I often wonder what it feels like to be on the New Jersey Nets. The team has 5 whole wins, and countless losses.
I just recently finished reading an old article in Sports Illustrated about how the Nets are well on their way to breaking the season record for losses and how it is affecting the team.
It touched on the positives:
1.The strong chance of getting John Wall in the first round of the draft. (But knowing the Nets luck, they'll draw fourth pick and the first round will go to the Timberwolves. Who will then get yet another point guard.)
2. The best young 5 in the NBA. Brook Lopez was a steal of the 2008 draft. Along with Devin Harris, he is the building block of the team. He is a future 20 and 10 seven footer who can help lead his team.
3. Cap space. Cap space. Cap space! While LeBron is more than likely going to skip the swamps of New Jersey, it is possible for the team to add one or two more pieces that can help get the team through this rough patch.
Not all that glitters is gold in the wasted season of the Nets. It seems that the negatives outweigh the positives. The saddest part about it, is that a change in perception might help.
They've gone through a head coach, and a legendary coach in Del Harris. Now they are being led by GM Kiki Vandeweghe. From what the SI article says, Coach Vandeweghe is less than enthused about having to coach this team. Who in their right mind would be?
This leads me to think that the Nets are not just losing. But the Nets are "Lost". They lost their head coach, Lawrence Frank after a terrible start. They lost their drive after a 0-18 start to the season. They've lost their fanbase. They lost Del Harris, who bowed out saying the Coach Vandeweghe had it under control. But, with Coach Vandeweghe losing his drive, it seems that the Nets have again lost their head coach. The team has no "head" to point them in the direction of winning. The front office should not take full blame. The team is responsible for what they do out on the court.
It comes down to an old analogy. You can't run (a team) before you can walk. And you can't walk if you don't know where you're going. You can't go anywhere if you don't have any direction. You can't have any direction if you don't have a leader to guide you. This is what the Nets lack.
A leader. A guide. Someone to take the poor, lost Nets out of basketball purgatory and lead them in a rebuilding direction. President Rod Thorn of the Nets believed that this would be a rebuilding year. Trading Vince Carter proved that it is. But they haven't rebuilt anything. They've only postponed their growth, alienated their fans and disappointed the young players that they have.
If within the next two years the Nets learn to walk, they'll be able to walk out of basketball purgatory and right into the waiting arms of Brooklyn.
