Entering the 2013-2014 NBA campaign, the Brooklyn Nets were hailed as bona fide contenders.
Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov paid the way for a trio of marquee free-agent additions. Champion-pedigree veterans Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry joined incumbent stars Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams.
Even without playing a single game, Brooklyn had the look of a legitimate power in the East.
There’s just one problem. The Nets are 3-7 and only one-half game away from occupying a spot in the conference cellar.
So, is their all-star-laden roster really just all for show, or will this early-season pretending transform into title-worthy play when it matters most?
The answer to this query hinges on a few related dynamics: Age, rhythm and time.
The average age of Brooklyn’s starting-five is 32. Pierce and Terry recently turned 36, Garnett is 37 and head coach Jason Kidd is 40.
Okay, so that last part isn’t necessarily relevant. But Kidd is just one year removed from suiting up as a player, and each of those aforementioned three is easily just one year away from suiting up as a coach.
Are Garnett and Co. past their prime? Is Kidd too inexperienced? Does the narrow gap in age between players and coach present issues over respect or just plain awkwardness?
Kidd, without question, is a future Hall of Famer. No roster constituent will deny that. But his career as a coach has just begun. He may need time to come into his own in this role.
Similarly, Lopez, Johnson and Williams—the Nets center, shooting guard and point man, respectively—could require a season or two to develop a team-wide functional rhythm with forwards Pierce and Garnett. Only Terry’s current role as a sixth man is solidified.
But do Pierce and Garnett have that kind of time at this stage of their careers?
General manager Billy King assembled this squad within a win-now construction.
That certainly sounds like the right approach when considering age and declining health. These veterans will need ample rest during the grueling stages of an 82-game schedule to remain effective in the playoffs. We all know the success Gregg Popovich has fostered for the San Antonio Spurs by sitting down his aging stars at times throughout the season.
Yet, injuries—and not voluntary rest—have already sidelined members of this roster—both young and old.
Garnett (ankle), Pierce (groin) and the 25-year-old Lopez (ankle) missed Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Key reserve Andrei Kirilenko (back) and Williams (ankle), the indispensable point guard and leader of this team, are both out indefinitely.
The starting five will surely return to the hardwood at some point. Garnett and Pierce, in particular, saw action in Monday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. But the duo combined for just 10-for-31 from the floor with a negative-eight plus/minus.
Furthermore, general team statistics exacerbate the current injury-plagued and rhythm-less state of the Nets.
Brooklyn ranks No. 19 with 97.0 points scored and No. 22 with 101.8 points allowed. The negative-4.8 point differential qualifies for 24th, or seventh-worst in the league.
Moreover, opponents have outrebounded the Nets and have distributed the ball at a higher rate. A negative-1.4 differential in both categories seems innocuous enough. But ranking in the bottom one-third in field-goal percentage and three-point field-goal percentage allowed doesn’t leave much room for error.
Said error-filled ways have already created a negative-0.2 turnover differential for this struggling team.
The Nets, as presently constituted on paper, are contenders.
Unfortunately, contending in theory equates more to pretending in reality, especially for players whose best days remain in the past.
Time is not on Brooklyn’s side—even with 72 games yet to be played this season.
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