For Brooklyn Nets, going 1, 2 key to success

Deron Williams told David Aldridge on Monday that the Nets current roster reminds him most of the 2004 Detroit Pistons who won a championship not because they boasted a superstar but because they had top ten talent at every starting position. The Pistons also had a great bench ... and played great defense.

The Nets indeed have that kind of talent (the defense is, to be kind, still a work in progress) but they will rely on their backcourt to set the tone, just as the Pistons did with Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton. Those two, of course, had great chemistry and provided great leadership. Can Williams and Joe Johnson do the same?

"There’s some growing pains there, in terms of where they’re going to be, but the main thing is they’ve got great chemistry," said their coach Avery Johnson. "They’ve got great respect for each other, and they’re really going to push each other."

Williams and Johnson do believe in each other. "Everybody talks about we both need the ball in our hands," Williams said after the first of two practices. "Number one, in Utah, I didn’t always have the ball in my hands. With the system we ran, I’d give it up and get it back at the end of the shot clock.

"It’s a good problem to have," he added. "And the main thing is, the guys that we have are all about winning a championship." Just like Billups and Hamilton.

• Deron Williams, Joe Johnson working on Nets' 1-2 punch - Rod Boone - New York Newsday
• Deron Williams on Joe Johnson: 'I think we'll be a great fit' - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
• Williams, Johnson say their games fit nicely together - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Avery has many bench options - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Brooklyn Nets Media Day (Video) - David Aldridge - NBA.com
• Joe Johnson's new role with the Nets - Kyle Boenitz - Crossover Chronicles
  
• The Nets' New Strategy: Attack, Attack, Attack - Scott Cacciola - Wall Street Journal