MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: For much of the first half of the season, Vince Carter seemed destined to be most "disappointing," not most "valuable" Net. And although he surrendered the team scoring lead to Richard Jefferson, Carter took on the team leadership mantle as well as anyone and raised his game after the trade of Jason Kidd. He raised his averages in virtually every category after the All-Star break, going from 20.5 points per game to 22.7 (627 points in 27 games) while lifting his shooting from .445 to .475. All that on an ankle that probably will need surgery in the off-season.
MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: He left in February, but the negative imprint Jason Kidd put on the team carried through the entire season. The team captain wanted out, made it be known and too many times played with extreme indifference. Ultimately, he was traded and the Nets tried to change on the fly but never recovered. FREE AGENT FOCUS: The Nets repeatedly have said they want to keep their key free agents: two unrestricted types, F Bostjan Nachbar and C DeSagana Diop, both key bench players who should attract a fair amount of interest, plus restricted free agent F Nenad Krstic. The Nets can match any offer Krstic receives but there is no guarantee they will match because they do not want to be a luxury tax team. Also, Krstic struggled terribly in his return from a torn ACL and subsequent knee surgery. Unrestricted free agent G Darrell Armstrong is not likely to return. But the Nets would like to keep their three free agents.
"Our main objective is we'd like to keep everybody. We realize that might not be possible given that you work under salary cap restrictions," GM Kiki Vandeweghe said. "We like the guys we have, we like our free agents and we'd like to be able to keep them."
PLAYER NOTES:
--G Vince Carter is still on crutches after undergoing successful right ankle arthroscopic surgery the week after the Nets ended the season.
"He's doing well and everything is right on schedule," said team president Rod Thorn. The procedure cleaned out the ankle and removed loose bodies. Carter was plagued by the ankle all season and now is expected to be fully recovered and ready by training camp.
--F Richard Jefferson has been charged with fifth degree assault, a misdemeanor, in Minneapolis municipal court for allegedly choking a man at a private party in a club at the hotel where the team stayed in January. Jefferson has a June 18 court appearance set and faces up to 90 days and a $1,000 fine if convicted.
"I'm confident (that) when all is said and done, my name will be cleared," said Jefferson.
--C DeSagana Diop, who arrived in the trade deadline deal for Jason Kidd with Dallas, said those two teams -- Nets and Mavs -- are the leading spots as to where he'll land as a free agent. He admits he likes New Jersey.
"If my best deal is here, I'd be happy with that. I had fun here. It was a short time, but I love my teammates and all my coaches. I had a lot of fun," said Diop who admits it looks like it's "here or go back to Dallas."
