2010-2011 Nets' Season, a Clean Slate: Five Things To Look Forward to

The 2009-2010 NBA season was definitely a season Nets fans would like to forget for many reasons, may it be the terrible record, the Vince Carter trade, or the fact that one of the Nets' top players missed nearly 20 games.

But the 2010-2011 Nets’ season brings Nets fans a chance to forget about how their favorite team almost had the worst record by a team in an NBA season. The best thing of all about the 2010-2011 Nets’ season is that it brings fans a clean slate.

Though the team missed out on the LeBron sweepstakes as well as every other big free agent, the team has made some positive changes to the team, which gave me a positive outlook on the upcoming season.

Nets fans, here are five things you can look forward to in the upcoming season.

A New Coaching Staff and Front Office Staff

This season the Nets replaced former coach Lawrence Frank and interim coach and former Nets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe with former Mavericks coach and the 2006 NBA Coach of the Year Avery Johnson.

The Nets now also have a new principal, the Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, who has said that he expects the Nets to win a championship in the next five years.

The Nets have also changed at the general manager position, replacing Kiki Vandeweghe with former 76ers' general manager and president Billy King. These changes bring me to the old saying that change is good, and I believe that it’s true and hope that it is true with the Nets situation.

A New Arena

The Nets will no longer be playing in the Continental Airlines Arena, which they have been playing in since 1981. The team will now be playing in the Prudential Center, the home of the New Jersey Devils.

The team will be playing there for the next two seasons in hopes that their new home, the Barclays Center, will be done by then. As previously mentioned, change is good and the fact that the Nets will be playing in a new arena may let Nets fans and the Nets alike forget about the demons of last season.

Photo Courtesy of NJ.com.

An Injury-Free Devin Harris

Devin Harris had an injury-prone 2009-2010 season, whether it be his wrist or groin. He did not play as much as Nets fans would hope.

Harris played in only 64 games, starting in 61 of them. Harris still had a solid season in those 64 games, averaging 17 points and seven rebounds per game, but if he hadn't missed those 18 games I have to think that the Nets could have been a better team.

I think this season could be Harris' best season as a member of the Nets because he will be reuniting with his former coach (Harris was a member of the Mavericks until they acquired him for Jason Kidd). Johnson and Harris seem like they will have a good relationship, so I expect a good season from Harris if he is injury-free.

The Signing of Jordan Farmar

In what I felt was the Nets' best acquisition of the offseason, the Nets signed former Lakers point guard Jordan Farmar. As Farmar said at his press conference, he said that he brings two rings to the Nets, and he has the most experience on the team in winning.

What I feel the Nets could possibly do with Farmar is start him at point guard and move Harris to shooting guard. Farmar has been a great sixth man for the Lakers, and I think he deserves a chance at starting.

The Continuous Improvement of Brook Lopez

Brook Lopez is one of the NBA's most underrated players. Since Lopez's first season with the Nets, he has done nothing but improve and be one of the few bright spots for the Nets. In Lopez's two NBA seasons he has averaged nearly 16 points per game with 8.4 rebounds.

Lopez recently tried out for Team USA for the FIBA World Championship team but had to withdraw from the running because of mononucleosis. Lopez was expected to be one of the centers on the team along with Mavericks center Tyson Chandler.

Expect to see Lopez make his first All-Star game this season with his great play. It may be hard for him to improve on his play from last season, but with that kind of play Lopez should definitely be an All-Star.