Nets can pin their cap woes on themselves

The Nets have no one but themselves to blame for their unenviable predicament. This is the price they're paying for relentlessly chasing stars and going all-in to win now with no regard for the future. It was a nice plan in theory. It just didn't work out.

In 2012, the Nets convinced Deron Williams to stay, ultimately giving him an opt-out clause and about $29 million more than the Dallas Mavericks could offer (five years, $99 million vs. four years, $70 million). Because of a combination of injuries and inconsistent play, Williams didn't turn out to be the franchise player the Nets hoped he'd be after they invested so much into making him happy.

They gave Gerald Wallace $40 million guaranteed over four years after acquiring him from the Portland Trail Blazers in an effort to put some talent around D-Will. It seemed like a panic move. It cost them a top-three protected 2012 first-round pick that became Damian Lillard. Wallace was brought in to upgrade what was thought of as the single worst position of any team in the NBA. He did for a brief period, anyway.

Brooklyn paid a hefty price to take on the remaining four years and $89 million on Joe Johnson's deal. The Nets gave the Atlanta Hawks Houston's 2013 first-rounder (lotto protected) and the right to swap firsts in 2014 and 2015 (which wasn't disclosed for months until some bloggers did some excellent investigative work).