The two categories the Nets lead the league in are waiting and hoping.

Every team goes through that. But waiting and hoping are all the Nets seem to do these days, which has to be gut-wrenching for their fans.

All season the Nets have been waiting for many things, hoping for many things and in some cases it could all be in vain.

Here are four things just off the top of our heads: the Carmelo Anthony situation to be resolved; Brook Lopez to develop into an All-Star caliber center and go-to guy; Devin Harris to return to being the player he was when he first got to the Nets and Derrick Favors to show something on a consistent basis.

When you’re losing at the rate the Nets are –- five straight losses by an average of 15 points, including a humiliating 15-point drubbing at Minnesota -– you wonder how much longer they can wait.

Favors is the only one you can give a little leeway to because he’s only 19 and he’s had to deal with a lot from nearly being traded before camp began, to having to continue to listen to the trade rumors to being called out by Avery Johnson on more than one occasion.

Lopez is probably the most confounding to people inside and outside of the organization because at times he’s shown such progress. He was dominant at times last season, even when he was unhappy with the way he was being coached or plays not being called for him.

One double-double in 34 games and the fact that it came in a triple-OT contest is sad. To put it in perspective, Favors has two. San Antonio’s DeJuan Blair has five and he only plays 20.4 minutes a game and has someone named Tim Duncan playing with him and controlling the boards.

All of this is troublesome, but the one really hanging over the Nets’ heads is Anthony. They can’t do anything until that matter is settled, but they need to do something because they’re not getting any better and this was a season when things were supposed to get better.

The Nets can’t back out either. They have too much to offer and gain if it goes through, and they have to be smart about not losing too much. Although that’s the one thing the Nets are good at -– losing.

Everyone knows it’s all up to Denver. Yet if the Nets push right, Denver will try to get even more out of them and the Nuggets already are asking for five first-round picks. The Nets can’t seem desperate, even though it seems they are or would be, especially with how bad things have become.

The Nets can’t push too much either. The trade value of some of their players couldn’t be lower. Favors has been unimpressive. Troy Murphy hasn’t lived up to expectations and it certainly doesn’t look good that he can’t play for this team.

The only things the Nets really have that are valuable right now are any draft picks they own since it is going to be a high lottery pick.

But while they’re waiting on Denver and ultimately whether Anthony will sign an extension or not, they can’t really make other significant moves.

Sure, they probably can deal someone Denver isn’t interested in like the Nets did with Terrence Williams and Joe Smith. But the Nets can’t trade players like Harris and Murphy or even Favors -– people who can get you something in return -– because they could be needed for Anthony. They need to make a trade that shakes up the roster, upgrades it.

And so the Nets wait as Johnson tries to get more out of Lopez, Harris, Favors and everyone else.

Waiting and hoping is nothing new for the Nets or their fans.

For years they waited and waited and are still waiting for the team to move to Brooklyn. They waited for someone with ridiculously deep pockets to come in and buy the team from Bruce Ratner so winning and spending to win could become a priority. Prokhorov has but the winning hasn’t begun yet.

The Nets didn’t make any significant moves last season because they were waiting and saving for the summer of 2010.

They – and just about every other team – waited for LeBron James to make his decision and the Nets hoped he would pick them. After James picked Miami, they wound up with, well, you know by now.

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Follow me on Twitter: @Al_Iannazzone

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