By FRED KERBER
Can’t blame Lawrence Frank for trying. He’s tried virtually everything else so tonight, Josh Boone and Sean Williams start in place of Jason Collins and Malik Allen.
And if that doesn’t work, A-Rod will hit eighth Thursday.
“Look, we’re 10-14. So we’re gonna continue to search for different combinations that work,” said Frank.
“It’s not so much a slight on Twin or Malik and Jamaal as it is a slight on our team. We’re underperforming, we’re underachieving, and we’re all responsible starting with me. So we’ll continue to search every way possible to start playing a higher brand of basketball.”
Can’t argue with shaking up the team that has rocked the NBA for darn near 90 and a half points a game.
There are fans who have only one question: What in blazes took so long? The lack of production by Collins is as sore a point as that wonderful little jolt when the dental hit hits a nerve.
Collins came to the Nets to be a backup center and through circumstance – namely trades and injuries — became a starter and remained in the first unit as Todd MacCulloch, Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning came and went.
You know Collins. Defender first, scorer last. Fans generally point to him for all that is wrong with the team’s offense and the nation’s economy.
“Those fans who say anything negative, they don’t know basketball so there’s no reason to say anything about that,” offered Collins, who has scored just 28 points – a 1.2 average. “I understand the true fans of the nets appreciate everything that every player does out there.”
Frank has stood by Collins every step but with Nenad Krstic out, there were simply two gaping holes in the offense. Too often, the Nets were going 3-on-5 offensively. So trying youth and athleticism can’t hurt. Boone and Williams had a huge hand in beating Cleveland, makes sense to try it again.
And Collins took the demotion like a team guy.
“This is all about the team. I understand we have a lot of bigs on this team, people who are capable of going out there and doing different things but right now it’s all about getting wins,” Collins said, noting that he was removed from the first five before.
“Nothing is set in stone,” said Collins. We’re trying to find different combinations. Josh and Sean really go out there and use their athleticism very well and they feed off of each other.”
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Bostjan Nachbar is a gametime decision. Vince Carter will play. Both have sore right ankles with Nachbar’s more serious.
“It improved but it didn’t improve as much as we wanted. like the bone is still sore,” Nachbar said.
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Boone was all pumped just hours from his first professional start.
“I’m very excited. obviously anybody who plays basketball, it’s any kid’s dream to start for an NBA team,” said Boone who is equally juiced about teaming with Williams. “I can’t let it get to me too much. I just have to go out and play the same way I’ve been playing the last few games…We’re both young guys and we kind of have the same type of game so we tend to help each other.”
Then Boone continued about energy and opportunity and energy and helping the Nets right themselves and energy…
“Sorry to say the same thing seven times over. Get used to it,” Boone offered.
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For Williams, starting is old hat. Heck, this will be his third.
“I just can’t wait to get out there. Hopefully, we can get a win tonight and me and JB can bring some energy at the very beginning of the game and have fun,” Williams said. “(Must) just do what we do. We’re both athletic bigs who work hard and are active and go to the boards, stuff like that.”
Nets lost in his first two starts – against Miami Nov. 17 when he scored a personal best 22 points and grabbed 8 rebounds; and at Utah Nov. 19 when he collected 10 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks at Utah.
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There will actually be a jersey on under the sweat suit tonight Marcus Williams claimed.
Last time he dressed, he didn’t even bother putting on a uniform shirt because he had a better chance of seeing George Washington than he had of playing.
“I will be dressing to play,” said Williams noting the last game “I didn’t dress with the intent of playing the other night. I didn’t have my jersey on. Tonight I’ll be dressing with the intention of playing.”
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Here was the advice Richard Jefferson, sage old 27-yea-old, gave to Boone and Williams.
“The one thing I told them is you have to do it every night. Some guys can come out here and do it one or two games or have a good week or a couple weeks. But you have to do it every single night. Tonight you have Brad Miller, the next night you have Shaq, the next night somebody else. That’s the challenge for these two young guys. Hopefully it’ll get some chemistry going between the two of them.”
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Kidd is 13 points away from 14,000. When he gets there, he’ll join Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson to have 14,000 points, 8,500 assists and 6,500 rebounds.
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In honor of looking like a team that too often has looked dead one night and healthy the next…and because we want to stay political:
Movie Quote of the Day: Fred Thompson (Chief of Air Operations Trudeau) – “Okay, we’ve got a body in the morgue that seems to have died twice.” – “Die Hard 2”