Can The Brooklyn Nets Get Value For Money?
By Mark Bruty
For a team with a Russian billionaire owner, a star studded (and big contract) backcourt, All-Star talent and a head coach who was a brilliant NBA player — the Brooklyn Nets certainly seemed destined for greatness.
After all, they had made a huge splash securing the services of NBA champions Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, they had “won” the services of former All-Star point guard Jason Kidd to patrol the sidelines and they filled out the roster with Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez, Andrei Kirilenko and Jason Terry.
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Although the Nets had to spend big in order to put this type of roster together, surely it would be worthwhile as the Brooklyn Nets trounced all before them and held aloft the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of a triumphant season. That was the plan, but as we have seen many times over the course of a basketball season, plans can change.
The injury to Brook Lopez, the slow start as Jason Kidd found his stride as a sideline operator and even the bizarre slumps of relatively consistent stars — nothing went right for Brooklyn to start the season. However, after the All-Star break, things finally started to click and the Nets got on a roll. They would finish with a 44-38 record from their 82 NBA encounters, and stormed into the post season as the sixth seed in the East.
It took the full seven games to dispatch of division rivals the Toronto Raptors, but they managed to secure themselves a second round spot and a matchup with the reigning NBA champion Miami Heat. Things didn’t go to plan though and the Brooklyn Nets barely fired a shot as they were swiftly swept aside by the team they were put together to beat in just five games.
Now, the pieces to the puzzle have changed. This season, the Brooklyn Nets will look very different again as they try to ensure the franchise receives a return on investment.
Paul Pierce has moved on and will suit up for the Washington Wizards, but Kevin Garnett has stayed. Deron Williams will be back running the team from the point guard spot, hoping to recapture the form and success he had when in Utah with the Jazz. Joe Johnson will be there firing away from everywhere and hopefully a healthy Brook Lopez will anchor the middle.
Mason Plumlee, who had a very solid rookie year, will hope to build on that and develop into a solid pro. Shaun Livingston and Jason Terry are gone, Andray Blatche is gone and Jason Kidd is gone.
The Nets will now be guided through this next season by Lionel Hollins, a strict task master with a defensive focus. He will try to instill a solid work ethic into his team and get them to grind out win after win as they aim to again make the playoffs. Jarrett Jack has arrived and will hope to make an impact after a lackluster season with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Bojan Bogdanovic will try to live up to his 3 year, $10 million deal signed in the off-season.
However, when you look at the players on the roster, the talent that Hollins has to work with, you have to ask yourself “Is this really a billion dollar team?”
With a great price tag comes great responsibility and expectation. After lowering their colors last season (making the playoffs was solid but not firing a shot against Miami was not) it is hard to see this team ever living up to the expectations placed on them with the huge contracts and All Star signings.
Perhaps that is why Mikhail Prokhorov is already entertaining offers for the team. Some times you need to cut your losses and get out while you still can. It looks as if Jason Kidd and Paul Pierce did just that and now the owner intends to as well. Anything short of an NBA title or NBA Finals appearance wasn’t going to be a decent return for the money laid out. The Nets tried, and they failed, and the future doesn’t look any better.
Now might be the time to pay your debts and start the rebuild.