2013-14 NBA Teams Preview: All-In in Brooklyn

To understand the Brooklyn’s Nets mission in the 2013-2014 NBA season, one only has to look at their total payroll this season and compare it with other teams’ total salary.

Here’s how Mikhail Prokhorov’s splurged this summer, his shopping spree included the acquisition of veterans Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry and Andrei Kirilenko, making them the most expensive team in the NBA with a $101,291,208-salary owed this season.

To further illustrate the point on how this whopping amount is extravagant here is the list of the top five highest paid teams in the 2013-2014 season:

1. Brooklyn Nets - $101.2M
2. New York Knicks - $86.9M
3. Miami Heat - $83.9M
4. Chicago Bulls - $81.9
5. Los Angeles Lakers - $79.6M

Yes, even the rival Knicks couldn’t come close to Prokhorov’s ability to spend being short of $14M or so.

What does this mean for the Nets franchise? Only one: championship or bust until one of Garnett’s knees fall off— which should mean they have a two-year window to beat the Miami Heat and other East rivals.

2013-14 Brooklyn Nets Projected Depth Chart

PG - Deron Williams/Shaun Livingston
SG - Joe Johnson/Jason Terry
SF - Paul Pierce/Andrei Kirilenko
PF - Kevin Garnett/Andray Blatche/Mason Plumlee
C - Brook Lopez/Reggie Evans/Mirza Teletovic

3 Issues with Brooklyn’s Chances

1. Chemistry – Can they establish real chemistry from the get go? Yes, this Brooklyn squad is filled with veterans that have “been there, done that” already. The new guys—KG, The Truth and The Jet have all won NBA titles; AK47 has seen his share of playoff battles with the Utah Jazz; the long-time Nets, D-Will, Lopez and JJ also have the much-needed experience. No question, this team is deep. But can they play together as a team?

2. Coaching Inexperience – While the Nets have a veteran-laden squad, the one who’ll guide them is a rookie head coach in Jason Kidd. Unlike other first-year coaches in the NBA this year—David Joerger with the Memphis Grizzlies; Brett Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers; and Steve Clifford of the Charlotte Bobcats among others—Kidd has ZERO experience in being a coach at any level and at any mentoring position.

3. Age Does Matter – 29, 32, 36, 37, 25—that’s the age of the Nets’ starting five. 36, 32, 33, 27—that’s the age of the guys coming off the bench. How will this age factor in the 82-game grind of the NBA? Will one of those knees fall off by Game #55? How healthy will they be come the postseason?

The Verdict

Fearless Forecast: 49-33 (4th in the East). Do not be deceived by their final placing in the conference. The Nets will sacrifice home court advantage and regular season success if it means being more healthy and fresh in the playoffs. The worst-case scenario is a first-round flop (possible) especially if they suffer crucial injuries to one or two of their key players. The best case scenario is that they force the Miami Heat to a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals … where they can be a bounce or two away from pulling the upset.

Other 2013-2014 NBA Teams Previews: