Contributor
30.1. That is the average age of the Brooklyn Nets projected starting lineup for the upcoming 2013-14 NBA season. 26. That is the average age of the projected Detroit Pistons starting lineup for the upcoming season.
Lets look at Brooklyn's starting lineup:
PG: Deron Williams
SG: Joe Johnson
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Brook Lopez
This would be a great starting lineup if the year was like say...2008, the same year the Boston Celtics won it all and Joe Johnson and Deron Williams each averaged 21 and 19 points respectively.
Williams is the second-youngest player in that starting lineup at 29 years old, and yet is no longer among those that I consider to be the top point guards in the league. Even though he averaged about 19 points a game last season, he only racked up 7.7 assists per game as well.
Johnson not only disappears in playoff games each year, but his biological clock is ticking as well as he is 32 years old and not getting any better. Brook Lopez is the only one true argument, as he is 25 years old, averaged 19.4 points per game and is still getting better.
However, if 35-year-old Paul Pierce and 37-year-old Kevin Garnett could not get their Boston Celtics past the New York Knicks last year, what makes people think they will do it in the standings with the Nets this season? Last year, analysts said that the Nets would be better than the Knicks and they were dead wrong. What makes them think they will not be wrong again?
Garnett's numbers have been declining since after the 2008 season from 15.8, 14.3, 14.9 , 15.8 and to 14.8 points per game recently. Although Pierce over the past five seasons has averaged 18-20 points per game respectively, his and KG's time may be up.
But that is another story in itself.
Not only should the New York Knicks be better than the Brooklyn Nets, but the young and upcoming Detroit Pistons should be as well. Let's break it down.
Take a look at Detroit's starting lineup:
PG: Brandon Jennings
SG: Chauncey Billups
SF: Josh Smith
PF: Greg Monroe
C: Andre Drummond
The only question here is who will play point guard and who will play shooting guard this year, although it seems to be a given that both will start regardless (this being said even though Billups is likely to only play 15-20 minutes a game as a starter this year).
Brandon Jennings is an exciting young player, as he has not even turned 24 yet. It's without a doubt he can score. Everybody talks about how much of a "ball hog" Jennings is, yet with a Milwaukee Bucks team with less talent last season, he actually averaged a career high in assists with 6.5.
Not to mention that is also another great reason to have a veteran like Billups back, as he can help mentor him into being a better ball distributor. Backcourt aside, the Pistons could have the best frontcourt in the NBA this season with the addition of Josh Smith. Seriously.
People like to talk about how crowded the Pistons frontcourt could be with the addition of Smith, but ignore the potential amount of rebounds. After all, Josh Smith averaged 8.4 rebounds per game last season. Combine those with 9.6 Monroe gets and with the 7.6 Drummond was able to collect, we are talking about a total of 25-26 rebounds together as a front court. That means each of them getting approximately 8.5 a game.
This compared to total amount of Brooklyn's current starting front court from last season, 21. Not to mention, the average age of Detroit's starting front court is 23.3 while Brooklyn's is 32.3, almost ten years older.
If the Nets have the Pistons beat at anything, it is on the bench (coaching is a wash) since they have size coming off the bench with Andrei Kirilenko, Reggie Evans and Andray Blatche all coming off to Jonas Jerebko and Charlie Villanueva. Although having Rodney Stuckey (he can be a good backup, remember the 2008 season when he backed Chauncey?) and Kyle Singler as the backup guards seems superior than having Jason Terry and Shaun Livingston.
Numbers do not lie people. Men lie, women lie -- but numbers do not lie.
The Detroit Pistons should be a better team than the Brooklyn Nets this season. But for the record, here are my official Eastern Conference standings:
1. Indiana
2. Miami
3. Chicago
4. New York
5. Detroit
6. Brooklyn
7. Cleveland
8. Boston (unless Rondo is traded or is not ready to go. If so, then Atlanta at the No. 8 seed)
