Do you think this franchise has missed the Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson core that led them into deep postseason runs throughout the early and mid 2000s?
Success never came in the form of a championship, but there was at least a watchable product. Kidd was a perennial MVP candidate, Carter was among the league's most popular players and Jefferson was playing in his prime; that Nets team could play some solid basketball, and it resulted in four Atlantic Division championships and back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals.
When it came down to it, the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers were purely better teams. However, the Nets were still a team worth believing in. There was still a belief heading into every season that the team would come up victorious in a large majority of their regular season wins and then make a deep postseason run that would hopefully turn into a title.
The main difference between that Nets team and this current Brooklyn Nets squad is hope. There was hope going into each and every season that New Jersey would finally make it their year by winning a title. While they never did achieve their ultimate goal, they still managed to provide a city and its fans a great ride and plenty of memories.
The Nets over the past three years haven't provided that. They've missed the postseason five consecutive years and haven't achieved a winning percentage above 34 percent since 2009. Over the past three seasons, the Nets have combined for a staggering 58 wins; that's four games less than how many wins the Chicago Bulls had last year.
Hope was wearing thin in New Jersey, which might mean a move to Brooklyn was for the best. A new environment, new fans and, most importantly, a new start. A new beginning could be exactly what this Nets team needs after so many years of disappointment and a lack of hope heading into each regular season from 2010 to this past season.
That hope of the Nets took a huge hit in the 2009-'10 season. The Nets not only finished the season 12-70, but set an NBA record for the most consecutive losses to start a season with 18. If not for a strong end to the season, New Jersey could have very well set the NBA record for worst regular season win percentage.
Last year's Nets were no better, but they at least received a bit of hope in the form of Deron Williams, an All-Star point guard from the Jazz. The Nets traded away a few key pieces in the form of Derrick Favors, Devin Harris and a first-round pick that would end up becoming Enes Kanter. However, the prospect of receiving an All-Star point guard as prolific as Williams had Nets fans finally excited for the future.
In his first full season with the Nets, Williams averaged a career high 21 points, nine assists and three rebounds. Despite the terrific numbers from Williams, the Nets were still far out of a playoff spot and finished the season 22-44. Brook Lopez suffered a foot injury in the preseason and only ended up playing in five games to make matters worse.
The Nets have struck out on finding quality free agents since 2010. They couldn't land LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amar'e Stoudemire or anyone else in 2010, and they didn't land any of the above average free agents that were available last year. While it hasn't given the team many options, it has allowed the team to keep a lot of money that could be extremely useful this summer.
This summer is just as crucial as 2010 was. In fact, the Nets' success in Brooklyn could be relying on it. Deron Williams will be a free agent this year, and word is that the Dallas Mavericks will be looking to openly pursue the point guard. With hometown ties to Dallas, the Nets are going to have to throw the kitchen sink to keep Williams with the team.
Although, there may actually be a player currently on the roster that might make all the difference. Yes, perhaps Gerald Wallace could be the most crucial part of this team. He creates nowhere near as much an impact as Williams does and doesn't give the team a considerable post threat like Lopez does, but his presence on the team could make all the difference heading into Brooklyn.
Remember that whole speech I just made about hope in New Jersey? That is the biggest key for a team moving to a different location. You need to give fans a reason to have some hope in a team that's in a new location, because you're going to be attempting to convince your players and your fans that the product you are putting out is worth watching 82 times per season.
A player like Wallace can create that. In fact, he's one of the most solid players on the current Nets roster. In 16 games with the Nets last year, Wallace averaged 15 points, seven boards and three assists as the starting small forward. It was another solid year for one of the league's most underrated athletes and swingmen.
Wallace joined the team in March following a trade that sent Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams and a future first-round pick to Portland. He, too, will become a free agent along with Williams and several other Nets players, including Lopez (who will be restricted), Kris Humphries and Gerald Green (who had a strong end to the season).
