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NEW YORK -- The offseason is officially over.

Training camp is finally here.

The Brooklyn Nets open up training camp on Tuesday at Duke University in Durham, N.C.

My colleague Ohm Youngmisuk will be there to cover it for ESPNNewYork.com. You can follow Ohm on Twitter: @NotoriousOHM.

Nets brass made several huge splashes during the summer, selecting Jason Kidd as the team’s new head coach and acquiring Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in a blockbuster trade.

Kidd will coach his first official practice on Tuesday. Time to earn your players’ respect, Jason.

Kidd will have to begin installing his systems as the Nets begin to cultivate their identity for the 2013-14 campaign.

With seven newcomers -- not counting Kidd -- developing chemistry is going to be their biggest issue moving forward.

GM Billy King liked getting away from New York because he wants his players to be able to focus on the task at hand.

At media day Monday, it was very clear that the Nets, with a $190 million roster bill, have championship aspirations.

But they have a long ways to get there.

UP NOW: My news stories on Deron Williams’ health and Garnett not wanting to sit in back-to-backs. I also filled up the blog with several items as well.

WHAT’S NEXT: Ohm will have all the reaction from Kidd and his players’ first day of practice.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How realistic are the Nets’ hopes of winning a title this season?

NEW YORK -- More odds and ends from Nets’ Media Day:

• The Nets signed Marko Jaric to complete their training camp roster at 19. Jaric is a 34-year-old veteran point guard who last played in the NBA in 2009 with Memphis. Given that Brooklyn already has 15 guaranteed deals, Jaric’s chances of making the team are extremely remote.

• Brook Lopez plans to wear “Brooklyn” on the back of his nickname jersey because he wants the front to match the back. Funny. Ex-coach Avery Johnson always used to say you can’t spell Brooklyn without Brook.

• PR man Gary Sussman tweeted that the Nets gave out 150 media credentials for media day -- 50 percent more than last season.

• Jason Terry had a good quote about Paul Pierce: “They (the Celtics) didn’t trade Larry Bird at the end of his run,” Terry said. “I think [Paul] plays with a chip on his shoulder. He’s in great condition.”

• Lopez, who reiterated that he’s 100 percent healthy, thinks he can learn “loads” by playing next to Kevin Garnett.

NEW YORK -- The East River Rivalry may be a big deal to New Yorkers, but it just isn't that big a deal to Brooklyn Nets reserve Reggie Evans.

“I want to win a championship. We can’t play the New York Knicks in the championship game, so we’re not focused on that,” Evans said Monday.

“Do we want to win [against the Knicks]? Yeah, we want to win because it’s a game. But at the same time, like, what are you gonna remember: Us winning or losing against the New York Knicks, or us winning a championship? That’s the main thing. We want to win a championship.

“Our owner [Mikhail Prokhorov], he didn’t bring us here to win the state of New York. He brought us a here to win a championship. That’s our goal. We want to have a ring. So that’s our common goal, to focus on that. We’re not worried about playing somebody across the street.”

The Nets and Knicks traded verbal jabs during the offseason. They will meet for the first time during the regular season on Dec. 5.

NEW YORK -- Reggie Evans thinks very highly of the Brooklyn Nets’ bench.

“The coaches needed me to start last season, but now I’m back [as a reserve in the frontcourt] with Andray Blatche, and that’s cool. Then we got JT [Jason Terry] to score the ball, and AK-47 [Andrei Kirilenko], so I feel like we could beat some of these starting units. You know what I’m saying?”

Watch out, Philadelphia. And, perhaps, some other teams, too.

Four players projected to be reserves for the Nets -- Blatche, Terry, Kirilenko and Alan Anderson -- averaged double figures last season. Certainly a nice luxury to have.

Especially when you want to occasionally sit your veteran starters suc as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Johnson to keep them fresh for the playoffs.

“It’s really gonna be tough for our starting unit in practice, to be honest with you,” Evans continued. “Because, like, our main thing is to go hard in practice so playing in the game will be a lot easier. So like I told Paul, I told Paul, ‘Ya’ll better be ready that first practice, because we can give it to y’all.’ But it’s all positive energy.”

Blatche sounded just as confident as Evans, calling the Nets the deepest team in the league.

