Brooklyn Nets ranked #4 in Summer moves

The Brooklyn Nets are ranked #4 in David Aldridge’s latest article as he ranks the offseason Winners and Losers to date.  I personally think he is not giving the Nets enough credit but he does make valid points. Check it out

Mike Fratello talks about the Nets – VIDEO

David Aldridge writes – @daldridgetnt

No. 4 — BROOKLYN NETS

ADDED: G Joe Johnson (acquired from Atlanta); F Mirza Teletovic (three years, $9.6 million); F Reggie Evans (sign-and-trade with Clippers, three years, $5 million); G C.J. Watson (two years, $2.13 million); G Jerry Stackhouse (one year, $1.35 million); G Keith Bogans (one year, $1.35 million); F Tornike Shengelia (Draft night trade, Philadelphia); G Tyshawn Taylor (Draft night trade, Portland), F Ilkan Karaman (second-round pick, 57th overall).

LOST: G Jordan Farmar (traded to Atlanta); F Jordan Williams (traded to Atlanta); G DeShawn Stevenson (sign-and-trade to Atlanta); C Johan Petro (traded to Atlanta); G Anthony Morrow (traded to Atlanta); G Gerald Green (signed with Indiana).

RETAINED: G Deron Williams (five years, $98 million); C Brook Lopez (four years, $61 million); F/C Kris Humphries (two years, $24 million); F Gerald Wallace (four years, $40 million).

THE KEY MAN: G Joe Johnson.
The Nets traded almost half of their team for him and took on the remaining $89 million of his massive $124 million contract from Atlanta. That kind of deal has crushed the spirits and play of many a player over the years, and in the heat of New York City, Johnson will have to produce at an All-Star level every night to withstand the torrent of media and fan criticism that awaits him if he comes up short. Having said that, Johnson has a chance to live up to it. Williams is the best point guard Johnson has played with since he got a season with Steve Nash in Phoenix in 2004-05.

THE SKINNY: For an owner who just came on the scene, Mikhail Prokhorov played this offseason like it was 1996 and spent money like they were printing it at his house. (Come to think of it …) The Nets committed more than $330 million in new salaries in a month’s time. Now, that’s not as crazy as it sounds at first blush; Brooklyn’s plan was to clear enough cap room to be able to make a run at Dwight Howard and keep Williams, and the Nets did just that, getting more than $40 million under the cap when the free agency period began. They didn’t get Howard, though, and that’s why they can’t be ranked any higher despite their activity — which is no guarantee they’ll become a contender in the east. But they managed to keep Williams without getting Howard, which is why they can’t be ranked any lower. Brooklyn will certainly get as close to a honeymoon period as you can in Gotham, bringing a major pro sports team back to the borough for the first time since the (still) beloved Dodgers left for Los Angeles in 1957. The Nets’ new home, the Barclays Center, should certainly produce the kind of revenues, at least for a while, that will soften the impact of their salary commitments. The Nets’ new ceiling may not be as high as they’d hoped, but at least they’ll move into their new digs with a lot more talent than when they left Newark last April.