2012-13 NBA Preview: Brooklyn Nets

By Kels Dayton
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Updated: October 15, 2012

6. Brooklyn Nets

HOW THEY CAN WIN: The Nets didn’t land Dwight Howard, but they did manage to make a splash for their debut in Brooklyn by landing star guard Joe Johnson and re-signing Deron Williams. Johnson, who was criticized for his lack of crunch-time chops in Atlanta, can now fall into his rightful place as the second dog behind Williams. His 18.8 ppg will help greatly, as will his ability to defend 2’s and 3’s, something the Nets struggled with. The addition of Gerald Wallace (13.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg) shouldn’t be understated, either.

WHY THEY WON’T: The problem lies up front, where the oft-injured Brook Lopez (19.2 ppg) and benchwarmer Andray Blatche are the only two players listed taller than 6-9. Lopez is a poor rebounder for his size (3.6 rpg?! Really?) so Kris Humphries (13.8 ppg, 11 rpg) will have to pick up the slack. If either goes down, the Nets could be in trouble.

FINAL DESTINATION: Things are looking up for the Brooklyn Nets, who have forged a new identity, cool new jerseys, and (hopefully) many more fans across the river. The addition of Johnson is nice, but the pressure now lies on the frontcourt to stay healthy and be productive.

OUR CALL: 47-35.

TEAM ROSTER
NO.	NAME	POS	AGE	HT	WT	COLLEGE	2012-2013 SALARY
0	Andray Blatche	F	26	6-11	260		$854,389
10	Keith Bogans	G	32	6-5	215	Kentucky	$854,389
9	MarShon Brooks	G	23	6-5	200	Providence	$1,160,040
2	Josh Childress	F	29	6-8	210	Stanford	$854,389
14	Stephen Dennis	G	25	6-6	180	Kutztown	$473,604
30	Reggie Evans	F	32	6-8	245	Iowa	$1,622,617
43	Kris Humphries	F	27	6-9	235	Minnesota	$12,000,000
7	Joe Johnson	G	31	6-7	240	Arkansas	$19,752,645
11	Brook Lopez	C	24	7-0	265	Stanford	$13,668,750
44	James Mays	F	26	6-9	230	Clemson	$473,604
34	Carleton Scott	F	24	6-8	218	Notre Dame	$473,604
20	Tornike Shengelia	F	21	6-8	207		$473,604
42	Jerry Stackhouse	F	37	6-6	218	North Carolina	$854,389
41	Tyshawn Taylor	G	22	6-3	185	Kansas	$473,604
33	Mirza Teletovic	F	27	6-9	255		$3,090,000
45	Gerald Wallace	F	30	6-7	220	Alabama	$9,682,435
1	C.J. Watson	G	28	6-2	175	Tennessee	$992,680
8	Deron Williams	G	28	6-3	209	Illinois	$17,177,795