So yeah, yesterday kinda got stuck in my head thinking about old-school NBA rosters, you know how that happens? Randomly remembered that 2004 Nets squad and just had to dive back in. Figured I’d piece it all together again, like putting together one of those dusty old puzzles from the attic. Totally unofficial, just scribbling down what I found.
Where It Started (The Messy Bit)
First thing? Waaaay harder than it should have been finding a clean list. Searched all over the place online. Kept getting bits and pieces: starters here, bench guys there, but finding who actually played real minutes? Forget it. Annoying! Had to open like fifteen tabs, cross-reference a bunch of old articles and box scores. Felt like detective work, seriously.
Fumbling Around With the Starters
Right, so okay, eventually landed on who they rolled with most nights back then:
- Point Guard: Jason Kidd, obviously. Dude ran the show. Captain everything. No arguments there.
- Shooting Guard: Kerry Kittles. Remember his weird shot? Always thought that form looked kinda stiff, but hey, it worked for him.
- Small Forward: Richard Jefferson. Young, crazy athletic. Dunking on everyone back then.
- Power Forward: Kenyon Martin. The muscle. Played angry, loved that energy.
- Center: Jason Collins. The big dude setting screens, clogging the paint. Not flashy, just did the dirty work.
That felt pretty solid. Kidd the brain, Jefferson the athlete, Martin the enforcer, Kittles the shooter, Collins the wall. Made sense for those Nets teams trying to run and gun.
The Bench Blues (Figuring Out Who Mattered)
Now, the second unit got messy. Names kept popping up that played a few games then vanished. Zero consistency looking at records. Finally nailed down the main guys who actually got rotation minutes:
- Lucious Harris: Vet guard, always seemed to be around. Like the super-sub for the backcourt.
- Rodney Rogers: Big fella, kinda versatile. Remember him hitting a weird step-back every now and then?
- Aaron Williams: Another center type. Came off the bench when Collins needed a breather or got into foul trouble (which happened).
- Brian Scalabrine: The White Mamba! Well, before the nickname really stuck. Played mostly PF, hustled, hit an occasional three. People kinda liked him even then.
- Jason Collins’ Twin Brother? No, seriously! Jarron Collins? Different dude. Got confused for a second thinking they had two Jasons! Looked it up – Jarron played for Utah back then. Phew.
Got sidetracked reading weird facts about some bench guys who barely played that season, like Zoran Planinic or Hubert Davis. Seriously, some obscure names resurfaced!
Pulling It All Together (Finally)
Took waaaay longer than planned thanks to all that noise and name confusion. But in the end, managed to sketch out a clearer picture:
- Main Backcourt Depth: Harris was the reliable one here. Others popped in and out.
- Frontline Help: Rogers and Williams were the crucial pieces behind K-Mart and Collins. Scalabrine chipped in minutes too mostly at the 4.
Finished up by scribbling the key role players next to the starters on my notes, finally feeling like I had a decent grasp on who actually suited up and contributed night after night back in ’04. It wasn’t a superstar bench, more like solid, specific role players propping up that solid starting five built around Kidd. Definitely a trip down memory lane!
