Brooklyn Nets: The dark horse in the east

Garnett, Pierce, Terry – the terrific trio

The trade on July 12^th in this post season saw the Boston combo of Kevin Garnett and Pierce being traded to the Nets along with Jason Terry in exchange for Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Keith Bogans, guard MarShon Brooks, forward Kris Joseph and three future first round drafts picks. On the same day, they acquired Russian national Andre Kirilenko as a free agent for 3.18 million per year.

This day would be remembered by Nets fans as a day that the Nets become a NBA super team and serious title contender this season. But is that how it really looks?

Here’s an analysis of the proposed new NBA super team:-

Strengths:

Their trade with the Celtics gives their starting line up a combined 35 All-Star appearances, the next best being 26 by the big 3 of the Miami Heat. So, they are definitely not short of talent, skill or experience. Their roster has the clutch factor in abundance with Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce and Deron Williams – all very capable of handling the ball and making plays late in the game.

Their postseason acquisitions add depth and talent on the bench. Jason Terry, Andre Kirilenko and Shaun Livingston along with last year’s revelation, Reggie Evans would be the players to watch off the bench.

While Terry and Kirilenko would be vital to their team with their offensive production, Evans would be a beast off the glass. Evans leads the league in number of rebounds per 48 with 21.7, outstanding for a forward standing at 6’8″. Livingston will see minutes while star point guard Deron Williams is taking a break.

Their center Brook Lopez got his first All-Star selection this season, thanks to an outstanding season of scoring where he had 7 games with 20 more at the beginning. After missing 7 games due to a bad ankle in late December, he then had 3 straight 20+ points and 10+ rebounds games. He averaged a career high 2.1 BPG, another skill developed by the 7 foot tall born in North Hollywood.

Deron Williams, acquired in 2012 mid-season trade with a Jazz, plays a crucial role in the nets offense. Whether playing with starters or bench players, they would prefer him giving them the ball when they are open and create open looks for them rather than looking for his offense which might not necessarily each game help the team cause.

Weakness:

With their experience, father time accompanies and so does the increased chances of falling victim to injuries. Garnett 37, Pierce, 35 and Terry, 36, would all have to fight the uphill battle with time and average over 30+ MPG as each of them would play a prominent part in Nets championship chase this season. Joe Johnson, aged 32, is also at the twilight of his career. The list continues with Evans and Kirilenko both aged on the wrong side of the 30s.

Pressure and frustrations are often interlinked – one leads to the other. Going into the next season, the Nets not only would be shouldering the expectations of their fans, but also would be in the limelight thanks to super team they have at their disposal. Few games gone wrong and behind the criticism from the media and analysts, the player’s themselves might start doubting their chances at the title. Losses could lead to the blame game starting in the Nets locker room and frustration among the players.

Everyone is looking forward to Jason Kidd coaching. We all know his influence in the locker room is one which is calming and encouraging. However, with no experience of coaching, Kidd could see things going out of hand lot earlier than he would have predicted.

Opportunities:

Can Brooklyn re-ignite the Nets- Knicks rivalry?

Provided their players can stay healthy, Nets stand a good chance of finishing higher in the table, probably displacing Indiana, New York or Chicago to enter the top 3 in the east.

Their improved play would re-ignite the Nets- Knicks rivalry and they could stand a good chance of either splitting or winning the season series. It could be seen as an upset considering the number of years the Knicks have dominated, losing the season series consecutively only when the Nets offence was orchestrated by Kidd in the early years of the millennium.

Their trip en route to the finals would have hurdles, of which I’m quite certain they would cross the first one and make it to the Conference semis. They would make headlines however, if they reach the Conference Finals, keeping in mind to get there they would have to get through one of the following four of Indiana, Chicago, New York or defending champs Miami Heat.

Why are the Nets the dark horse?

Their roster has been assembled in such a way that it is not easy to predict their position at the end of the season. If age gives way to injuries, wins could become hard to get. At that position, making any statement in the league would not be given any attention because they can’t put actions behind their words.

Having said that, if luck and health go their way, they could be a serious force to reckon with throughout the regular season and also come Playoff time.

Verdict:

They have a talented roster, no doubt, but to be able to win a championship in their first season with a team consisting of 6 relatively new players seems a little far-fetched. If everything falls into place, I see them at best making it to the Conference Finals, though the semis seem more appropriate as to where they would finish.