Courtesy of Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports
Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams will miss Monday’s game versus the Atlanta Hawks due to a knee injury. This marks more than 11 games Williams has missed this season due to the same ankle injury. Williams will be re-evaluated Tuesday and in his place will be point guard Alan Anderson.
Injuries continue to plague a Nets team many believed to be a serious contender in the Eastern Conference. The Nets are slowly clawing their way back into contention, unfortunately it seems that whenever they appear to catch a rhythm, a key player goes down to an injury. Kevin Garnett seems to be the only key player on the team who has not become sidelined with a serious injury.
On the other hand, Garnett has not been a major part of the Nets offense and according to the ESPN official site, the team is currently ranked 20th in the league in defense. On a positive note, Andrei Kirilenko has returned to the lineup and has contributed offensively to a team still looking for an identity. The Nets are a single game behind the Boston Celtics for second place in the Atlantic Division while the Toronto Raptors are holding down the top spot with a four game lead.
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The Atlantic Division remains up for grabs but at some point the Nets will have to dig deep and find an answer. The biggest issue for the Nets has been the inconsistency at the point guard position and the lack of a bonafide backup guard who has the ability to run the offense. Should the Nets make a move to acquire a viable backup to step in for the injured Deron Williams?
I definitely think so. There have been trade rumors circulating surrounding Denver Nuggets veteran point guard Andre Miller. On Jan 2, Miller was suspended two games after voicing his displeasure to head coach Brian Shaw in regards to his lack of playing time. Miller did not play in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan 1, it was the first “Did not play — coaches decision” of his career and this could be a sign of Miller spending his last days in a Nuggets uniform.
Contrary to the popular belief of CBS NBA writer Matt Moore, Miller doesn’t have attitude issues, he has played in this league more than 15 years without displaying any feelings detrimental to a team. I find it hard to believe a player could sustain such a lengthy career if he had an attitude problem so lets move past that sort of talk.
There are a few teams in the league who could consider bringing in a 37-year old player who is more than capable of running the offense. I’m sure teams such as the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets are more than willing to bring in a player who has the ability to lead a team. During the 2012-2013 NBA season, the Knicks brought in a 39-year old Jason Kidd, as a result the team topped the Atlantic Division with a 54-28 record. Kidd, now the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, could be more than willing to give a veteran player that same chance.
The only question is will general manager Billy King make a move that could save the Nets regular season and more importantly their playoff hopes?
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