Nets Pick?

[The Walker Wiggle]

Can someone please name me 5-7 teams (Excluding Philly) who you think are  worst then the Nets?? Because all I came up with was Philly, Portland, and "possibly" Minnesota.   

To me Magic and Pistons in my eyes is either similar or alot better. Only thing NEts got goin for them is so veteran experience. They got no Guards and bigs that cant defend. I will calll top 3 pick. Actuallly, I call pick #2

Portland Trailblazers 51-31 (Team lost four of its starting five. Throw this team in the Mariana Trench.)

Dallas Mavericks 50-32 (How desperate is Dallas for ANOTHER 18 point 46/38/88 season from its 37 year old franchise cornerstone? His back up is Charlie Villanueva. Deron Williams catches a lot of flack but as a team's floor captain he will go down with ship. Oh wait.)

Washington Wizards 46-36 (I'm suprised nobody is bad mouthing the Wizards? Team played sub-.500 basketball post All-Star break, let their steadying influence, my favorite and yours HoF-bound starting small forward walk, replaced him with nobody, and will be lucky to get 120 games again next season out of Nene and Beal.)

Indiana Pacers 38-44 (Verifiably worse than the Nets. Look, every fan of basketball is excited about the return of Paul George. But Paul George as a stretch 4 after missing 76 games? I know Roy Hibbert and David West have fallen out of fashion, but they nearly dragged whichever other four Pacers were healthy that night to the playoffs. You can’t replace them with sometimes starting center for the 17 win Lakers, Jordan Hill and no one at the PF and think, “all set.” Great that they’re going to run. I might be willing to watch them lose 112-98 some nights.)

Sacramento Kings 29-53 (What have we got in the mix? A dysfunctional front office, an abrasive coach that might not make it through the season, a moody star center with leverage, an even more stubborn starting point guard on a one year look, Vince Carter’s successor for the coasting-on-talent crown, Rudy Gay. I’m excited. I’m excited to watch Boogie gifs after the first 1-4 Western Road trip.)

Philadelphia 76ers 18-64 (God forbid they start the season on a twenty win pace. Hinkie will deal Noel or Okafor or both for cash and picks.)

New York Knicks 17-65 (21 game turn around for the Knicks? I'll buy you a subscriptions to the New York Post. I'm a fan of Carmelo too, fam. But, uh, Jose Calderon will be 34 by tip off and has appeared in 55+ games once in five seasons. His back-up is TBD. Arron Afflalo is no Randy Foye and the Trailblazers straight ran out of excuses to play him by the end. 1.7 points on 16.7% shooting in 20 minutes? 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists?)

Lakers 21-61 (A 12 game turn around would be a great end to Kobe's career?)

Minnesota Timberwolves 16-66 (A 12 game turn around would be a great start for Towns' career?)

[The Walker Wiggle]

43% think they will finish 4-6... wild.  They made the playoffs the last two years.  The addition of Thad Young helped them.  Down the stretch, Thad and Brook Lopez played at a 57 win pace.  Maybe losing Deron Williams hurts a bit, but in the Eastern Conference a team that talented shouldn't struggle too much.   I figure they pick in the 12-17 range.  (I picked 13-15)

I suspect Ainge agrees that the Brooklyn thing is overblown or he wouldn't have been willing to include that pick in his offer for #9.

Co-sign. There is a scenario in which the dream of 65 guys and counting comes true and the Nets bottom out. It’s – sadly – well within the realm of the possible that Brook Lopez misses a significant chuck of the season. But if he plays - 20 and 9 on 52.5% shooting post-All Star break - the Nets will be in the hunt for the 7th/8th seed.

Dallas Mavericks 50-32 (How desperate is Dallas for ANOTHER 18 point 46/38/88 season from its 37 year old franchise cornerstone? His back up is Charlie Villanueva. Deron Williams catches a lot of flack but as a team's floor captain he will go down with ship. Oh wait.)

What also scares me about the Mavs, besides betting on two recently repaired knees in Parsons and Matthews, is that the team management has real incentive to change course in the face of adversity.

[oldtype]

The whole incentives thing is overblown as well.

