Power rankings: more of the same

It's still the holiday season and it appears some of our weekly pundits are taking some time off. So there aren't as many power rankings as normal.  Does it matter?  No. The consensus is the same: the Nets are somewhere near the bottom of the NBA, with no one ranking them higher than No. 23 (thank you) and no ranking them lower than No. 28 (thank God)

A couple of the writers cited Jason Kidd's call-out of the team as a positive, that energy and effort seemed to improve. Otherwise, nothing to see here. Move along.

John Schuhmann, NBA.com (23)

The Nets showed a little more heart after Jason Kidd called them out (they didn't quite let go of the rope in their second game against the Pacers) last week, but their porous defense, inconsistent offense, tough schedule and constant lineup changes are keeping them from truly getting on track. Since his 10-for-14 game two weeks ago, Joe Johnson has shot 5-for-23 from 3-point range.

Marc Stein, ESPN (29)

I keep saying the Nets, even without Brook Lopez, have enough to win the Titanic Division. The Nets, thanks to their ongoing issues on D and on the boards, keep trying to prove me wrong. I'd say 2014 offers hope of a fresh start, but they open at OKC ... after closing out 2013 in San Antonio.

Marc J. Spears, Yahoo! Sports (26)

After losing at Indiana on Saturday, the Nets continue their difficult three-game road trip at San Antonio and Oklahoma City.

Jason Patt, SB Nation (26)

The Nets were the first of the two New York teams to embarrass themselves with their aforementioned beat down at the hands of the Bulls on Christmas Day. Head coach Jason Kidd seemingly threw in the towel in the third quarter, just adding to the list of questionable decisions the first-year headmaster has made this season:

Matt Moore, CBS Sports (28)

The vultures are gathering; it's probably going to get worse before it gets better.

Kurt Helin, NBC Sports (23)

Jason Kidd is calling them out and that seemed to help the effort a little. Kidd’s issues still fall to management — they put a first-time, no experience head coach in charge of a team with a very short window to be competitive.

Matt Dollinger, Sports Illusrated (25)

The Nets aren't losing so much as spectacularly imploding. The amount of overpayment and underachievement in Brooklyn is staggering. So much, that it's hard to imagine this cast of haphazardly assembled characters staying together much longer.