Now that the newest members of the Brooklyn Nets are signed, the focus will be solely on improving the team from within the locker room. While they do that, they have to deal with wild expectations and predictions before the season even starts. The most common comparison would be the Knicks and the Nets but it would be likely that the Nets would be better than them.
New York added a good scorer in Andrea Bargnani but that does not match with the the Nets new key additions. Billy King had thoughts on this and on how he feels the Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett deal was somewhat lucky.
"I think we're a playoff team. Do I think we're better than the team we had last season? Yes. But we've still got to play the games," King said, adding that the two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat are still the favorites in the Eastern Conference.
"They're the team to beat, and you try to put a basketball team together that can dethrone the champs."
Kings thought on the trade.
"Honestly, did I think we could pull something like this off? No," Nets general manager Billy King said during a Friday conference call. "... But (Celtics GM) Danny (Ainge) and I just kept working at it and got to the point where we both were comfortable.
"I think it started initially just focusing on Paul Pierce. And then in talking to Boston about Paul Pierce, I think we got to the point where we were comfortable with the deal and then I said, 'Well how can I get Garnett as well?' And then we just kept talking and kept talking and were able to figure out a way to make it work."
Jason Kidd also talked about the challenges of knocking off the Miami Heat.
"They're the blueprint, they're the champs, they won it twice in a row, [and] they could have won it three times in a row," Kidd said Friday from Orlando, Fla., where he's coaching the Nets' summer league team. "They put that team together to try to win championships, and they've had a lot of success. So if you want to compete with them, you've got to have the horses. And I think we have that.
Even though the Nets are much better, they still have to mesh on the court and in the locker room. The Miami Heat are still better than them and LeBron James will probably be better next season. The focus should be on the whole Eastern Conference first before talking about the champs. The conference will welcome superstars back and i'm sure the the league is not happy about the hype surrounding the Nets.
"For a long time, Nets fans have really been looking for something like this," King said. "I'd rather have an owner that has high expectations and wants to win a championship, because he'll do everything it takes to get it. I'd much rather be in this situation than the one we were in three years ago."
The new trio will be introduced Thursday during a news conference in the Barclays Center.
Source-ESPN
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