The Nets are clearly in a rebuilding mode which means essentially a losing mode. How will head coach Lawrence Frank deal with that. He seems to be a hard nosed guy who will do his best to win every game that the Nets play…..and that won’t be many this season. The Nets were 34-48 (41.5%) last season and Frank will be hard pressed to lead the Nets to that many wins this year. Frank has now been the coach for six years in New Jersey and he has compiled a 225-225 record (50%) and he is also 18-20 in the post season (47.4%). The Nets likely won’t hold this season against Frank as his career record is almost certain to dip under .500. If not he might win the Coach of the Year in the NBA in 2009-2010.

21-year old Brook Lopez had a solid rookie season and the Nets are hoping that he takes the next step to stardom in 2009-2010. Lopez played in 82 games for the Nets last season and he averaged 30.5 minutes, 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.8 blocked shots per game. Look for the Nets to run more plays for Lopez this season which should pump up his scoring average. 24-year old Josh Boone will back up Lopez again this season. He played in 62 games for the Nets last season and he averaged 16.0 minutes, 4.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Veteran Tony Battie will likely be the Nets’ #3 center this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTERS IN 2009-2010: B+

The Nets need someone to step up at power forward this season. They are going to give 21-year old Yi Jianlian the first shot at the starting job. He played in 61 games for the Nets last season and he averaged 23.3 minutes, 8.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. With the added minutes he will be getting at the start of the season the Nets will expect him to put up good numbers or he will return to coming off the bench. 23-year old Sean Williams is a player the Nets would like to show something this year as he is a former first round pick of theirs. He played in only 33 games last season for the Nets and he averaged 11.1 minutes, 2.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. 33-year old Tony Battie came over in the Vince Carter trade and he will likely get minutes at both power forward and center. He played in 77 games for the Magic last season and he averaged 15.6 mintues, 4.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Don’t expect much more production than that this year. 33-year old Eduardo Najera would be able to help the Nets this season if healthy. He plays all-out, all of the time and that rubs off on his teammates. Najera played in 27 games for the Nets last season and he averaged 11.8 minutes, 2.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POWER FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: D+

The Nets will likely give all of the minutes at small forward to 29-year old Bobby Simmons and 28-year old Jarvis Hayes this season unless one or both of them gets injured. Simmons will likely be the starter and he played in 71 games for the Nets last season and he averaged 24.4 minutes, 7.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He has the potential to pump up his scoring average a bit this season with Vince Carter out of town. Hayes played in 74 games for the Nets last season and he averaged 24.8 minutes, 8.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He is a solid role player and he should do a solid job for the Nets this season. First round pick Terrence Williams could also get some playing time behind Simmons and Hayes this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009-2010 SEASON FOR THE SMALL FORWARDS: C-

23-year old Courtney Lee was acquired in the Vince Carter trade with the Magic over the off-season and he will start at shooting guard this year. He played in 77 games as a rookie with the Magic last season and he averaged 25.2 minutes, 8.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He was also a good shooter from long range last season hitting 40.4% from three point range. With a lack of offensive firepower on the Nets look for Lee to possibly double his scoring average this season. 22-year old Terrence Williams will also likely get a lot of playing time this season. He was a first round pick out of Louisville and the Nets really like him. 30-year old Trenton Hassell will likely be the #3 SG on the Nets this season because of his defense. He played in 53 games for the Nets last season and he averaged 20.6 minutes, 3.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. 22-year old Chris Douglas-Roberts will likely be buried on the depth chart this season but the Nets do like him. He played in 44 games for the Nets as a rookie last season and he averaged 13.3 minutes, 4.9 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2009-2010: C