Power Rankings: Patient's condition is unchanged

Yeah, we missed last week's power rankings. Too much going.  Then again, nothing much has changed the last three weeks. Nets remain in a trance (or coma, if you prefer), losing more than they're winning. So, everyone has then around No. 20 in power, but No. 1 in payroll.

Josh Martin has them jumping four places and Matt Moore of CBS and Kurt Helin of NBC has them dropping two places. The rest: all between one up and one down. Boring.

John Schuhmann, NBA.com, 20 (+1)

The inclusion of Mason Plumlee is reportedly a sticking point in a potential deal of Deron Williams to Sacramento, and he's proving why with Brook Lopez out. Plumlee has averaged 16.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks as a starter in the last seven games, providing a much-needed dose of athleticism on a very slow-footed roster.

Marc Stein, ESPN, 20 (-1)

Don't want to dwell on the 1-13 record against .500-or-better teams or Mason Plumlee thriving in Brook Lopez's absence or the fact that Brooklyn has no incentive to miss the playoffs because Atlanta would get its lottery pick. Can I get away with focusing on how much I like those blue-and-grey unis?

In the ESPN Hollinger Power Rankings, the Nets are 22nd, up one from last week.

Marc J. Spears, Yahoo! Sports, 20 (-)

Kevin Garnett is still pulling in 8.3 rebounds a game, but as Brooklyn struggles along, does anybody notice?

Drew Garrison, SB Nation, 18 (-)

It's hard to tell where the Nets are headed. This team is ready to be broken up and shipped across the NBA at any moment, with point guard Deron Williams looking like the "prized" asset teams may try to swindle away. Unfortunately he just isn't the same guy who was wow'ing the league in Utah and has been steadily declining over the last few years.



Matt Dollinger, Sports Illustrated, 21 (-1)

The Nets are 1-11 against teams .500 or above right now. So yeah, I’d consider trading everyone, too.

Adi Joseph, et al, USA Today, 20 (-1)

Mason Plumlee finally has Lionel Hollins' trust. Brook Lopez still waits.

Kurt Helin, NBC Sports, 21 (-2)

The rumors of the Deron Williams to Sacramento trade sum things up well — the Kings only will take on Williams and his contract if they can get the coveted Mason Plumlee as well. Not much demand for the Nets stars out there.

Matt Moore, CBS Sports, 20 (-2)

Many better clubs took losses, so the Nets benefit. That, along with a good showing vs. Cleveland and a tough (read: ugly as sin) win vs. Detroit pushes them out of the Terrible Ten. But the clock is ticking on the blowup we all know is coming.

Michael C. Lee, Washington Post, 19 (-)

Jarrett Jack might want to pursue a few more degrees from Georgia Tech. Jack participated in his graduation ceremony last Saturday in Atlanta, flew back in time for the Nets’ win over Charlotte and recorded his lone double-digit scoring outing this month.

Josh Martin, Bleacher Report, 17 (+4)

Joe Johnson wasn't wrong when he called out his Brooklyn Nets teammates for their selfish play. His fears were realized somewhat in a 107-99 loss to the Golden State Warriors, during which the Nets assisted on a modest 19 of their 39 field goals while shooting just 43.8 percent.

The bigger issue, though, was that Brooklyn gave up 107 points on the other end, including 50 in the paint. The Nets haven't been abjectly terrible on D, but their defensive rank (19th) compared to their offensive one (fifth) would suggest that stopping people is Brooklyn's bigger problem.

To that end, Johnson's point about trust is well-taken. "I just didn't think that as individuals, as players that we all have each other's backs out there," he said on Wednesday (via ESPNNewYork.com's Ohm Youngmisuk).

Good defense is predicated on trust. If the Nets don't develop more of that in the weeks and months to come, they'll have a tough time hanging around the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.