“Our bench is going to be just as important as the starters,” Evans said. “I mean, we got guys who really put up big numbers in this league and played significant minutes, so there may be times where they have to fill in a starting role and they’re truly capable of doing it.”

Evans doesn’t have an official name for the team’s bench yet, but he said “Bench Mob” could stick.

NEW YORK -- There may not be much -- if any -- Iso Joe this season.

But Joe Johnson is completely cool with that.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Johnson said Monday of playing in first-year coach Jason Kidd’s offense, which is expected to be predicated more on ball movement and spacing than isolation sets.

The Nets finished ninth in offensive efficiency last season, though they were inconsistent scoring the ball, often struggling for long stretches because they rarely got easy buckets in transition.

“This year, I don’t think you can load up [on one guy] and double- and triple-team. If you do, you’re probably gonna pay the price. That’s probably gonna be more fun than anything.”

Johnson, now 32, had a bumpy first season in Brooklyn, averaging 16.3 points on 42.3 percent shooting. He battled a bad case of plantar fasciitis at the end of the season, and shot just 2-for-14 from the field in the team’s elimination loss in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs.

“My heel is great. My plantar fasciitis is gone,” Johnson said. “I’ve done the necessary things I needed to do over the summer to keep it calmed down, and I just kept working hard and kept my weight down so I didn’t put too much pressure on it.”

Given his last-minute scoring prowess last season, Johnson is the guy Kidd wants to have the ball late in games. Johnson took Kidd’s comment as a compliment, but noted it would probably depend on who’s hot.

“I think we’re all at a point in our careers where (wanting to be the No. 1 option) is all behind us and we’re all a lot older and later in our careers to the point where statistically guys will check their egos at the door,” he said.

Johnson averaged 36.7 minutes per game in 2012-13, something he figures will change given how much depth the Nets have on their roster.

“I would probably say it’s one of the best basketball teams that I’ve ever been a part of,” Johnson said.

NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets' team motto this season?

"Whatever it takes," new acquisition Jason Terry said Monday at the team's media day availability at Barclays Center.

Whatever it takes ... to win a championship.

Yes, fresh off a stellar offseason in which they added Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Terry, Andrei Kirilenko and first-year coach Jason Kidd, the Nets really do have aspirations of hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy ... in case you haven't heard.

An Atlantic Division title? Please. The Nets -- every last one of them, throughout the organization, too -- have the ultimate prize in mind.

"I came here to win a championship. I don't even want to see a banner if we win the division," Pierce said. "The expectations have grown."

Garnett waived his no-trade clause to come try and win a second title in Brooklyn.

"We're here to get another ring. That's the only reason we came to Brooklyn. The only reason we came to Brooklyn," Garnett said.

Added Garnett: "I think our own expectations and our own goals are going to exceed everybody else's."

Said Joe Johnson: "This is the first time coming into a season where I really feel like we can win a championship."

Added Johnson: "There's a target on our back and it's a challenge we're looking forward to."

Judging from their quotes, it sounds like the players are willing to sacrifice points and minutes, push their egos aside to reach that goal.

Like Terry said, "Whatever it takes."

Last season, the Nets established themselves in Brooklyn.

This season, their second at Barclays Center, they have bigger goals in mind, namely making a run at a championship.

After an impressive offseason in which Nets brass added Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and first-year coach Jason Kidd, the team is ready to do some damage in the Eastern Conference.

Owner Mikhail Prokhorov is spending nearly $190 million on his 2013-14 roster, so expectations, unsurprisingly, are quite high.

Will the Nets be able to meet them?

The team begins training camp Tuesday at Duke University. Before that, the Nets will hold media day at Barclays Center on Monday.

With that in mind, here are three pressing questions surrounding the team:

How will Kidd fare in his first year?

You’ve probably heard this by now: Kidd has never coached an NBA game before. No matter, the Nets believe in him. He’s going to have to prove to Garnett, Pierce and Deron Williams -- his close friend -- that he has what it takes to be a coach in this league. Given the talent on the roster, Kidd’s toughest job is going to be managing personalities and minutes, making sure his players are healthy for the playoffs. Developing chemistry and an identity early in the season is of the utmost importance.

