The Nets lost 112-116 at home to the Celtics, and the series was swept out 4-0 by the opponent. After the game, Irving said he intended to renew his contract with the Nets this summer, hoping to try to hit the championship with this lineup again. So what problems does the Nets need to face this offseason?
No one would have thought before the start of the 2021-22 season that the Nets, which also had the giants of Harden, Irving and Durant, would lose four consecutive games in the first round of the playoffs, becoming the only team that has been swept out. As the actual controller of the team's locker room, the coaching staff led by Nash performed a lot of disappointment. In two away games in Boston, the Nets had a chance to take home-court advantage from the Greens, but in reality they were in a slump. Whether it is platooning or commanding on the spot, Nash's ability is not enough to control the Nets with the Goal of the Finals.
However, after such a losing season, you must not throw all the black pot on Nash alone. At the beginning of the team, the Nets' biggest advantage was the offensive system driven by Durant and Irving, two powerful engines. But in the series against the Celtics, Irving and Durant are not even the most offensively efficient players on the court. Not to mention Tatum and Brown, who are hardened into steel, even Smart's balanced play at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends seems to be above Duo.
In addition to the coaching staff and players, management is also responsible for the Nets' failures this season. Looking back at the Big Three period, although Harden is not the earliest pioneer of this generation of Nets, he is the only MVP in the team lineup with historical level offensive combing ability, which can maximize the ability and role of various role players. However, Harden has fallen victim to the Nets' intrigue in the deep palace, and the beard with the most stable attendance this season was sent to Philadelphia before the trade deadline in exchange for Simmons.
At the time, the outside world agreed that after coming to Brooklyn, Simmons, who had dispelled his demons, could make a quick comeback. But the truth is the opposite, Simmons's back injury continues to recur, the date of play from the end of the regular season is pushed back and forth, and finally because of "waking up to feel back sore" and once again refused to play in the Nets' life and death battle today. The Nets' management sent away a top star, but none of the players who came back could play an influence matching Harden's worth in this series.
After being swept out, Irving said he intended to renew his contract with the Nets this summer, hoping to try to impact the championship again with this lineup. So what problems does the Nets need to face this offseason?
According to previous reports by Yahoo Sports, what bothered Simmons was the pain from the fourth lumbar disc, which caused his comeback time to be postponed backwards, and even unable to carry out effective confrontation training. After the Nets are out, Simmons will also have up to six months of rehabilitation time before the start of the regular season stage next season, referring to the previous rehabilitation cycles of Porter Jr. and Dream Green, leaving Simmons more than enough time to recuperate.
Just as the so-called snake bite ten years afraid of the well rope, I am afraid that no one will expect Simmons to be able to recuperate with peace of mind and make a smooth comeback. According to ESPN reporter Venhorst, the Nets were angered by a string of events in Simmons. In order to keep the information between the two sides open and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, Nets general manager Max and Simmons team met today to discuss how to continue to work hard to overcome physical and mental obstacles so that Simmons can return to the game as soon as possible. The Nets are committed to the team's plan to continue to provide Bency with all the necessary resources in the short and long term. However, by the time next season opens, if Simmons is unable to play again, please don't be surprised.
Ideally, if Simmons can recover and be 100 percent into the game next season, he will bring the Nets the most desperately needed outside defense and backcourt organization of the year. Before falling out with the 76ers, Simmons was at one point in the defensive player of the year discussion, twice named to the NBA's all-defensive team. From 2017-18 to 2020-21, when Simmons was the most recent defender, opponents shot just 42.2 percent from the field. In those four seasons, a total of 147 players in the NBA have interfered with at least 2,000 shots, and Simmons limits opponents to third place in shooting percentage.
Excellent height and arm span and confrontational ability, coupled with flexible foot movement and athletic talent, Simmons is one of the few point guards who can complete a one- to five-position shift. At the same time, Simmons also has a good vision and a big picture view, and can calmly thread the needle between the electric light and flint, which is a trait that all players in the current Nets lineup do not have. According to ESPN statistics, only four players in NBA history can average 7 boards and 7 assists per game in the first four seasons of their careers, namely Magic Johnson, "Big O" Robertson, Doncic and Simmons, all of whom are high-backs with both stature and offensive combing ability.
