Missing Brook Lopez: How would Nets have fared with the seven-footer?

The Heat had their way with the Nets underneath on Tuesday.  Mason Plumlee and Andray Blatche looked underwhelming and Kevin Garnett failed to score in the game, a playoff first. Would things have been better with Brook Lopez out there, instead of rehabbing a reconstructed right foot?

Billy King offered his opinion to Harvey Araton of the Times...

"It’s funny: When Chicago was making that great run, everybody was saying, ‘Oh, man, wait until they get Derrick Rose back,’ " King said. "The thing that Brook gives is that guy who can score, who demands double teams. He gives us a post presence, and he can play the elbow, do a lot of things, so I think he would really help us in a series like this, or even in the Toronto series.

"But nobody seems to talk about how we’re missing Brook. In this case, it’s almost like they’re very dismissive of an All-Star, our leading scorer."

Doesn't sound like the Nets GM is interested in trading him. And why should he?  While Plumlee looked terrific when filling in for Kevin Garnett for a quarter of the season, as Araton writes, " the offensively challenged and foul-prone Plumlee all but disappeared from Coach Jason Kidd’s rotation. As for Blatche, who can put on a show, has regressed of late and can't be relied upon.  Lopez, when healthy, was old Reliable.

"I think everybody knows what Brook could have meant for us," Deron Williams said. "It definitely would have been a luxury to have him"

• Facing Heat, Nets Show They Miss Brook Lopez - Harvey Araton - New York Times