Of course Brooklyn has no incentive to tank, but you know what else they have no incentive to do? Dump millions of dollars into mediocre players solely out of spite just so they won't give the Celtics a lottery pick.  They are not going to make significant mid-season additions. If they are given the chance to dump Johnson's contract or get assets back for Lopez, they will jump at that chance.

The fact that they went out and replaced their departed players with a bunch of minimum-contract scrubs should tell you everything you need to know regarding their outlook for the season.

Here's the thing; to be really, really bad (especially in the east), you pretty much have to work at it.  I do not see the Nets purposely trying to be bad.

Again, not saying this is a top three pick. As currently constituted we probably end up with something from 5-12, but I'd be decently surprised if it was any lower than that.

Point I was trying to make is that the Nets have very little incentive to get any better from here, and actually do have quite a bit of incentive to get worse. They are probably still shopping Johnson, and if anyone offers them two real first round picks for Lopez they probably bite their hands off. They're not going to deliberately jeopardize their rebuild just because they don't want to give us a lottery pick.

[droopdog7]

The whole incentives thing is overblown as well.

Of course Brooklyn has no incentive to tank, but you know what else they have no incentive to do? Dump millions of dollars into mediocre players solely out of spite just so they won't give the Celtics a lottery pick.  They are not going to make significant mid-season additions. If they are given the chance to dump Johnson's contract or get assets back for Lopez, they will jump at that chance.

The fact that they went out and replaced their departed players with a bunch of minimum-contract scrubs should tell you everything you need to know regarding their outlook for the season.

Here's the thing; to be really, really bad (especially in the east), you pretty much have to work at it.  I do not see the Nets purposely trying to be bad.

Again, not saying this is a top three pick. As currently constituted we probably end up with something from 5-12, but I'd be decently surprised if it was any lower than that.

Point I was trying to make is that the Nets have very little incentive to get any better from here, and actually do have quite a bit of incentive to get worse. They are probably still shopping Johnson, and if anyone offers them two real first round picks for Lopez they probably bite their hands off. They're not going to deliberately jeopardize their rebuild just because they don't want to give us a lottery pick.

Remind me again, what's their incentive to get worse?  They basically don't have their pick for the next three years.

[86MaxwellSmart]

13-15.

21 votes for 4 to 6? For a team that has no incetentive to tank. That plays in the east. That will still have Brook Lopez (injury prone he's but nobody thought Ilgauskas would be able to stay healthy after the first half of his career). That will probably be able to resign Joe Johnson to play out the final years of his career. With an owner with deep pockets. With a coach that lead Memphis to its highest win total ever the year he was fired, Hollins hasn't missed the playoffs in years. That will have cap space.

This team is going to land a pick in the Philly/Minney/Sac town bottom feeder slot?

Sorry to be overly negative but I think some folks around here are way over valuing this pick.

Maybe you didn't know that he underwent Heel surgery (shaving bone from bottom--to relieve the stress)----Lopez has not done this, so expect his foot to once again be broken soon.

[oldtype]

The whole incentives thing is overblown as well.

Of course Brooklyn has no incentive to tank, but you know what else they have no incentive to do? Dump millions of dollars into mediocre players solely out of spite just so they won't give the Celtics a lottery pick.  They are not going to make significant mid-season additions. If they are given the chance to dump Johnson's contract or get assets back for Lopez, they will jump at that chance.

The fact that they went out and replaced their departed players with a bunch of minimum-contract scrubs should tell you everything you need to know regarding their outlook for the season.

Here's the thing; to be really, really bad (especially in the east), you pretty much have to work at it.  I do not see the Nets purposely trying to be bad.

Again, not saying this is a top three pick. As currently constituted we probably end up with something from 5-12, but I'd be decently surprised if it was any lower than that.

Point I was trying to make is that the Nets have very little incentive to get any better from here, and actually do have quite a bit of incentive to get worse. They are probably still shopping Johnson, and if anyone offers them two real first round picks for Lopez they probably bite their hands off. They're not going to deliberately jeopardize their rebuild just because they don't want to give us a lottery pick.

