The Nets shot for the moon and hoped to land some of the biggest stars in free agency. But they came crashing down to earth with nothing to show for their lofty ambitions, bravado and bluster.

Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov and part-owner Jay-Z were supposed to be two of the biggest names in this chase, but their money, power and global vision couldn’t match what Micky Arison, Pat Riley and the Miami Heat were offering.

LeBron James, Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade chose to be teammates in Miami. The long-rumored possibility became official when James made his announcement on Thursday night.

As South Beach gets even hotter, the Nets feel a chill. It’s downright freezing in Cleveland and Toronto, though. Those two cities lost their franchise’s best players. The Nets didn’t lose anyone. But they didn’t win anything when so much more was expected.

With $32 million to spend, it seemed the Nets would get at least one of the top free agents. After all the salary savings and losing the last few years and Prokhorov saying he was confident he could “convince the best of the best” to join the Nets you can’t come up empty.

Both area teams were unable to get the star of stars. It’s probably more disappointing to Knicks’ fans that they didn’t get James since they openly talked about cutting salary for July 2010. They made no secret that winning wasn’t their priority in recent years.

But the Knicks made a big signing. They secured Amar’e Stoudemire. No, he’s not James. But the Knicks made a significant move.

They got an All-Star big man –- although a fully guaranteed five-year, $100 million deal is risky with Stoudemire’s knee history. They also got talented young small forward Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf and Kelenna Azubuike from Golden State in a sign-and-trade for David Lee.

Stoudemire, Lee, Carlos Boozer and Rudy Gay also were on the Nets’ wish list at the start of free agency. For some they never really had a chance.

Gay, the Nets’ fallback option after James, was given around 82 million reasons to stay in Memphis the first day of free agency. Boozer spurned the Nets’ offer of $75 million for five years to sign with the Bulls for just a little more, which probably means he never wanted to play for New Jersey.

The Nets were left scrambling to put together a roster yesterday. It probably will be competitive, but shooting for LeBron James and settling for versatile forward Travis Outlaw is a major letdown.

Outlaw was given five years and $35 million from the Nets yesterday. They will try and add other athletic players that fit coach Avery Johnson’s style, like restricted free agent power forward Tyrus Thomas.

But when your aim is James and Bosh or Boozer and you roll out Outlaw and Thomas it’s a bad week.

The reality is the Nets were a long shot for James from the very beginning. You know the reasons: they will play in Newark for at least two years and were 12-70 this past season.

But the Nets were supposed to have equalizers, game-changers in Prokhorov and Jay-Z. They were supposed to be the "Blueprint for Greatness." There is a mural with those words above the two of them on a building across from Madison Square Garden.

Eventually, they may turn out to be two of the men that lead the Nets to previously unachieved prominence. But the past few days weren’t good ones for the organization, culminating with James’ announcement.

There is nothing wrong with confidence, putting yourself out there because you believe this is the dawn of an era of exciting things. It seems times and philosophies are changing for the Nets, which is a good thing.

To win, you have to have a good owner with deep pockets and willing to spend. The Nets have that now, but they jumped the gun a little bit or were a little overzealous in Prokhorov’s first go-around as an NBA owner.

He created a buzz and probably helped ticket sales, but could help deliver a big star. Here was Prokhorov’s statement after the James’ announcement.

“We have a vision of a championship team and need to invest wisely and for the long term.  Fortunately, we have more than one plan to reach success, and, as I have found in all areas of my business, that is key to achieving it.  To Nets fans past, present and future, the goal of making the playoffs this season remains intact and we reiterate our commitment to winning a championship within five years."

This free agency continued the trend from the regular season.

The Nets had the best chance to win the Lottery and potential franchise-changer John Wall, and fell to third. At one point, they believed they were in the mix for James. Another loss.

Now the Nets have to pick up the pieces and assemble a roster that can compete for a playoff spot next season. After all the losses and letdowns that would a major victory.

Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.)