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Ah, here we are. July 26th(will be midnight once this is up), 2012-2013 NBA season is over, 2013 offseason has had it's big names taken away as we are already looking forward to next season. We simply want to see how the acquisitions each respective team made will contribute to their new/same team. We want to know how much more can next year's team improve from the previous season's team. In this case, let's take a look at the Brooklyn Nets and review this team's offseason.
Let's take one step backwards first however. Let's go back and take a look at how the Nets did last season. This was the inaugural season for the Brooklyn Nets with a new atmosphere and new arena provided by the Nets' minority owner, Jay-Z. There were high expectations for the team set by Owner, Mikhail Prokhorov. The Nets went on to doing some great things in their first season in Brooklyn, as well as recapturing a fan base that was simply no where to be found in New Jersey. Let's take a look at some of the things the Nets were able to accomplish in their first season in Brooklyn:
- Retained Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Brook Lopez.
- Nets brought in:
1. SG, Joe Johnson
2. PG, C.J. Watson
3. F, Jerry Stackhouse
4. PF, Reggie Evans
5. PF, Andray Blatche
6. PF, Mirza Teletovic
7. PG, Tyshawn Taylor
8.F, Keith Bogans
9. PF, Josh Childress
10. F, Tornike Shengelia
- Tied the season series with the NewYork Knicks at two a piece.
- Finished with a record of 49-33, placing themselves 4th in the Eastern Conference.
- Made the playoffs for the first time since 2007, and took the 5th seeded Chicago Bulls seven games before being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
- Posted a winning record for the first time since the 2005-2006 campaign.
Despite the firing of Avery Johnson halfway through the season, and Jay-Z leaving near the end of the season with aspirations in becoming a Sports Agent, the Nets bounced back quite well under interim Head Coach, P.J. Carlesimo.
Now, that's what the Nets did in their inagural season, but what's next? What did they do to improve and make themselves even bigger threats? Let's take a look at the Nets' offseason moves, both departures and arrivals this offseason, and then I'll talk more in depth on the moves.
Departures:
-PG, C.J. Watson
- F, Keith Bogans*
- SG, Marshon Brooks*
- PF, Kris Humphries*
- 2014, 2016, 2018 1st round draft picks.
- SF, Gerald Wallace*
- HC, P.J. Carlesimo
Arrivals:
- PF/C, Kevin Garnett*
- SF, Andrei Kirilenko
-SF, Paul Pierce*
-SG, Jason Terry*
- PG, Shaun Livingston
- C, Mason Plumlee ( 2013 1st round pick)
- HC, Jason Kidd
- Assistant HC, Lawrence Frank
I know that there may be some names that aren't on this list, but for the most part, these are the names to keep in mind. The asterisks next to the players' names signify that they were part of the blockbuster deal between Brooklyn and Boston.
Simply looking at both the acquisitions the Nets made this offseason as well as the departures, I can't help but think how much this team has improved. I think the biggest loss other than the three 1st rounders would have to be Gerald Wallace. When healthy, he was one of the best players on the court, giving it his all, as he played exceptional defense as well as bringing down a ton of rebounds as well as providing a scoring threat to the team. Aside from those two departures, these are players that the Nets have used as trade bait for quite some time. The Nets have been floating around Humphries' name as well as Marshon Brooks' name in trade possibilities. It will be interesting to see how Shaun Livingston and Tyshaun Taylor play out to be this season as they look to fill the backup PG void.
When we look at the assets the Nets made this offseason, you can't help but be excited with the direction this team is going in and what this season has in store. With a most likely starting 5 of Williams-Johnson-Pierce-Garnett-Lopez, the Nets easily made themselves a legit contender in the East. The bench has significally gotten better as you add names such as Kirilenko,Terry, Livingston, and perhaps Plumlee in addition to the players who are returning such as Blatche, Evans, Shengelia, Taylor, etc. There is no doubt that the Brooklyn Nets are a far better team than they were last season.
The BIG Picture
As you may already know, the Nets' biggest splash this offseason was going out and acquiring SF, Paul Pierce and C, Kevin Garnett in a trade with the Boston Celtics. The Nets would send Keith Bogans, Kris Joseph, Kris Humphries, Marshon Brooks, Gerald Wallace, and three 1st round draft selections( 2014, 2016, 2018) in exchange for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry, and D.J. White. White was recently cut by the Nets however. The acquisitions of these three players make this team incredibly better and give them more stability. Not only do they provide help to the team with their performance, but also their leadership. There are many young players who are still learning the game at the NBA level and who else to mentor them other than two future Hall of Famers.
I was a bit skeptical however on the naming of Jason Kidd as Head Coach after the team told, interim HC, P.J. Carlesimo that he would not return for another season. I believe time will tell if GM, Billy King made the right call or not, but coming off of retirement and straight into a Head Coaching job isn't the best idea in my opinion. However, I do like the idea that Kidd will be working a lot with Deron Williams, and the other guards on ways they could improve their game.
My thoughts:
I believe that the Nets had a really successful offseason. They were able to bring in three great players to Brooklyn, and even though the price in my opinion was quite high, it's the only thing that the Nets could do in order to become a contender. This trade enables the Nets to quickly enter contention to get an NBA Championship. I want to keep a close eye on how Jason Kidd adjusts to being a Head Coach rather than a player. This season will be one that Nets fans haven't had the chance to be happy about in quite some time. This is my first of many more blogs for the Nets as I will cover them more as the season approaches, so I outlined the offseason as a starting point for Nets fans. These are just my thoughts on what I see. Bring your questions along, and let's get ready for another great season! BROOOOOOOOKLYYYNN!
Thanks for reading!
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