Remind me again, what's their incentive to get worse?  They basically don't have their pick for the next three years.

It's been rehashed ad nauseum on the previous pages, but to summarize: 1. not flushing millions of dollars down the toilet for a lost cause; 2. developing the young guys on their roster; 3. acquiring assets so they can get started on a rebuild as opposed to just sitting there and doing nothing until they finally have draft picks again.

The ideal scenario for Brooklyn is to showcase Lopez, Young, and Johnson this season and flip them for first round picks, which they can hopefully hit on. The alternative is to get stuck in limbo hemmoraging money until 2019, at which point they finally get the privilege of being able to tank.

They're not going to choose the latter over the former just because they don't want to give us good picks.

[tazzmaniac]

The whole incentives thing is overblown as well.

Of course Brooklyn has no incentive to tank, but you know what else they have no incentive to do? Dump millions of dollars into mediocre players solely out of spite just so they won't give the Celtics a lottery pick.  They are not going to make significant mid-season additions. If they are given the chance to dump Johnson's contract or get assets back for Lopez, they will jump at that chance.

The fact that they went out and replaced their departed players with a bunch of minimum-contract scrubs should tell you everything you need to know regarding their outlook for the season.

Here's the thing; to be really, really bad (especially in the east), you pretty much have to work at it.  I do not see the Nets purposely trying to be bad.

Again, not saying this is a top three pick. As currently constituted we probably end up with something from 5-12, but I'd be decently surprised if it was any lower than that.

Point I was trying to make is that the Nets have very little incentive to get any better from here, and actually do have quite a bit of incentive to get worse. They are probably still shopping Johnson, and if anyone offers them two real first round picks for Lopez they probably bite their hands off. They're not going to deliberately jeopardize their rebuild just because they don't want to give us a lottery pick.

Remind me again, what's their incentive to get worse?  They basically don't have their pick for the next three years.

It's been rehashed ad nauseum on the previous pages, but to summarize: 1. not flushing millions of dollars down the toilet for a lost cause; 2. developing the young guys on their roster; 3. acquiring assets so they can get started on a rebuild as opposed to just sitting there and doing nothing until they finally have draft picks again.

The ideal scenario for Brooklyn is to showcase Lopez, Young, and Johnson this season and flip them for first round picks, which they can hopefully hit on. The alternative is to get stuck in limbo hemmoraging money until 2019, at which point they finally get the privilege of being able to tank.

They're not going to choose the latter over the former just because they don't want to give us good picks.

The Nets have already gotten themselves under the luxury tax line so their owner has already tens of millions.  There is no reason for them to dump more salary.  No team is trading for Johnson and the Nets certainly wouldn't get a 1st for him.  Lopez and Young are better than any picks the Nets could get for them.  The Nets don't have young guys to build around and they don't have their picks either.

The best scenario for the Nets is to build around Lopez and Young which is what they are doing.  Next season, they'll resign Johnson to a much cheaper deal.  They'll have plenty of cap space to add a couple more starters without going over the luxury tax line.   

[celticsclay]

The whole incentives thing is overblown as well.

Of course Brooklyn has no incentive to tank, but you know what else they have no incentive to do? Dump millions of dollars into mediocre players solely out of spite just so they won't give the Celtics a lottery pick.  They are not going to make significant mid-season additions. If they are given the chance to dump Johnson's contract or get assets back for Lopez, they will jump at that chance.

The fact that they went out and replaced their departed players with a bunch of minimum-contract scrubs should tell you everything you need to know regarding their outlook for the season.

Here's the thing; to be really, really bad (especially in the east), you pretty much have to work at it.  I do not see the Nets purposely trying to be bad.

Again, not saying this is a top three pick. As currently constituted we probably end up with something from 5-12, but I'd be decently surprised if it was any lower than that.

Point I was trying to make is that the Nets have very little incentive to get any better from here, and actually do have quite a bit of incentive to get worse. They are probably still shopping Johnson, and if anyone offers them two real first round picks for Lopez they probably bite their hands off. They're not going to deliberately jeopardize their rebuild just because they don't want to give us a lottery pick.

