| The Nets were eliminated in the second round | | | | opt out of his contract at season's end. |
| of the playoffs last season. It was the | | | | Whether or not that will motivate him remains |
| second straight season they were bounced by | | | | to be seen. If the Nets struggle during the |
| Miami. A 14-game winning streak late in the | | | | first half of the season, GM Rod Thorn could |
| season carried them to the Atlantic Division | | | | opt to trade Carter. His 24.2 points per game |
| crown. | | | | led the team in 2005. |
| | | | |
| Lawrence Frank, the youngest NBA head coach, | | | | Richard Jefferson, at small forward, is |
| leads a team that ranked 24th in scoring and | | | | another key to the Nets season. The Nets lost |
| 6th in points allowed. Frank must get more | | | | by 5, 12 and 33 points last season when |
| out of his bench this season if the Nets are | | | | Jefferson sat out 3 games with a back injury. |
| to contend for the Eastern Conference title. | | | | Jefferson gave way to Carter offensively last |
| | | | season, but remained one of the best |
| Point guard Jason Kidd, last season's team | | | | defensive players in the league at his |
| leader in assists (8.4) and rebounds (7.3), | | | | position. |
| will again lead the Nets as they seek to up | | | | |
| the tempo. Kidd will serve as mentor for | | | | Power forward Nenad Krstic showed marked |
| rookie Marcus Williams, which should help | | | | improvement last season. His post moves |
| Williams develop into a solid NBA player. | | | | improved, but he needs to improve his |
| Kidd is still among the elite point guards in | | | | rebounding if he's going to switch to playing |
| the NBA and should have another solid season. | | | | center. That means getting stronger. His |
| | | | progress will be a key to the Nets' success |
| At shooting guard, Vince Carter returns in | | | | in 2006. |
| what is essentially a contract year - he can | | | | |