The ESPN Future Power Rankings are fun, if imprecise, subjective and sometimes mystifying. The Nets have dropped to #17 from #12 in the last year, but it's hard to figure some of the internal rankings that make up the total number. Is its market rank, seventh, based on Brooklyn, as it should be, or New Jersey? There's no mention of Brooklyn or Barclays Center in the analysis. And why is management ranked 23rd out of 30. Does risk-taking factor into the rankings? It should.

There's something else that needs to discussed when it comes to the Nets' future. One cornerstone of the Nets' future is supposed to be globalization. As Ken Berger wrote, "global marketing opportunities" along with a "bigger stage", is what's attractive to Dwight Howard. Aside from Russian ownership and Jay-Z's status as "global icon", that doesn't seem a priority now, while at the same time the cross-river rivals just got a global boost from a 6'3" point guard with Asian roots. Moreoever, Mikhail Prokhorov has other interests and there's uncertainty about his role in the franchise's future.

Brooklyn, we are told, will change everything. Its international brand (which is not the equal of New York's) should help, but we haven't yet seen the specifics of how the Nets will capitalize on it globally.

• ESPN's NBA Future Power Rankings - Chad Ford & John Hollinger - ESPN Insider