How quickly will they develop chemistry?

D-Will led some players’ only workouts in Los Angeles late in the offseason. Recently, several of the players have been working out at the team’s practice facility in East Rutherford, N.J. The Nets added seven newcomers during the summer -- plus a coach. They have several All-Stars on the roster, so maybe it won’t be that tough a transition. Still, everyone is going to have to buy in -- and sacrifice shots and stats -- so the team can win. Kidd wants to limit isolation sets and play team basketball. Sounds like a good idea.

How are they going to stay healthy?

KG is 37. Pierce is 35. Terry is 36. Andrei Kirilenko is 32. Joe Johnson is 32. D-Will, 29, is coming off an injury-plagued season. Brook Lopez, 25, is coming off offseason surgery. Keeping these guys healthy throughout a grueling 82-game regular season is going to be of paramount importance. After all, championships aren’t won in the regular season. It won’t be surprising to see these guys get games off on an occasional or regular basis, even if KG is opposed to it. That’s why being so deep is so important.

Brooklyn Nets training camp begins on Oct. 1 at Duke University. We conclude our position-by-position breakdown with center.

The starter: Brook Lopez

What can he do for an encore?

Lopez, 25, is coming off his best season as a pro. He averaged 19.4 points, 2.1 blocks and finished fifth in the NBA in player efficiency rating.

Lopez played better defense than he has in the past. His rebounding numbers weren’t great (6.9 per game), but you can live with that when your center is doing everything else really well.

First-year coach Jason Kidd wants Lopez to get his assist numbers (0.9 per game) up, however.

Lopez is coming off offseason foot surgery, his third such surgery in 18 months, to replace a screw which had bent.

Lopez is a solid option in the post, and he has a nice midrange game (42.2 percent from 10 to 16 feet).

He should benefit from playing with future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett down low.

The backup: Andray Blatche

Andray Blatche was a pleasant surprise last season, after signing a make-good, one-year deal in the summer.

He averaged 10.3 points on 51.2 percent shooting -- the majority of the time coming off the bench -- and was extremely efficient. In fact, Blatche had the highest PER jump of any player in the league.

The Nets were able to bring Blatche back on the cheap -- signing him to a two-year, $2.9 million contract with a player option for Year 2.

Blatche is an extremely talented player -- especially offensively -- but is prone to making poor decisions.

If he stays out of trouble off the court, he should be a valuable contributor for the Nets.

The third-stringer: Mason Plumlee

The Nets took Plumlee in the first round of the draft.

GM Billy King likes the fellow Dukie because he is a polished four-year college player who can contribute immediately.

Plumlee showed his athleticism and high motor during the NBA Summer League, finishing off several plays with dunks.

Given how much depth the Nets have in the frontcourt, it might be prudent to send Plumlee down to the D-League for some seasoning.

ESPN.com colleague Marc Stein has the Nets sitting third in the first installment of his 2013-14 Power Rankings, behind only the defending champion Heat and Pacers.

Writes Stein:

Can J-Kidd coach? Can J-Kidd, with zero experience and facing championship expectations, coach a team that will spend nearly $190 million in salary and luxury taxes this season? I know this much: I've seen J-Kidd, at age 38, guard Kobe and Durant in the playoffs. So I know he won't be scared.

The rival Knicks are 11th.

What do you think of where the Nets rank? Let us know in the comments section below.

For Stein’s entire Power Rankings, click here.

The Nets signed three players for training camp: Chris Johnson, Gary Forbes and Jorge Gutierrez, according to multiple media reports.

None of the three are likely to make the team given that the Nets already have 15 players under contract with guaranteed deals.

Brooklyn Nets training camp begins on Oct. 1 at Duke University. Here's a position-by-position breakdown, continuing with power forward.

The starter: Kevin Garnett

Last season, the Nets played Kris Humphries, Reggie Evans and Mirza Teletovic at power forward.

Suffice to say the Big Ticket is a big upgrade.

Garnett, 37, brings defense, intensity and leadership to a franchise that was without an identity last season.

Good thing Paul Pierce and first-year coach Jason Kidd convinced him to waive his no-trade clause.

