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Brooklyn Nets Named Bottom Five Franchise

The Brooklyn Nets, compared to the rest of the NBA, are considered among the worst franchises.
Jeremy Brener|
May 4, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd and forward Paul Pierce (34) and center-forward Andray Blatche (0) and forward-guard Alan Anderson (6) during a break in the action against the Toronto Raptors in game seven of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at the Air Canada Centre. Brooklyn defeated Toronto 104-103. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
May 4, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd and forward Paul Pierce (34) and center-forward Andray Blatche (0) and forward-guard Alan Anderson (6) during a break in the action against the Toronto Raptors in game seven of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at the Air Canada Centre. Brooklyn defeated Toronto 104-103. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports | John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets have been around in the NBA since the merger in 1976, but they haven't experienced a lot of success in franchise history.

Bleacher Report writer Andy Bailey ranked all 30 franchises and placed the Nets at No. 26.

"The Brooklyn Nets (formerly of New Jersey) are the first team in this exercise with a pretty robust ABA history," Bailey writes. "As the New York Nets, Julius "Dr. J" Erving led them to two ABA titles, but we're not folding those years into this analysis. And since the leagues merged, it's been a pretty rough go for the Nets. They made back-to-back Finals in the early 2000s with Jason Kidd, but the East was even weaker in the post-Michael Jordan vacuum than it is now."

It's now been over 20 years since the Nets have been to the Finals, but they have made attempts to become relevant during that time. After officially moving to Brooklyn from New Jersey in 2012, the Nets attempted to build two superteams: one with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce that flopped after their Boston Celtics heyday, and another with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.

Their huge swing-and-misses have set the franchise back a few steps, and it's why they rank so low on the list. If one or both of those teams would have found a way to win it all, maybe the Nets would be higher in the ranking.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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