Fingers Crossed

There are still a lot of supporting players to be sorted out, but the core of the New Jersey Nets 2005-2006 team seems set, and I'm a bit more than cautiously optimistic. Returning from last year, but hopefully all healthy together (as they were not last year) are team leader Jason Kidd, still arguably the best point guard in the game, inarguably one of the top three; shooting guard Richard Jefferson, who many expected to have a breakout year last year (and who may well have were it not for an early season-ending injury); and small forward Vince Carter, who showed last year that he still has some very impressive abilities in him. Both Jefferson and Carter should be capable of 20 a game. So, on paper at least, the Nets were looking, if not championship-worthy, very competitive. But last week they were able to sign Sharif Abdur-Rahim--a 6-9 power forward from Portland whose career averages, 19.9 points and 8.2 rebounds a game, are highly comparable to the lost, lamented Kenyon Martin's. Abdur-Rahim should meet the Nets' needs very well, providing them with an inside scoring presence they, since martin left, have been lacking. Looking at the roster now, the Nets have a trio of legitimate 20-a-night threats on the team, a trio that will be led by a hall-of-fame-lock point guard. The cast of supporting players they put around this core will be critical, but it's certainly possible that the Nets could after an off year be an elite Eastern team again. Here's hoping.

Until Whenever