NBA Caucus: Which team is worse, Knicks or Nets?

USA TODAY Sports Network

Every week, a selection of USA TODAY Sports NBA experts from various sites are asked a few questions about the NBA season. This week's topic is the battle — if you can call it that — for New York, where the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks are in disarray with 3-7 records.

Which team has been worse thus far in the season?

Ian Levy, Hickory High: The Knicks. Both teams have similar records and point differentials, but the Nets look like they are sliding off the end of an aging curve, while the Knicks seem to be on the verge of coming apart at the seams. New York always reflect a certain level of volatility but they've taken that to the extreme this season. Their rotations are a disaster and team morale is like sand slipping through Mike Woodson's fingers. They've played a very difficult schedule but things have looked exasperatingly chaotic at both ends. A healthy Tyson Chandler would certainly help but things may be too far gone by the time he returns.

Sean Highkin, USA TODAY Sports: The Nets. The Knicks at least have a few excuses. Their best defender, Chandler, is hurt. Mike Woodson is still figuring out how to work Andrea Bargnani and J.R. Smith into the starting lineup. The Knicks certainly haven't been good, but their flaws are predictable and explainable. The Nets, on the other hand, are just a mess. Even before Deron Williams got hurt, their star-studded offense was vastly underperforming expectations. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are showing their age, and the season is only going to get longer.

Steve Kyler, HoopsWorld: The Knicks, mainly because they returned roughly the same core group of players from last season and have another year in the same system, yet are yielding lower field goal and three-point shooting percentages. The Knicks are also not nearly as engaged defensively, allowing 4 points per game more than last year while scoring 5.7 fewer points. The injury to Chandler is a factor, but the Knicks should be progressing and they are not. Brooklyn's worries seem to be more about finding a balance and a rhythm with so many star-level players.

Adi Joseph, USA TODAY Sports: The Knicks. It's incredible how similar their résumés are right now, from record to point differential to recent play. But the Knicks are 1-5 at home, while the Nets are 2-2. Protecting Madison Square Garden is vital to keeping Spike Lee happy. Keeping Spike Lee happy is the only true measure of success for the Knicks. Also, the Nets have beaten the Miami Heat, while the Knicks have lost to every good team they've played.

How deep is either team capable of reaching in the playoffs?

Levy: At their best, the Nets could still win a playoff series, although probably not against the Indiana Pacers or Heat. But they have about 15 problems they need to solve before they get to figuring out how to win a playoff series. The Knicks are a little more complicated since their early struggles have made it really difficult to visualize what "at their best" looks like. All of the preseason pieces they were counting on pulling together have looked increasingly incompatible, and the idea of trading Iman Shumpert for frontcourt help seems like, in the absolute best case scenario, a lateral move. We're still a long way from the playoffs, but there doesn't appear to be much light at the end of the tunnel.

Highkin: At this point, I wouldn't confidently pick either team to win a seven-game series against any of the other playoff teams in the Eastern Conference. The only way one of them will get out of the first round is if they play each other as the 4-5 matchup. If the Knicks or Nets draw the Pacers, Heat or Bulls in the first round, it's not going to end well for them.

Kyler: Both are capable of making the postseason, however Brooklyn has the star power to be a real contender once they find their routine and rhythm. The Heat went through a similar feeling-out period when they brought LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade together in 2010. Brooklyn has far too much talent to not be in the discussion at the end of the season. The Knicks, on the other hand, seem to have a lot of dysfunction brewing that may only be solved by a major trade, a shakeup on the bench or change in the rotation.

Joseph: I'm not sure the Knicks will make the playoffs. Their success last season hinged on three-point shooting. The Nets really need to step back and assess what they have. Can first-year coach Jason Kidd be the guy to do that? Paul Pierce might be the better option to lead the charge. He doesn't take well to losing, and he and relative youngster Brook Lopez are the team's most talented players.

How hot are the seats of Knicks coach Mike Woodson and Nets coach Kidd already?

Levy: Lukewarm. Woodson has really struggled managing the Knicks rotations and I would imagine those sorts of problems would put him in more jeopardy than Kidd. But both coaches can use the somewhat legitimate excuses of having to integrate a lot of new faces without the benefit of a fully healthy roster. I would imagine things would have to get a lot worse before either coach was really in danger of getting replaced during the season. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility.

Highkin: I don't think Kidd should be worried yet. The Nets are obviously in win-now mode, but they had to have known that hiring a coach 10 days after he retired as a player would require a learning curve. He could be gone this summer if they don't improve, but I wouldn't expect him to be fired mid-season.

Meanwhile, I'd be shocked if Woodson lasted until the calendar year of 2014. Somebody has to be the fall guy if things don't improve, and it's a lot easier to fire the coach than the players. Their struggles aren't entirely his fault (he didn't make Chandler get hurt, and firing him won't bring the former defensive player of the year back faster), but his stubbornness about some aspects of their rotations isn't helping things.

Kyler: Woodson has to be closer to the hot seat than Kidd. The expectation level for instant success was a lot higher for the Knicks than the Nets, who knew Kidd would need time to grow into his first head coaching job.New York's problems have been more about effort with Knicks star Carmelo Anthony openly questioning how hard his team has been playing.Brooklyn is still struggling to define roles and find the right balance of minutes and shots for its loaded roster.

Joseph: Firing Woodson would be insane. He is the only reason the Knicks play any defense. His coaching was a major factor in their terrific 2012-13 season. He is a top-10 coach. Therefore, I fully expect James Dolan to fire Woodson. Jason Kidd works for a mad scientist James Bond villain billionaire who lives on the other side of the Earth. The Nets will be patient.