The End of the Tunnel

Frankly, I don't see us going anywhere but out. No matter what happens, whether we lose or get Dwight. The light is visible, and ain't no train.

What seems to be happening is that we are all suffering from massive Nets-related depression. 8 game losing streaks, getting blown out every other game, Shawne and Petro sometimes STARTING; there are so many negatives that one can think of right now. And to add insult to injury, Jeremy Lin has become a star in the eyes of the media, and is garnering attention around the world. Isn't that what we were trying to do? Weren't we the ones who would move to Brooklyn and go global? Did we really just lose 90% of Eastern Asia to the Knicks?

But that, is where we end. That is where our misery ends, and the we have reached the the bottom of the valley. Now it's time to climb back out. And no rebuilding team has a better way of reaching greatness than ours does right now

There's been times where we've had only 8 players available. There were times where a 42 point performance was not enough to win. There were times where Deron could not carry the team on his back. That ends soon. Behold the return of Lopez and MarShon, and so much more. This team is leaving the last few years behind, and it's going to leave it fast.

Reason #1 - MarShon's Return

Yes I know MarShon has already come back but give him a few games to shake off the rust, and he'll return to at least a 15 ppg scorer than we greatly need. Someone that can put the ball into the basket, aside from Deron Williams. Although seen as a ball stopper at times (reminiscent of Carmelo), MarShon has shown in his early career that he has that ability to find the open man with a better shot choice than his own. Hopefully he learns not to go into ISO every single play, but he will, eventually learn with Deron and Avery Johnson and become his own dynamic player.

Reason #2 - Brook Lopez's return

This is by the far the most important positive aspect of our near future. His mere presence would improve our interior defense immensely. No matter how badly you say he is, a Lopez-Hump frontcourt is many times better than a Petro-Hump, or Sheldon-Hump, or a Sheldon-Petro frontcourt. There's no denying it. Teams WANT to drive against us because, one, Petro can't defend and fouls anyone who comes near him, and two, if we do collapse, there's a shooter chillin' at the 3 point line waiting to get it kicked out to him. Lopez can at least minimize the our horrible D by enough so that everyone doesn't need to collapse to give him help D.

And that's just on defense, on offense we FINALLY get a player who can catch the ball and put it in the hoop, and in a variety of different ways. He can post-up, he can shoot, he can dunk and apparently he worked out with "The Dream" over the off-season and hopefully he added a few more moves to his offensive arsenal. And relating this to what I said about our defense, because Lopez is an excellent offensive player, teams will collapse, at least somewhat, to try and stop him. And if Lopez can perfect the passing out of the double-team to a player like Morrow, he's golden. There's no stopping him. Just by including Lopez, Deron can actually get the stats he deserves, and our team has a scattering of players on the court that can score. Thus changing our "Live by the 3, Die by the 3" mentality.

I have no doubt that it will take a few games to shake off the rust, but after that, I don't see us ever playing Petro for even more than 3 minutes in any game (unless foul trouble is involved). And if anyone doubts his physicality, he looks to have buffed up in the off-season and has admitted to being lazy in rebounding. If he uses his new strength to fight for the rebounds, I see massive improvement in Lopez

Reason #3 - End of Dwightmare
I know this is not a given YET, but a trade landing Dwight onto the Nets seems to be more likely than him being traded to any other team. Do I really need to go deeper into this? As long as we don't gut the roster, we're fine. And if he becomes and a FA and joins then, even better. No explanation necessary.

Reason #4 - The Greatest Future of All Teams, regardless
Even if we do not get Dwight. Even if he is traded to the Lakers, or stays in Orlando, the future of this team is very, very bright. We would have a superstar in Deron Williams, a star center in Brook Lopez, a rookie with high potential in MarShon Brooks, an amazing 3 point shooter in Anthony Morrow, a tenacious hustler in Kris Humphries, and potentially 2 1st round draft picks in this upcoming "stacked" draft. What is not to like? I know Deron wants win now, but I know he will understand that this pathway would only take one more year to become great. Deron and Lopez have already shown what a great combo they made LAST year when Deron was injured and Lopez had mono. I have no fear in Deron leaving us for Dallas, or any other team for that matter. You can tell he likes this team and the organization. Dwight or not, this team is headed into a great direction.

All in all, the tunnel is ending. The light is approaching, and you all better be prepared to witness the new New Jersey Nets. You better get ready to put on your shades, and embrace the light, the positives, the wins. Right now is as far low as we go Nets fans. There's only one way but out. And that's where we're heading. Dwight or not, this team has the brightest future out of most teams in the league. You better get ready, and so should everyone else, because the REAL New Jersey Nets are coming to town.