Can you say "rebuilding"? Can you say "roster overhaul"? Can you say "gutted"? If you can utter anyone of those three phrases than you are definitely a Nets fan.

This offseason the New Jersey Nets got rid of their most popular player in Vince Carter. Carter was traded to Orlando for Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston. This is a move that could prove beneficial down the road as they took a huge chunk out of their salary cap. And, as a matter of fact, it seems pretty obvious that the Nets are simply priming their spot at the front of the line for the 2010 free agency period.

But we still have a full season between now and then. And it should be ugly.

This year the Nets will miss Vince. Lee will settle in nicely in New Jersey, but I am not as sure on Alston. New Jersey already has a dynamic point guard in Devin Harris and Alston has shown that he would rather be a starter than a backup. Once Jameer Nelson came back during Orlando's playoff run Alston's play deteriorated. He is a streetballer through and through and he feels that he should be the man regardless of where he goes. The only thing is, in New Jersey he has to play second fiddle because Devin Harris really is "the man."

New Jersey tried to replace some of Carter's athleticism in the draft by taking Terrance Williams at No. 11. I watched a lot of Big East basketball this season and I can attest to Terrance's athletic ability. Williams was a do-it-all type player for Louisville and I think he can compete immediately for some time in New Jersey's rotation.

The Nets have a solid young nucleus with Harris, Lee, and Brook Lopez. These three could lead the Nets to the playoffs in a few years just not this one. Not even close. Lopez showed flashes of brilliance at times and he definitely gives the Nets some hope as they now have one of the better centers in the East. Unfortunately for New Jersey fans, outside of the main nucleus of players the Nets don't have much to offer. I am not sold on their bench at all and this should be a major problem throughout this season.  Without depth the Nets should battle the Knicks and the Bucks for the esteemed honor of being the worst team in the Eastern Conference. The Nets will battle night in and night out like Little Mac in Mike Tyson's Punch Out but in the end they don't have that go-to guy in the clutch. Harris and Lopez have the makings to be said guy, but they just aren't there at this time in their career.

What it comes down to is that New Jersey just doesn't have the firepower to hang with the rest of the conference. Most of the other teams have that one player that can win a game for them and the Nets just don't have it. Now don't get me wrong, Devin Harris is a stud. But if, or should I say when, he sees a double team each and every night his stats should dip quite a bit. Look for New Jersey to make a little run halfway through the season to give their fans some hope, but as the season closes the cream will rise to the top and the Nets will sink to the bottom like a 1000 pound brick.

On a positive note, the Nets should be a solid against the spread wager this season as they should be getting a load of points most nights and their young players will always come to play. This team doesn't have that Prima Dona, with the exception of Alston, so there shouldn't be much drama to worry about in New Jersey.

The New Jersey Nets:
2009-10 New Jersey Nets Predictions:
Odds to win the NBA Championship: 100/1

2008-09 Figures:
ATS: 43-38-1
O/U: 42-40

2008-09 Rankings:

Offensive:

Defensive:

Key Stat:
New Jersey is 12-5-1 ATS in their last 18 home games.

Robert Ferringo is a professional handicapper and you can purchase a full season's package of his pro or college basketball selections for around $20 per week! Click here for details.