Brooklyn Nets: Health Will Determine How Far Nets Go

Brook Lopez is injured, again.

According to ESPN, the Brooklyn Nets’ star center could be out for 10 to 14 days with a “soft tissue” injury in his surgically repaired right foot. The good news is that the injury isn’t bone-related – the injury that kept Lopez out for the entire last season was a fractured fifth metatarsal.

The bad news? It almost seems like déjà vu all over again for the Nets.

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The Nets suffered a myriad of injuries to key players last season. Lopez missed 65 games due to his right foot fracture; while

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all missed games due to injuries and ailments.

ESPN’s SCHOENE projection predicted that the Nets would finish eighth in the Eastern Conference, but with a 36-46 record. The main reason for the projections was the presumed unlikelihood of the Nets staying healthy based on what has happened in the past.

And while much of the fan base will be up in arms in response to this prediction, it is a damning indictment of the Nets’ biggest stumbling block this season: their health.

The Nets have one of the most experienced (or old, depends on whether you’re a glass half-full or half-empty type of person) teams in the East. Ignoring the issues surrounding the health of their roster, the Nets could be a darkhorse in the East.

The favorites for the Eastern crown, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls, will take time for the rosters to gel. The Cavs can look to the 2010-11 Miami Heat, who got off to a 9-8 start to the regular season, as a likely indicator of things to come. The Bulls will also have to wait for Derrick Rose to regain his game fitness and shake off his rust before they hit top gear.

Meanwhile, the rest of the chasing pack is made up of young and promising teams that may surprise some during the regular season. But in the postseason, experience is key and that’s where the Nets will shine.

But the keyword here is still health.

If Lopez is able to stay healthy, he is one of the top two-way centers in the league. He was averaging 20.7 points on 56.3 percent shooting, while blocking 1.8 shots per game and holding opponents to 39.7 percent shooting at the rim in the 17 games he played last season.

Deron Williams, who underwent surgeries on both ankles during the offseason, will surely improve on his 14.3 points and 6.1 assists from last season – career lows since his rookie season. Time is running out on Williams, a player once regarded as “elite” whom many regard as a shadow of his former self.

Injuries derailed the Brooklyn Nets last season, and despite having a rookie coach and losing their best player 17 games in, they still finished with a second-round playoff exit. Health will be the biggest factor for the team this season, and will ultimately determine how successful they are.