Take a walk through the Boroughs of New York City and with the exception of Brooklyn, you will run into astronomically more Knicks fans than Nets. New York basketball, and the Knicks, have been embedded into American sports culture. So much so that Madison Square Garden is commonly referred to as the mecca of basketball. Despite recent futility, due to this, the New York Knicks seem poised for a big summer. How did their little brother, with much less history, market size, and international relevance secure the franchise-changing talents of Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving right from under them. We can speculate what went wrong for the New York Knickerbockers but it is more important to look into what went right for the Brooklyn Nets. The team has struck gold but the game is not quite over. What does the path to a championship look like for this team?
The organization is most recently known for a flurry of bad trades under old ownership that includes getting fleeced by the Boston Celtics in route to losing out on at least a duo of top 5 draft picks. Following the 2014 season the team was left with an aging talentless roster with no feasible plan to relevance in sight. Less than 5 seasons later and the Nets seem primed for a playoff push not seen since the team was located in New Jersey and led by Jason Kidd. Both stars are the best scorers at their respective position when healthy. Both are ball-dominant but can be deadly off the ball if willing. There current roster features significant role players to complement the two new stars. They have turned their limited resources into Caris LeVert, Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie. Each will fill out the roster nicely. LeVert will play off the ball as an athletic wingman, while Harris will continue to provide efficient shooting and Dinwiddie will be one of the best backup point guards in the league. The team also picked up DeAndre Jordan, who is a dominant rim protector and pick roll man on offense. The team is talented and well-rounded. Is there a true path to a world championship with the current landscape of the league? The title will have to be captured in year two or three. The new contenders path in the Eastern Conference looks something like this:
Year one – Year of Growth
Kevin Durant will miss the entire 2019-2020 season with a well-documented Achilles injury. Suffering an Achilles injury is the most serious in all of sports and this includes both the ACL and UCL. It can even be career threatening depending on the age of the athlete. What makes the injury so devastating is that it forces a player to be so far away from normalcy in their movements. As a result, they work their butts off to get back to “normal.” Meanwhile, healthy/normal players are spending their time improving on “normal.” It is imperative the Nets rest him for the full season and do not rush him back – even for a playoff push. This season will allow for Irving to take the keys, mesh with the current cast and grow together. It is a crucial time to develop other players into strong role players.
Year two – Pressure is on
This year the Nets will have championship aspirations on their mind. Kevin Durant will be 32 years old and coming off one of the worst possible injuries in sports. He will have a full year of recovery time and should be ready to return at 100 percent. KD’s age 32-year-old season may well be his last during his prime years before the decline starts. The organization will hope that KD is able to effectively mesh with the core from the year before. This is the most optimal year to win a title for both stars.
Year three – Make or Break
Year three of the new age Nets will reflect a time that can be taken as aggressive or slight desperation. We see it all the time in sports. A team believes they are in cusp of taking the next step to become a champion and decide to tinker and make shrewd moves. The core will be aging and ownership will be forced to do something in order to not waste an opportunity that does not come around too often. If the moves are done right, it can result in a championship. If things do not align then the result is ugly. There is a lot that can go wrong. Durant and co. are hoping the correct pieces fall into place.
Year Four – Reload
In year four of five of both of these players contract, the organization will either be befuddled by what I call the Carmelo effect, or still on the cusp of a Larry O’Brien trophy. The Carmelo effect is centered around the idea that an aging star may decline in skill all while vacuuming your resources for roster flexibility. KD will be 34 and Kyrie will be entering his 30s. If Durant does not recover to his true form this could be where the Nets are, floating in mediocrity with a top-heavy aging roster. In year four, the team could also be one piece away from where they want to be. Either way the front office will try to reload and bring the elusive 1stNBA Title to Brooklyn.
Year Five – Rebuild
The final year of this grand experiment will bring forth the harsh reality of capturing prized free agents and going all in year in and year out. It is quite the joyous ride for fans and players alike but it can come to abrupt end. The championship window is often shorter than expected and can leave a franchise crippled for years after. Those in charge of running the Nets risked long-term resources for short-term success. The hope is that it will pay off in Eastern Conference relevance and a shot at a ring. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant will have a minimal but realistic shot at an NBA championship. Once they are gone it will represent the end of an era and start of another gut-wrenching rebuild. The organization will hope to build a culture necessary for sustainability.