Brad Penner – USA Today Sports Images
When the Brooklyn Nets agreed to a trade with the Boston Celtics that sent Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry to the BK, the Nets easily became a contender for the 2014 NBA Championship. As the Nets went on to add Andrei Kirilenko not long after the trade, it only solidified the fact that they should be able to compete for a title.
However, the major issue that the Nets face is that they absolutely have to win now. With Garnett at 37 years old and Pierce 11 days away from turning 36 years old, it’s pretty clear that these guys are nearing their last legs in this league. In fact, many people have given Brooklyn a two-year window to win a championship.
Nets general manager Billy King actually thinks that the window is a bit smaller than that. In a report from Nets training camp by Ohm Youngmisuk on ESPN, King said that this season was their window to bring a championship to Brooklyn. King also added that the team will “see what next season brings” after this year is over.
To be completely up-front, I’m torn on how to feel about the Nets. If everything clicks this season and does so rather quickly, they can undoubtedly contend for a title with the amount of talent and depth that they have. However, if it takes the newly comprised roster a while to get things going smoothly, they might have a hard road getting to a title.
In terms of their window for a title, though, I think King’s assessment is a bit pessimistic. Obviously Pierce and KG are going to decline, but that also doesn’t change the fantastic addition of Kirilenko, doesn’t change the fact that Deron Williams could get back to form and also doesn’t change that Brook Lopez is just 25 years old and still improving. They may not have quite the talent and depth that they do this year in the future, but they will still be a competitive team.
I’ll agree with King on this: there’s no doubt that this year is the Nets’ best opportunity to grab a ring. However, I think it’s a bit overblown to say there is only a one-year window and then you’re going to reevaluate things after the season. Maybe I see more potential than is actually there, but the future isn’t so bad in Brooklyn even with KG and Pierce getting older.
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