Call them the Los Angeles Lakers of 2014 if you will. When you look at the Brooklyn Nets' deal after acquiring Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry from the Boston Celtics, a lot of things are similar. Ultimately, the Lakers barely got into the playoffs after their big time deal in the summer of 2013 that saw them land Dwight Howard. Does this mean the Nets are destined to become a bust after landing probably the biggest blockbuster deal of the offseason?
The Nets said they wanted at least three big parts in their team and after Thursday, Brooklyn can now claim they have five big time starters. However, when studying their lineup, three of these stars are soon to fade. Following the Celtics' elimination from the playoffs, many wondered if Garnett and Pierce were ready to retire.
It's been over a decade since anybody referred to Garnett as "The Kid," which was one of his nicknames after entering the league straight out of high school. At 37 years of age, the Nets are trading for a guy who can still perform, but is at the twilight of his career. Garnett can average close to 15 points and eight rebounds per game, but his best games are clearly in the past.
Then there is Pierce who is extremely clutch, a student of the game and has been consistent throughout his career. However, Pierce is soon turning 36 and though still one of the more dominant players in the league, one has to wonder how much longer he can go playing 30-plus minutes of basketball every game. Pierce is a high energy and emotional player, which can take a lot out of a player, especially at this stage in his career. On the brightside for Pierce, by joining the Nets he guarantees Joe Johnson will not embarass him.
Wrapping up the trade is Terry. Now, Terry is already in trouble because he tattooed a leprechaun to his forearm. How can you trust a man with an opposing team's logo on his skin? He's no longer in Boston, the two teams are in difference states, where different colors and heck, even their citizes' accents are completely different. The Jet's motors truly slowed down in 2013 as he formed part of the Celtics for the first time in his career. He only averaged 10 points per game, a five-point drop from his previous season with the Dallas Mavericks, steals and rebound averages also took a hit. Terry will turn 36 in September and he will be the key player coming out of the bench for the Nets.
In this deal, the Nets traded parts of their bench as Reggie Evans was a beast on the boards, Keith Bogans was a decent three-point shooter, Kris Humphries was scrappy when getting after loose balls and Gerard Wallace made a part of their starting five.
The Nets did a great job dumping money to clear their cap after signing Wallace and Humphries to multi-year deals. However, who will backup Garnett and Pierce when their old bones are getting gassed late in the game? Now, the Nets will have to put extra effort building their bench in order to prevent their deal from killing their season. All of these guys are veterans and future Hall of Famers, but at this point, their best production will be impacting the development of younger players.
Deron Williams and Brook Lopez look like the true beneficiaries of this deal as they will learn a ton from these three veterans. However, are these weapons enough to combat a young, talented and truly physical Indiana Pacers team? Can they keep up with the Miami Heat's pace through 48 minutes of a game?
As much focus as management placed on acquiring stars who are fading, they should now turn to whatever money they have left and work on building a bench that could match the starters in talent, effort and skill. If they don't make additions, the Nets will find themselves crawling into the playoffs the way the Lakers late in the season with their key players burnt out when it mattered most.
