The Other Side: New Jersey Nets

The Wizards miserable season started with a 95-85 loss to the New Jersey Nets last October. At the time, it appeared to be an upset, until the Wizards kept spiraling toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference, while the Nets finished 15 games ahead of Washington in the standings. But while the Wizards loaded up this summer, the Nets went deeper into their rebuilding plans. They are expected to be really bad this season, after giving away one of their best talents -- Vince Carter -- to Orlando for Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie. The Nets are 0-2 after losses to Minnesota and Orlando. Here's what else you need to know about the Nets. 1. A Russian billionaire could turn the Nets to the Nyets. Mikhail Prokohorov, the richest man in Russia with a reported worth of $9.5 billion, has a deal to buy 80 percent of the