A consistent scoring threat, Carter could always be counted on. Anderson was still rough around the edges, but had the capability to be a damn good bench player or someone who could hit a big three and contribute on the boards.

Rafer Alston is going to be a small part of next year’s team, unless Keyon Dooling gets hurt. Courtney Lee is a step up from Bobby Simmons, but it may take him some time to get used to New Jersey. Tony Battie makes the most of his time on the floor and will be a sleeper success in New Jersey. However, when it’s all said and done, the Nets will be lacking the star power and sheer dynamism to win more than 35 games next season.

That is unless Terrance Williams can be the swingman the team is hoping he can be and Devin Harris and Brook Lopez continue to develop. If that happens, then maybe the Nets sneak by a few teams early in the season and unlike this past year, can stay consistent and sneak into the playoffs in an always weak Eastern Conference.

For my taste however, they are still a few pieces away from being a .500 team.

Why the Nets would give up their leading scorer in Vince Carter, a proven NBA commodity who had serious chemistry with Devin Harris and a talented youngster in Ryan Anderson for what they got seems a bit obscene at first.

Sure, Rafer Alston is a talented point guard that showed flashes of brilliance during the playoffs, but the Nets already have a point guard, a good one at that and a more than competent backup in Keyon Dooling that proved during the season that he can be more than an understudy if he has to be. So where does Alston fit? Is Harris going to move to shooting guard to accommodate the loss of Carter? What’s going on here?

The same thing goes for the signing of Tony Battie, who despite being an excellent rebounder off the bench and a trusty veteran, comes in with players like Sean Williams, Josh Boone and cough, Yi Jianlian capable of manning the position and in need of minutes. With that being said, where will he fit in with the Nets?

Courtney Lee however is an interesting player. I think he can definitely be a solid small forward if given about 30 minutes a night and with some more pressure on him. He’s also an excellent three-point shooter that is far more explosive than Bobby Simmons, with much more upside. If he can score a dozen points a game and provide some energy, this trade may not be so bad.

With the drafting of Terrance Williams from Louisville as well, the Nets also continue to get younger and more energetic in addition to having cleared a ton of cap room by trading away high-priced veterans like Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter over the past two years.

It’s the end of an era.

But it could be the beginning of something great as well.

From CBSSports.com:

One of the more colorful characters in college basketball, to call Williams “unique” would be an understatement. When he first arrived on Louisville’s campus as a freshman, he was a brash, cocky youngster with a me-first attitude, but he quickly adhered to head coach Rick Pitino’s rules. He not only became the team’s leader and “spokesman,” but in this day and age where players opt out of college for a chance to play in the pros, he was very comfortable staying with the Cardinals until his eligibility ran out.

Never at a loss for words, Williams became the media darling on the team and also one who knew how to ignite the spark in his teammates, even though his actions sometimes rattled his opponents. In the 2009 Big East Tournament, Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn described facing Louisville as “being chased by eight pit bulls, and you just got to keep running for your life.”

After Williams led the Cardinals to a 76-66 win over Syracuse in the Big East title game, he jumped on a press table, impersonating Syracuse’s Eric Devendorf for his teammates. He shook the television announcers’ hands at the conclusion of the victory and entertained reporters, saying he saw “Tweety birds” when he took a forearm to the face, and boasting about the 55 text messages he had waiting after Louisville won the Big East.

My Thoughts: It’s obvious the kid grew a lot during his time with Pitino and I love his energy. He’d be a fun addition to the team and given the fact that he’s a good rebounder and a decent three-point shooter, he gives the team even more options.

Jordan Hill-Arizona

From CBSSsports.com:

Hill has made remarkable strides in all areas of his game despite his virtual neophyte status. He rates as one of the premier rebounders eligible for the draft, excelling at attacking the offensive glass with the athleticism to evolve into an offensive threat.

Hill has tremendous explosiveness for a big man, causing problems for defenders trying to stay in front of him. Hill can create contact off the dribble and but defensively he’s nearly a finished production because of his elevation, wing span and explosive leaping ability. He developed into an exceptional shot blocker, and closed out his career ranking sixth in school history with 140 blocked shots.

Hill’s rebounding skills saw him set the school single-season record with 375 as a junior, and his career total of 763 boards place him ninth in Arizona history. A high-percentage shooter, Hill made 65.2 percent of his field goals as a freshman (second-best percentage in Wildcats’ annals) and 62.0 percent of his attempts as a sophomore (fourth on the season list). In 97 games for UA, his field-goal percentage of .578 ranks fifth on the school all-time record list.

My Thoughts: He’s a damn big power forward with great rebounding ability with the potential to be a better offensive player than he is right now. My personal choice for the Nets this season if they can land him.