Two years have passed since the Nets made their initial leap across the East and Hudson River. With two seasons of Brooklyn basketball in the record books, the Nets have lowered expectations going into the 2014-2015 NBA season. After a tumultuous second year that featured more drama both on and off the court than a daytime soap opera, the attitude in Brooklyn seems to be “wait and see.” These tethered expectations may be for the best. Why? Previously on “the Brooklyn Nets”…
What a difference a year makes. It was about this time last year that the Nets were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the starting five posing menacingly with then Coach Jason Kidd in the center of it all. The over the top marketing and hype seemed to represent their status as a legitimate New York team.
Jason Kidd, the man who had lead the New Jersey Nets to back to back NBA Finals appearances, made a triumphant return to the organization that showcased his glory years in what would be his debut season as a head coach. He was coming home to write a cosmic wrong. He would find a permanent basketball home with the Nets once again, and this time he would usher them to a title. In tow were his former coach Lawrence Frank as his lead assistant and close friend, and Deron Williams as the face of the franchise and the incumbent starting point guard who signed a max contract.
Then we have "the trade", the 2013 summer blockbuster that would send long time Boston Celtics and NBA champions Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett from Boston to Brooklyn, creating what was arguably the most talented starting five in the NBA. The trade was emblematic of the direction both teams were headed in. With Doc Rivers leaving to coach the Los Angeles Clippers, Ray Allen in Miami crushing the dreams of Spurs fans, and Rajon Rondo coming off a torn ACL, the party in Beantown was over.
The Celtics were headed for a rebuild. They would acquire several players and draft picks from the Nets in hopes of starting a new era and winning in the long-term. The Nets, on the other hand, were all-in on their starting five. It would be “win-now” for as long as Pierce and Garnett were able to play. The aging Truth and Big Ticket were brought over as much for their talent as their championship experience and passion for the game. The Nets lacked heart and on-court leadership in their inaugural Brooklyn campaign. KG and Pierce would remedy that situation. This was a new team, and it was a new chapter. How far could they go? They were poised to make a deep playoff run to challenge the two time champions, Miami Heat, possibly even contend for a title. It all depended on who you asked. In theory, it was all perfect, and the relentless drama and underdog mentality that had plagued past Nets teams would become a distorted memory of a former life….and then the season started and reality set in.
Murphy’s Law was in full effect during the early goings of the 2013-14 season. Deron Williams, to the surprise of no one, was injured and missed significant chunks of both training camp and the regular season. Coach Kidd began the year suspended for two games after pleading guilty to a DUI. Kidd would go on to make headlines and headaches for fans with antics such as the infamous soda-spill. Kidd, who had championed Lawrence Frank’s position as lead assistant head coach, would later remind Frank just exactly who is the coach of this "13 letter expletive" team. Frank would be reassigned to writing daily reports for the team despite his lucrative multiyear deal, and the Nets would continue to make the back pages for all the wrong reasons. During that same bleak December, things would go from bad to worse when the 9 and 17 Nets would lose Brook Lopez – the team’s best player who had the second highest PER in the NBA - to a season ending injury in his broken right foot. The Nets had gone from potential title contenders to an overpriced, laughing stock of the NBA. Their only consolation was that their cross town rivals were floundering spectacularly in a similar fashion. 2013 came to a merciful end with a blowout loss to the Spurs in a fashion that mirrored their 2012 campaign.
All was not lost, however, as national media moved on to focus on other teams in the East to challenge the Miami Heat (namely the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls). The Nets slowly but surely began to build steam. Sparked by what was one of many regular season buzzer beaters from Joe Johnson to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on the second day of January, the team would find a winning formula. Kidd’s small ball lineup that consisted of both Shaun Livingston and Deron Williams in the backcourt, with Williams playing off the ball, along with a “next man up” mentality that would mesh aging veteran Kevin Garnett, rookie Mason Plumlee, and the versatile Andray Blatche into Lopez’s old role would eventually allow the Nets to achieve a respectable, understated record of 44-38. This included a regular season sweep of the Miami Heat in four of the most entertaining games of the regular season. The injuries that plagued the team, the antics of their rookie head coach, and the pain of high expectations would fade away into quiet hope for a Brooklyn team that would eventually work its way through a thrilling but taxing 7-game series with the Toronto Raptors before they were bested in 5 by the Miami Heat.
The Nets offseason was filled with questions. Had they bet everything and lost? Can Brook Lopez come back and stay healthy? Would Deron Williams ever come close to the player Billy King thought he was when signing him to a max contract? Were the Nets going to face years without a first-round draft pick all for one season with an aged Paul Pierce and Garnett? Due to their excessive spending and the highest luxury tax in the NBA, the Nets had two options – either keep the aging and injury addled core of this team together and make another run, or try to blow up the roster.
Seemingly out of nowhere, days after the NBA draft in which the Nets quietly picked up Markel Brown and Cory Jefferson, Jason Kidd’s regime was over. While his reintroduction to the Nets organization was a surprise, his second departure was even more of a shock to the system. The rumors swirled – Kidd wanted more money and more control in the wake of Phil Jackson hiring Derek Fisher as the head coach of the New York Knicks. The relationship between Kidd and the Nets front office was rumored to have been uneasy, but this would be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Kidd would be granted permission to interview with the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for draft picks. Larry Drew, the head coach of the Bucks who was caught in the ordeal like a deer in the headlights, would be fired, and the Nets would search for their fourth head coach in three years.
The offseason would go on to include the departure of Paul Pierce, now a Washington Wizard, Shaun Livingston, who after his resurgent season in Brooklyn, is now a Warrior, and Andray Blatche, who has left the NBA entirely to play in China. The coaching position was filled by Lionel Hollins, a candidate who had previously been considered for the position and left the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013 after several relatively successful seasons. Marcus Thornton, the instant offense swingman on the Nets’ bench, would be moved in a three way deal that landed former Cavalier Jarrett Jack as Nets’ backup point guard. Kevin Garnett is set to return and has not committed to a retirement date. To replace Paul Pierce, the Nets signed Croatian swingman Bojan Bogdanvić.
So here they are. The 2014 Brooklyn Nets. Their new advertising campaign is “We Are Brooklyn.” It is concise and low key. No championship expectations. No blockbuster trades or signings designed to spit in the face of the luxury tax. They’ve gotten younger. They’ve signed a strict disciplinarian of a coach with a personality wildly different from that of Jason Kidd’s. This is perhaps for the best. The Nets are poised to begin the season with an equally different outlook. No more boasting. They are labeled anywhere from a three seed to barely making the playoffs. Their ceiling is high and the floor is low. If the Brooklyn Nets are going to build something sustainably good or make any serious noise going forward, they are going to have to do it with merit only. Can Deron Williams and Brook Lopez return to form and stay healthy? Will their young talent translate to wins on the court? Can Coach Hollins replicate the success he found in Memphis? The philosophy for the new season seems to be “let’s play ball and see what happens.” After a year like 2013, this is probably for the best.