After losing 106-110 to the Warriors in the last game, the Nets have lost four straight games and are currently 29-20 from the top of the Eastern Conference to sixth in the East.
What was worse was that Ade sprained his ankle and withdrew from the game early, and after the game, Ard, who was 36 years old, left the Chase Center on crutches, and the injury was not optimistic.
Injuries have become the team's biggest enemy.
Durant (4-6 weeks of medial collateral ligament in left knee) has not been able to play since Jan. 18, Harris's ankle injury has only appeared in 14 games this season, Harden is actually standing up, he has missed consecutive games against the Nuggets and Warriors
But according to Nick Friedell, the master is still training with an injury and is still in doubt.
If it were not for such an injury and cold wave, the Nets management would not be willing to punch their faces and ask back to the "Ou Immortal" to save the field.
First, the Nets' enemy has never been one — injuries
Since the Rockets were traded for Harden on Jan. 13 last year to form the "Super Big Three," their problems have never been on the court, not even a real opponent.
With Tatum easily eliminated Tatum 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs, and the Bucks won the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals by 47 points, the combination of Duhaou's three superstars at the time could indeed complete the absolute crush of talent.
But first hurt Harden, then Irving, and finally injured + Bucks to kill only a complete Durant Net.
Due to frequent injuries and Irving's stubbornness, the three superstars have only played in 16 games in total (10 in the regular season + 6 in the playoffs) throughout the year.
I thought last season's bad luck would get better this season, but in 2022, everything looks like it will deteriorate.
As of today, the Nets have played 49 games this season, but:
Durant missed 13 games,
Harris was injured for 35 games,
Adéché 13 games,
Millsap 25 games,
Irving only played 8 games.
Although Harden was sprayed for almost half a season because of his poor form, he was the team's "Iron Man" with the highest attendance rate of Mills (42 games).
Only now, even Harden has fallen.
Second, Steve Nash - the embarrassment of no rice under the pot, who is to blame?
I'm afraid even Nash himself didn't expect that the debut of his coaching career would be so difficult.
He was known as the "Iron Man" of his own career, and after joining the Suns in 2004, he did not drop to less than 90% in his final season (2011-12). In his day, rotation was not yet a necessity for superstars.
The reason why the Nets chose him is his prestige and personality, which is the affirmation of him by the three superstars of Duhaou. On the technical and tactical side, although the court may be the best offensive master in the NBA, it is still shallow in the coaching position. This Nets needs his communication and appeasement even more.
But even the best chicken soup for the soul can't cure physical injuries, and Durant shielded him from the wind and rain when Harden and Irving fell in the playoffs last year. Now that Adu has also fallen, he can only open the lottery mode.
Cameron Thomas, Edwards, Sharp, Duke and four other rookies who swallowed in one go at last year's draft, originally thought to be the "experience babies" slowly cultivated in the development league, have now been pulled to the field to support the scene.
James Johnson, originally thought to be the "karate black belt" used to serve as Durant's bodyguard, has now become an important support for the team's inner line.
Griffin, who experienced the highlights of his first time on the franchise, went through a bad journey of starting, being discarded and reused after the start of the season.
Frequent turnover of personnel makes it impossible to see whether this is the long-term plan of the Nets and Nash, or the helpless move of the injury wave.
It is still difficult for a woman to cook without rice, not to mention the "daughter-in-law" who has just passed through the door.
The future of the Nets — trading or bracing? It's a problem
This year's east is very chaotic, to what extent?
The First Heat in the East, currently 32 wins and 18 losses,
But the Hornets, who are seventh in the East, also have 28 wins and 23 losses.
Sandwiched between bulls, Philadelphia, cavaliers, bucks and nets.
The top of the table changes almost every day, and you have to dare to lose like the Nets for a week in a row, swooping down from the top of the division to the playoffs in minutes.
The good news is that today's Nets, far from being left behind, may recover lost ground at any time. Compared to the "Giant Star Fleet" in the west, their lives were much better.
But now their plight has put management at a crossroads once again.
Does such a lineup need to be changed?
Winning the championship is their only goal,
With the league's second-largest luxury tax (110 million second only to the Nets), it has recruited three of Duhaou's current superstars, plus three former All-Stars of Ade, Griffin and Millsap, as well as top pitchers such as Harris and Mills.
If you can't win the championship in two years, it is undoubtedly a complete joke.
Not to mention that Harden and Irving both have player options in the 2022 offseason, and to keep them requires not only high salaries, but also the temptation of champions.
With Ader's injury and weak record, it is likely that the Nets will continue to invest in reinforcements in the next few years.
Clarkston was groomed by Nash as a starting center earlier this season, but inexperience and injuries kept him away from the rotation. He has played a total of two 30-minute games since Jan. 12.
However, he is young and distinctive, like Sharp and Edwards, he is still the "rookie dividend" valued by the teams, and he is still a high-quality asset in the trading market.
Millsap, who is close to being sent to the cold, Jevon Carter, who has failed to recruit reinforcements, and Bruce Brown, who is in a state of decline and overlapping functions, are likely to leave the team in the next trade for a more appropriate reinforcement.
Of course, the heaviest is Owen.
Because of the "vaccine incident," he and the Nets management were left with only a superficial harmony. Even if he wins the championship this year, he is unlikely to stay, so it will be the most rational choice to stop him in time.
Moreover, this year's league, there are many teams with big contract superstars "stuck" in their hands. From Simmons to Wall, as well as Westbrook, McCollum, Hilde, etc.
If the right opportunity arises, it is not surprising that there is a "big move".
Can the Nets, which have only been in decline for a whole year in the Year of the Ox, really be able to turn around in the Year of the Tiger?