New Jersey Nets: 5 Biggest Issues They Need To Address This Offseason

Just days after seemingly losing out on the Carmelo Anthony race with crosstown rival New York, the Nets acquired an arguably better player at a lower price when they shocked the world by announcing their trade to acquire Deron Williams. 

Of course the question that immediately came up—and reasonably so—was whether or not they could keep him.

And therein lies the goal of the Nets this year: to have a good enough season to convince Williams to stay. That's going to require a big turnaround for a team that was one of the worst in the NBA the last two years. It's not impossible though. 

After Williams came, the Nets averaged nine points per game more in games which he played. Kris Humphries looked like an All-Star suddenly, averaging 15 points and 13 boards in games which Williams played. 

With the right moves, the Nets could vault themselves into playoff position and be good enough to convince Williams that there's a title in his future if he stays with the team.

Ownership Needs To Show Committment

Mikhail Prokhorov, the Russian billionaire, will enter into his second year with the Nets. He's been trying to re-establish the reputation of the franchise and turn it around similar to what another billionaire, Mark Cuban, did for the Dallas Mavericks. 

A huge part of this is going to come down to the Barclay Center. Some feel the Nets' current accommodations are among the worst in all of professional sports, including former players like Jason Kidd.

Getting the new stadium built and completed after years of delay would go a long way towards convincing Williams that the future is now, promising and his to seize.  

Re-Sign Kris Humphries

Ah, the things you do for love! Kris Humphries wants to stay in New Jersey/Brooklyn. Do you think that might have something to do with his lovely bride?

Without Williams, Humphries averaged 10 points and 10 boards. With Williams, he averaged 15 points and 13 rebounds. Clearly there was a chemistry between the players and chemistry is the sort of thing you like to keep, not get rid of.

With Humphries at power forward and Brook Lopez at center, the Nets would be set at three of the five starting positions.  

Use Marshon Brooks

The Nets have a nice tandem in the frontcourt and one of the best in the NBA to lead their offense, but they needed a pure scorer to add onto that and they may have done that in obtaining the draft rights to Marshon Brooks, who recently dropped 48 in a New York City tournament game. 

Brooks is 6'5" and with a 7'1" wingspan should be able to enjoy a length advantage over a majority of the shooting guards in the league. He's an explosive scorer with ball-handling skills that should fit great alongside Williams in the backcourt. 

He also gives the Nets a solid starter in four of their five positions. That alone could be close to putting the Nets into playoff contention.

All of that is meaningless if the Nets don't use him though. The Nets need to give him the ball and let him shoot. With a point guard like Deron Williams, there's a high likelihood that's going to happen,  

Get Brooks Lopez Rebounding

Last year Brook Lopez averaged 6.1 rebounds per 36 minutes. No seven-footer in the history of the league has ever played 2,500 minutes and averaged fewer rebounds.

Someone needs to come in and help Lopez need to learn how to rebound. With Humphries eating up the boards it's a help, but Lopez should be able to grab some. It's not that it's impossible for him to do so; he averaged two a game better in 2009.

It's not a physical thing—not likely, as he's still young and should be improving. It's something between the ears, or something fundamental. It may require a special coach to come in and just coach rebounding for him. If the Nets are going to win though, they'll need more than six rebounds a game from their starting center.  

Add the Right Small Forward

Even with needing to sign Humphries, the Nets have more money than most to spend. They need to be wise in who they get to be their small forward. The best fit for them might not be a young superstar, but an aged and wizened veteran. 

Even Deron Williams is still fairly young. At the ripe old age of 27, he would be the old man on the roster as it sits. The Nets would need a player with seasoning and experience who has seen the postseason. They need a player who can score, but who also appreciates the need for defense. 

They need a player like Grant Hill. Shane Battier would also be a good signing. They don't need the scorer—they need the leader, the on-court coach and the defensive specialist. Adding the right presence at the small forward spot could be the difference between making and missing the playoffs, and the difference between keeping and missing out on Williams. 

If the Nets take care of these five things, they should be able to win in the neighborhood of 40-45 games and develop considerably. They should be able to compete with teams like Philadelphia, Indiana and Milwaukee for the second tier of playoff seeds.

Most importantly, with a young team making the playoffs, they should convince Deron Williams that he has future in Brooklyn. 

This is the second in a series of articles in which I will be addressing the five biggest issues each team needs to address in the offseason. Links to the other articles will be posted below as they are completed. 

Boston Celtics: 5 Biggest Issues They Need To Address This Offseason