There was so much hope invested in the Brooklyn Nets when they moved from New Jersey, rebranded themselves, and their new Russian billionaire owner promised to spend whatever it would take to bring a championship home. Building on an already expensive roster, the Nets made a blockbuster trade at the 2013 NBA draft, sending a series of picks and players to the rebuilding Boston Celtics in exchange for the services of legendary grizzled vets Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. It was thought, at the time, that these might be the final pieces needed to let the Nets make a serious run at the title. But instead, we’ve learned that the age-old maxim, “money can’t buy happiness,” certainly extends to the building of a competitive NBA team.
There were several warning flags before the season started, yet nobody expected the Nets to be quite THIS bad. The Nets went into this season with the highest payroll in the league. They also mortgaged their future to try and put this team together. Yet, one of the most important factors in any sport is team chemistry, and oftentimes throwing a bunch of highly paid players together doesn’t form a good team spirit. Such is the case right now, as the Nets try to figure out how to play together and how to complement each other.
Compounding this issue is their choice of head coach. Jason Kidd, who retired from playing extremely recently, was brought in as a rookie coach with absolutely no prior experience. This might work for a crappy team who is attempting to groom someone into a long coaching career, but is inexcusable in a win-now situation. Kidd lacks the experience to motivate a group of veteran players who played with and against him as recently as two seasons ago, and his strategies and coaching fundamentals are almost certainly lacking in a big way.
This image is simply golden.
On the other hand, given the pathetic state of the Eastern Conference, the Nets still have a really good chance to turn things around with a good stretch run and squeak into the playoffs. Certainly, in order for this to happen, they will need the injury situation to improve, and they will need their key role players and veterans to perform much, much better.
Sports By Rob 