In midst of doom and gloom, Berger and Raskin offer snatches of sunlight

Not everyone is so down on the Nets.  In the midst of the doom and gloom (not to mention denial, disapproval, disfavor and dislike), two writers take the opposite tack: Ken Berger of CBS Sports and Alex Raskin of the Wall Street Journal on the Nets while Tom Ley rejoices in Shaun Livingston.

Both suggest that not only is it too early, but there are signs of hope (although we are getting a bit tired of that emotion). Berger writes of how the Nets are not what they seem, a 3-7 team.

"The Nets are a playoff team, not the 3-7 train wreck we're looking at now. But if you look at the teams that are poised to achieve something important this season, they're the teams that have continuity on their side -- Indiana, Miami, San Antonio, Golden State, Oklahoma City. The Clippers have a new coach, but mostly the same core players.

So in the end, Kidd will be proved right to have persuaded Garnett to set these dominoes tumbling from Boston to Brooklyn. He's also right that he -- and everyone else involved -- has a lot of work to do. But it's November..."

Raskin, who regularly covers the Nets, is more specific, looking at players and schemes that have worked.

"There are enough signs of optimism around this season's Nets to suggest a turnaround isn't out of the question," writes Raskin, who notes the development of Mason Plumlee and the steadiness of Alan Anderson.

"[Plumlee] entered Monday ranked second among all rookies in player efficiency rating, a per-minute metric that measures a player's total production...  Andrei Kirilenko's back injury has limited him to just four games, but even though the Nets have been deprived of their most versatile defender, they've been pleasantly surprised with Anderson's ability to fill a similar roll off the bench."

Raskin could have just as well written about another low-paid addition, Shaun Livingston. Deadspin's Tom Ley does, citing S-dot's return to the form people expected before his horrific injury.

"Now's not the time to dwell on the past. Let's just be happy about the fact that Livingston is showing bursts of athleticism like this while enjoying the best year of his post-injury career."

That concludes today's moment of hope.

• After 10 games, it's too early to write off the Nets - Ken Berger - CBS Sports
• Don't Hop Off The Nets Train Yet - Alex Raskin - Wall Street Journal
• Shaun Livingston Is Playing Well, And That's A Great Thing - Tom Ley - Deadspin