NBA wagering online woes could not get any worse for the New Jersey Nets after they went 12-70 last year in one of the worst seasons in the history of the NBA. The Nets have opened at Sbg global sportsbook as a +9500 longshot to win the NBA title but there is long term optimism for the future
New Owner
Bruce Ratner was not just one of the worst owners in the NBA but one of the worst owners in all of sports. Ratner is finally out as he simply lacked the bucks to make a legitimate go of it and the Nets are now owned by Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov. The new ownership has the money to bankroll a contender and ground has been broken on a new arena in Brooklyn. Prokorov has talked about a 5 year window for the Nets winning a title and that may be a little ambitious. He will need to hire top talent to build his team and make his big bankroll go far.
New Coach
Prokorov hired former Dallas Mavericks Coach Avery Johnson to run the bench as former front office hack and interim head coach Kiki Vandeweghe was fired after last year’s debacle. Johnson will supposedly have a strong say in personnel matters as he was hired before the new general manager.
New GM
Billy King is the new general manager for the Nets after bombing out with the Philadelphia 76ers. King will be more of a figurehead than an actual boss as Johnson has plenty of say in all basketball matters for the Nets.
Nowhere to go but Up
After the horrible NBA bet results of last year and Ratner departing the future is already better than the past for the Nets. But Prokorov has come off as somewhat erratic in the way he set up his front office and time will tell if he has the stability and patience required to be a good NBA owner.
Some Help
Point guard Devin Harris is one of the bright spots on the Nets roster as he averaged 16.9 points and 6.6 assists per game last year despite nagging injuries that kept him from reaching the all star status he attained in the 2008-09 NBA wagering online season. Harris is a good player to build out from and gives the Nets credibility.