Remind me again, what's their incentive to get worse?  They basically don't have their pick for the next three years.

It's been rehashed ad nauseum on the previous pages, but to summarize: 1. not flushing millions of dollars down the toilet for a lost cause; 2. developing the young guys on their roster; 3. acquiring assets so they can get started on a rebuild as opposed to just sitting there and doing nothing until they finally have draft picks again.

The ideal scenario for Brooklyn is to showcase Lopez, Young, and Johnson this season and flip them for first round picks, which they can hopefully hit on. The alternative is to get stuck in limbo hemmoraging money until 2019, at which point they finally get the privilege of being able to tank.

They're not going to choose the latter over the former just because they don't want to give us good picks.

The Nets have already gotten themselves under the luxury tax line so their owner has already tens of millions.  There is no reason for them to dump more salary.  No team is trading for Johnson and the Nets certainly wouldn't get a 1st for him.  Lopez and Young are better than any picks the Nets could get for them.  The Nets don't have young guys to build around and they don't have their picks either.

The best scenario for the Nets is to build around Lopez and Young which is what they are doing.  Next season, they'll resign Johnson to a much cheaper deal.  They'll have plenty of cap space to add a couple more starters without going over the luxury tax line.

Johnson is a big piece, and is going to want to sign with the Nets at age 36? That doesn't make sense for either side. At least let the poor guy go contend somewhere

[saltlover]

The whole incentives thing is overblown as well.

Of course Brooklyn has no incentive to tank, but you know what else they have no incentive to do? Dump millions of dollars into mediocre players solely out of spite just so they won't give the Celtics a lottery pick.  They are not going to make significant mid-season additions. If they are given the chance to dump Johnson's contract or get assets back for Lopez, they will jump at that chance.

The fact that they went out and replaced their departed players with a bunch of minimum-contract scrubs should tell you everything you need to know regarding their outlook for the season.

Here's the thing; to be really, really bad (especially in the east), you pretty much have to work at it.  I do not see the Nets purposely trying to be bad.

Again, not saying this is a top three pick. As currently constituted we probably end up with something from 5-12, but I'd be decently surprised if it was any lower than that.

Point I was trying to make is that the Nets have very little incentive to get any better from here, and actually do have quite a bit of incentive to get worse. They are probably still shopping Johnson, and if anyone offers them two real first round picks for Lopez they probably bite their hands off. They're not going to deliberately jeopardize their rebuild just because they don't want to give us a lottery pick.

Remind me again, what's their incentive to get worse?  They basically don't have their pick for the next three years.

It's been rehashed ad nauseum on the previous pages, but to summarize: 1. not flushing millions of dollars down the toilet for a lost cause; 2. developing the young guys on their roster; 3. acquiring assets so they can get started on a rebuild as opposed to just sitting there and doing nothing until they finally have draft picks again.

The ideal scenario for Brooklyn is to showcase Lopez, Young, and Johnson this season and flip them for first round picks, which they can hopefully hit on. The alternative is to get stuck in limbo hemmoraging money until 2019, at which point they finally get the privilege of being able to tank.

They're not going to choose the latter over the former just because they don't want to give us good picks.

The Nets have already gotten themselves under the luxury tax line so their owner has already tens of millions.  There is no reason for them to dump more salary.  No team is trading for Johnson and the Nets certainly wouldn't get a 1st for him.  Lopez and Young are better than any picks the Nets could get for them.  The Nets don't have young guys to build around and they don't have their picks either.

The best scenario for the Nets is to build around Lopez and Young which is what they are doing.  Next season, they'll resign Johnson to a much cheaper deal.  They'll have plenty of cap space to add a couple more starters without going over the luxury tax line.

They're not keeping Johnson beyond this year.  If an offer comes for Johnson that doesn't cost them salary space next year, except maybe a young player they'd take a flyer on, they'll do it.  Depends how Johnson plays this year as to what his expiring will nab, but they'll take a few seconds, or a heavily protected first.  Same is true with any of their players -- the only way they can really build going forward is to get some picks.  If someone is interested enough in Jack for a 2nd (his almost wholly non-guaranteed deal for next season might be worth it alone for some team), he's gone. 

