Help.
In one word, that’s what the Nets need. Lots and lots of help.
There’s not just one quick-fix for them after the worst record, 12-70, in their often-tortured history.
The offseason officially began yesterday with the completion of exit interviews and continued strategy planning. Team president Rod Thorn said it is “business as usual” regarding the coaching search, draft, free agency and other assorted goodies.
“We need help,” Thorn admitted.
Help is different things to different people.
To Courtney Lee, it’s the right coach, defenders and a go-to guy. To Brook Lopez, it’s defense and rebounding. To Terrence Williams, yesterday named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month (the seventh Net so honored), it’s a talented free agent. Devin Harris is a little greedy. Assuming he returns, he wants help everywhere.
“Increase our size up front, become better defensively. We didn’t shoot a high percentage, got outrebounded,” said Harris, acting as if he’s staying whether or not John Wall is drafted. “We don’t know what management’s doing or if they get the No. 1 pick. I’m going to prepare like I’m going to be here.”
With $23 million cap space, the Nets will be major free-agent players. No one can be discussed, but the hot four names are Rudy Gay (restricted, so Memphis can match any offer), Amar’e Stoudemire, David Lee and Carlos Boozer. Gay, Stoudemire and Lee spoke highly of the Nets in-season. Boozer trashed them.
Boozer is the scorer/rebounder but not the defender they need. Still, Boozer, Stoudemire or Lee would thrive next to Lopez, and Lopez would thrive next to any of them. Can’t have everything, although that’s what the Nets want. They hope to land the No. 1 pick — they are assured of Nos. 27 from Dallas and 31, their first pick on the second round.
“I don’t care who they get in the draft. Hopefully, we get a good free agent. That’s what I want,” Williams said.
Thorn offered an interesting slant on the Nets’ own free agents. Don’t be so quick to shove them all out the door because “we’re going to be looking for players, we’ll need bigs.” That could keep Josh Boone a Net.
“First of all, get the coach,” offered Lee, expressing his offseason hope. “Then get guys willing to work on the defensive end. And we definitely need that guy who’s a game closer, that guy to make the right play out of doubles, a guy who’s going to knock down shots.”
For the coach, Thorn will look everywhere: “There are good coaches who came from the college level, good coaches who are ex-players.”
While Jeff Van Gundy and Avery Johnson appear to lead the candidate list, Thorn insisted “I would have no qualms” about hiring an assistant coach for the job.
Interviews will start “in a timely fashion” for Thorn to find “somebody who knows what he’s doing, somebody who can lead.”
Thorn again side-stepped comment on Kiki Vandeweghe’s status as GM, citing nothing can be known until Mikhail Prokhorov takes over, but a Russian seems primed for the job.
“It’s going to be an exciting summer,” Lopez said, citing the prime need as “defensively . . . Every player has to have a commitment to getting stops first and foremost.”