Last season: 24-58, a better-than-last-year mark that reminds us all just how terrible bad teams can be.
Head Coach: Avery Johnson, who still has a lot to prove. We know he can yell at teams filled with veterans until they win 60+ games, but how effectively can he groom young talent? How does his system operate with an elite point guard at the helm? Can he really push Brook Lopez to new heights, or is his abrasive style more taxing than it is helpful? Every month of Avery only leaves me with more questions, and hopefully this season we’ll finally get a few answers.
Key Departures: Kris Humphries?, Travis Outlaw, Brandan Wright
Key Additions: Shawne Williams, Marshon Brooks, Shelden Williams
Best case scenario: You know the drill: the Nets somehow pull off the trade of the century, and pair Deron Williams with the second best player in the NBA. Dwight Howard coming to the Nets would change everything for New Jersey/Brooklyn/the known universe, and would without a doubt represent this team’s best possible outcome.
For that to happen: New Jersey would probably need to stockpile more trade assets. A package that would gift Brook Lopez, oodles of draft picks, and financial relief to the Magic reportedly wasn’t enough to even keep Orlando at the table, meaning that the Nets will have to find some creative ways to improve their offer. Is there another third team out there -- aside from the Blazers, who attempted to facilitate the Nets’ initial trade configuration -- who could make the offers for Dwight more interesting?
More likely, the Sixers will: Cling desperately to Deron, make every run possible at Dwight, and then still have to wait out Howard’s free agent decision next summer like everyone else. The Nets should have a pretty mediocre season in the meantime, as even a year’s worth of Deron Williams can’t make up for the dearth of capable wing players on the roster. The Nets may not be done dealing in free agency, but if their most current roster is the one they go into the season with, Stephen Graham masquerading as a big-minute wing player is going to get very old very fast.
Prediction: 31-35, which is just good enough to miss the playoffs and secure a mid first-round pick that will inevitably be included in any proposed trades for Howard. Congrats, Nets fans: Williams’ first full season in New Jersey will be completely obscured by the shadow of Dwight Howard’s trade demands, and the season itself -- which will feature a scantily upgraded roster in the name of financial flexibility -- will again be forgettable. But hey, the team’s better than last year, right?
