New Jersey Nets '97-98

Last year, the Nets had backcourt ability in Kendall Gill, rookie Kerry Kittles, and Sam Cassell at the end of the season, but they had absolutely no frontcourt. They started the season with Shawn Bradley, Jayson Williams, and Ed O'Bannon up front. Any frontcourt with Bradley is going to be bad, but when the other guys shoot under 40%, you have the makings of one of the worst frontcourts in history. (Throw in Yinka Dare, which even the Nets didn't want to do, and this had to have been the worst in history.)

This year, only Williams is still around from that trio and he is not such a liability with scorers Keith Van Horn and Chris Gatling beside him. Van Horn has been putting up modest numbers in preseason, better than most rookies and easily better than last year's frontcourt personnel. He still won't be a 0.500 ballplayer as a rookie, though, and that will keep the Nets below 0.500.

If the Nets keep their preseason personnel together and healthy, the team is guaranteed to improve. Gill has found his game in New Jersey (and not many people would have looked there). Gatling is another late bloomer, finding a great scoring touch in the last two years. Kittles was the only rookie in the NBA last year who contributed positively to his team. Cassell is not the dream point guard, but he can help a team. When a team has four players like that, a rookie who should develop over the next few years, and a bench loaded with solid veterans, they can't help but improve. I'm guessing 34 wins.