There is no reason not to believe the Nets can’t secure the 4 seed in the East. They have the experience and talent that many of the other .500 Eastern Conference teams lack. Yet, how the Nets compare to the big three in the East is another question.

We have already seen the Nets win in the Orlando and it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think the Nets could get the best of them in a playoff series. However to accomplish anything this year the Nets are going to have to go through Detroit or Boston. They are currently 0-4 against the Pistons and Celtics, and haven’t been very competitive in any of the games. An upcoming game this Friday against Boston is a good oppurtunity to gain confidence that they can compete with one of these powerhouses in a 7 game series.

The Magic had a chance to win the game late but Jason Kidd disrupted Hedo Turkolou’s drive to the basket. Kidd played a complete game with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. Armstrong and a surprise 10 points from Jason Collins helped the Nets overcome a quiet night from Richard Jefferson, who only scored 14 points.

New Jersey has now won 5 of their last 6 and has a chance to really get rolling before they face Boston on Friday, January 11th. Their next 4 games include two matchups against the Bobcats, one against Seattle, and one against the Hawks. The Eastern Conference’s fourth spot is up for grabs, keep an eye on the Nets to begin running away with it. If the Nets can play with the balance they displayed tonight, they will be a very difficult team to beat.

The Nets next game is Friday night against the Charlotte Bobcats at the Izod Center.

This team seems destined for a .500 record and a 4-8 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The East remains a very weak conference overall beyond the Pistons ,Celtics, and Magic, making it very possible for the Nets to win a first round series if they could avoid meeting any of those teams in the first round. This makes the battle for the 4 and 5 seed very intriguing and fortunately for the Nets, they could very well be the best of the teams battling for those 2 spots. It is crucial that the Nets take care of business in their own division and find a way to pass up a very average Toronto team and help bury an overachieving 76ers team. Beyond that, Atlanta and Indiana could very well fold down the stretch and Cavs have shown no signs of catching fire, giving the Nets a great chance to become the #4 team in the East.

It all starts tonight against the Magic.

Starters:

PG - Jason Kidd - Kidd has been very consistent grabbing rebounds and dishing out assists. The problem is that he has become an unwilling scorer, barely reaching double digits most nights. New Jersey will need him to step up the point production if they are going to make a run.

SG - Vince Carter - Carter has been playing better as of late. If he can stay hot, his offensive production coupled with Richard Jefferson’s will make the Nets a very dangerous team.

SF - Richard Jefferson - RJ is enjoying a career year and should be an Eastern Conference all-star. The Nets need all they can get offensively from him, so he can’t afford to hit a slump.

PF - Josh Boone - Despite horrid free throwing shooting, Boone has played much better since being moved into the starting lineup. He has shown good energy on the boards and scored in double digits on a handful of nights.

C - Sean Williams - Williams has been the shot-blocker the Nets imagined he would be so far this year. He has also been a solid rebounder and productive at finishing close to the basket. Despite some inconsistencies he is a much better option than Jason Collins.

Bench:

PG - Marcus Williams - Now that he is healthy, he should receive his usual limited minutes backing up Jason Kidd.

SG/SF - Antoine Wright - Wright is a good option off the bench for his energy and his new found offensive production. He has been their 6th man of the year so far.

PF/C - Malik Allen - Despite being recently pulled from the starting line-up, Allen has showed flashes of offensive production and is a decent big body to bring in off the bench.

SG - Bostjan Nachbar - He has been disappointing so far this year, after his breakout season. The Nets need more from him.

C - Jason Collins - He should be playing as little as possible and is only valuable against a team with a dominant center, when you need some fouls to give up.

Yet the real heroes of this game were forwards Malik Allen and Josh Boone. Despite being recently replaced in the starting lineup by Boone, Allen put up a season high 18 points in 36 minutes. Boone chipped in 11 points to go with 8 rebounds. Production from role players like these two are what is necessary to make the Nets a playoff team this season. The Nets are going to need to remain playing a high level with upcoming games against the Warriors, Pistons, and Wizards. New Jersey is currently 11-15 and can’t afford to slide much further below .500.

Jason Kidd’s limited offensive production remains an area of concern as he only managed 5 points. He must take more of an initiative to score, especially when the Nets face tougher opponents. If he can average around 15 points a game, the Nets offense can become dangerous again, especially with Jefferson and Carter scoring at such a high level.

- Vince Carter played like a franchise player. He dropped 32 points, along with 6 assists and 7 rebounds. More importantly, he logged 42 minutes and played well in the 4th quarter.

