The Brooklyn Nets put together a roster with the biggest payroll in the entire NBA last season with the belief that adding veteran talent to an already-solid core of Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson would be the recipe the team needed to knock LeBron James and the Miami Heat off the throne for Eastern Conference supremacy. The organization was severely mistaken, however, as the Nets were only able win one game against the defending champions and looked overmatched and underprepared for long stretches of their playoff series.

Brooklyn seems to have the pieces in place to build a contender but continues to underachieve season after season. Williams and Johnson can be elite-level players, and Kevin Garnett may still have quality minutes to add. A deep playoff run is always within reach for an organization that is not afraid to spend money, and the Nets my be a couple of quality bench players away from finally contending for that title owner Mikhail Prokhorov promised when he purchased the team.

2014 Brooklyn Nets Betting Story Lines

The biggest offseason story line for Brooklyn was the departure of first-year coach Jason Kidd after trying to seize power of basketball operations inside the organization. The former point guard, according to reports, aggressively lobbied management to become the head of basketball operations and to move himself ahead of general manger Billy King in the Nets hierarchy. Brooklyn, of course, rebuffed Kidd's demands and allowed him to leave the organization for a position with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Brooklyn replaced Kidd with former Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins and probably upgraded at the position with a defense-first, playoff-experienced leader. The Nets, however, will once again enter the year with the highest payroll in the NBA and will be saddled with a huge luxury-tax number. Those financials probably won't stop the team from looking for blockbuster trades and big signings before the trade deadline hits in February.

2014 Brooklyn Nets Additions and Departures

Outside of swapping Kidd for Hollins at the coaching position Brooklyn had quite a few roster changes as well. The Nets lost Paul Pierce and Shaun Livingston to free agency but added veteran guard Jarrett Jack to the roster. The team will also welcome back Garnett and a finally-healthy Brook Lopez, but it may struggle to find quality production off the bench

2014 Brooklyn Nets Futures Odds and Trends

NBA Title Odds: +6600

Eastern Conference Odds : +2800

Atlantic Division Odds : +200

Brooklyn is still sitting on a veteran roster than can make some noise in the Eastern Conference, but it is notoriously thin outside of the starting roster. Coach Hollins should immediately make a contribution off the bench and instill a much-needed sense of discipline and leadership. The team's futures odds, however, do not have much value in the ever-improving East, and getting by Cleveland, Chicago, Washington and Toronto will be a tall order.

Last season Brooklyn produced a 42-40 overall ATS record but really excelled at home, where it managed to notch a 24-17 mark. The team also produced a 41-37-4 totals record and managed to go "over" on a consistent basis. Expect the team to struggle ATS-wise in 2014 as it continues to face high expectations throughout the year, yet does not have the overall talent to back them up.

2014 Brooklyn Nets Predictions and Futures Odds Picks

Record: 42-40 (seventh in the East)

Playoffs: first-round exit

Division : third in the Atlantic Division

Unfortunately, there is little value in any of Brooklyn's futures odds outside of its fans wagering on them in order to have something to follow throughout the year. NBA history has shown that random spending on overpaid players rarely wins a championship, and instead building a team wisely through the draft or surrounding a transcendent player with quality teammates is the correct way to win a title. The tough truth for Nets fans is that Brooklyn has not done either of those things and will probably struggle to reach expectations during the 2014 season.

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