The Brooklyn Nets Might Be The Most Delusional Franchise In The Entire NBA
The Brooklyn Nets believe that stars would want to come play for them in New York, per @NYPost_Lewis
“They feel they can recruit players. That 100% is their belief… They believe that guys will want to play in New York… Between talking with agents and players, they have a feeling they can attract players.”
(Via @erikslater_/ http://apple.co/49a5wXx)
Look, I don't want this to come off as mean. As someone who will forever be indebted to the Brooklyn Nets and their front office for hitting accept on this trade 11 years ago
which ultimately turned into this with the picks they sent back
I will always have a soft spot somewhere in my heart for the Nets. Sure I have enjoyed their ensuing downfall over the last few years for other reasons, but now I feel like it's all starting to make sense. They're delusional. Whether it was going all in on an aging Big 3, putting all their eggs in a KD/Kyrie/Harden basket, hiring and firing coaches left and right, the list goes on and on. And I get it, there was a time when Kyrie and KD decided to team up because the Nets had 2 max slots available, and then their best friend decided to come join forces in an attempt to have a superteam. But guess what? That wasn't about coming to BKN, that was about going to a team that had 2 max slots. For example, if that team was the Knicks, guess where everyone goes?
Here's the problem with that quote and this supposed line of thinking by the Nets front office. For starters, even Nets fans read that quote and laugh. They know what a disaster the franchise has turned into. We all have eyes so I'm curious why the Nets would even say something like this out loud.
Has nobody shown them what is also taking place with the other team in that same city? Newsflash, the Knicks are good. And not in a "they came out of nowhere and are a flash in the pan" type of good either. They built the foundation, they've made smart free agent signings, they've made smart trades, and they win. Not only that, their finances are in a good place moving forward should another star become available. Oh, and they are being run by the guy who is essentially the face of CAA, you know the agency that has a ton of stars on their roster.
Said another way, if a player wants to come to New York to play professional basketball, the destination team is not going to be the Nets, it's going to be the Knicks. That will be true now and for the foreseeable future.
So what can they do? Focus on your rebuild. Stop trying to become a star fucker and think there's a fast-track to winning and becoming a destination in the NBA, because that's not happening. At least not with the caliber of "stars" that I'm sure they are thinking of (All NBA guys). Look around the league and you'll see examples of teams that were once in the gutter but through patience and smart rebuilding are now becoming more attractive destinations by the season.
The Thunder, the Magic, the Pelicans, the Grizzlies (pre-season from hell), and the Pacers have all shown there are ways to improve and make yourself a destination without relying on this mystery "star" coming in and saving the day. Hell, just look at what the Knicks are doing!
You would think that after the Nets just tried to fast-forward through the process only for it to blow up in their face they would have seen the light, but apparently not. As a fan this would frustrate me like no other. You are not the Knicks! You will never be the Knicks in that city, especially now that they are good! And the truth of the matter is until they accept that and get smart about their rebuild, nothing is going to change and frankly, the fans that shell out their hard-earned money to watch this team play deserve better.