There is — for the first time in recent memory — a palpable buzz about a New Jersey Nets game Friday.
That’s what bringing in a superstar can do. And the Nets got a superstar in Deron Williams. Knicks fans flip out at the idea, but the Nets got the better player, they bested the Knicks in deadline trades. Not the bigger name, not the better pure scorer, but the Nets got the better player. The better defender, the better guy at setting up teammates and lifting them up, the better leader.
Now they have to keep him. What the Knicks are is further along in the rebuilding process.
The Nets just got a cornerstone, but they are just starting out building. There is a lot to do. They are not contenders, they are not even good yet.
The first step is to see if the arrival of Williams elevates Brook Lopez. He was the guy touted as a building block who this season has regressed, coming into camp off a bout of mononucleosis and looking like he was playing with it all season (he has been better the last couple weeks). He also seems to have a natural allergic reaction to rebounding. He’s got a big bag of offensive skills, he could be dangerous on the 1/5 pick-and-roll with Williams, but his game has got to continue on the arc it was the past few seasons, not the one from the first half of this season. And mix in a few boards.
That’s two spots. Two key spots. But the rest of the roster… needs some work, let’s say.
Anthony Morrow could be a quality starting two who teams have to cover out at the arc. After that, Lakers cast-offs Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic are backups on a good team. Pretty much as you go down the line these are guys you want coming off the bench. If you want them coming in at all.
The good news is the Nets have picks and a lot of cap room (how much depends on what the new collective bargaining agreement looks like), they are in a good position to remake this roster. D-Will is an attraction, but the feeling will be that free agents will not want to come unless Williams commits to a longer deal, and Williams will not want to commit to a longer deal unless the free agents come.
There is a lot of work to do. But the Nets took a big first step. They should celebrate and enjoy the buzz tonight. Then get to work. Because there is a lot to do.