And they're going to play the young guys to see what happens.  Certainly RHJ will get minutes, Markel Brown will get more time, Karasev will get a shot.  They need to see which of those might be worth keeping in the future, even if it means playing them through rough stretches.

Also for some reason it seems people think Lopez didn't play 70+ games last year and 2100 minutes -- as of last year's record was held down by his absense or something.  He played a lot, played well, and the Nets were still not good.  This year they are down Deron, who was not good relative to his salary, but still better to have than not if you're trying to win.  They're down Alan Anderson, who was productive.  They're down Plumlee, who was overrated, but useful.  They've replaced those guys with RHJ and a bunch of guys they've taken flyers on, while hoping Lopez is as healthy as he was last year, which is asking a lot for a player who's missed most of two of the prior four years.  They're hoping that JJ is able to be as productive and healthy at the now older age of 34.

It's tough to see that team winning more than 40 games if everything goes right, and when your upside is 40 wins, the downside is low, and it's easy to plummet in the standings.  Ask last year's Pistons. Looking at the top 5-7 players we don't see a spectacular team, and beneath them is a team that's more like last year's Knicks than anything else.  And in 82 games, the bottom of the roster typically matters a lot. 

[tazzmaniac]

The whole incentives thing is overblown as well.

Of course Brooklyn has no incentive to tank, but you know what else they have no incentive to do? Dump millions of dollars into mediocre players solely out of spite just so they won't give the Celtics a lottery pick.  They are not going to make significant mid-season additions. If they are given the chance to dump Johnson's contract or get assets back for Lopez, they will jump at that chance.

The fact that they went out and replaced their departed players with a bunch of minimum-contract scrubs should tell you everything you need to know regarding their outlook for the season.

Here's the thing; to be really, really bad (especially in the east), you pretty much have to work at it.  I do not see the Nets purposely trying to be bad.

Again, not saying this is a top three pick. As currently constituted we probably end up with something from 5-12, but I'd be decently surprised if it was any lower than that.

Point I was trying to make is that the Nets have very little incentive to get any better from here, and actually do have quite a bit of incentive to get worse. They are probably still shopping Johnson, and if anyone offers them two real first round picks for Lopez they probably bite their hands off. They're not going to deliberately jeopardize their rebuild just because they don't want to give us a lottery pick.

Remind me again, what's their incentive to get worse?  They basically don't have their pick for the next three years.

It's been rehashed ad nauseum on the previous pages, but to summarize: 1. not flushing millions of dollars down the toilet for a lost cause; 2. developing the young guys on their roster; 3. acquiring assets so they can get started on a rebuild as opposed to just sitting there and doing nothing until they finally have draft picks again.

The ideal scenario for Brooklyn is to showcase Lopez, Young, and Johnson this season and flip them for first round picks, which they can hopefully hit on. The alternative is to get stuck in limbo hemmoraging money until 2019, at which point they finally get the privilege of being able to tank.

They're not going to choose the latter over the former just because they don't want to give us good picks.

The Nets have already gotten themselves under the luxury tax line so their owner has already tens of millions.  There is no reason for them to dump more salary.  No team is trading for Johnson and the Nets certainly wouldn't get a 1st for him.  Lopez and Young are better than any picks the Nets could get for them.  The Nets don't have young guys to build around and they don't have their picks either.

The best scenario for the Nets is to build around Lopez and Young which is what they are doing.  Next season, they'll resign Johnson to a much cheaper deal.  They'll have plenty of cap space to add a couple more starters without going over the luxury tax line.

Johnson is a big piece, and is going to want to sign with the Nets at age 36? That doesn't make sense for either side. At least let the poor guy go contend somewhere

Big piece of what?  He's not going to command a big contract.  I'm sure Johnson will explore his options but I think there is a good chance he re-signs with the Nets.  If not, it won't be too difficult for the Nets to replace him. 

[oldtype]

The whole incentives thing is overblown as well.

Of course Brooklyn has no incentive to tank, but you know what else they have no incentive to do? Dump millions of dollars into mediocre players solely out of spite just so they won't give the Celtics a lottery pick.  They are not going to make significant mid-season additions. If they are given the chance to dump Johnson's contract or get assets back for Lopez, they will jump at that chance.