Garnett hates when he's asked how much he has left in the tank, but Kidd plans to monitor his minutes closely -- possibly giving him games off in back-to-back sets -- to keep him fresh come playoff-time.

With Garnett on the court last season, the Celtics were more than eight points per 100 possessions better defensively than with him off it.

Garnett, who has a tremendous mid-range game, should be a fine compliment to Brook Lopez in the frontcourt.

If you're wondering what type of decline KG is in, consider this: In his first five seasons in Boston, Garnett averaged 15.9 points and 8.4 rebounds in 31.2 minutes. In 2012-13, he averaged 14.8 points and 7.8 rebounds in 29.7 minutes.

Garnett, like Pierce, is hungry for another championship before he rides off into the sunset, a Hall of Famer and one of the most intense competitors the game has ever seen.

The backup: Reggie Evans

The Joker rebounded at a better rate than anyone per 48 minutes last season.

Granted, that's pretty much all he can do.

Evans did have a lot of success finishing with his left-hand down low toward the end of the 2012-13 campaign, but he's always been more of a 10-15 minute reserve that brings energy and effort.

Given his limited ability in other facets of the game, it'll be interesting to see what Evans' role is on the team.

Either way, though, he brings a lot to the table, and can be a pest in the post come playoff time.

The third-stringer: Mirza Teletovic

Like many European players, Teletovic struggled with his transition to the NBA.

He's a skilled marksman from the perimeter, but struggled to fit in and make shots consistently.

Still, Teletovic can score points in bunches. He's another guy whose role is uncertain, but he could be valuable given how much skill the Nets have on offense.

Brooklyn Nets training camp begins on Oct. 1 at Duke University. Here's a position-by-position breakdown, continuing with small forward.

The starter: Paul Pierce

The Truth has made plenty of noise off the court this summer -- talking about his hatred of the Knicks and how he feels it’s time for the Nets to take over the city -- but he’s primed to make just as much on it.

Pierce, 35, isn’t a No. 1 option anymore. He says he’s going to be a “gloried role player” on this roster.

Eh, he’ll probably be more than that. See: leader, too.

Last season, Pierce average 18.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists. He’s a career 37 percent shooter from 3-point range, which is pretty nice.

Remember, the Nets started Gerald Wallace at small forward last season, and he couldn’t do much of anything offensively. Jump shots? Nah. Layups? Nope.

Pierce was shell-shocked when he found out he’d been traded from the only franchise he’d ever known.

But recently it has sounded like he was getting more acclimated to living in a new city, and he certainly feels like he has a lot to prove.

Pierce has been a frequent visitor to the team’s practice facility for workouts. He wants to win another championship before calling it quits, and it appears he’s doing everything in his power to get it.

The backup: Andrei Kirilenko

From Russia, with defense and versatility, Kirilenko shocked the NBA by signing a one-year, $3.2 million contract with the Nets.

Yes, rival executives believed there was some funny business going on. And yes, they probably thought so because the Nets got themselves an absolute steal.

Kirilenko, 32, is only the backup small forward solely for this preview format. He can play multiple positions and guard them, too. He’ll likely be the one D’ing up Carmelo Anthony, Paul George and LeBron James, a seemingly impossible assignment for any elite defender.

Kirilenko has started throughout his career and may do so when first-year coach Jason Kidd elects to give Kevin Garnett a night off now and again.

Deron Williams said the signing of Kirilenko might have been the team’s biggest move of the offseason, and he might be right.

Once again in a contract year, you have to figure AK-47 is going to be highly motivated to cash in and play well for old comrade and boss yet again, Mikhail Prokhorov.

The third-stringer: Tornike Shengelia

Just 21, the second-year pro out of Georgia (the country) has plenty of room to grow as a player.

Shengelia’s game is still raw, but he has shown flashes, given that he brings so much energy on the court.

It wouldn’t be shocking if, like Tyshawn Taylor, Shengelia finds himself in the D-League a lot.

The Nets think he can be a productive player, but he still has a ways to go.

Shengelia is coming off offseason meniscus surgery.

NEW YORK -- Planning for the 2015 All-Star Game started about two years ago when the NBA floated the idea of co-hosting the game to Knicks and Nets ownership.

