Brook's-lyn

The Nets' transition to Brooklyn has been a successful one. Regardless of how their showing in the 2013 playoffs ends up (with emphasis on ends), a polarizing, win-at-all-costs owner (with emphasis on costs), who's one ushanka hat short of a Russian presidency, has joined forces with a media mogul who has made the most of his one-fifteenth of a percent ownership before moving "on to the next one" (with emphasis on giving these obnoxious parentheses a rest), and a fan base ripe with the passion and swagger found in all major sports towns from Philly, to L.A., to their neighbors across the bridge in Manhattan. A, well let's face it, pulse noticeably absent from East Rutherford, New Jersey, even when the Nets were perennial Eastern Conference Champs in the heydays of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson etc.

With that said, it takes more than an understated makeover and an even more understated "Brooklyn" chant to revitalize a franchise. At the end of the day, it comes down to the product you put on the floor. With several  acquisitions over the past couple of seasons, highlighted by Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, Mikhail Prokhorov and GM Billy King have shown that the Nets' face lift is much more than aesthetic.

Joe Johnson's trade to Brooklyn for a band of misfits lost in basketball obscurity and Deron Williams' decision stick with the Nets long-term with a five year deal gave validity to a vision of Brooklyn being New York's new mecca for highly touted free agents. While things have not exactly gone to plan quite yet, as Brooklyn prepares for a more than probable first round exit, this postseason has gone a long way to show that the true future of this franchise is the man who's been in the middle during the lows of an embarrassing 12-70 2009-10 season and this recent rise to relevance, Brook Lopez.

The ever optimistic Prokhorov has recently gone on record as saying the Nets are one more acquisition away from contention. In reality, rather than search for a new piece, Nets management should probably get to work on a new puzzle.  Saturday's triple-overtime loss to the Bulls after leading by 14 with just under four minutes left reaffirms that sentiment and all but puts the nail in the coffin for interim coach PJ Carlesimo, who for a time, brought this team back from the brink of disaster after taking over for the deposed Avery Johnson.. The Nets are a gritty squad, for sure, but they've proven to be a group of mismatched skill sets that play entirely too slow to be effective in today's NBA.

Joe Johnson, after all, is nicknamed Iso-Joe for a reason. As he prefers the ball in his hands to create his own shot. Johnson has limited his game to almost exclusively jump shots, a lot of them contested, limiting his ability to get to the line. As brilliant as Johnson can look in spurts, his finesse based play has been an achillies heel in his playoff showings his entire career. If anything, Johnson's ability to get 15-22* (22 taking three overtimes) points per game given his shot selection is a testament to his skill level and few players have proven as clutch as Johnson this season, but, at least with this squad, he's playing nowhere near an all-star level and is, at best, the best of the NBA's B-list.

While the days of Deron Williams and Chris Paul being equated to each other equals at the top of the NBA's ever expanding mountain of elite point guards are long gone, Williams is still a more than formidable point guard in the league, and given the length of his deal and impressive ability, he should still be a part of this team's future going forward.

The remainder of Brooklyn's roster is a series of question marks. Reggie Evans does what he does and that's hustle and provide every intangible you could possibly imagine, Gerald Wallace, who's already not great shooting touch appears to have bounced like a bad check, has little more to do than rebound and play defense in a slower system that he still seems to be lost within. Wallace has become the recipient of a lot of drive and dishes and "Crash" just has nothing to crash into in Brooklyn; totally nuetralizing his otherwise unique ability to create contact and plays. Blatche has adapted to Brooklyn ball nicely and appears to have found a niche there, as has CJ Watson, but both are bench players. Even with both players flourishing they're not going to bring this team to the next level. Brooks appears to be the one person capable of jump starting this stagnant offense, but is such a liability on defense that he can't and won't get the run he needs to prove his worth. Once dominant rebounder, Kris Humphries game appears to have disappeared ever since his mercifully brief stint on reality television.

Amidst this cluster of unfulfilled potential is Nets center, Brook Lopez, emerging as the one constant this team has during the 2013 playoff run. While his Chicago counterpart, Joakim Noah, is at anything but 100 percent, Lopez's ability to put up about 22 points per game against a highly regarded Bulls defense is certainly praise worthy. Lopez's great touch around the rim and great range for his size is not news, necessarily, but his consistency and new found assertiveness is of note, especially as he steps up his defensive game as well with 3, 3, 7, and 4 blocks in each of the last four games respectively, it is Lopez, not Williams or Johnson ensuring that the Nets don't go quietly.