The fact that they went out and replaced their departed players with a bunch of minimum-contract scrubs should tell you everything you need to know regarding their outlook for the season.

Here's the thing; to be really, really bad (especially in the east), you pretty much have to work at it.  I do not see the Nets purposely trying to be bad.

Again, not saying this is a top three pick. As currently constituted we probably end up with something from 5-12, but I'd be decently surprised if it was any lower than that.

Point I was trying to make is that the Nets have very little incentive to get any better from here, and actually do have quite a bit of incentive to get worse. They are probably still shopping Johnson, and if anyone offers them two real first round picks for Lopez they probably bite their hands off. They're not going to deliberately jeopardize their rebuild just because they don't want to give us a lottery pick.

Remind me again, what's their incentive to get worse?  They basically don't have their pick for the next three years.

It's been rehashed ad nauseum on the previous pages, but to summarize: 1. not flushing millions of dollars down the toilet for a lost cause; 2. developing the young guys on their roster; 3. acquiring assets so they can get started on a rebuild as opposed to just sitting there and doing nothing until they finally have draft picks again.

The ideal scenario for Brooklyn is to showcase Lopez, Young, and Johnson this season and flip them for first round picks, which they can hopefully hit on. The alternative is to get stuck in limbo hemmoraging money until 2019, at which point they finally get the privilege of being able to tank.

They're not going to choose the latter over the former just because they don't want to give us good picks.

The Nets have already gotten themselves under the luxury tax line so their owner has already tens of millions.  There is no reason for them to dump more salary.  No team is trading for Johnson and the Nets certainly wouldn't get a 1st for him.  Lopez and Young are better than any picks the Nets could get for them.  The Nets don't have young guys to build around and they don't have their picks either.

The best scenario for the Nets is to build around Lopez and Young which is what they are doing.  Next season, they'll resign Johnson to a much cheaper deal.  They'll have plenty of cap space to add a couple more starters without going over the luxury tax line.

Johnson is a big piece, and is going to want to sign with the Nets at age 36? That doesn't make sense for either side. At least let the poor guy go contend somewhere

Big piece of what?  He's not going to command a big contract.  I'm sure Johnson will explore his options but I think there is a good chance he re-signs with the Nets.  If not, it won't be too difficult for the Nets to replace him.

I mean, your theory is basically that the Nets' plan is to build around their current core. I find that highly implausible given that their current core is terrible + their off-season moves.

[tazzmaniac]

The whole incentives thing is overblown as well.

Of course Brooklyn has no incentive to tank, but you know what else they have no incentive to do? Dump millions of dollars into mediocre players solely out of spite just so they won't give the Celtics a lottery pick.  They are not going to make significant mid-season additions. If they are given the chance to dump Johnson's contract or get assets back for Lopez, they will jump at that chance.

The fact that they went out and replaced their departed players with a bunch of minimum-contract scrubs should tell you everything you need to know regarding their outlook for the season.

Here's the thing; to be really, really bad (especially in the east), you pretty much have to work at it.  I do not see the Nets purposely trying to be bad.

Again, not saying this is a top three pick. As currently constituted we probably end up with something from 5-12, but I'd be decently surprised if it was any lower than that.

Point I was trying to make is that the Nets have very little incentive to get any better from here, and actually do have quite a bit of incentive to get worse. They are probably still shopping Johnson, and if anyone offers them two real first round picks for Lopez they probably bite their hands off. They're not going to deliberately jeopardize their rebuild just because they don't want to give us a lottery pick.

Remind me again, what's their incentive to get worse?  They basically don't have their pick for the next three years.

It's been rehashed ad nauseum on the previous pages, but to summarize: 1. not flushing millions of dollars down the toilet for a lost cause; 2. developing the young guys on their roster; 3. acquiring assets so they can get started on a rebuild as opposed to just sitting there and doing nothing until they finally have draft picks again.

