Dwight Howard Nets: Superman to Brooklyn Makes Team Second-Best in the East

If the Brooklyn Nets sign Dwight Howard, they will instantly become the Miami Heat’s biggest competitor in the Eastern Conference.

Chris Sheridan of SheridanHooop.com reported that Howard still wants out of Orlando despite Stan Van Gundy’s firing. The same report states that Brooklyn is the current favorite to become the All-Star center’s new home. 

The Nets’ biggest draw is fellow All-Star Deron Williams. The point guard is one of the best in basketball, but his skills have gone to waste during his time in New Jersey due to a lack of talent on the rest of the roster.

Williams can opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent this summer. If this happens, the Nets will need to move quickly on Howard in order to keep Williams from signing elsewhere.

Another piece of the puzzle is Gerald Wallace. As Sheridan notes in the same article, the swingman has a player option for next year, and he must make a decision on his future by mid-June.

Wallace was acquired by the Nets during the trade deadline and would be the third-best player on the roster, assuming the team trades Brook Lopez to get Howard.

This gives Brooklyn very little time to prove to Williams and Wallace that they have a legitimate shot at getting Howard. If the team cannot show this, both of these players will likely walk away.

But if the Nets pull off the blockbuster deal, they will become the second-best team in the Eastern Conference. 

It will take some time for the core of the team to mesh, but it won’t take that long. Williams and Howard are a natural fit; Howard relies on the pick-and-roll for a lot of his points, and Williams is an expert with the play after spending years with Jerry Sloan.

Williams averaged more than 10 assists during his last three full seasons with the Utah Jazz. His passing stats dipped once he came to New Jersey, but his scoring numbers have risen. He will be running the offense, and he is comfortable as either a scorer or a distributor.

Having Wallace on the wing will keep the defense honest, as a late rotation will often lead to a highlight dunk for the slashing small forward.

Defensively, this team would be a juggernaut. Howard is still the most powerful defensive force in basketball. His 2011-12 season was filled with injuries and turmoil, which ended his streak of three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards. If he gets the change of scenery he has requested and returns healthy, he will take back the award in 2012-13. 

Williams’ size allows him to bully smaller guards and even match up with other positions, while Wallace has always been a dynamic defender and will terrorize players on the perimeter. 

This trio of players is better than the Chicago Bulls’ core of Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer. 

The Bulls were impressive without Rose for much of this season, but they still have not addressed the glaring flaws that led to their playoff loss to the Heat in 2011. Rose is the only All-NBA caliber player on the team, and opponents clamp down on him late in games, rendering the Chicago offense ineffective.

Brooklyn, however, would have Howard to eat up the inside and Williams to work on the perimeter. This would keep defenses from paying too much attention to either player.

After the Bulls, there isn’t any team in the East that would be able to compete with the Heat or the Nets if they get Howard. 

Brooklyn’s ability to match one of the game’s best point guards along with the best big man in the league would catapult them into contention for the Eastern Conference title.