Meet the Nets! Kris Humphries

Our series continues with the man who I consider to be the breakout player of the season for the Nets, Kris Humphries.

Name: Kris Humphries

Measurables: 6′ 9″, 235 lbs

Age: 26

Season Averages: 10.0 Pts 1.4 Assists 10.4 Rebounds 1.1 Blocks .4 Steals 1.4 TO’s

Contract Details: Earned 3.2 million after exercising the player option for the final year of his contract. He will be a free agent if he goes unsigned.

I remember two things about the time I saw the Nets play the Bucks at the Izod center last year. One, that Brandon Jennings was one of the fastest players I have ever seen on a basketball court, and two, that Kris Humphries was one of the worst basketball players I have ever seen. He was so bad I sent my brother a text saying “I seriously think I might be better than Kris Humphries” (His response: “Ya I know he sucks but he tries his best every night”). Hardly a validation of Kris Humphries as a basketball player.

Fast forward to next season. You can understand my surprise when I discovered that Humphries was having a very good year. Now I didn’t get a lot of chances to see him play. I go to school in Maryland and the Nets do not get many national TV dates, so I had to rely on my brother’s reports and statistics. The numbers didn’t lie though. From November onward Humphries averaged double digit points and assists. He became one of the best players on the struggling Nets and really flourished when Deron Williams was traded to New Jersey.

So how did we get here? The simple answer is that Humphries received more playing time than ever. He averaged 27.9 minutes during the past season, significantly more than his previous high of 20.6. He was originally behind Joe Smith, Troy Murphy, and Derick Favors but saw his minutes increase when none of them proved to be any good. Humphries flourished this season and entrenched himself as the starting power forward.

If the Nets want to keep Kris Humphries, which according to quotes from Avery Johnson and Billy King they certainly do, they are going to have to pay for it. And here lies the true debate regarding Humphries; did Humphries throw up a classic contract year season? To examine this issue closer let’s go back to the last time Humphries received a contract extension, after the 07-08 season with Toronto. After receiving the extension his PPG and RPG fell but his minutes fell as well.

The moral of the story is this. The Nets want to keep Kris Humphries. Kris Humphries seems to want to stay in New Jersey. Kim Kardashian has reportedly begun to look at houses in New Jersey. However, the price has to be right. For as much of a fan favorite Humphries has become he is not nor will ever be a superstar. He should not get paid superstar money. If Humphries stays he probably will receive a contract very similar to the 5 year 35 million dollar contract Travis Outlaw received. Is that too much? Maybe, but Humphries has shown he can work in this system. Humphries also has the advantage of being engaged to Kim Kardashian, something that could increase the Nets profile. There are benefits to both sides of having Kris Humphries stay in New Jersey, but it’s going to come down to the money; it always does.