In Power Rankings, Schuhmann drops Nets below Knicks

John Schuhmann's power rankings have always been the gold standard in the class.  Very thorough, very dispassionate and very succinct. So when he suggests the Nets come out of the Draft and free agency in 25th place, three below the Knicks (!), it's probably worth your attention.

Here's what he has to say about Brooklyn...

Key addition(s): Locker room happiness, tax relief
Key question: Can Jarrett Jack just run the offense?
Two sobering numbers in regard to the Nets: They had the point differential of a 31-win team last season and, though he had a down year, they were much worse when Deron Williams wasn't on the floor. They still have talent at the other starting spots, but those guys need Jack to limit his pull-up jumpers and focus on getting them the ball.

Schuhmann has been down on Jack for a long time, noting at one point, that the Nets had been "downright awful" with Jack in the lineup. So he's very skeptical of what a Jack-led starting five can do. He also excoriated the Nets for picking up Bargnani, even for the vets minimum.

Of course, it's early and free agent grades are still rolling in. Here's one fun fact: SI says the Nets were the fourth biggest spenders in free agency at $129 million, most of that of course being the $113 million spent re-signing Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young.

• Summer moves don't change East-West discrepancy - John Schuhmann - NBA.com
• Visualization: Which NBA team spent the most (and least) in free agency? - Ben Liebowitz - Sports Illustrated