Nets dodge infamy, now must navigate a tricky summer

The New Jersey Nets can exhale now. With three wins in their last four games, they've blown past the 1972-73 Sixers to avoid becoming the worst team in NBA history. The situation wasn't looking too good a couple of weeks ago, but a little bit of defensive energy can go a long way, and it got them win No. 10 Monday when they beat the Spurs.

So now what?

With eight games to go, a couple of Nets have said that they're now gunning for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are stuck on 14 wins. The Wolves have lost 16 straight games.

"If we can catch them and not finish last in the NBA, that would be great," Nets guard Courtney Lee said Monday.

The players don't seem to care much about lottery odds, but tying the Wolves would lower the Nets' chances of getting the No. 1 pick in the draft from 25 percent to 22.5 percent. And if they somehow passed Minnesota in the standings, their odds would go down to 19.9 percent.

Still, the chances of either scenario are slim. Of the Nets' remaining eight games, four are against playoff teams, one is against the still-fighting Bulls, another is against the suddenly hot Pacers and one more is against a healthy Chris Paul and the Hornets. But if the Nets can beat the Spurs -- who need every game they can get for playoff position -- they can beat anyone.

Well, maybe not the red-hot Suns on Wednesday.

Of course, for the Nets, the real fun begins when the season ends. The team will be overhauled from the top on down, and that's basically the order in which changes will occur.

New owner Mikhail Prokhorov is expected to be approved by the league on April 16, but he won't actually take over until the land for the Nets' new arena in Brooklyn is vacated by its current residents, which may not happen until some time in May.

If you saw Sunday's 60 Minutes profile on Prokhorov (and if you haven't, watch it here), you know that things in New Jersey are going to change dramatically when the richest man in Russia takes over. The NBA has a salary cap, but money and the willingness to spend it can still help you in a lot of ways, starting with ...

Rod Thorn's contract as team president expires at the end of this season. In an interview with the New York Times this week, Prokhorov seemed to indicate that Thorn would keep his job.But Thorn told reporters afterward that nothing is certain at this point.

In all likelihood, Thorn will be back. Like any team executive around the league, he's made his share of mistakes, but he made the moves that turned the Nets around in 2001. And he's well respected around the league

Kiki Vandeweghe's contract as general manager also expires this summer, and if he isn't retained, Thorn will be looking for another right-hand man. With more money, the Nets could also beef up their scouting department and get back to doing statistical analysis.

This is where Prokhorov's money can be put to its best use. There's no salary cap for coaches and a big paycheck could possibly lure a big name from the college ranks or an NBA veteran with a strong resume.

Thorn will likely head the search, and ideally it would begin once the season ends. The team president already has some names in mind, but he has kept them to himself and he won't make any calls until he gets the go-ahead from his new boss. If Prokhorov doesn't take over until May, the Nets may fall behind other teams looking for a new coach.

Once Thorn can get to work, expect Jeff Van Gundy to be at or near the top of the list. More experienced assistants could also be had with a bigger budget. The Nets already have a lot more than 10 wins of talent on the roster, but they need the right coach to get the most out of that talent.

If a coach isn't hired by May 18, the results of that night's lottery (if it goes the Nets' way) may help them entice a big name. The opportunity to coach the No. 1 pick may be too good to pass up. As long as they don't tie or pass the Timberwolves, the Nets are guaranteed a top-four pick, and the only position they have no need to draft is center.

Brook Lopez is their pivot for the long-term, and if a point guard is the best player available, they can think about moving Devin Harris to the two, or to another team.

The Nets have plenty of cap space, and after watching that 60 Minutes profile, you can be sure that free agents will want to meet the NBA's newest owner come July 1, even if they intend to sign elsewhere.

The team's biggest positional needs are the two forward spots. In general, they need toughness and rebounding first and foremost, but they will also need to surround Lopez, Harris and their Draft pick with guys who can shoot. The statistical category where the Nets have fallen off most from last season is 3-point percentage. They ranked eighth in the league in 2008-09 and are 29th this season.

Major changes are needed to turn the worst team in the NBA into a playoff squad. But the opportunity is there for the Nets to make those changes in a short amount of time. Money is a great start, but it must be spent wisely. The decisions the Nets make over the next few months will determine their path for years to come.

John Schuhmann is a staff writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here and follow him on twitter.

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