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The Nets, you may be surprised to know, are not the team off to the worst start this season. They have lost three games to contenders by an average margin of 17.3. The Rockets, who haven't played as tough of a schedule, have lost all three of their games by an average of 22.5 points.
In fact, as of Monday afternoon, there are eight other winless teams. But the belief among power rankers is that the Nets are among the bottom three of power rankings, with at least one, Dan Devine of Yahoo!, ranking them at the bottom. Marc Stein raises the possibility of a start so horrific that it matches the 0-18 start the Nets went through in 2009-10 ... then quickly knocks it down.
Here you go...
John Schuhmann, NBA.com, 28
Pace: 96.6 (27) OffRtg: 91.8 (28) DefRtg: 109.7 (27) NetRtg: -17.9 (27)
When the Nets shot 0-for-9 from 3-point range against the Bulls on Wednesday, it was the first time they went without a three since opening night of 2009, when they set an NBA record with 18 losses to start the season and finished 12-70. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has shown promise and Brook Lopez had some nifty assists out of the post on Friday, but it's slim pickings on bright spots.
No one is suggesting that the Nets, after their first 0-3 launch since the 2009-10 season, are going to plummet all the way to 0-18 like that team did. Friday's home date with the Lakers, however, looks like the best opportunity for win No. 1 with a stretch to follow that calls for eight road dates in a span of 10 games from Nov. 7-28.
Dan Devine, Yahoo! Sports, 30
Three straight double-figure losses, but not particularly compelling ones. One of the league's most anemic offenses and most permissive defenses. Brook Lopez can score; Rondae Hollis-Jefferson looks sprightly when defending the wing. Beyond that, there's a whole lot of not much worth seeing ... except for Lionel Hollins' reactions to his team's play:
Jeremy Woo, Sports Illustrated, 28
Wow, I just remembered this team made the playoffs last season. In the Nets’ defense, they had one of the league’s more daunting first-week schedules (Chicago, San Antonio, Memphis). Brook Lopez remains steady, but Jarrett Jack leads the team in shots and Joe Johnson is 34 and going MIA. Will they really end up missing Deron Williams this
Matt Moore, CBS Sports, 28.
The Nets are just bad. That's all I've got. But hey, at least they cost less than they have the past three years.
The three-point revolution is not coming to Brooklyn. At least not yet. They are averaging a league-low 12.7 three point attempts per game, and they are shooting just 21.1 percent on those.