It seems that one of the biggest losers in the Lebron sweepstakes was the New Jersey Nets. Going into the offseason, many people thought they had the best core to put around Lebron, and the fact that they had room for 2 max players made them even more interesting. But then things started to go wrong.
First, the lottery balls bounced the wrong way, and instead of the sure-fire star (OK, thats an exageration, but he was certainly a significant #1 pick) in Wall, they ended up with a talented, but unproven big man in Derek Favors. But its alright, because they would just get their star in free agency...right?
Well, then Miami happened. The Nets held out hope for a while that Lebron would join them, but as word starting to get out that Miami was his choice, or that he would be choosing between Miami and Cleveland, we can all imagine how crushed the Nets felt.
But, instead of going out and overcompensating for not getting Lebron, they went another way. They decided to bring in some talented young role players, who fill holes in their lineup, and may end up growing along with the talented young guys they already had.
Yes, perhaps they overpaid a bit for Travis Outlaw ($7 million a year is certainly steep), and maybe Jordan Farmar isn't worth $4 million a year (although I think once he gets the Lakers stink off him, we may see he is a very good backup PG).
On the other side, I think a lot of us are high on Anthony Morrow, and think he could end up being a very good. And while Johan Petro may not be flashy, getting a 24 year old athletic center, who can defend, and still has room to grow, is not a bad pickup.
But these are all individual moves. We can pick any individual move apart. What about the team?
I think they finished off the "team" very nicely by trading Courtney Lee for Troy Murphy. This team was very young, and needed some veteran guidance, and they also needed a PF to allow Favors to grow into the role a bit.
So, now, here is the roster:
Harris, Farmar
Morrow, Terrance Williams
Outlaw, Damion James
Murphy, Favors
Lopez, Petro
I know that doesn't look like much, but lets look at another team that came out of nowhere last year, who many picked to upset one of the top teams in the East, if they didn't have a devastating injury.
The Milwaukee Bucks roster last year looked like this:
Jennings, Ridnour
Salmons, Bell
Delfino, Stackhouse
Mbah ah Moute, Ilyasova
Bogut, Thomas
Is that so much better than the Nets? I certainly don't think so.
And of course we can't forget about the X factor, Avery Johnson. He is one of the best coaches in the league, and they have him to whip these young guys into shape.
And you want to know what the best part is? They will have max cap space next year as well. By picking up Troy Murphy, they were able to take a run at the 8th playoff spot, in order to sell some tickets, put a decent product on the floor for their fans, and get good experience for their young players. And then, they can take another whack at the bucket, and try to convince Carmelo Anthony that he should join them in trying to knock off the Heat.
So yeah, it would have been nice for the franchise if they caught one of the big fish this summer, but considering how bleak it looked, I actually like where they have gone. They certainly have a brighter future than the Knicks, Cavs, and Raptors.
