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Shorthanded Nets look for answers
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After scoring 68 points against the Bobcats and losing Yi Jianlian to a knee injury, the Nets need to pick up the pieces going forward.
Yi is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with a right MCL sprain. He joins a long list already including key contributors Devin Harris, Jarvis Hayes, and Keyon Dooling.
According to The Record's Al Iannazzone, the Nets had only seven guys at today's practice and 10 are expected in uniform for tomorrow night's game against the Denver Nuggets.
Rafer Alston will continue to start in place of Harris, but there are two interesting open competitions. With Yi injured, the power forward spot is up for grabs, while Lawrence Frank said the backup center spot is uncertain. Josh Boone had claimed the role, but Sean Williams emerged from a long stint on the bench and has played in the last two games.
Frank said the move was a reward for Williams' work in practice, but it could have implications in the future.
“Sean had a couple of good days of work; wanted to give him a little reward for it,” Frank told Iannazzone. “It could be game-to-game. Until someone takes it with good play, someone takes it and they have the job.”
As for Yi's spot, Eduardo Najera and Bobby Simmons will likely compete for playing time. Najera did not play against the Bobcats, but Frank said that decision was due to match-ups.
“It was just a match-up,” Frank said. “Basically we were looking at between Eduardo and Bobby more situational in that they went Radmanovic and I thought Bobby, even though Bobby didn’t make shots brought a real good physical presence.”
Najera is a high-energy player known for his effort on the defensive end. He's also accustomed to play the No. 4 position, while Simmons has historically played small forward.
The Nets will face their greatest challenge of the season to date tomorrow night against the Nuggets. Denver has yet to lose and poses a high-powered offense. Denver does play tonight against the Indiana Pacers though.
The most difficult match-up could involve rookie Ty Lawson. With Harris injured, Lawson's speed and quickness could prove too much for Alston to handle.
For the second-straight game, a former crowd favorite will return to Izod. Kenyon Martin, once a fan favorite with his energy and thunderous dunks, will start at power forward for the Nuggets. Don't expect his welcome back to take the same shape and form that Vince Carter's did, however.
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