A majority of the NBA’s 30 general managers believe the Brooklyn Nets will be the league’s most improved team in 2012-13.
The Nets garnered 62.1 percent of the vote, while the Lakers and Timberwolves tied for second at 10.3 percent.
The Nets went just 22-44 last season, their final season in New Jersey.
But with the team set to move to Brooklyn and the $1 billion Barclays Center, GM Billy King got busy during the summer, bringing in nine newcomers -- highlighted by a blockbuster trade for Joe Johnson -- while retaining four starters in Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries and Brook Lopez. In all, King’s spending spree cost around $330 million.
On paper, the Nets expect to be a playoff team this season.
You can check out the entire poll, which is conducted annually by NBA.com, by clicking here.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was that D-Will did not receive any votes for best point guard in the NBA*. As recently as two seasons ago, he was named the best PG in the league.
Chris Paul (69 percent) was the runaway favorite, while Derrick Rose (20.7 percent), Rajon Rondo (6.9 percent) and Tony Parker (3.4 percent) finished behind the Clippers star.
* Disclaimer: King has called Williams “the best point guard in the NBA” a thousand times, but could not vote for him due to poll rules.