In three years under
the ownership of Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, the Brooklyn Nets have
vastly improved, but how? During their final year in New Jersey, the Nets
welcomed the arrival of all-star point guard, Deron Williams. In Prokhorov’s
second year, the team had themselves a star.
New city, new home; as
Nets began to relocate to downtown Brooklyn, the big question was, which Nets
team was going to show up? A contender or a 22 win team from a year before? The
Nets front office and General Manager, Billy King spent big money by resigning
Deron Williams and acquiring Joe Johnson via a sign and trade with the Atlanta
Hawks. Both stars received very lucrative contracts. From a 22 win team to a 49
win team, the Nets were poised to make a strong run in the playoffs. What
happened?
After the first month
of the season in Brooklyn, the Nets had already made a coaching change.
Prokhorov’s hunger for an NBA championship had grown stronger. The first signs
of dysfunction meant major changes in the locker room. Avery Johnson who
coached the Nets the previous two seasons was fired and replace by assistant
coach PJ Carlesimo.
Carlesimo fared well
when taking over the team in mid-December, but came up short in the playoffs after
a first round elimination from the Chicago Bulls. Again Prokhorov was not
pleased and Carlesimo was let go.
The Nets are now
entering their fourth year of Prokhorov’s five-year plan which is reminiscent
to world history and Joseph Stalin’s five year economic plan in Soviet Russia.
With two years left to win an NBA title, Prokhorov will pay a $77 Million
dollar luxury tax for going over the salary cap. Do you smell desperation? During
this year’s NBA draft, the Nets made a blockbuster deal, trading for the
Celtics Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry for first-round picks in the
2014, 2016 and 2018 draft; they also shipped former first round pick MarShon
Brooks and others. So the Nets are putting everything on the table, relying on
two aging veterans like Pierce and Garnett. They have a new head coach in Jason
Kidd, who is months removed from his playing career and has no coaching
experience. Garnett has been injury prone late in his career especially during
the 2012-13 season. These two are expected to play 40 minutes a game which is
not going to happen at their age. The team needs depth. Billy King was aware of
this and acquired a reliable bench to back up their starting five. Players such
as, Andrei Kirilenko, Jason Terry, Andre Blatche, Shaun Livingston and Reggie
Evans make a strong bench, even with the cap space the Nets have. But, what
happens if the five year plan does not live up to Prokhorov’s expectations?
Will the Nets have a fire sale similar to the Celtics of this year?
The window to win is
two years; when Pierce and Garnett are long gone, the Nets will be paying the
consequences of those draft picks. The Nets future will be promising, that is
because the Boston Celtics will be experiencing their success. Kudos to Danny
Ainge for the job he has done with the Celtics. He was aware that father time
had taken his toll on an aged Celtics team.
How much does father
time have left, since they will dine the Nets black and white this upcoming
season?
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