Where They'll Likely Finish.... II

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

II. New Jersey Nets

If the magical revival sputters in Washington, New Jersey is a
lock, stock, and barrel for first place in the Atlantic.

What's There To Like About New Jersey:

1. Dikembe Mutumbo - There's four things you want out of a center:
Rebounding, Interior Defense, Scoring, and Shotblocking. Dikembe
provides three of those four at a superior level, making him one of the
premier defensive centers in the NBA. Now, perhaps by  playoff time,
he'll be Dead Man Walking in the La Brea Tar Pits, but right now
he's peachy-keen.

2. Richard Jefferson - The difference between Richard Jefferson and
Kedrick Brown is Jefferson's innate feel for the game and better
all-around
skills.  Brown could never serve as a point guard and run a club, but
Jefferson can.

3. Kenyon Martin - He's an athletic thug with tremendous defensive
versatility.

4. Jason Kidd - He puts the point in point guard, and you don't want to
see the
poor slobs the C's have at PG having to face Kidd in the playoffs.

5. Starting Defense - Tremendous defense from their starting unit.

6. Rodney Riogers - Provides them with the extra scorer they lacked last
season.


All in all, the Nets are either I or II in the Atlantic this season.
Ray