The ideal scenario for Brooklyn is to showcase Lopez, Young, and Johnson this season and flip them for first round picks, which they can hopefully hit on. The alternative is to get stuck in limbo hemmoraging money until 2019, at which point they finally get the privilege of being able to tank.

They're not going to choose the latter over the former just because they don't want to give us good picks.

The Nets have already gotten themselves under the luxury tax line so their owner has already tens of millions.  There is no reason for them to dump more salary.  No team is trading for Johnson and the Nets certainly wouldn't get a 1st for him.  Lopez and Young are better than any picks the Nets could get for them.  The Nets don't have young guys to build around and they don't have their picks either.

The best scenario for the Nets is to build around Lopez and Young which is what they are doing.  Next season, they'll resign Johnson to a much cheaper deal.  They'll have plenty of cap space to add a couple more starters without going over the luxury tax line.

They're not keeping Johnson beyond this year.  If an offer comes for Johnson that doesn't cost them salary space next year, except maybe a young player they'd take a flyer on, they'll do it.  Depends how Johnson plays this year as to what his expiring will nab, but they'll take a few seconds, or a heavily protected first.  Same is true with any of their players -- the only way they can really build going forward is to get some picks.  If someone is interested enough in Jack for a 2nd (his almost wholly non-guaranteed deal for next season might be worth it alone for some team), he's gone. 

And they're going to play the young guys to see what happens.  Certainly RHJ will get minutes, Markel Brown will get more time, Karasev will get a shot.  They need to see which of those might be worth keeping in the future, even if it means playing them through rough stretches.

Also for some reason it seems people think Lopez didn't play 70+ games last year and 2100 minutes -- as of last year's record was held down by his absense or something.  He played a lot, played well, and the Nets were still not good.  This year they are down Deron, who was not good relative to his salary, but still better to have than not if you're trying to win.  They're down Alan Anderson, who was productive.  They're down Plumlee, who was overrated, but useful.  They've replaced those guys with RHJ and a bunch of guys they've taken flyers on, while hoping Lopez is as healthy as he was last year, which is asking a lot for a player who's missed most of two of the prior four years.  They're hoping that JJ is able to be as productive and healthy at the now older age of 34.

It's tough to see that team winning more than 40 games if everything goes right, and when your upside is 40 wins, the downside is low, and it's easy to plummet in the standings.  Ask last year's Pistons. Looking at the top 5-7 players we don't see a spectacular team, and beneath them is a team that's more like last year's Knicks than anything else.  And in 82 games, the bottom of the roster typically matters a lot.

Johnson makes nearly 25mil.  The chances of some team being able to put together a deal for him that the Nets would agree to is slightly above hell freezing over.  The Nets tried to trade him last season and this offseason but couldn't do so.  Now that they are under the luxury tax line, there is no driver for the Nets to trade Johnson unless they get a reasonable return. 

The Nets don't have the young talent or picks to go into a full rebuild mode.  They'll build around Lopez and Young and acquire additional talent with their newfound cap space.  They have no incentives not to try for the playoffs the next few seasons.   

[saltlover]

Quotes are getting long, so I'm starting fresh:

Here's the argument for why the Nets will be between not good and very bad:

1) This year's team is worse on paper than last year's team.
2) Last year's team finished 38-44, and was pretty healthy all things considered.
3) Last year's team was also very lucky in the win-loss column.  They wee outscored by 2.9 points per game, which historically produces a record of 33-49.
4) Last year's team was 11th in the conference in point differential, behind the 7 playoff teams, Indiana, Detroit, and Miami.  They were closer to Charlotte in 12th than they were Miami in 10th.

In other words, to reach last year's level, Brookyln needs to stay at least as healthy, perform at least as well despite a diminished roster, be at least as lucky in the win column, and not have other teams surpass them in quality.  They have no assets to trade to get better, nor ability to take on payroll.  Is it possible that Brooklyn sneaks into the playoffs yet again?  Sure.  It's possible.  But wanting to compete and being competitive are two different things.  Brookyln may be the former (although there is debate about that.). They are not the latter.

