The Brooklyn Nets have been in the bottom of the Eastern Conference for the last two seasons, and the Nets were willing to send away several first-round picks for Pierce and Garnett, but ultimately did not succeed in winning the championship, instead allowing the Boston Celtics to complete the rebuild and return to the ranks of the Eastern Conference powers in a very short period of time, after which the Brooklyn Nets’ starting lineup also fell apart. With no first round draft pick, it’s hard for a team like the Nets to turn around quickly. The Brooklyn Nets, formerly known as the New Jersey Nets, had reached the NBA Finals two years in a row under the leadership of Kidd, and were a competitive team in the NBA East at the time.
The Brooklyn Nets have been in the bottom of the Eastern Conference for the last two seasons, and the Nets were willing to send away several first-round picks for Pierce and Garnett, but ultimately did not succeed in winning the championship, instead allowing the Boston Celtics to complete the rebuild and return to the ranks of the Eastern Conference powers in a very short period of time, after which the Brooklyn Nets’ starting lineup also fell apart. With no first round draft pick, it’s hard for a team like the Nets to turn around quickly. The Brooklyn Nets, formerly known as the New Jersey Nets, had reached the NBA Finals two years in a row under the leadership of Kidd, and were a competitive team in the NBA East at the time.
The New Jersey Nets are no stranger to Chinese fans, our famous basketball player Yi Jianlian had spent a few seasons in the Nets, and now the Brooklyn Nets have an Asian player Jeremy Lin, so there are still many fans of concern. The Nets’ history is also full of great stars, and now the Nets’ historical starting lineup!
Guard: Jason Kidd, the NBA’s all-time leading ball handler, played seven seasons for the Nets and helped them reach the Finals in ’02 and ’03. Kidd was the NBA’s top draft pick in 1994, and after a stint with the Mavericks and Suns, the 28-year-old Kidd came to the Nets in the ’01-02 season. And Kidd’s arrival undoubtedly gave the Nets a stable offensive launching point and organizational soul, and this season the Nets put up a 52-30 record for the first place in the East, while last season they didn’t even make the playoffs. The Nets’ road to the playoffs in the 01-02 season went quite well under Kidd’s leadership, making it all the way to the finals only to meet the Lakers with O’Neal and Kobe. After being swept out by the Lakers, the Nets came back in the new season and made it to the finals again, only to lose to the Duncan-led Spurs this time. With the rise of the Heat and Pistons, the Nets gradually began to go downhill, and Kidd was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in the middle of the ’07-’08 season.
Guard: Vince Carter. One of the top four point guards, Carter was also a star player for the Nets and played for them for 4 1/2 seasons. Vince Carter, who rose to fame with the Toronto Raptors, was traded to the New Jersey Nets in the middle of the ’04-’05 season, where he joined Kidd and Jefferson to form the Nets’ trio. Carter quickly showed great adaptability to his new team, and was still named to the All-Star team and the team of the year for his outstanding performance. In particular, in the 04-05 season, Carter averaged 27.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game for the Nets, but the Nets never made it back to the Finals. After Kidd was traded away, the team also started to go downhill. And as he aged, Carter began to decline and moved to the Orlando Magic in the 09-10 season.
Forward: Julius Erving. “Dr. J was the leading player in the ABA for the Nets, averaging 29.3 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 caps per game in the 75-76 season. Dr. J played three seasons for the New York Nets before joining the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, and he was the most famous player in the ABA. During his three years with the New York Nets, Dr. J did not have a single season where he averaged less than 27 points per game, and was able to score 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 2+ steals. Such an all-around performance also led the Nets to retire his No. 32 jersey later in recognition.
Forward: Buck Williams. In the 1981 NBA Draft, the New Jersey Nets selected Buck Williams, a powerhouse inside linebacker from the University of Maryland, with the scouting pick. Even though he was only 2’03” tall, he was able to dominate inside matchups at the NBA level with his outstanding physicality. Buck Williams is known for his defensive ability, having been named to the Defensive Team of the Year four times. In his rookie season, Buck Williams showed a lot of ability, averaging 15.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game to win the Rookie of the Year award over Isaiah “The Smiling Assassin” Thomas. Buck Williams spent a total of eight seasons with the New Jersey Nets, with his best season averaging 18 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, one steal and one cap. After the 88-89 season, Buck Williams moved on to the Trail Blazers. Buck Williams was named to the All-Star team three times during his time with the Nets, who retired his No. 52 jersey.
Center: Brook Lopez. Before being traded to the Lakers, Lopez, the 10th overall pick in the first round in 2010, had been with the Nets for nine seasons, seeing the team transform from the New Jersey Nets to the Brooklyn Nets. A dedicated player, Lopez has been named to one NBA All-Star team and has averaged 20 or more points per game in four seasons. But Lopez’s rebounding ability is weak inside the paint, and he doesn’t protect the basket enough. In his entire career so far, the 2’13” Lopez has only turned in an average of 7 rebounds per game. With the trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, Lopez will also usher in a career turning point, and what kind of performance will Lopez have with the young Lakers?