In their final 5x5 roundtable on NBA team prospects, five ESPN analysts are unanimous on a couple of key points re the Nets: Deron Williams is likely to stay a Net and even if he doesn't the trade that sent Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and two picks to Utah was the right move. Playoffs next year? Doubtful. Dwight Howard? Could be.
The five, from ESPN New York, Nets Are Scorching and Hardwood Paroxysm, have no doubts on the key D-Will questions, and only a little on whether Brook Lopez will be an All-Star multiple times. Whether they disagree sharply is on whether the Nets can make the playoffs. Of course with only seven returning veterans, it's hard to predict.
As for Dwight Howard, Devin Kharpertian summed it up: "Howard is rightfully the top priority for the Nets, but he's not the be-all, end-all."