There's been much buzz about the new Brooklyn Nets.Or should I say the old Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets made the acquisition of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett via the blockbuster trade of the draft, where they also sent Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks to the Boston Celtics.
It certainly was a great trade for the Celtics dumping Garnett's and Pierce's (about $27 million) salary. Boston currently is in a rebuilding state, and they could use younger players and clear out some salary cap space.
The Celtics also hired 36-year-old Brad Stevens from Butler as the new head coach, which I also think was a great move by Celtics general manager, Danny Ainge.
I think it was a horrible deal for the Nets. This team will lack foot-speed on the perimeter and will struggle defensibly at the G/F positions. Many think the Nets will challenge the Miami Heat, but I certainly don't think so.
We all witnessed how the New York Knicks dismantled down the stretch. After a red-hot start going 22-6 and leading the Eastern Conference standings early on, the Knicks completely fell apart right when it mattered the most: the playoffs.
Kurt Thomas, who was out for the season with a foot injury, was waived at the end of the season. Rasheed Wallace abruptly retired after he also battled foot problems, too. Marcus Camby could never get started and got deactivated before being traded a few days ago. Jason Kidd, the new Nets head coach, started the season on fire but finished the playoffs with eight straight scoreless games.
The same thing will happen to the Nets. They are over the hill and too old.
Garnett, 39, and Pierce, 35, will be too old to effectively compete during the 2014 playoffs. We saw flashes of brilliance against the Knicks in the first round of this year's playoffs, however father time and Carmelo Anthony were too much to overcome.
I cannot envision these aging veterans successfully completing a non-injured 82-game regular season and then expected to deliver for an anticipated deep playoff run. It's not going to happen.
The 2012-2013 Nets squad had plenty of hype and an exciting new arena in Brooklyn; however, they clearly lacked heart, guts and determination. Garnett and Pierce will be an immediate infusion of those attributes, but do they honestly have enough left in the tank?
After Avery Johnson was fired in December, after the team slipped below .500 (Johnson was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for November), the team promoted P.J. Carlesimo to interim head coach and he led them to a 35-19 record (4th seed).
However, the season ended in extreme disappointment. As talented as they were, and a near $200 million dollar backcourt, they failed to advance pass the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls. Little Nate Robinson single-handedly put on a playoff performance for the ages and the Nets were sent hope packing in front of their home fans in a grueling seven game series.
I currently rank this Nets team fifth in the Eastern Conference while the Heat lead the way followed by the Indiana Pacers, Bulls, and the Knicks.
The Nets projected 2013-2014 starting lineup will likely be Deron Williams at PG, Joe Johnson at SG, Pierce at SF, Garnett at PF and Brook Lopez at C. This starting lineup does looks great...on paper.
A team featuring Joe Johnson (who I believe is the most overpaid player in the NBA) and a rookie head coach in Kidd won't be competing for an NBA championship next season. I honestly cannot remember the last time a rookie head coach won the NBA title.
And that's a problem, because the Nets and billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov desperately want to win now.
Williams, who also has struggled since joining the Nets as a max-contract player, seems uncoachable. Williams also missed the All-Star game for the first time in four years. So can Kidd be the answer?
Kidd stated in an interview with the New York Daily News about Williams: "He's better than me. I mean, he can shoot. He's a guy who can set the table, he can get to the basket, he can score. I don't look at him as me. Again, he's a little bit better than I am."
Hopefully, with Kidd on the sidelines, its gives Williams the freedom to call his own plays and return to his Utah days. Kidd's an obviously brilliant mind with an insanely high basketball I.Q., but has never coached any level. Never called a timeout. Never made a substitution.
I don't see them being a threat to the Heat next season.