Lopez's game is not without fault. He's not nearly as skilled of a rebounder as a man of his size should be, but he's also never really had to be that presence on that team. With players like Evans and (in his time) Humphries on the team specifically to rebound, it's hard to critique Lopez too hard for something that's never been in his job description, though one would think by virtue of height alone he'd grab a couple more than six or seven a game.

The Nets' Brooklyn renovation has been successful, but clearly this is a team not content with just being relevant  Nets management faces tough choices going forward, but among a team of stars struggling to find their footing, Brook Lopez's emergence as the centerpiece and rock of this team that they envisioned him to be when he was drafted in 2008 is a promising sign for Brooklyn's future and is perhaps the true beacon for free agents considering settling down.in BK and restoring the franchise to prominence atop the East.

Free Agency Retrospective: Atlantic Division

With the dust finally settling after Dwight Howard's monumental and long drawn out move to Los Angeles, it is at last safe to look back on the madness that was this summer's free agency period and speculate how teams will stack up this coming season. Being that I'm likely as biased as the rest of you Philly readers, I'll be starting with the Atlantic Division.

Boston Celtics: Here is a team that in my opinion really exemplified the phrase "addition by subtraction". I mean, it's hard to be thrilled that a class act and first ballot Hall of Famer, Ray Allen, has decided to join forces with Boston's equivalent of the Legion of Doom, but bear in mind the Celtics have filled that void nicely with Jason Terry, a man with his own championship credentials. Is Jason Terry really comparable to Ray Allen? Arguably, at this point this point in their careers I think a case can be made. Even if you find that hard to believe, there's no denying that Terry in tandem with a healthy Avery Bradley and even Courtney Lee certainly softens the blow of losing a member of Boston's once mighty Big Three. Paul Pierce still has some game left in him for sure. He's never been an incredibly explosive player and provided he can keep his aches and pains under control, I see no reason why he can't continue to play at a high level for the next season or two. Kevin Garnett is a much bigger question mark. It's almost a shame to see a once so dynamic player become a glorified pick and pop player, but his basketball IQ is almost as big as his mouth and he should still be able to be a defensive factor in spurts. The good news for the Cs is that finally they have some size that will take some pressure off of KG at both ends of the floor. Fab and Sully are raw talents, but they quite simply have the size to plug up the paint that the Celtics haven't had since the hobbled and aged bodies of the not-quite-brothers O'Neal (who played about 10 games a piece). Jeff Green's underrated return and another year in green for LSU's Brandon Bass should give the Celtic frontcourt a nice boost. The bottom line is that the Celtics will have a formidable bench for the first time since their title run in 2008, Doc Rivers' coaching speaks for itself, and defying all rational thought, Rajon Rondo seems to improve every season. We're referring to a Boston team that was as banged up of a playoff team I've ever seen and pushed the eventual champion Heat to 7 games. There's something to be said for Boston's success and the absence of Chris Bosh not being coincidental, but nonetheless the Celtics are an old automobile looking as shiny and new as they have in years. Rest assured, they're going to be deep in the hunt for at least one more title with Pierce and Garnett at the helm.

Toronto Raptors: Dwayne Casey's ability to somewhat implement Dallas' championship defense in a place where defense was once considered a lost cause is proof enough that the Raptors are headed in the right direction. However, even though the direction is a solid one, it's still going to be slow going and an uphill battle in Canada to see this team have any real success. Kyle Lowry's signing is a bit overlooked coming off his breakout season with Houston despite butting heads with Kevin McHale and/or management. Every other acquisition is likely a little overrated. Better to have Jonas Valanciunas cutting his teeth in NBA arenas rather than overseas, but you likely won't see a true return on that for another couple years. Landry Fields is a player who busts his butt and can contribute some intangables, but he had a habit of disappearing or forcing plays in New York. Odds are the Raptors over paid for him when they tried to make New York decide between keeping him and pursuing Nash, but Landry has the upside to make me eat crow and I wouldn't mind if it means his continued success. The lone bright spot in Toronto has been the subtle blossoming of DeMar DeRozan, who has carved out a solid little niche for himself there. Hopefully the injection of new talent doesn't hinder that growth. Andrea Bargnani's health is, of course, always of great concern and question as well. At the very least, we should begin to see flashes of what the big picture looks like in Toronto and those growing pains have the potential to be painful, but fun to watch.

