Nets overdue for rebuilding, and other notes

	Can Richard Jefferson be a go-to guy? The Nets must try to find out before they rebuild. Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE vis Getty Images
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In the NBA, windows of opportunity can close almost as quickly as they are opened. It's just a question of recognizing them. Consider the Lakers.

Despite winning three championships between 2000 and 2004, the Lakers decided to make big changes after the 2004 NBA Finals when they realized their current roster had become too volatile to continue playing together. (Assessing blame for that is a subject for another discussion.)

Consider Sacramento. Despite never advancing to the NBA Finals, the Kings won 230 games between 2001-2004 and were among the elite teams during that stretch. But when Chris Webber got old and Peja Stojakovic grew unhappy, the Kings gutted their roster and started anew behind holdovers Mike Bibby and Brad Miller and acquired Ron Artest.

The point is that there comes a time when every team, no matter which one it is, must rebuild. You say San Antonio? Well, the Spurs have the benefit of the best glue guy in the league -- Tim Duncan -- and the most savvy man in the game: Gregg Popovich. And don't think San Antonio hasn't changed on the fly. The Spurs' title team of 2003 was a completely different team than the one that captured the Larry O'Brien Trophy in '99.

New Jersey? When it comes to rebuilding, the Nets are about a year too late.

The writing was on the wall. Despite winning 49 games last season and claiming the Atlantic Division title for the fourth time in five years, the Nets were a shell of the team that advanced to back-to-back NBA Finals, a fact that was exposed in a five-game beating at the hands of Miami in the second round of the playoffs.

This season? Despite playing in a division that a good AAU team could compete in, New Jersey has struggled, compiling a 39.3 winning percentage (which, ironically, puts them only a game out of first place in the "Atlantis Division"). The Nets rank in the middle of the pack in scoring (98.5 points per game), but are near the bottom third defensively, giving up 99.6  per night.

Why the struggles? For better or worse, New Jersey lives and dies by their Big Three. Let's break it down.

Jason Kidd is getting old: Statistically, Kidd is having another, well, Kiddesque season. His 9.5 assists per game put him just behind Steve Nash in that category, and his six triple doubles this season are far and away the most in the NBA. But Kidd, 33, appears to have lost a step, the kind of bounce that seems to fade when your team drops out of contention.

Perhaps it's frustration. Kidd was furious at the Nets' front office after they traded Kenyon Martin and he can't be happy with the paper-thin front line that GM Rod Thorn has constructed, a line that got that much thinner when Nenad Krstic went down for the season. The only way to revitalize Kidd is to acquire the physical big man that the Nets have lacked since Martin skipped town. Jamaal Magloire would fit that bill.

Vince Carter hasn't been Vince Carter: We all heard the same story: Carter in a contract year (he has an opt-out clause after the season) means that Carter has a big year. Despite his typical numbers -- 26.4 points, 5.9 rebounds -- it has become abundantly clear that Carter, who has no on-court chemistry with Richard Jefferson, cannot be the front man on a team with championship goals. It's also becoming more apparent that unless the Nets deal Carter, they may be stuck with him again next season.

"If you're Vince Carter, why would you leave $16 million on the table?" asks an Eastern Conference personnel man. "Unless you're sure you are going to get a five- or six-year deal from someone you really want to play for -- which you won't -- why would you walk away from that kind of money?"

Richard Jefferson needs a more prominent role: Would he embrace it? Sure. Jefferson told me before the season that one of his goals was to become the go-to guy on this team, a position that will remain filled as long as Carter is on the roster.

Can Jefferson do it? That remains to be seen. He is at his best when filling the lane on a fast break, and over the years he has developed an excellent perimeter shot. But one-on-one has never been a big part of his game and being a go-to guy means having the ability to hit the improbable shot on a regular basis. Carter has that ability. Jefferson may not, so it's in the Nets' best interests to find out now if he can be the cornerstone of any kind of rebuilding the franchise chooses to do.