Sick of the MisBlatches?

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I’ve got a bone to pick with Jason Kidd and the Nets coaching staff.

Clearly Kevin Garnett has proved his worth to this Brooklyn Nets team. The interior defense is in fact offensive at this point. Not only are the Nets getting killed on the glass, but they are doing a poor job of defending the paint. Surely the Nets are playing shorthanded, but what irks me is the loyalty to Andray Blatche.

A savant on offense, but unfortunately an idiot on defense

As we all know, Blatche is an extremely talented player of his size. Not too many NBA centers have the ability to put the ball on the floor and score with such pizzazz, or as Ian Eagle would say, “razzle-dazzle”. When Blatche is on his game, he’s a menace for the opposing team to defend.

Unfortunately, the highlight reel plays distract us fans from his game’s warts. His inconsistencies on the offensive end and ineffectiveness on defense are doing more harm than good for the Nets right now. As creative as he is on offense with his improvisations, he repeatedly fails to demonstrate any awareness at the other end of the court. To compound the problem is that he’s not a strong rebounder either.

During the recent three game road trip, the Nets interior was pummeled by the likes of Samuel Dalembert, Anthony Davis, and Al Jefferson. Even the Pelicans’ Alexis Ajinca made his presence felt in a big way during his minutes on the court. The Nets’ “bigs” were outrebounded and scored upon at an efficient rate, mostly with Blatche on the court.

There’s no doubt that having Garnett would have made a difference in these games, but perhaps the Nets coaching staff could have turned have turned to a player whose skill set matches what they needed when the opposing centers were having their way. After all, isn’t that why Jason Collins was brought in here?

No, Collins doesn’t impact the game the way Dalembert did that night in Dallas, but in the small sample that we have seen of him, he is still able to do the little things that helps the team at both ends. Odds are he wouldn’t have shut down Jefferson, but it is likely that he could have positioned himself well enough to disrupt his rhythm and slow him down for some of those Bobcats’ possessions.

The paint has become a comfortable place for opponents.

Statistically he isn’t a good rebounder, but Collins is still effective at boxing out his opponent and tapping the loose ball to others. How many times during the past few games did you find yourself cursing at television while the Mavericks, Pelicans, and Bobcats consistently got their own rebound and kept their possessions alive?

We know that Collins brings nothing to the table in terms of scoring, but remember that he does have a role in an offensive set. Too many times with Blatche on the court the offense goes stagnant. The Nets revert back to isolation plays, force low percentage shots, and make bad decisions. As we have already seen with Collins, a solid screen can open up a lane for a driving Deron Williams or Shaun Livingston.

It’s not even a question that Blatche has more talent than Collins; however, the coaching staff has to do a better job of identifying when it’s not Andray’s night and yank him from the court before it is too late. Yes, he creates mismatches that help the Nets, but the unfortunate reality is that he creates “misBlatches” that hurt them as well.

Make no mistake, I’m not suggesting that Collins should replace Blatche on the depth chart, because he shouldn’t.  However, I do think that Collins can be productive and help the Nets in a 5-7 minute allotment.  It’s worth a try when our defense is stumbling and bumbling, don’t you think?

Billy King and company have repeatedly claimed that their decision to sign Collins was always a basketball decision to add to the team’s front court depth. They shot down the notion that this was all a publicity stunt and that he was brought in to do the things that the Nets struggle at doing.

Well, it’s time for the Nets to live up to their word.

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