- Richard Jefferson kept playing at a high level, by scoring 24 points. Jason Kidd also turned in a balanced performance and did a good job running the offense despite only scoring 8 points.

- They received production off the bench. Josh Boone came off the missing persons list and scored 15 points, although he clearly needs to work on his free throw shooting. Bostjan Nachbar scored 13 points and shot the ball at a high percentage. Sean Williams also chipped in 9 in extended action.

More good news Nets fans, they are playing the Knicks tomorrow. Right now a high school team could beat the Knicks, so the Nets should take another step toward .500

It doesn’t seem to make much sense to trade Jefferson, who is having a career year and is only 27 years old. The Nets most likely partner for a Jason Kidd trade, would be the Dallas Mavericks who are struggling out of the gate and lack production from the point guard position. They could offer the Nets Devin Harris and a few expiring contracts, which would help New Jersey next off-season. Harris has flashed great potential and has big game experience but has been inconsistent this season. Yet, the Nets could build up their talent level around Harris, Jefferson, and Carter with a big time off-season.

The way the Nets are constructed right now, they aren’t going anywhere. They are headed to a 35 win season and likely missing out on the playoffs for the first time since Kidd has played here. If they trade Jefferson for a guy like Jermaine O’Neal, they might make a push but would likely still lose in the 1st round of the playoffs. In that scenario, they still have a 34 year old Kidd, while giving up on a 27 year old Jefferson who looks to be entering his prime.

Trade Jason Kidd and build around Jefferson and Carter. Use the extra money to build up a respectable front court. By the time the Nets move to Brooklyn, they should be back to being a highly competitive team.

If the losses continue piling up, the idea of Kidd being traded will become more of a reality. It may be time to blow this team up. It will be difficult to find a strong package for the 34 year old kid. Cleveland has nothing to offer. The Lakers could be interesting if they part with Andruw Bynum and Jordan Farmar. The Mavericks would be a possibility if they gave up Josh Howard in return. Outside of those two, it is tough to picture another team making a strong play for Kidd.

Richard Jefferson is having a career year, which has been the only encouraging part of this season. Putting a few young pieces and a couple of draft picks around him and Carter could build a competitive team rather quickly. I expect to see rookie Sean Williams to see more playing time as the year goes on, as well. If Marcus Williams gets healthy, he should receive a some serious playing time also, to see if he is an option for point guard in the long term.

Reports have now surfaced that Kidd is boycotting the team in protest for a trade. He is apparently disgusted over the consistent mediocrity of the 9-10 squad and lacks faith in his fellow all-star’s ability (cough, cough…Vince Carter) to play through injuries. Kidd was recently refused a contract extension, which is likely furthering adding to his anger towards the franchise.

There are heavy rumors circulating that Kidd is interested in playing for the Clevleand Cavaliers, alongside LeBron James, who he became close with over the past summer. Apparently the two have been in constant contact about trade options to unite them.

Kidd apparently recognizes his window of opportunity to win a championship is closing rapidly and is desperate to jump ship off a Nets team that seems destined to lose in the first round of the playoffs. Cleveland managed to make the NBA Finals last year without any type of supporting cast for James, and with the addition of Kidd could become the favorite to repeat as Eastern Conference champions.

If Kidd is going to continue missing games, the Nets are going to continue losing. New Jersey may have its hand forced and be forced to deal their franchise player and begin the process of rebuilding. Cleveland isn’t exactly over flowing with young talent so it is to imagine the Nets getting any type of comparable value for Kidd.

Check out the archived version of first show - Nets and Knicks talk the last 30 minutes

The lineups resembled a pre-season game Wednesday night as both the Knicks and Nets were missing key starters and reserves. Yet, it was New York who found a way to overcome their absences as they handed the Nets a tough home loss 100-93. The Knicks led throughout and played well despite Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry both missing the game.

The Nets were without Jason Kidd, who missed the game with a migraine. They were also without his top two backups, Marcus Williams and Darrell Armstrong which left the point guard duties to journeyman Eddie Gill. The former NBDL guard couldn’t contribute much to the effort, adding only 4 points and 4 assists. Richard Jefferson again carried the load by scoring 31 points.

Vince Carter still looks hobbled with his leg injury and only managed 19 points. If Kidd is going to miss action, Carter needs to fill the void. Bostjan Nachbar showed signs of life by scoring 16 points. The Nets now move to face Houston on Friday night and are going to have a very difficult time matching the Rockets’ scoring. New Jersey has one of the league’s worst offenses and simply doesn’t have the firepower to overcome multiple injuries. A loss against Houston would drop the Nets to 9-11, which is an ugly record in the Eastern Conference after 20 games.