There is a lot on the table for the Nets organization. Crucial decisions will have to be made in order to give the new and old fans of the Brooklyn Nets a reason to be excited. Signing Williams will be huge, but it may not happen unless Wallace ends up signing beforehand. He's one of the few players on the team who has proven themselves over the course of their career, and that means a lot to a guy like Williams, who only wants success in his future.
Every superstar, as well as probably any other player in the league, wants to lead their team to a title. It's no different with Williams, who probably truly believes that he's capable of leading the Brooklyn Nets to a title. However, he can't do it alone, and it showed last year when he had one of the best seasons of his career yet his team couldn't even sniff a playoff spot.
It's easy to see why, as the Nets were awful last year. Losing Lopez meant the loss of the lone offensive post presence as well as one of the top scorers on the team. Without him, the Nets were forced to rely even heavier on Deron and attempt to make guys like Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks or Gerald Green turn into the second scoring option.
With Wallace on the team, there is some relief for Williams. He's an excellent defender, finisher and athlete, and that's all Williams needs from a teammate to get going. Deron is a great enough player to make things work, but only for so long. That's where a versatile swingman like Wallace comes in and attempts to become the second scoring option Deron can rely on.
What Wallace brings to the team is a future. He turns 30 in July and clearly hasn't lost any sort of step as a defender or athlete. He's still a player worth re-signing and keeping around for at least the next four seasons. He's so much more than an athlete and a defender, though, which is why he is the key player to keep around heading into the change of location.
Deron Williams is the focal point of this team, and he wants teammates that will aid him on his journey to winning a title. Keeping Wallace is a start and a sign by the Nets organization attempting to say, "We're here for you and we know what you want." The Nets need to prove to Williams that they have the same aspirations he does by re-signing a player who could be vital to a contender's success.
Come playoff time, Wallace is going to be the one you want defending the likes of Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James. He's a key defender that can guard a key position in the East, where a few of the league's top small forwards play. Of course it's a little too early to begin thinking about playoffs with this team, but it's still something you want to bring up to Deron because that's all he wants right now.
The Nets need to do everything in their power to keep Williams around, because if he goes, there's no reason for other free agents to come to the team, either. The organization needs to show Williams that they are willing to spend the money and willing to sign the right players he finds sufficient enough to win a title.
Williams took a solid Jazz team to the conference finals. He can do the same with New Jersey when you consider the talent level of the East's best teams. There is a huge gap between Miami and Chicago and the rest of the teams in the East. The Celtics could be on the verge of a breakup, and the Magic may no longer be a contender by the end of the summer. The Knicks have yet to prove to anybody what they're made of, even with that vaunted starting lineup.
Indiana, Philadelphia and Atlanta are all strong teams, but not quite contenders. Washington, Milwaukee, Detroit and Cleveland could be barking up the tree to becoming a playoff team with the right moves and if everything goes according to plan. This is the time for the Nets to enter that mix of teams that could possibly soon begin contending.
When you move to a different location, there are a lot of factors into how you're going to attract an audience. While Brooklyn and East Rutherford aren't too far apart, there will still be plenty of New Jersey Net fans who will cut ties with the team simply because it's no longer in New Jersey.
There will be plenty of those who currently reside in Brooklyn who will become fans of their new home team, but there will also be just as many who will be content sticking with the New York Knicks as their team. The Nets have to give reason to those undecided fans that they're the team worth watching, not the Knicks.
Moving to a different location means nothing without having any success. You can move the team, but nobody new is going to start watching if you're still a bad team. People need convincing if you want them to become committed to something like a sports franchise. The only way to do that is by either winning games or bringing in the names that will lead to winning games.
The Nets need the latter, which is why it's so important to keep Wallace with the team. He's one of the lone slivers of hope of keeping Williams with the squad. If the Nets re-sign Wallace, they're showing him that they're committed to winning just as much as he is.
Wallace is an excellent teammate who can work on both ends of the floor, and that means a lot to Williams, who has been looking for that type of help since joining the Nets.
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