In case you've been focused on free agency, the draft and summer league like most of us you probably didn't pay attention to what everyone else is doing. Well turns out that the Nets have been slowly improving as of late. They traded for DeAngelo Russell and just got Demarre Carroll and two picks from Toronto. While these aren't big moves they still can sign any of the remaining FA to $20+ mill/year, think KCP and will definitely affect where our first round pick land next year.
No, we follow the Nets pretty closely. These moves have only made the pick more valuable. Swapping Brook Lopez and Justin Hamilton for DeAngelo Russell and Demarre Carroll is major net negative on the court. They aren't better this coming year. They're worse. That $20m they have to spend doesn't matter because there's no one left to spend it on.
They're all moves in the right direction because the Nets need to get young, accumulate as many picks and assets as possible and hope they hit on a couple eventually. So the GM is doing the right thing. But as far as this year goes, you're entirely mistaken.
Every little deal that wouldn't move the needle on any other team sends certain posters here into a panicked frenzy because it involves the Nets. They suck. They're going to suck. That's all that matters.
I don't really see it like that. D-Lo can replace Lopez production offensively and am healthy season of Lin and perhaps Carroll could net them some additional wins. Don't forget KCP is still on board, it's only a matter of time before they turn to him as their plan is to add as much talent as they can.
I can't help that you see it wrongly.
It's a massive assumption to think that D'Angelo Russell (15.6 ppg, .483 eFG) can replace Brook Lopez (20.5, .531) offensively. Not to mention that the Nets will miss having that big target in the middle of the floor. Then there's that whole other side of the court that Russell sucks at. In fact, a backcourt of Lin and Russell will be the worst defensive backcourt in the league. Put in KCP for his defense and you lose the only place the offense will come from.
The Nets weren't unduly injured last year so you can't play the injury card. Lin isn't very good and he's not going to get any better. Carroll is a nothing addition which is why Toronto paid to get him off their team. KCP is a non-shooting SG which happens to be the same position that Russell will play.
It's a collection of motley assets, not an exercise in team-building. It's the GM equivalent of throwing s**t against a wall and seeing what sticks. It's actually not dissimilar to what the Cs did in 13-14 with Green, Crawford, Bradley, Humphries and the like. Except that team had better talent, were more mature, had Stevens coaching them and they still finished with only 25 wins. The Nets are taking necessary steps to get better eventually but it's not this year when they'll likely see any gains.
Every year there's a handful of people who fret about how the Nets will be so much better this year. And every year I tell them they're wrong. And every year they're wrong. Last year people will saying how Anthony Bennett and Caris LeVert would make a huge difference. This year it's people trying to poo-poo the loss of Lopez and saying that Carroll and possibly KCP will make massive differences.
This year will be no exception. 25-27 wins is their maximum potential and the likely number is somewhere around 22-23. It's another top 5 opportunity in the lottery.
