No laughing matter

By John Gottlieb

Phanatic Magazine

Now that Vince Carter all but ended the Nets season without so much as a game-tying shot it's time to consider what to do in the offseason.

It's been said that the Nets will have to get rid of either Carter or Richard Jefferson since their games are too similar. Carter's got more drawing power, even though the Nets rarely sell out a game, and Jefferson is younger and will be completely healed from ankle surgery by the start of next season.

However, Jefferson's got to be the player that stays in NJ...or Brooklyn. Vin-sanity has the ability to take over a game, but he's a player that lacks the killer instinct when the games on the line.

Game 3 was a prime example of what Carter's given the Nets this postseason. He was 6-of-23 from the field for 25 points with nine rebounds and nine assists. While the latter three numbers look great the shooting percentage is atrocious. In the final four minutes Carter missed two free throws and turned the ball over twice.

Mikki Moore has been much more than anyone expected, but when he is your best player in the playoffs you've got a problem

Jefferson didn't do much better on Monday, but there's a reason that Lawrence Frank gave him the ball at the end of Game 6 against Toronto and not Vince. Frank didn't trust Carter to do anything but take a 20-foot fadeaway jumper.

RJ doesn't shy away from the big moments. He knows what needs to be done in crunch time and won't settle for a jumper. He's got the moves to fake out defenders and with a quick first step can leave opposing players behind.

Carter is also the same player that dished off the ball off to Bostjan Nachbar in the final moments of Game 5 versus the Raptors instead of driving to the hoop. Nachbar had been 0-for-6 from long distance, while Vince put up 30 points. Great players don't pass the ball with the game on the line.

But they also don't kill the clock only to take a a long jumper without pushing the ball to the rim.

When Carter splits defenders and drives to the paint he can do dangerous things with the basketball. At that time he is truly one of the elite players in the league.

However, if Vince misses his first few fadeaway shots from inside the arc then you know it's going to be a long night. He doesn't change his game when the shots aren't falling, he believes that as long as he keeps taking jumpers they'll eventually fall.

Now back to Game 3. Like the Nets always do they gave Carter the ball late in the game and let him run the point (Who wants Jason Kidd anyway?). Vince then held his ground for too long and tried a few jukes before losing the ball on great defense from Eric Snow. He lost the ball two feet inside the three-point line.

With under four seconds left in the game and down by two, what was Vince doing out that far with his back to the basket?

When all is said and done New Jersey can't compete for a title without a big man. I know that Nenad Krstic was hurt for most of the season but another rebounder to throw around his weight in the paint is what the Nets lack.

Kidd had a great season but he's not getting any younger and his window is closing. Rod Thorn and Ed Stefanski need to surround him with the players to win now. If they're not going to do that you might as well trade him to the Lakers.

Carter won't re-sign if Kidd is gone, but that's highly unlikely since the Lakers won't part with Andrew Bynum. No one can offer Carter more money than the Nets so a sign-and-trade seems plausible.

Jamaal Magliore, Primoz Brezec, Anderson Varejao and P.J. Brown are free agents to explore, while Kevin Garnett, Marcus Camby, Pau Gasol and Jermaine O'Neal are all rumored to be on the block. Carter's not good enough to get Garnett but maybe the Nets can package him with Marcus Williams, etc.

Either way it's time for VC to pack his bags and take all the jumpers he wants for another team.