With the 2013-2014 NBA Season under two weeks from tip-off, few teams have made as big of splash or generated more headlines than this years’ Brooklyn Nets. Owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, made a promise when he bought the Nets (became official on May 11th, 2010) to bring home a championship within his first 5 years as owner. This years’ campaign will be his best chance so far to do so.
The Nets certainly have the pieces to make Prokhorov’s promise come true. Winning championships are no easy feat, and the Nets will be facing numerous obstacles in their path. The Nets have a lot of pressure that was placed on them, whether it is fair or unfair. The championship or bust mentality certainly does not help either. “Pressure can burst a pipe or pressure can make a diamond,” said by none other than 7-time NBA Champion; Mr. Robert Horry, AKA Big Shot Bob.
If the Nets are going to be successful in their 2013-2014 campaign, then everyone must come together and be all for one and one for all. Focusing on Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez is crucial; however winning a championship takes every person on the team to contribute. If the Nets plan on hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy, it will be the hidden keys to the season, along with the unsung heroes from the bench that will ultimately push the Nets over the edge.
Hidden Keys for the Nets to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June
1) Deron Williams health-
Deron Williams is a crucial component to the Nets season. When healthy, he is a top-5 point guard in the NBA. From the 2006-07 season to the 2010-11 season, D-Will averaged over 18ppg, 10apg, 1spg, with only 3 turnovers per game. Also, the lowest total of games he played in a single season throughout that stretch was 65 in the 2010-11.
With reports that D-Will is expected to miss the season opener, this can be a major problem for the Nets all year long. Hopefully this is just a cautionary measure as it is still preseason and they want Williams healthy when it really matters come April, May, and (hopefully) June. Williams first injured his ankle in 2008 when he had to be carried off the court in a preseason game against the Chicago Bulls, and it has given him chronic problems ever since.
If D-Will can stay healthy, this takes an enormous amount of pressure off Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. KG is 37, and Pierce is 36. It is plain and simple; the more D-Will is on the court, the easier it is for the Nets to win. D-Will can dominate games single-handed, and this is certainly the most talented team he has been on. He has a knack for elevating his teammates play, and if his ankle holds up all season, that will take pressure off of the bench as well. This is especially important for KG and Pierce, as it will help to limit the amount of minutes they log this season, along with bringing out the best play possible for his supporting cast.
2) Assistant coach Lawrence Frank-
When Jason Kidd was named Head Coach of the Brooklyn Nets this off-season, his first priority was to get Lawrence Frank on his staff. During a radio interview the day after his introductory press conference, Kidd said, “Well, the invitation is out there to him, so it’s up to him. He’s in a special situation. He’s at home, but his wife is sick, so I understand coming off of coaching and wanting a year to spend with his family, I respect that. The big thing is he knows how much I love him and how much I really need him, but family comes first, and I respect that.”
Lawrence Frank was Kidd’s coach during their back-to-back finals run in 2002 and 2003. Frank did not have the same success once he joined the Detroit Pistons as head coach, however he will be Kidd’s right hand man all season for the Nets. Early indications have shown that Kidd will take a step back for the early part of the season and let Frank man the timeout huddles and draw up plays. This shows just how much Kidd appreciated his time he spent with Frank, and proves that Kidd’s ego did not get in the way of making a smart hire. Hiring Frank will make Kidd become a better coach just by being around him on a daily basis.
3) Bench Play-
The Nets bench must be ready to contribute on a night-in, night-out basis. All teams that make a deep run in the playoffs rely on their bench to provide a spark, as well as carry them when the starters ‘don’t have it’ for a certain night. The Nets bench is stacked, with players such as Jason Terry, Andrei Kirilenko, Reggie Evans, Mason Plumlee, Marko Jaric and Shaun Livingston, all of which will play a vital role. The reason the bench is so important for this years’ Nets, is the minute limits Coach Kidd plans to utilize on his older players. Coach Kidd knows this all to well, while playing for the New York Knicks last season. With an older team, the bench players certainly will have to step up to help limit the wear and tear of an 82-game NBA Season. The Nets have one of the deepest benches in the NBA, and if they play well, look for the Nets to be rolling all season long.
4) Mikhail Prokhorov-
In recent years, when the owner of a team has become vocal and involved in daily functions such as talking to the media and tweeting, teams tend to react different. So far in Prokhorov’s tenure, he has shown no sign of becoming a distraction for his team. However, it will be interesting to see if that changes, as the overwhelming New York media will be ever present. Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban has been far and away the most vocal owner in the NBA, and it did pay off for him when they won the NBA Championship in 2010-11. Los Angeles Owner Donald Sterling was also very vocal throughout last season, which ultimately ended in a first round defeat for the Clippers to the Memphis Grizzlies. It has been proven that an outspoken owner can sometimes damage his team by applying extra and unnecessary pressure. Once again, there have been no indications throughout Prokhorov’s tenure to believe he will start now, but it will be interesting to monitor if he takes a ‘hands-on’ approach, or will sit back and just let the team play basketball.
Justin Lerner:PureSportsNY