The Nets say goodbye to New Jersey after this season, much to the dismay of what seems like their dozens of loyal fans. Their 35th straight NBA season in New Jersey starts on the road, in Washington on Dec. 26, kicking off a 66-game schedule that features three games in three nights twice. The Nets will have their final New Jersey home opener Tuesday, Dec. 27 when Deron Williams is expected to lead a revamped roster against Atlanta.
One game circled is Jan. 14, when Williams faces his former Jazz teammates in Salt Lake City, part of a four-game road trip that also has stops in Denver, Phoenix and L.A. for the Clippers. Williams sees his old team again in Newark on March 26. The Nets open with eight of their first 14 games on the road, including a potentially intriguing game in Orlando on Dec. 29. The question is what uniform Dwight Howard will wear — or if he even will be in the building.
The player roster is not the only spot undergoing major reworking. The Nets announced yesterday what has been common knowledge for weeks, that three-time NBA head coach P.J. Carlesimo and three-time NBA championship player Mario Elie have joined coach Avery Johnson’s staff.
The new two coaching hires reflect the transition Nets. Despite his longtime NBA service, Carlesimo is remembered as the guy who guided Seton Hall to the NCAA title game in 1989. Elie, who was Johnson’s teammate with the champion Spurs in 1998-99 and a member of Johnson’s staff in Dallas before moving to Sacramento, is from Manhattan.
Before the Nets hit Brooklyn, they have the abbreviated schedule that sees them playing powerful Oklahoma City, Charlotte then at Chicago in a three-game stretch Jan. 21-23. The second back-to-back-to-back scenario occurs Feb. 18-20, when the Nets are in Chicago, home to Milwaukee then at the Garden. The Nets play the Knicks on Feb. 4 in the Garden and on April 18 in Newark. Miami visits The Rock on Jan. 7 and Jan. 16, while the Nets visit the Heat on March 6. The Nets play the world champion Mavericks, just once, in Dallas on Feb. 28.