Sometimes you have to play with the hand your dealt. For the Brooklyn Nets, and for Sean Marks and Kenny Atkinson in particular, that is an evergreen statement.
Marks was given a team barren of assets and asked to rebuild the franchise. Atkinson has had to figure out a way to field a competitive team night in and night out after dealing with major injuries in his first two years as coach of the Nets.
This year, the hand the Nets have been dealt has followed severe misfortunes. Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell, the two greatest hopes the Nets had of fielding a playoff caliber team, won’t be playing for a crucial stretch of this season.