Brooklyn
Nets
Atlantic
| 2011-12 Team Rating | |
| Offense | Defense |
| 99.7 | 106.9 |
| 23th Overall | 29th Overall |
2011-12 Season Stats
W
22
L
44
PCT
.333
GB
17
CONF
16-32
DIV
5-9
HOME
9-24
ROAD
13-20
LinksVideo | Statistics | Tickets | Team
|
Category | Grade | ||
 The Nets made yet another run at Dwight Howard, but couldn't get a deal done with the Magic. So they re-signed their solid frontline of Kris Humphries and Brook Lopez to huge deals.
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B |
||
 By trading a bunch of role players for Joe Johnson, the Nets helped convince Deron Williams to re-sign. It was pricey, but that's a win-win situation, and they've now got one of the NBA's best backcourts.
|
A |
||
 A full season with Gerald Wallace is a big upgrade, but neither Humphries nor Lopez is a good pick-and-roll or help defender. Defense will be questions Nos. 1, 2 and 3 going into training camp.
|
D |
||
 The Nets committed an incredible $313 million to their starting lineup, but still managed to put together a better bench than they had last year. That's not saying much, though.
|
C |
||
 Avery Johnson hasn't been given much to work with in his first two seasons with the Nets. Now, we'll find out what he can do. It's on him to get his team to play defense.
|
B |
||
A
Summary
The Nets are moving to Brooklyn, and they're taking a pretty good (and very expensive) team with them. Keeping Deron Williams was the most important move, but he probably wouldn't have re-signed if Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace weren't already on board.
Defense will determine just how good the Nets will be. We know they'll be able to put points on the board, but Wallace may be the only good defender in their rotation. In their final year in New Jersey, the Nets were truly awful on that end of the floor, and it's up to Avery Johnson to change the defensive culture.
Lopez's health and development will be the key on both sides of the ball. Injuring his right foot twice, he played just five games last season. He's only 24 years old, but he's now earning a max contract and could be truly healthy for the first time in over two years. To put additional pressure on him, the Nets don't have a back-up center.
The Nets may be the most improved team in the league and will certainly be a playoff team for the first time in six years. But they're still a couple of steps away from the top of the NBA ladder.
-- John Schuhmann
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