[tazzmaniac]

Quotes are getting long, so I'm starting fresh:

Here's the argument for why the Nets will be between not good and very bad:

1) This year's team is worse on paper than last year's team.
2) Last year's team finished 38-44, and was pretty healthy all things considered.
3) Last year's team was also very lucky in the win-loss column.  They wee outscored by 2.9 points per game, which historically produces a record of 33-49.
4) Last year's team was 11th in the conference in point differential, behind the 7 playoff teams, Indiana, Detroit, and Miami.  They were closer to Charlotte in 12th than they were Miami in 10th.

In other words, to reach last year's level, Brookyln needs to stay at least as healthy, perform at least as well despite a diminished roster, be at least as lucky in the win column, and not have other teams surpass them in quality.  They have no assets to trade to get better, nor ability to take on payroll.  Is it possible that Beooklyn sneaks into the playoffs yet again?  Sure.  It's possible.  But wanting to compete and being competitive are two different things.  Brookyln may be the former (although there is debate about that.). They are not the latter.

If the Nets suffer significant injuries, they'll certainly be a very bad team.  However if they stay relatively healthy, I expect they'll compete for the playoffs and end up finishing 10th in the East. 

The Nets performed better (17-13 record) after they picked up Young at the trade deadline.  Having Young for the full season is a significant addition to their roster.  Losing Williams hurts some.  However he wasn't that good and he and Hollins did not get along.  The other roster moves don't move the needle much either way.   

Even if the Nets aren't in the playoff hunt, they should pick up wins at the end of the season because they have no incentive to lose.  Other teams that fall out of the playoff hunt will go into tank mode to improve their draft position.   

[saltlover]

Quotes are getting long, so I'm starting fresh:

Here's the argument for why the Nets will be between not good and very bad:

1) This year's team is worse on paper than last year's team.
2) Last year's team finished 38-44, and was pretty healthy all things considered.
3) Last year's team was also very lucky in the win-loss column.  They wee outscored by 2.9 points per game, which historically produces a record of 33-49.
4) Last year's team was 11th in the conference in point differential, behind the 7 playoff teams, Indiana, Detroit, and Miami.  They were closer to Charlotte in 12th than they were Miami in 10th.

In other words, to reach last year's level, Brookyln needs to stay at least as healthy, perform at least as well despite a diminished roster, be at least as lucky in the win column, and not have other teams surpass them in quality.  They have no assets to trade to get better, nor ability to take on payroll.  Is it possible that Beooklyn sneaks into the playoffs yet again?  Sure.  It's possible.  But wanting to compete and being competitive are two different things.  Brookyln may be the former (although there is debate about that.). They are not the latter.

If the Nets suffer significant injuries, they'll certainly be a very bad team.  However if they stay relatively healthy, I expect they'll compete for the playoffs and end up finishing 10th in the East. 

The Nets performed better (17-13 record) after they picked up Young at the trade deadline.  Having Young for the full season is a significant addition to their roster.  Losing Williams hurts some.  However he wasn't that good and he and Hollins did not get along.  The other roster moves don't move the needle much either way.   

Even if the Nets aren't in the playoff hunt, they should pick up wins at the end of the season because they have no incentive to lose.  Other teams that fall out of the playoff hunt will go into tank mode to improve their draft position.

Despite that gaudy 17-13 record, they were still outscored by 0.6 points per game with Young.  While that is better than their total year margin, it is still more the margin of a 39-win team than the 46 win team implied by a 17-13 finish.  Furthermore, the Young-Lopez-Johnson lineup got outscored 0.7 points per 100 possessions.  That's their best lineup.  Their bench is dreck.  That bench will get a lot of minutes.

Again, when your upside is a 40-win team, you're probably not going to make it.  And no, they won't tank, as in trying to lose games, but they will play more RHJ, more Markel Brown, more Shane Larkin, more Sergey Karasev, more Chris McCoullough, and so-on.  Because it will benefit them in the long-term to get those guys on the court more.  And that's what they're likely to do all year, even.  More of those guys, less of Joe Johnson who won't be there next year.  Less Jarrett Jack.  Less Brook Lopez, to keep him healthy.  They're not playing for this year.  They're not actively tanking for a draft pick, but making the playoffs will not be how this team measures success.