Slowly but surely, the Brooklyn Nets are starting to look like the team they were built to be

Their record might still be ugly (9-15), but with three wins in their last four games, the Nets are beginning to play some good basketball

Just over a week ago, when the Nets were destroyed by their crosstown rival, the Knicks, in a blowout loss at the Barclays Center–on national television nonetheless–it appeared as if they had hit rock bottom. The team predicted to win the Atlantic Division going away, and contend for the Eastern Conference crown, was 5-14 and knocking of the door of its division's cellar. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce looked like zombies of their former selves, while injuries amounted all over the place.

Clearly, things were playing out horrifically for the Nets, and maybe more importantly, their rookie head coach Jason Kidd. A star point guard for the franchise in the early 2000s, Kidd was a player in the NBA–for the Knicks–as recent as last season, and almost (maybe kind of) saw his first coaching stint go up in flames. There was talk of Brooklyn possibly firing him when the Nets were nine games under .500 and at their worst. However, with the team's recent resurgence, Kidd's job is secure and his players are performing with passion, intensity, youth, and excitement.

That's a great happening to see, especially with the older nature of the Nets' current roster. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Andrei Kirilenko, and Jason Terry are all on the wrong side of thirty, so them (with the exception of AK and Terry due to injury) going through a career second-wind is great for the team and gives it the varied offensive and defensive looks it needs to become a true contender.

Additionally, Joe, Deron Williams, and Brook Lopez have all been playing like true All-Stars over the Nets' last few games, most notably during their four-win, five-game stretch.

Joe hit ten three-pointers and scored 37 points last night versus the 76ers, and is averaging over 18 points this month. He has seemingly returned to his knockdown-from-the-perimeter self that he was in Atlanta with the Hawks. He can drain threes all game, but also can use his size to hit high-percentage floaters in the lane that opposing teams cannot defend.

Deron, since returning from his ankle injury four games ago, has been lights-out in terms of both shooting and leading the Nets' offense. Scoring 18.8 points, dishing 8.3 assists, and hitting nearly 57 percent of his shots in those games, Deron has been a main reason for Brooklyn's winning stretch and even outdueled Chris Paul in an important win for the Nets over the Clippers last week. Looking active and re-energized, D-Will has been running circles around other teams on the fastbreak and even in halfcourt sets, where he can easily break down lazy defenses and either find a teammate or score himself.

Finally, we come to Brook Lopez, who, before suffering an ankle injury like Deron, was absolutely owning the paint on offense, scoring almost 22 points per contest in December. He was also incredibly efficient from the field, hitting nearly 60 percent of his shots, highlighted by a two-game stretch against the Bucks and Celtics in which he was a combined 21-for-26, which is an absurd field goal percentage of 81. When healthy, Brook has been the most dominant scoring center in the NBA, hands down, and hasn't been slowed down by anyone other than himself.

When you add the improved contributions of Pierce, KG, and Mirza Teletovic and continued strong play from Shaun Livingston, Alan Anderson, and Mason Plumlee, the Nets suddenly look like a top-flight team with so many options even they can't keep track. It's ridiculously hard for Brooklyn's opponents to deal with all of those scorers, in any combination, at once, which has resulted in increased scoring for the Nets. The team's defense has also improved as of late, adding to the reasons as to why it has been playing so much better.

The Nets aren't at where they want to be just yet, but they're definitely getting there and are going to arrive soon, especially with the anticipated return of Kirilenko in the next few weeks and Terry at some point after that. When this team can finally get its whole talent complement together on the floor, then the rest of the East–Heat and Pacers included–should take notice, maybe even some teams in the West as well.