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Overall
Win/Loss Record : 49-33, second place Atlantic Division
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Last Season’s Rank
14
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Projected 2013/2014
Finish
6
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Last
season’s Team Statistics and League Rank
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Returning
Individual Statistical Leaders
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Projected
Starters Based on Talent, Tenure, Paycheck and Potential Impact:
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Second Unit Roster Order Ranked on Talent, Tenure, Paycheck and Potential Impact:
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Analysis:
165$ million--that is the estimated how much it will cost Nets owner Mikhail Prokhov this season alone as he not only has to shell out 102$ million on the roster alone, but also has to pay 65$ million in luxury tax penalties. His starting five alone will cost him 82.4$ million which is already 12.4$ million over the league mandate 70$ million luxury tax threshold for this season and with teams having to pay two for every one dollar over the limit, he will be on hook for nearly 25$ million for just five players. Granted, the starting five are all NBA All Stars who have a grand total of one NBA Championship and 393 playoff games between them; however four of them are thirty and above with two of them being WAY past their primes at 36 and 37 years old respectively. Both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett looked as if they both were going to fall apart on the court in their last season with the +Boston Celtics while Joe Johnson has shown signs of decline ever since he inked that massive 120$ million dollar contract extension with the +Atlanta Hawks two years ago. Now the Nets not only have to swallow paying Johnson and his declining production 60$ million over the next three years, but also have to deal with another 16$ million from Pierce, whose contract will mercifully end at season's end, and Garnett whose contract will end at the end of next season while still being owed 24$ million for this year and next. With such a massive off season move, one can certainly deduce that the Nets are not just going to settle with simply making the playoffs only to be eliminated out of the first round as they did last season, but to reach the NBA Finals and possibly win an NBA Championship as well. Unfortunately, both the team and their fans are putting a huge amount of stock on the fact that both the players that they have acquired are far too overvalued as the zeros on their paychecks far outweigh their actual value of the court. It is all but a certainty that neither Pierce or Garnett have the ability or stamina to log on the minutes and post the numbers that they previously had in their careers; however, they won't be expected to as the Nets have a bolstered second unit which will certainly spell the two aging superstars allowing them to play less minutes. Both Andray Blatche, who had a breakthrough season after being unceremoniously waived by his former team, the +Washington Wizards, and Reggie Evans, who led the team in rebounding and ranked among the top rebounders in the league last season, will be returning to provide solid backup support for Garnett thus limiting his playing time and the waer and tear of the regular season. The Nets also managed to pluck away Andrei Kirilenko, who had played last season with the +Minnesota Timberwolves and is capable to provide backup minutes at the three and four spots giving both solid production on the offensive end along with a lockdown defender who can guard both the perimeter and the paint. The Nets also assured that their overpaid dinosaur in Joe Johnson will not have to endure playing the 37 minutes per games that he was forced to last season with the addition of Alan Anderson, who can comfortably slip in between the two and three spots as well as Jason Terry, who also came from Boston in that massive off season deal that took both Garnett and Pierce out of Boston Green and into Brooklyn Black and White. Terry showed last season in Both that he was no longer capable to provide the scoring punch that he once did playing for the +Dallas Mavericks; nonetheless, he can still provide a solid 18 to 20 minutes per game coming off the bench while proving some respite for not only Johnson, but also Deron Williams, as he can take some pressure off the point guard spot as well. Altogether, despite the very hefty price tag and the advanced ages of most of the players on their roster, the Nets certainly have a talented and deep enough team to not only contend in the East, but even prove to be a spoiler for a +Miami HEAT team that is looking to win its third straight NBA title. Although their best basketball is behind them, both Pierce and Garnett will still prove to be worth the price the team's front office paid for them as they will no longer have to log the minutes they had in Boston while at the same time not have the pressure of carrying the team offensively either. On a team stacked with veteran talent, Pierce and Garnett are easily the fourth, or fifth, possibly even sixth offensive options on the team and with such a deep lineup, they can rest easier as their minutes will be reduced and they can remain somewhat fresh for the post season. One can go as far to say that once the playoffs arrive, the Nets will most undoubtedly will be the most dangerous teams to face both on the offensive and defensive ends as they have plenty of able bodies capable of both hitting big shots and locking down their opponents defensively. And with the way that they can potentially interchange within the roster because of the team's overall versatility and diversity of playing styles, many teams will simply get run down by the sheer magnitude of the depth and firepower of this team. Imagine players such superstars as +LeBron James, +Tim Duncan, +Carmelo Anthony, and +James Harden having to deal will three of four bodies on them constantly with little or no rest or relief whatsoever as they will always have a fresh player on them. Post players such as +Dwight Howard, +Chris Bosh, +Blake Griffin or +Kevin Love will have to look forward to being banged down low by the likes of physical defenders such as Lopez, Garnett, Evans while perimeter scorers such as +Derrick Rose, +Kevin Durant, and +Stephen Curry will have be hounded by the likes of Pierce, Johnson, Williams, Terry, on the outside. Let us not forget players such as Kirilenko, Anderson, Blatche, +Shaun Livingston, who have the potential to play and guard multiple positions at once due to their skill sets and athleticism. To exacerbate matters, all the players mentioned, save for Evans who has limited offensive ability, are capable of putting up big numbers on the offensive end at any given time with a total of eight player who have averaged ten or more points per game over the course of their careers. Unfortunately, despite their obvious strengths, the window of opportunity is barely open for a team whom although sport plenty of talent, are aging and come with a rather hefty price tag to say the least. Most of the players on that Nets roster have just one or two good years left in them before they start to decline and shackle the team with a bloated payroll of under performing players which they have to pay millions for in luxury tax penalties. Add the fact that the Nets hired someone with no coaching experience to lead this team also makes even the most optimistic of fans question whether their new team can really take that step forward to becoming a true title contender. There is no arguing Jason Kidd's credentials as a player nor his knowledge and acumen for the game, but considering that there were numerous more impressive candidates that have not only more experience, but also proven results to back them up, possibly hiring a player right out of retirement to lead a team where it is championship or bust is not the greatest idea. By choosing to becoming the Nets' coach, Kidd has put himself in a situation where he has potential set himself up for failure, because like it or not, with the money that has been invested, anything less than an NBA championship would be considered a failure; however, hopefully that will not come to pass as he has a well stocked arsenal of players that can bring any coach to championship contention. |
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Monday, October 28, 2013
SDH's 2013/2014 NBA Worst to First Previews and Predictions: 6. Brooklyn Nets
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