Findog
11-12-2009, 06:06 PM
http://blog.nj.com/nets/2009/11/is_devin_harris_too_injury-pro.html
Perhaps this is not the right time to raise this - as Devin Harris takes early strides on the practice floor and makes every attempt to get himself righted from his groin strain - but it's hard to figure how the Nets can function to their greatest potential without the continued services of their captain and point guard. Evidence piles up that Harris is potentially not a player who you can entrust to always be on the court. This is not to say in any way that he takes longer than he should in injury convalescence or steps out on the team, but simply for the Nets purposes, it can really leave them without a paddle.
Having Rafer Alston and eventually Keyon Dooling is a wealth of backup point guard afforded to few teams, but Harris is still too main of a cog for the Nets to be without. He has played just two games this season, as the Nets have gone winless in their first seven games, with his earliest return set for Milwaukee next week; missed 13 contests in his all-star season last year; lost 18 games to injury the season before, split between Dallas and New Jersey; and lost 26 games to injury in his 2005-06 season with Dallas. He did play in 76 games in his rookie year and in 80 in Dallas' 67 win season in 06-07, but for a team led by him, those game totals need to be a norm and not any kind of exception.
I will constantly preface this entry by saying that I do not see this as Harris babying injuries or taking longer than he should, but a team cannot survive with a first or second threat missing in this way. He needs to be on the court for as much of a season as possible.
At 6-3, 185-90, Harris is a smallish point guard who can tend to throw his body around in the trees; but with the importance put on his shoulders, he made need to use more discretion, limiting some of his risk so the Nets can yield more from him in a season. Steve Nash (6-3, 178) - yes, more the crafty perimeter threat who probes near the hoop more than tears through - has averaged 77 games a regular season over his last nine seasons. Chris Paul (6-0, 175) - also more a prober - has averaged 75 games a season over his first four in the league, while playing just 64 in 06-07.
While those are players of similar build to Harris, guys who he can play somewhat more like would be a Dwyane Wade or an Allen Iverson, those who throw their bodies at the rim. Wade obviously had his problems and broke down, playing just 51 games each in 06-07 and 07-08 before his resurgence last season. Iverson (6-0, 165) had a mixed bag over a long career of full played seasons and large swaths of some due to injury.
And of course, the Nets had Jason Kidd manning the same footing and position as Harris for so many years. Kidd was way less of a vertical player, more an on-the-run-away-from-crowds player, but he was certainly almost always on the court (no migraine jokes), even when playing a season and playoffs basically without a knee.
But, if there is one thing that is for sure, it is that the Nets need to have Harris out there to build continuity to the future and to see if he can lead them to more than a mediocre team. When he is out with assorted ailments, it surely becomes a pain in the butt for all associated.
Perhaps this is not the right time to raise this - as Devin Harris takes early strides on the practice floor and makes every attempt to get himself righted from his groin strain - but it's hard to figure how the Nets can function to their greatest potential without the continued services of their captain and point guard. Evidence piles up that Harris is potentially not a player who you can entrust to always be on the court. This is not to say in any way that he takes longer than he should in injury convalescence or steps out on the team, but simply for the Nets purposes, it can really leave them without a paddle.
Having Rafer Alston and eventually Keyon Dooling is a wealth of backup point guard afforded to few teams, but Harris is still too main of a cog for the Nets to be without. He has played just two games this season, as the Nets have gone winless in their first seven games, with his earliest return set for Milwaukee next week; missed 13 contests in his all-star season last year; lost 18 games to injury the season before, split between Dallas and New Jersey; and lost 26 games to injury in his 2005-06 season with Dallas. He did play in 76 games in his rookie year and in 80 in Dallas' 67 win season in 06-07, but for a team led by him, those game totals need to be a norm and not any kind of exception.
I will constantly preface this entry by saying that I do not see this as Harris babying injuries or taking longer than he should, but a team cannot survive with a first or second threat missing in this way. He needs to be on the court for as much of a season as possible.
At 6-3, 185-90, Harris is a smallish point guard who can tend to throw his body around in the trees; but with the importance put on his shoulders, he made need to use more discretion, limiting some of his risk so the Nets can yield more from him in a season. Steve Nash (6-3, 178) - yes, more the crafty perimeter threat who probes near the hoop more than tears through - has averaged 77 games a regular season over his last nine seasons. Chris Paul (6-0, 175) - also more a prober - has averaged 75 games a season over his first four in the league, while playing just 64 in 06-07.
While those are players of similar build to Harris, guys who he can play somewhat more like would be a Dwyane Wade or an Allen Iverson, those who throw their bodies at the rim. Wade obviously had his problems and broke down, playing just 51 games each in 06-07 and 07-08 before his resurgence last season. Iverson (6-0, 165) had a mixed bag over a long career of full played seasons and large swaths of some due to injury.
And of course, the Nets had Jason Kidd manning the same footing and position as Harris for so many years. Kidd was way less of a vertical player, more an on-the-run-away-from-crowds player, but he was certainly almost always on the court (no migraine jokes), even when playing a season and playoffs basically without a knee.
But, if there is one thing that is for sure, it is that the Nets need to have Harris out there to build continuity to the future and to see if he can lead them to more than a mediocre team. When he is out with assorted ailments, it surely becomes a pain in the butt for all associated.