The Brooklyn Nets go into tomorrow’s game in Atlantic City with many questions that remain unanswered.  This is a new team with a new roster.  The Nets overhaul that took place this summer was the beginning, and now, many are expecting them to be one of the top teams in the conference.

But not everyone is that optimistic…

From John Hollinger of ESPN.com….

“Brooklyn’s status as a destination was hammered home over the summer by two decisions — first, that of Deron Williams to stay with the Nets rather than bolt for his hometown Mavericks, and second, that of Dwight Howard to push hard for a trade to Brooklyn. While the latter didn’t come to fruition, thanks largely to the scourge of base-year compensation rules (seriously, don’t ask — we’ll be here all day), the Nets showed they can join teams like the Knicks, Heat and Lakers in showing up on nearly every prospective free agent’s wish list.

What isn’t in doubt is that this team will score. There’s no superstar here, but all five starters need to be guarded, Teletovic and MarShon Brooks provide some offensive punch off the bench, and the Nets weren’t that bad on this end last season. Williams orchestrated some elite offenses in Utah with similar-caliber frontcourt talent, so one surmises that this could be a top-five offense with reasonable health.

If Brooklyn is a bottom-five defense again, alas, that won’t matter. I suspect the Nets will be better than that, if only by a bit, and that they’ll cruise into the playoffs as a result. But watch the defense carefully in the early part of the season, because there’s an upside buried here: If the Nets get consistent stops and stay healthy, they could be very, very good.”

Prediction: 47-35, 2nd in Atlantic Division, 4th in Eastern Conference

We wonder if Nets fans feel the same way.  Either way, we’ll find out soon enough.