This summer was supposed to be a joyous one for the Nets. With top odds of winning the lottery and an influx of money from new owner Mikhail Prokhorov, New Jersey was going to make huge strides towards competency after a final season at the Meadowlands. Then their best laid plans were blown apart. They got the third pick in the draft, having to settle for project big man Derrick Favors(notes) in a class with two presumed sure things in John Wall(notes) and Evan Turner(notes). Then they essentially struck out in free agency, settling for solid bench players rather than All-Stars or even starters. When you take a look at those signings, the situation looks bleak. Travis Outlaw(notes) is a nice scorer who played a significant role on several Portland playoff teams, but he is not the kind of guy you want to lock up for five years and $35 million. Jordan Farmar(notes), a two-time NBA champion, looked extremely inconsistent throughout his time in Los Angeles. Anthony Morrow(notes) can shoot on a level matched by few others in the league, but he’s yet to prove himself as anything other than a spot-up shooter. Johan Petro(notes) is a reserve big man best known for being one of the "suggested follow" accounts on Twitter even though he rarely updates his page. Given the players who were available this summer, this is not exactly a bumper crop. Things seem so bad for the Nets, in fact, that their failure to sign Tyrus Thomas(notes) to a long-term deal stands as a disappointment. To make matters even worse, if the league institutes a hard cap next summer during collective bargaining negotiations, the lucrative deals handed out to bench players like Farmar and Petro will turn out to be disastrous decisions. However, the situation in Newark is not quite so bad as it may seem. The Nets are still set to move to Brooklyn in two years, where they will find an exciting home far more glamorous (or at least with more hipster cred) than their current digs in the Garden State. And with or without a salary cap, Prokhorov is still prepared to give his employees the finest treatment that NBA rules allow. In other words, even if the Nets don’t seem now like a hot spot of excitement, it could happen sooner than you think. Plus, the current team isn’t so bad. Devin Harris(notes) didn’t match his star-level play of 2008-09, but he remains a speedy scorer with ever-improving point guard skills. Brook Lopez(notes) played like an All-Star last season and is arguably the best young post scorer in the NBA. When Terrence Williams(notes) finally got into the lineup, he proved himself to be an extremechina phone n97 xperia x6 shuman swimwear china cheap clothes urahara kisuke cosplay buy i9+++ black mage cosplay costume kaichou wa maid-sama cosplay p660 phone ipod tablet eken 8 inch r4i wholesale cell phone chinese v1avw0lvkcoe x10 tablet free ship china wholesale electronics kakashi cosplay suzuki motorcycle jacket buy china phone sailormoon cosplay anime cosplay costumes eken m003 battery china products dance wear china cheap unlocked cell phones triband td815bgt sciphone 3gs(i999) quad band dual cards with wifi java touch screen cell phone misa amane wig xxxholic yuuko ichihara costume wholesale i pad w009 phone review china electronics for sale vocaloid kaito costume i9+++ dvd player china hitsugaya wig final fantasy xiii lightning costume cheapest china gps ly versatile athlete who can contribute in every facet of the game. And while Favors is a project, he showed impressive flashes in Summer League and should only improve as the season progresses. The new additions will help, too. They might be overpaid, but they’re also effective role players who can turn the Nets’ bench into one of the best units in the East. It could’ve been much better for New Jersey. John Wall would have given them an instant star and perhaps enticed top free agents to join the cause. But while the Nets might not be primed to win a championship in five years, as Prokhorov promised back in May, they are a dark horse to make the playoffs next season. No matter how many games they lost last season, there’s still talent on this roster. If Avery Johnson can get them to play to their full capabilities, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see them sneak into the postseason and then get swept by the Heat in four games. Again, this team is not going to challenge for the Larry O’Brien Trophy any time soon. But they are still improving, and their future looks bright. It’s just that everyone around the organization—especially Mikhail Prokhorov—need to readjust their long-term expectations. More from Sporting News: Bollywood Stars Show You How to Play Basketball in a Rainstorm