It seems that the Dwight Howard situation finally resolved itself with his trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Nets fans are glad that we do not have to deal with the circus surrounding the uncertainty of it.
4. Deron Williams is signed and ready to lead this team
All of last season, Nets fans were somewhat disappointed with Williams. There was an insistence to test free agency. There were criticisms of the team’s arena in Newark. It didn’t seem like he was 100 percent committed on the court. Maybe it was the lockout, maybe he was exhausted from playing in Turkey, maybe he was worried about his future.
Nets fans’ biggest worry was the possibility of Williams taking his talents to Dallas. The Nets had traded away most of their future assets for the franchise point guard and would be up a creek without a paddle for the next few years if he left. But now they make their move to Brooklyn with their All-NBA caliber, gold medal winning point guard in tow. And we all can breathe a sigh of relief.
5. Brook Lopez is healthy
Lopez is one of the best young centers in the NBA. Everyone likes to discount his potential because he had low rebounding numbers (just 3.6 rpg last season), but the fact is that he was always playing injured. A pair of foot injuries, arm and shoulder injuries, and a bout of mononucleosis sapped his energy. But you never heard him complain, and he often played through those maladies.
Even with the nagging injuries, there’s one thing Lopez has always excelled at – scoring. He has averaged better than 17 points per game for his career. A healthy Lopez makes this team scary, especially if he can rebound like he did in his first two seasons.
Season Preview Index
Jeff Uler is a lifelong Nets fan and a contributor to NetsDaily.com, SBNation’s blog for coverage of the Brooklyn Nets. You can follow the site on Twitter.