Among all the moves the Nets made over the summer, the signing of veteran guard Jerry Stackhouse received little fanfare. Everyone, including Stackhouse himself, said he was coming to provide a veteran influence in the locker room, and to begin his progression toward his aspiration of becoming a head coach in the NBA.
But a funny thing has happened through these first two weeks of the season. Not only has Stackhouse become that influential locker room presence the Nets brought him to Brooklyn to be, but he also has become a vital member of the team's early-season rotation.
AP
JERRY RUGGED: Injuries have forced the Nets to move Jerry Stackhouse into the rotation, and the veteran — driving against the Celtics' Courtney Lee on Thursday — has been a force.
"I would say, give Jerry all the credit," Nets coach Avery Johnson said after Thursday's 102-97 victory over the Celtics at Barclays Center. "He worked hard in the offseason to get his body ready to play. We didn't necessarily plan on him being in the rotation ... we've kind of fallen into it."
The Nets may have fallen into a situation where, thanks to injuries to Gerald Wallace and MarShon Brooks that depleted their wing depth, Stackhouse emerged as a rotation piece. But there's no denying the impact Stackhouse has made since he entered the rotation four games ago.
Since then, the Nets haven't lost, and Stackhouse has repeatedly been on the floor for big moments, including when he drained a critical 3-pointer from the corner midway through the fourth quarter Thursday night to tie the game at 85, and played a big role down the stretch.
"I think it may be surprising to other people, but that's my guy," Stackhouse said of Johnson, who he played under in Dallas. "He's seen it before. He knows that I've been there before. I've been in those situations.
"You evolve and your roles change, but at the same time Coach has confidence in me, so I'm very appreciative of that, and appreciative of this whole opportunity to be with a great group of guys, and continue to try to build."
Stackhouse has played sparingly the past couple of seasons, but came to the Nets thinking he still had something left in the tank, whether people on the outside believed it or not.
"I feel great," he said. "I'm not really trying to concern myself with the last couple years. Last year I felt like I was in great shape, probably the best shape of my life. It didn't work ... it wasn't in the cards for me. I was in kind of a different role in Atlanta.
"But I personally felt that I should have played a little bit more, and I didn't want to go out with that taste in my mouth, knowing that I can still contribute and play."
Stackhouse already has proven that with his play in the early going, providing a calm and steadying presence both on the court and in the locker room for a team trying to find its way as a contender in the Eastern Conference.
"I had a great camp, and I think even before training camp even started, there was a buzz that I could still do some things," he said. "But this is not about that. All of this could change ... but I think, when it comes down to being in games like this, and having some experience I think I can provide some things."
tbontemps@nypost.com
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