NBA: Each team’s best starting five of all-time

147. <p>Over the years, the Nets have taken a few different forms, but they’ve always been a team that has produced star players. They started as an ABA franchise before joining the NBA in 1977, and throughout the years they’ve trotted out some of the games most exciting players.</p> <p>It’s been hard to be a Nets fan over the years, but if you put together a lineup of the franchise’s best players, all of a sudden you’re reminded that the Nets at their very best are one of the most dangerous teams in basketball history. That doesn’t mean they’re an all-time great team, but their franchise history speaks for itself.</p> <p><span style=. 1967-Present. Eastern Conference. Brooklyn/New Jersey Nets. 4. player

<p>A few different teams claim Jason Kidd as their own, but he spent the best years of his career with the New Jersey Nets in the early 2000s. He helped give the Nets some of the their best years over the past 20 seasons, and he’s become an iconic part of the franchise’s history. He may not be an all-time great point guard, but he’s up there in the discussion and is no doubt one of the best the Nets have ever had leading the charge. </p>. Point Guard. New Jersey Nets. JASON KIDD. PG

VINCE CARTER. SG. <p>We all associate Vince-sanity with the Slam Dunk Contest in 1999 and his stint with the Toronto Raptors. But we forget that Carter turned in some fantastic seasons with the Nets during the Jason Kidd era, helping the team be competitive in a way they haven’t really been since then. Taking Vince Carter at his best with the Nets and putting him in a lineup like this is hard to project as anything but basketball bliss. It may not be the best roster of all-time, but Carter’s presence is well deserved. </p>. Shooting Guard. New Jersey Nets

SF. <p>Dr. J is one of the most iconic basketball players to have ever played the game, and his stint with the Nets was during the 70s when they were still in the ABA under the name the Americans. He is best remembered for his years in Philly, but his seasons spent with the Americans were some of the best founding years of Erving’s career. That’s where he learned to become Dr. J, and having that on this roster only makes it that much more exciting to think about.   </p>. Small Forward. New York Americans. JULIUS ERVING

PF. If there was one thing that Derrick Coleman could do, it was score. He averaged almost 20ppg over his career with the Nets and a handful of other teams, but spent the best years of his career in New Jersey. Adding in his scoring and rebounding production to this kind of a lineup all of a sudden makes the Nets a contender to upset some of the all-time great teams to have ever played. It’s not a for-sure thing, but Coleman deserves a spot on the all-time Nets roster.. Power Forward. New Jersey Nets. DERRICK COLEMAN

BILLY PAULTZ. C. Billy Paultz was another ABA great who tends to get forgotten thanks to not having been in the NBA his whole career. He made the leap when the ABA folded, but Paultz was one of the best players the Nets franchise has ever seen, even if all of his glory isn’t officially recognized by NBA standards. He was a big man who could score, and was a monster rebounder who is to this day one of the most underrated stars of his time and at his position.. Center. New York Nets (ABA)