CAUGHT SHORT
Undersized Nets look for solutions — not excuses — in NBA restart
Everybody in the NBA bubble is dealing with coronavirus fears, ever-changing practice sites and times. But from trying to cobble together a roster to having to switch up their system on the fly, for the Nets, the rest of this season is all about handling adversity and staying flexible.
Being able to bend without breaking will determine how well they do in the league restart later this month.
“I can complain right now if I really wanted to. I can complain that I have these gloves on,” interim coach Jacque Vaughn said via Zoom, wearing black gloves for coronavirus protection.
“But that’s not the way I’m asking this team to live their lives. That’s a good challenge right now. We’re going to invest, put dividends into not complaining and accepting this situation and making the most of it.”
The situation is this: With the Nets without seven players because of either injury or the virus — and none of the replacements available yet — they’re desperately short on bodies.
“At the end of the day we will have a roster, and we’re just kind of working through the process of getting there,” said Vaughn, who has been forced to make schematic changes on both ends of the court.
With coronavirus costing the Nets four players in the past couple of weeks, the plans Vaughn had made suddenly had to be scrapped and redrawn for a roster now bereft of size or firepower.
“The biggest adjustment we made was streamlining and making things more simple, just because of the different bodies we’re going to have,” Vaughn said. “The hiatus plan that we had wrapped up in a nice box and now, we won’t be able to unwrap and see all of that.”
Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan and Taurean Prince tested positive for coronavirus and Wilson Chandler opted out over COVID concerns. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Nic Claxton are hurt.
“You look at our roster, and you’ve got to be realistic about the fact we’re not going to out
talent a lot of teams we’re playing against. We’re definitely limited,” Joe Harris admitted. “But one thing we can control is not beating ourselves, make sure everybody’s executing and mentally engaged, making the right decisions.”
Right now, Jarrett Allen is the only healthy big man, leaving Rodions Kurucs their secondbiggest player at 6-foot-9, 228 pounds.
The Nets added 6-9 forwards Michael Beasley and Donta Hall, but both have to clear quarantine, and Beasley is suspended for five games. They’re close to a deal for 6-8 ex-Knick Lance Thomas, first reported by SNY, but he’s neither tall nor a prolific rebounder.
This Hobbit-sized roster is going to require schematic juggling.
“You look at our roster, we’re obviously limited in terms of size and having bigs right now,” Harris said. “And even when we add some of the guys that we’re bringing on, we’re still going to be in the same boat.
“So a lot of the emphasis is going to be on playing fast, switching a lot more frequently, trying to be up the line, pressure guys more defensively, and just try to get ourselves in advantageous situations where we’re getting the ball and going in transition offensively.”
Harris said the frontcourt situation will likely force him to play some power forward, and even 6-7, 220-pound guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot has alluded to playing some forward.
From having to learn new schemes, try new positions and switch practice times from morning to dinnertime to midday, the Nets are just going to have to adjust on the fly.
“We’ve all been warned coming into it to level our expectations for what’s traditionally what is a normal routine,” Harris said. “It’s all just about being flexible while we’re here.”