Nothing hurt the Nets chances last year like the loss of Jeremy Lin (hamstring) and Greivis Vasquez (ankle). After one went down and the other was waived, Brooklyn was left with Isaiah Whitehead, a 21-year-old second rounder, and Randy Foye, more a shooting guard who was at the end of his career.
Just how much the Nets missed Lin was proven when he returned at season’s end. The Nets went 11-12 after March 1 and beat the Knicks twice in a five-day period, salvaging something from an utterly devastating season.
Now, as the team regroups, starting with summer league, they’ve gone in the opposite direction.