Nets at Wizards
THE STORY: Realizing it would take a Herculian task to turn
around the sagging fortunes of the franchise, the New Jersey Nets
devised a shoot-for-the-moon Plan B: Get Superman. While it appeared to
be a sound strategy, a rumored trade for Orlando Magic center Dwight
Howard won't be happening anytime soon for the Nets, especially after
leading scorer Brook Lopez – an integral part of the deal – suffered a
broken foot and is expected to be sidelined from 6-to-8 weeks. So that
will force the Nets to go with the hand they were dealt – minus their
star center – in their final season in New Jersey before moving to
Brooklyn in 2012. The Nets will open the season on the road Monday
against the Washington Wizards, another franchise that has known nothing
but hard times in recent years. The game features an intriguing matchup
at point guard between perennial All-Star Deron Williams and
second-year Wizards standout John Wall.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, YES (New Jersey), CS Washington
ABOUT THE NETS (0-0):
New Jersey made a bold move last season to acquire Williams, who can be
a free agent after the season and likely will not stick around unless
the Nets can land Howard. The loss of Lopez and his 20.4 points per game
forced New Jersey to trade for 7-footer Mehmet Okur, who was limited to
13 games last season with Utah. Anthony Morrow is a big 3-point threat
and 2010 first-rounder Damion James needs to contribute more. The Nets
finished 24-58 last season.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS: (0-0): Wall
averaged 16.8 points and 8.3 assists in finishing second in the Rookie
of the Year voting. He is surrounded by a plethora of scoring options in
the backcourt in Jordan Crawford and Nick Young and inside with Andray
Blatche, but needs to take better care of the ball. JaVale McGee
provides a strong shot-blocking presence, but the team is prone to being
overpowered on the boards – a problem that first-round pick Jan Vesely
will not solve. The Wizards were 23-59 in 2010-11.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1.
Nets forward Kris Humphries, better known as Kim Kardashian’s jilted
husband, was voted the most disliked player in the league. A repeat of
his double-double averages (10.0 points, 10.4 rebounds) could help
endear him to Nets fans.
2. New Jersey and Washington combined
for eight road wins last season. The Wizards lost their first 25 away
from home last season.
3. The Wizards have won seven of the past eight meetings with the Nets, including all four at home.