No Dwight Howard, No Problem for Brooklyn Nets Billy King

Billy King met with Adrian Wojnarowski this week, to talk what might have been with Dwight Howard ... and how he recovered more than nicely from that disappointment.

"They were determined to send him West," said King of the Magic, echoing a line reported in Orlando before and after the D12 trace. "I don't think they wanted to face him four times a year. Traditionally, superstars go out of their conference. In Philly, I sent [Allen] Iverson to Denver. Shaq went West, and back East. Carmelo [Anthony] went West to East. [Kevin] Garnett went West to East. And I knew I was fighting against that the whole time."

He might have added he was a beneficiary of that thinking, Utah having sent Deron Williams West to East. And that good fortune, along with some deep Russian pockets, was King's insurance policy. As long as he could keep D-Will, he believed the rest would fall in place and it did.

Woj writes, "Against a lot of odds, though, the Nets still come to Brooklyn with a superstar point guard and a roster to make trouble for the Knicks and Madison Square Garden. Now, the Nets come across the Hudson River, come out of Jersey and into New York, and it changes the game for the franchise."

Not everyon agrees. Henry Abbott and David Thorpe, in fact, believed the Nets had the most overrated off-season.

• Nets miss out on Dwight Howard, continue to build a contender in East - Adrian Wojnarowski - Yahoo! Sports
• THTV: Smoke and Mirrors (Video) - Henry Abbott & David Thorpe - ESPN