Technically, Simmons' biggest weakness is with three-point shooting. However, the Warriors' perfect use of organizing forwards to chase green also provides a template for the Nets when looking for Simmons' role and positioning. With Curry Jr., Irving, Durant and Harris, the Nets have a certain tolerance for Simmons, who is not good at three-point shooting.
As for Harris, although his performance in the second round of the playoffs last year was not ideal, his career three-point shooting rate was as high as 43.9%, which is the most reliable three-point fire point around Duou, and also has a certain amount of empty spirituality. In addition to this, the size and size allow Harris to provide a fairly reliable defense in the second and third positions. If these two injured players can recover from injury next season, the Nets' starting lineup strength is still the top in the league.
'I enjoy coaching, I love us players, I like my coaching staff, the working environment is pretty good, and the return of Harris and Simmons next season will make us a lot bigger." Nash said in his post-match press conference today.
Since joining the Nets, Irving has missed as many as 123 games, 20 more than he has attended. Add in your absences for a variety of bizarre reasons, making Irving an untrustworthy player. From a salary point of view, offering such a half-billion-dollar annual salary for such a player with a black history and renewing his contract for four years is undoubtedly a suicidal gamble for the Nets. For Owen, the outrageous hourly wage will make him a super worker at the top of the pyramid in the human world, and even a stain on the training materials for future business managers. Looking at these two seasons alone, it's hard to tell whether Irving is best at technique or deception.
Personally, you can't find a reason to refuse to pay Irving a salary cap, and the biggest headache is the interference of off-field factors on Irving. With the lifting of the New York City government's restriction on vaccines, at least for now, Irving will no longer be absent from the field for non-injury reasons in the future. In the regular season, although he only played 29 games, he averaged 27.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, shooting more than 40% from three-point range. In the series against the Celtics, Irving's performance was relatively sluggish, averaging only 21.3 points per game, but it was still the second scoring point in the team, and he almost helped the Nets win the first game of the series on his own.
In this offseason, Irving will have $36.5 million worth of player options, and if he wants to continue to maintain his championship posture next season, keeping Irving may also be the only option for the Nets. In addition, given the strong personal relationship between Irving and Durant, it may be difficult for the Nets to retain Durant once they let Irving go. Unless the team is determined to rebuild, insisting on building a squad based on Dueu will be Max's only option. In the renewal negotiations, if the Nets can add some attendance incentive clauses to the contract, it can already be regarded as an absolute success of the negotiations.
"At this offseason, I think you'll see what we need as a team." In an interview after today's game, Owen said: "I really don't plan to go to another team. Now my heart is burning and everyone wants to see us fail and I will use it as motivation next season. I don't have any other answers as to where I'm going, I'm going to stay here with Durant and I want to build a great team, and I think I'm managing the team with Durant and Tsai Chongxin and Max. ”
This season, taking into account salaries and tax expenses, Tsai wrote a $266 million check for the Nets, second in the league behind the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors' side is the championship, Lacob spends money for money, while Tsai Chongxin needs to face the fate of the team's first round out.
In addition to Irving's contract extension this offseason, Max will need to decide on the fate of role players, including Mills (player option), Brown, Clarkston, Griffin, Aldridge, and Drummond will all become free agents. Don't think that with Durant, Irving, and Simmons, the Nets can fool around with the character lineup. This season's Lakers are the best wake-up call that the Nets must play a twelve-point spirit.
Currently, in addition to the veteran base salary, the nets' available signing assets include a $6.3 million middle-class exception and three deal exceptions worth $3.3 million, $6.3 million and $11.3 million, respectively. In terms of lineup needs, although Drummond performed well in the regular season, the huge weakness exposed in the playoffs on the defensive end made it impossible for him to be a member of the Nets' stable rotation. Therefore, keeping Clarkston as the fifth substitute and locking in the outstanding Brown seems to be the best choice for the Nets.
According to ESPN salary expert Max, if the Nets use a middle class of 6.3 million and a special case of 6.3 million this summer, it will put another $45 million in tax pressure on the Nets, and Boss Cai's wallet is full of pressure. 'This summer is very, very important for the team, see where we go next year. Durant said.
Wen | Dong Chuangshuo
Edit the | DBSQ
U.S. editor | Tingting