2012 NBA Draft Nets' Preview

I'm writing this post on the 22nd as I won't be around on the 28th (when you're reading this) and scheduling it to be published around two hours before the Hornets officially draft Anthony Davis with the 1st-overall pick. Obviously, the Nets don't hold many picks in this year's draft (just the 57th overall pick from Miami obtained in the Chris Quinn trade from a few years ago) but they have been reported as looking to buy or trade into the late or even middle of the 1st-round to pick a prospect for this rebuilding team.

This draft class was viewed, basically up until the end of the regular season, as one of the deepest in memory but in recent months has been slowly torn down by draftniks and experts alike who just don't foresee many future NBA stars coming out of this draft, unless, of course, your name is Anthony Davis.

The Nets Lose Their 1st-Round Pick to Portland as Draft Lottery Goes (Almost) Chalk

Bleh, this team makes me sick

Last night's much-hyped Draft Lottery was yet another fit of incredible misfortune for the Nets as their lottery balls came up short, landing them in the 6th-spot and giving the Portland Trail Blazers the draft pick as part of the much-scrutinized Gerald Wallace deadline deal. Like the Nets pick, most of the 14 lottery selections went the teams with the corresponding record, such as the Nets having the 6th-worst record and getting the 6th pick. However, this didn't happen at the top of the draft board as the Hornets, who had the 4th-worst record in the NBA last year, ended up getting the #1 pick, presumably to take Anthony Davis. As a result, the league-worst Bobcats got the 2nd-pick while the Wizards landed in the 3rd-slot.

Congrats to those afor-mentioned teams and their fan bases but that doesn't cover the Nets, and us, their beaten-down fans. This news is absolutely terrible for the newly-minted Brooklyn Nets, whose future was greatly leveraged by the Wallace trade while the proverbial knife was dug in deeper with tonight's complete loss of the pick that could have been used as a trade asset for Dwight Howard. Now, Deron Williams has much more incentive to not re-sign with the Nets, a team that only has a 2012 2nd-round pick (57th overall) and four players under contract currently as potential trade bait. Of course, I will have more on this unnerving situation in the days to come but I leave all you readers a final statement: Give us a damn break for once!

The NBA Draft Lottery is Tonight, While The Nets' Future Lies in the Balance

Tonight, at 8pm, in MSG, the Nets' franchise will set out on a road to success....or one of bitter despair

The 2012 NBA Draft Lottery is tonight at 8pm on ESPN and it is obviously one of great importance for the New Jersey Brooklyn Nets. Even though the site has been super-quiet lately (You can blame my teachers), it shouldn't be understated just how crucial tonight is for the short-term and long-term scope of this team.

You know the drill, the top-three protected 1st-round pick the Nets flipped to the Portland Trailblazers could wind up in a very good rookie for the Nets (and potential trade chip for Dwight Howard) or a very good rookie for Portland. There is even some chatter that the results of tonight's lottery will be the deciding factor in whether D-Will will return to the Nets this offseason or sign elsewhere (let it be noted that I don't completely believe in Woj's report, but I must acknowledge its existence.)

Anyway, the consequences of the Nets losing their potentially very-high 1st-round pick in this year's loaded draft would be severe and could lead to another period of extended futility with a team and a fan base that has experienced way too much of that in recent years. The specifics are grim: the Nets only have around a 25% chance of keeping their pick and a 75% chance of losing it.

You don't have to be a math major to know that those are awful, terrible, no-good odds and according to said odds, the Nets and their fans will probably go to sleep tonight without a 1st-round pick and a great chance that their franchise player will be playing elsewhere this offseason.

I'm not trying to scare you, fellow Nets fans, I'm trying to be honest and truthful. Being hopeful that the lottery balls will fall in our favor is the way to go for right now, just keep it in check with the knowledge that that hope will most likely spoil and turn into pessimism in about an hour. The only positive with this grim knowledge is that the Nets are no stranger to terrible luck and us fans are used to it by now. Let's hold on to the chance our luck will turn tonight.

Houston Rockets Eliminated From Playoff Race, Keep Their Lottery-Protected 1st-Round Pick

By losing to the Miami Heat on Sunday afternoon, the Houston Rockets have been eliminated from contention for the 8-seed in the Western Conference and will spend another season not in the playoffs. Normally, this news would mean nothing to Nets fans but it actually is very important because by missing the playoffs and entering the lottery, the Rockets keep their protected-1st rounder that they traded to the Nets for Terrence Williams last season. This means that the Nets might not have a 1-round pick in this year's draft. On the bright side, the pick rolls over the next season and is once again lottery-protected so if Houston finally makes the playoffs, the Nets get their 1st-rounder.