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Brooklyn Nets: Times Are Changing For the Franchise

By Brandon Jefferson

May 16, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks and new head coach Kenny Atkinson at HSS Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
May 16, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks and new head coach Kenny Atkinson at HSS Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 27, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets power forward Kevin Garnett (2) reacts after Indiana Pacers power forward David West (21) is called for a technical foul during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets power forward Kevin Garnett (2) reacts after Indiana Pacers power forward David West (21) is called for a technical foul during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

The Brooklyn Nets are shaping up to finish amongst the bottom of the NBA in the 2016-17 season. It’s a place that they’ve grown accustomed to since a failed trade in the 2013 offseason that brought Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn.

The Brooklyn Nets’ blockbuster trade with the Boston Celtics was a push by owner Mikhail Prokohov to get the Nets back into title contention. Though Brooklyn made the playoffs in 2014, the result did not meet the expectations. After beating the Toronto Raptors in a tightly-contested seven-game series to open the 2014 NBA Playoffs, they bowed out in five games to the Miami Heat.

The following year saw the departures of Kevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves), Paul Pierce (Washington Wizards), and then head coach Jason Kidd (Milwaukee Bucks).

However, Brooklyn still had players like Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young and Jarrett Jack on their roster. They still believed themselves as capable of making a playoff push. The Nets brought in former Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins to take over for Kidd. Things did not go as planned.

By 2016, only Lopez and Young were still with the team. The Nets were in full on rebuild mode.

All NBA franchises go through rebuilds (unless you are the San Antonio Spurs). The Nets, as an organization, are no stranger to this. In their 40 seasons as members of the NBA, there have been, including this current one, five times when the Nets have undergone a rebuild. They occurred in 1990, 1996, 2000, 2008 and 2016.

Next: 1990