New York Knicks: The Knicks have raided the near-retirement ward of the NBA and carved out a decent bench for themselves. Camby, Thomas and Kidd and reduced roles should flourish and round out the bench nicely; giving the Knicks a paint presence they haven't had since, well... Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas. Obviously, they have should-be Defensive Player of the Year, Tyson Chandler, but I couldn't resist the nod to those centers' younger days in blue and orange. For the first time in some time, the Knicks have not overpaid for players, wisely letting Lin and Fields walk and replacing them with Felton (we'll see) and Ronnie Brewer (brilliant signing for the price). All is not blue skies in New York, however. Felton is coming off a woeful season in Portland, perhaps proving once and for all that Mike D'Antoni's run and gun system will embellish any point guard's skill set. Regardless, you couldn't justify giving Lin that kind of money and/or expect Jason Kidd to log heavy minutes. Felton appears to be saying the right things and is poised for a "comeback" of sorts. Time will tell, but the Knicks made the move they had to make regardless. The jury is still out as to whether Carmelo can mold his game to blend with... anybody, but his performance in the Olympics was almost poetic and he's shown that he can play and win with pieces around him. I feel pretty safe in saying that Amare is somewhat of a bust with no knees or basketball skills to speak of as a result, but bear in mind that if the Knicks wound up with no prize free agent two summers ago, Donnie Walsh would have made Isiah Thomas and Eddy Curry look beloved in the Big Apple. Stoudemire's days of bulldozing through and over people appear to be more or less behind him and while his jumper has improved, it doesn't justify his paycheck. He did train with Hakeem this offseason, and the last person who did that won a title. The Knicks almost certainly won't, but maybe Amare has learned some tricks that will prove to make himself and his team better this season. The bottom line is that the Knicks have both improved and been wise with money this offseason. Their improvement likely won't translate to more than yet another first round bounce, but I respect the Knicks for making the best of the bed they've made. My one true gripe is why the heck was J.R. Smith re-signed and why did he bring his brother with him?

Brooklyn Nets: Simply put, a team lined up to be the most improved team in the league. The Joe Johnson acquisition is a bit overrated, especially with a budding MarShon Brooks still on the roster, but the fact that they didn't have to give up much to get him may make his signing the biggest steal of the season. Deron Williams is more than appeased and has some real tools to work with this season, including the re-signed Gerald Wallace and bounding machine Kris Humphries. Joe Johnson resurrects an almost lost mid-range game in the NBA, Brook Lopez, once arguably the second best center in the Eastern Conference, will be healthy and has promised to be more active on the glass, and again, the aforementioned Brooks has no ceiling in sight. Bogans will be a great perimeter defender for the squad. CJ Watson was more than an adequate backup for the injury riddled Derrick Rose in Chicago last season and should do more of the same filling the sneakers of Williams. This is indeed and whole new squad and the impetus is on Avery Johnson now to be up to the task for what will now be championship aspirations. I don't know about you, but I think this squad looks a lot better to me than a gutted roster resulting in Williams, Dwight Howard, and a bunch of miscellaneous players. The power may have shifted in New York before a game has even been played in the lavish Barclay Center.

Philadelphia Sixers: The Kwame Brown Era was over before it even had the chance to begin, as there's a new big man in town. Andrew Bynum's arrival comes at the expense of the departure of often criticized swingman, Andre Iguodala. I gather that the mood in Philly is mostly that of great merriment, and I share their levity. It's refreshing to have a true new day in Sixer basketball and have Iggy's huge ego replaced with huge expectations. Iggy's departure is somewhat bittersweet, considering he was coming off two of his best seasons under Doug Collins, but largely the team was going to be stuck in limbo until a change of this magnitude occurred. The Sixers inherit a seven footer who has nothing but upside and seems to be thrilled to be embraced by the "brotherly love". Bynum has had his own maturity issues, most notably and recently with Laker coach, Mike Brown, but the way I see it, a change in scenery can be the best medicine for an unhappy player and if Doug Collins can turn Iggy from a shot taker into a playmaker, I don't doubt he can continue his horse whispering ways with the young Bynum. Collins really does seem to have an intangible ability to get through to young players and I couldn't be more excited to see where he can lead this team this coming season. Holiday continues to blossom, seemingly by the game, and I think Turner's solid performance in last year's playoffs is telling of a breakout year to come. With Iggy gone and a  more defined role with the team, he'll likely finally have the room to grow into a player worthy of being the second pick of the draft. The Sixers seem to molded in the image of the former Finals contending Magic squad, with shooters (Young, Richardson, Holiday) surrounding the dominant center piece. The Sixers have more talent on paper than that team ever did, with the versatile Spencer Hawes and Thad Young rounding out the rotation. Lavoy Allen was a stud as far as rookies go last season and he should continue to grow under Collins' wing. Quite simply this team has a whole new look that should translate to much improvement and debatable contention in the coming years, should Andrew Bynum's health hold up and, of course, he re-signs. You have every reason to be excited and the conference and league should be on the lookout for the young and growing Sixers.