The Nets Have No Idea What They're Doing

The Brooklyn Nets opened their brand new arena with a bang, shooting out of the gates and seeming like a legitimate playoff team early on in the season after an eventful offseason that saw them re-sign Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace and Brook Lopez to expensive deals, while bringing in Joe Johnson to solidify their backcourt and perhaps challenge the Knicks for New York supremacy. 

However, that has all quickly changed. With the Knicks already defeating the Nets a few times this season and Deron Williams far from the player he once was, partially due to injury and partially due to his inability to take coaching. The Nets are now 15-14 after dismantling an inferior Bobcats team tonight, however, they are without their recently fired head coach, Avery Johnson.

Now Williams has run two talented coaches out of their respective positions (Jerry Sloan as well) while his on-court performance is one of the main reasons his team is suffering. He is far from the Williams we all used to place in the conversation for top point guard in the league. Remember when him and Chris Paul were viewed as almost equal? Seems like its been years because Paul has gone up while Williams has fallen flat. 

The good thing for Williams? He got paid. The bad thing for the Nets? They paid him. He will clearly be defined by what type of success he has over the course of this contract with Brooklyn, but it is solely up to him to secure a positive image in the minds of those who matter.

Avery Johnson is a fantastic coach.  Everyone who follows basketball knows it. He took the fall when his Dallas Mavericks followed up their NBA Finals loss with a first round exit after a 67-15 season. He now takes the fall for a team that was missing their starting center and power forward early on and boasted a 14-14 record with a completely revamped roster. 

I guess Mikhail Prokhorov isn't messing around. He wants results and he wants them now. I would to if I was unloading my wallet every month for underperforming and undeserving whiny players. 

Paying millions of dollars for mediocre players probably wasn't the smartest move.