New Brooklyn Nets and philosophy introduced at training center

Call it a Brooklyn rebuild.

The Brooklyn Nets held a press conference at their HSS Training Center in Sunset Park on Wednesday, July 20 as General Manager Sean Marks and head coach Kenny Atkinson introduced six of the team’s newest players.

Jeremy Lin, Anthony Bennet, Trevor Booker, Justin Hamilton, Joe Harris and rookie Caris LeVert were on hand to discuss their excitement to be in Brooklyn and their game plan for the 2016-17 season.

In prior seasons, the franchise sacrificed youth, draft picks and financial flexibility in exchange for high-priced players to try to compete immediately. The result left the team devoid of its own draft picks. Now that the team has shed a majority of those big contracts, Marks and company are  signing low-risk, high-reward youthful players while trading veteran players for picks.

“The process and journey started a couple of months ago,” Marks said. “It’s about bringing in high character guys who are competitive and that’s what you see right here today.”

The off-season wasn’t without its bumps in the road. The Nets made an attempt to acquire restricted free agent guards Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe. However, the Miami Heat and Portland Trailblazers respectively matched the Nets’ lucrative offers to them, leaving Marks to move on to ‘plan B.’

“We knew we were doing the right thing because the teams matched the offers,” Marks said about Johnson and Crabbe. “But enough about those guys. We’re thrilled to have this group of a mix of veteran and youth movement here.”

With Atkinson as head coach, Marks believes it’s the perfect fit for a young roster. “We are fortunate to have him, but player development is more than what happens on the court,” he said. “It’s the little nuances perhaps the rest of us don’t see all the time and that’s where Kenny and his staff are so good.”

The team will feature some vets. “I look at this group and I see a great combination of youth and veterans and that was importance to us to balance the roster,” Atkinson said. “Not just having 15 young guys to develop, but guys that have experience in the league that have been successful to help lead this group.”

Last season marked the first year the Nets didn’t make the postseason since their move to Brooklyn. “I hope (fans) understand what the process is,” he added. “There is never a quick fix. We want to do this the right way. We are fortunate to start  from the ground and build a strong foundation here, and we have some key pieces here that hopefully will be with us long term.”

Lin will join center Brook Lopez, the longest tenured Net, to serve a leadership role. “It’s about unselfishness,” he said.”It’s about having no egos and having guys coming in and wanting to succeed and play the right way.”

Levert, who the Nets acquired on draft day in exchange for forward Thaddeus Young, missed significant playing time in college due to a foot injury, but hopes that good health will help him live up to his potential. “I’m a versatile player and someone that has played four years in college,” he said, adding that he started running on a treadmill.

The Nets also acquired Randy Foye, Greivis Vasquez and Luis Scola, but they were unable to attend the conference.