NBA Free Agents 2012: How Would Brooklyn's Big Three Compare to Miami's?

The Brooklyn Nets are on the verge of perhaps the most successful week in franchise history.

The Nets have already made a blockbuster trade that saw them acquire former Atlanta Hawks superstar Joe Johnson, and now they could possibly land Dwight Howard and resign Deron Williams.

If all of the dominoes fall into place, it would make the Nets instant contenders, and one of the most exciting teams in all of basketball.

But could the Nets win a championship with a big three of Williams, Johnson, and Howard? With talented teams like Chicago, Boston and New York in the East, and San Antonio, Oklahoma City and the Lakers out West, it would be no easy accomplishment, even with their new big three.

However, Brooklyn's biggest competition—by far—would be the defending NBA Champions, the Miami Heat.

After all, the Heat have a big three of their own. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have made the finals in each of their first two seasons together and took home the NBA title last month.

So how do the two teams compare if Brooklyn completes their surprising big three?

Both have their pros and cons. For starters, we have no idea how Williams, Howard and Johnson will mesh. Miami has already proven they can play together and win a championship together.

While both teams would possess unbelievable talent, none of the Nets big three could match up to LeBron James. 

James has proven himself to be the best player in the world and could eventually go down as one of the greatest ever.  The Nets don't have a player who can score 30 or get a triple-double on any night like James can.

They also don't have a proven winner who is also a superstar, like Dwyane Wade. 

Although Wade's skills may have declined slightly over the last few years, he is still one of the top five players in the NBA and can take over a game at any given time. 

Despite their talent, Williams, Howard and Johnson can't match up with Wade or James.

However, what the Nets do have is great balance.

Unlike with the Heat, the Nets' big three would be made up of a point guard, shooting guard and a center, all of them all-stars.

While James and Wade are great together, they basically want to do the same things, which is why there was so much of a learning curve for them playing together.

Both are perimeter scorers, and Chris Bosh, despite being a power forward, is more comfortable as a mid-range player than he is with his back to the basket.

The Nets, however, would have a dynamic point guard in Williams. He's capable of putting the team on his back as a scorer, but can also get everyone involved. 

His ability to score and pass has led to him being one of the premier point guards in the league.

Johnson is a wing scorer. And while he doesn't have the talent of James or Wade, he was the best player on a Hawks team that was no stranger to the playoffs for the last several seasons. Johnson is a 20-a-night scorer with the ability to create his own shot.

Howard is the best big man in the league, plain and simple. He still has flaws in his game. But his ability to impact the game on defense, rebound at a dominant pace and score in the paint has made him an unstoppable force at center.

Howard was never able to lead the Magic to a title on his own, But with Brooklyn, he would not be asked to do it alone. Having Williams and Johnson around to ease his scoring load would allow him to be even more effective.

At the end of the day, I would still take Miami's big three, simply because of the superstar ability of James and Wade.

However, Brooklyn is not far behind. With the right pieces around their big three, the Nets could easily become the biggest threat to dethrone the Heat as NBA champions.