Hollinger's Begrudging Respect

John Hollinger had been highly critical of Billy King prior to the Draft. He didn't call for him to be fired, as his colleagues Chad Ford and Bill Simmons did, but he regularly dissed the Nets lack of strategy. Now, he must admit, "It worked."

He called the Nets "the biggest winner this summer." He still disagrees with the strategy of spending like there's no tomorrow (and there wouldn't have been if the Nets failed to field a good team in Brooklyn.)

"They’ll pay millions in luxury tax and won’t have much of a bench," he opined. "Defensively this team remains seriously suspect. Nonetheless, they accomplished Part I of their mission. This wasn’t a destination team in East Rutherford, but as Dwight Howard and Deron Williams showed, it now is in Brooklyn."

• Good, bad, ugly of 2012 NBA offseason - John Hollinger - ESPN Insider