New Jersey Nets

If the NBA loses the 2011-12 season, It's hard to imagine the New Jersey Nets organization getting too worked up about it. After all, some might say they have been running out the clock for seven seasons now, just biding time until their proposed move to the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush.

If this last season in Newark never happens, it would seemingly only save them from one last awkward solicitation to New Jerseyans who have not abandoned them since they announced they were leaving in 2004 (That's before the Charlotte Bobcats played a single game!). Their highest profile player was the first to sign overseas - preparing for the worst. Their owner is wealthy and patient, and equipped to absorb whatever losses a missed season would bring. And there's a fair chance they would receive a higher draft pick by not playing a full season with Deron Williams running the show.

However, if the tides shift and there is an NBA season this year, the Nets expect to improve significantly from the 36 wins they've amassed over their last two dismal campaigns.

The first and most obvious improvement is at PG, where the Nets boast one of the NBA's brightest stars. Deron Williams is the perfect blend of size, strength, court vision, shooting skill and all-around savvy. If he can put aside the nagging injuries that hampered him last year, he makes the Nets playoff contenders by himself.

Another strength is center Brook Lopez, who was slowed last season by mononucleosis and calcium deposits in his right arm that made it difficult and painful for him to extend it over his head. If he's 100 percent, he should improve on a disappointing performance that saw him regress a bit, especially on the boards.

The Nets were substandard on the wings last season, starting lackluster Steven Graham and a struggling Travis Outlaw most of the year. They drafted explosive scorer MarShon Brooks from Providence to provide some backcourt punch. A healthy season from 2010 first rounder Damion James could help bolster the SF position and take some pressure off the oft-frazzled Outlaw.

The Nets got an unexpectedly spectacular season from PF Kris Humphries, who not only came from oblivion to put up impressive numbers in his walk year, but rose to TMZ-style celebrity by becoming the future Mr. Kim Kardashian. The Nets want to re-sign him, but if his price is too high, they may need to replace him via trade or with a free agent like New Orleans' David West or Utah's Andrei Kirilenko.

Most important to the long-term health of the Nets, however, is to get Deron Williams to buy into - and be a part of - the franchise's plans. He has an option to become a free agent after the upcoming season, and the Nets have invested (some may say gambled) a lot of assets that they can convince him to be their cornerstone in Brooklyn. Along with the move to the impressive Barclays Center and a New York address, that is the key to obtaining the kind of free agents (like Dwight Howard) who bring championships.

No matter what the new CBA brings, the Nets have the assets and cap flexibility to build a winning team in Brooklyn. And if they don't play again in Newark? That's small stuff they won't sweat at all.

By NetsDaily.com member ghoti