Let's not get ahead of ourselves. The Nets haven't completed their three team deal for the right to ask for Carmelo Anthony's hand in marriage. With each passing loss, the Nets chances of making the playoffs shrink as well. Not stopping ESPN's Tom Haberstroh. He writes about how the Nets would fare in a playoff matchup with the Heat!
Plugging in the new players, who do have a lot of championship bling, Haberstroh theorizes that 1) the playoffs are still not out of the question and 2) a team with Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries might stand a chance vs. the Big Three.
"The Nets would start with the isolation-heavy wing attack from Anthony, who is hard enough to guard as it is," he writes, only a little breathlessly. "But then add in the tireless Hamilton buzzing around the half court off screens from the rock-solid Humphries and the 7-foot Lopez. After that, you have to stay honest on Billups, who is one of the best knock-down shooters at the point guard position and a terror to stop off the dribble. Oh, and Lopez is a gifted scorer in the post."
- Imagining a Heat-Nets playoff scenario - Tom Haberstroh - ESPN
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Why Carmelo Anthony Is the Ultimate Team Player (and What 'Advanced' Stats Miss About Him) - Nate Silver - New York Times