Nets president Rod Thorn doesn't think his team will be as bad as many are predicting this season.

"We don't look that strong on paper, but we will be better than a lot of the pundits think, and we'll be very competitive," Thorn told the New York Post.

He added that the team's salary cap flexibility will put them in a very positive situation heading into next summer.

"We definitely want to be a team that can compete for the championship. We certainly would like to be in a position where it's not even a possibility we won't be in the playoffs," he added.

"We will be in position at the end of the year to be in the free-agent market to be competitive for virtually anybody."