One of the more interesting subplots in the process was a meeting brokered by NBA commissioner David Stern between Knicks owner James Dolan and Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov.

All parties involved downplayed the significance of the meeting during a news conference Wednesday to announce the Knicks and Nets will co-host the 2015 All-Star Game.

"Each of them were very receptive to the idea," Stern said. "They thought it would be a good idea to get together, that's all."

Irina Pavlova, the president of ONEXIM Sports and Entertainment and Prokhorov's representative, echoed those thoughts Wednesday.

"You know, this whole thing is totally blown out of proportion," Pavlova said. "They are two owners of two New York teams that never actually sat down and talked before. So they got together, they had lunch, they talked, it wasn't like there was a hatchet to be buried or anything."

Asked what he got out of the meeting, Dolan, who rarely speaks with reporters, cracked, "Free lunch."

All jokes aside, it's significant that the owners sat down together.

The front offices of both their teams have been embroiled in a bit of a turf war since the Nets announced plans to move to Brooklyn.

In July 2010, the Nets unveiled a 22-story billboard across the street from Madison Square Garden that included a picture of Prokhorov and then-minority share owner Jay Z with the words "Blueprint for Greatness."

Prokhorov also referred to Dolan as "that little man" in a New York Magazine article. Dolan reportedly was livid after each incident, but he downplayed any animosity between himself and Nets ownership Wednesday.

"[Rivalries] are nothing but good, they're nothing but fun for the fans and they are great for business," he said.

Both Dolan and representatives from the Nets stressed that the 2015 All-Star Game is a chance to put the East River Rivalry aside and promote hoops in New York City.

"To our friends in Brooklyn," Dolan said, "like so many other times when New Yorkers put their differences aside for something bigger, we are looking forward to giving our rivalry a rest, for a little bit, to ensure that we deliver the very best All-Star experience the league has ever held."

WILL ALL-STAR GAME BE BACK SOON? NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said the Nets will have "an opportunity" to host the game in the coming seasons.

He said it was possible the Knicks would join the Nets as hosts again. But it would be "up to the Knicks" if they wanted to host the 3-point and dunk contests.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

NEW YORK -- NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver would not comment on whether Jason Kidd could face a possible suspension to start the regular season over pleading guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge this past summer.

"I don't want to comment on Jason in particular," Silver said after a press conference to announce the 2015 All-Star Game coming to New York. "But the precedent is pretty clear for convictions for DUI."

Kidd retired this summer as a player but was hired as the Nets' head coach. It is possible he could serve a multiple-game suspension to start the season if the NBA opts to discipline Kidd.

Kidd said earlier this summer that he will accept full responsibility if he is suspended.

"All that, the process, we will have to go through and we will see what happens," Kidd said. "But that is being responsible and that goes with the territory."

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Brook Lopez reminds Jason Kidd of someone the Nets' first-year coach once played with in Dallas: Dirk Nowitzki.

Still, Kidd wants the 25-year-old All-Star center to be himself this season.

"I think he's young. He's still young. He has a lot to learn and I think when you have a Kevin Garnett, a Paul Pierce, a veteran that understands what it takes to be professional and also what it means to win, to be able to share that with Brook," Kidd said of Lopez Tuesday.

"But also Brook needs to be him. He works extremely hard, he's coming off an injury. But he reminds me of a player [Dirk] I played with in Dallas. Very low maintenance, goes about his job, and can dominate a game. The big thing is just for him to be him, but also work on some of his weaknesses and I think he knows that. Again, the sky's the limit for him."

Lopez will be playing in the frontcourt with a physical and intense player in Garnett.

"I'm not looking for Brook to become the next Kevin Garnett," Kidd said. "I think Brook is an intelligent kid and understands that I don't need him yelling and screaming and talking to himself, I just need him to be Brook. I think the biggest thing KG will probably improve his game one percent, and if he does that, then hopefully we're still talking here in June."

Lopez is coming off the best season of his career. He averaged 19.4 points, 2.1 blocks and finished fifth in the NBA in Player Efficiency Rating.

Lopez recently told ESPNNewYork.com he's 100 percent healthy after undergoing offseason surgery on his right foot to have a screw replaced.

"We just want to win, that's the bottom line," Lopez said.