Brooklyn Nets: Reaction To ESPN's Future Power Rankings

The Brooklyn Nets have been a disaster on the court recently, and it shows in their standing of ESPN’s Future Power Rankings.

The Brooklyn Nets struggled through another season, as the 2015-16 season was ugly on the court. The Nets finished with a 21-61 record, resulting in an overhaul of the front office and coaching staff as the organization looks to turn things around.

Out are general manager Billy King and head coach Lionel Hollins, in is Sean Marks, formally of the San Antonio Spurs front office, and Kenny Atkinson, who has been an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks most recently and the New York Knicks prior to that.

But, the new regime has very little to work with because of the mess the last regime made. Despite finishing with the third worst record in the NBA last season, the Nets have nothing to show for it as the Boston Celtics own their first round draft pick.

That is one of the reasons that the Nets rank so poorly in ESPN’s Future Power Rankings. In these power rankings, Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton project the expected success for team’s on the court for the next three seasons in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19.

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They use five different categories to determine the future rankings for the teams; players, which is worth 50 percent of the grade, management, which is worth 16.7, money which is also worth 16.7, and then market and draft, which are 8.3 percent each.

The Nets actually graded out very well in two of the areas. Money and market were ranked fifth and sixth respectively, getting scores of 67.5 and 75. But the same cannot be said for the remaining categories, as the Nets ranked dead last in players and draft with scores of 10 and 15. Management wasn’t much better, ranking 26th with a score of 30.

As a result, the Nets are pulling up the rear in these power rankings, finishing in 30th plate, which is last place in the rankings. Here is what Chad Ford had to say about the Nets finishing where they did.

"For the third straight edition, Brooklyn sits in last place in the rankings, finishing 30th in the roster and draft categories. Ending up dead last in both of those categories is a recipe for disaster.However, there are a few glimmers of light at the end of this tunnel.First, the Nets fired the general manager that got them into this mess, Billy King, and replaced him with Sean Marks. While Marks is inexperienced, he comes from the Spurs’ stable and is highly regarded around the league. If he can bring discipline, culture and a more process-oriented approach, Brooklyn should be better off in the long run.Second, the Nets, for the first time in a while, aren’t in salary cap purgatory. We actually ranked them fifth among all 30 teams in this category. If they spend their money well, their roster score could jump dramatically."

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The Nets have done little in recent seasons to prove Ford and Pelton wrong, earning the last place finish for the last three seasons. But, if there is a positive to finishing last so many seasons in a row it is that there is only one way to go, and it is up, which the Nets look to be doing.

Bringing in someone from the Spurs front office to run their team was a good decision. Atkinson is a highly respected assistant coach, and should help bring a new style and culture to a Nets organization in need of an overhaul.

While it will be difficult to improve the scores for players and draft, as the Nets have no draft picks and they go hand-in-hand, there is reason for optimism. Brook Lopez is still an All-Star level player, while Thaddeus Young is a blue collar work horse next to him. Those two give the Nets at least something to build around in the near future, or could the cornerstones of a trade to restock the cupboard.

The Nets do have a couple of young players with promise in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Chris McCullough, but neither have star potential. The Nets will have to wait until free agency if they want to land a star, but with the current makeup of the roster it is very unlikely they are able to land an impact free agent.

Next: 5 Point Guard Options For Brooklyn Nets This Summer

While the Nets are a couple years away from making any noise even in the playoff race in the Eastern Conference, the hiring of Marks and Atkinson are steps in the right direction for an organization that should embrace a rebuild instead of quick fix.

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Brooklyn Nets: Reaction To ESPN’s Future Power Rankings

By Kenneth Teape | May 30, 2016

The Brooklyn Nets have been a disaster on the court recently, and it shows in their standing of ESPN’s Future Power Rankings.

More from Empire Writes Back