it is the comprehension and understanding of what is expected out of them,” Garnett said.
Coach Jason Kidd credited Blatche’s progress over the past few weeks to one key component: “confidence.”
“His teammates, the coaches, we all believe in him,” Kidd said. “When he plays well, we’re a different team. He’s been playing extremely well for us, and also playing the five. It’s gotten him around the basket where he’s been great with the ball and also finishing. Tonight he displayed his jump shot a little bit.”
Blatche quickly deflected any credit aimed at him toward the team which after a brutal start, is emerging as the favorite for the Atlantic.
“We’re working hard. We’re trying to get better. We dug a hole and we’re trying to climb out of it,” Blatche said. “We’re still trying to get where we think we can be.”
Without Lopez, it looked like the Nets could never get there. But with Blatche playing like he has of late, well, maybe they can.