J.D. Crabtree: James Harden to the Nets. It rolls off the tongue.
This edition I want to discuss a topic that is foreign to both of us, and most of humanity: New Jersey.
While the Brooklyn Nets have become the destination for capricious NBA players in their 30s, many modern day fans forget that Nets life existed prior to Kyrie Irving excusing himself for weeks at a time to attend family birthday parties. It used to mean something to be a Net. And it meant playing in the great state of New Jersey.
After some ABA and Long Island curiosities, the Nets called NJ their home from 1977 to 2012. There’s been Dražen Petrović, Jason Kidd, finals appearances, a historic dark blue theme, and even Keith Van Horn.
But like all great things, major real estate development and executives called an end to the fun and the New Jersey version of the Nets ended. That doesn’t mean purists forget their impact.
Cooks, where do the New Jersey Nets belong in the storied history of basketball?
Carter Pearson: Ummm… they had Julius Erving at the beginning of their franchise history and sold him to the 76ers for 6 million dollars to cover the territorial invasion fee levied upon them when they came into the NBA. That seems like a bad start.
They haven’t been bad ever since, and you rightly point out some successful, fun things. But, they are just kind of there — very meh.
Even the splashy things they’ve done were pretty clearly bad ideas: tons of picks for old KG and Paul Pierce? Bad.
Listening to a Russian Oligarch when he says he will invest big money in the team forever? Bad.
Not changing your name to the Swamp Dragons? Bad.
Making Kyrie Irving your second best player and then, when he continues to be erratic, trading your entire future for another guard with a lack of commitment to winning behavior? I think also bad.
I love KD so much. But, I’m not exactly excited to watch him stand in the corner while Kyrie (if he comes back) and James dribble. I know he’s coming off an Achilles injury, but he’s probably the second most talented player of my adult life, and I want to see him do KD stuff, not be a taller Klay Thompson.
Honestly, the time from reading your email to writing this word is probably the longest consecutive period of time I have thought about the Nets in my life, inclusive of actually watching Nets games.
Pre-pandemic I had bought tickets to see two Nets games. Their opponents? The Bucks and the Mavs. Like their NYC brethren, the Nets were a team that made you buy tickets to see their opponents.
That’s not true now. But I’m not sure that really matters. The whole thing seems slapdash and tacky. A little bit like selling Julius Erving for $3 million.
Did I take us completely off the rails? We’re you hoping for some Nets positivity? I hope not…
JD: The only rails we were on was the New Jersey Transit.
You are revealing Nets mysteries in real-time, which is my goal. No one has ever sat down and thought long and hard about this historically humdrum franchise, until now. Because now might be the best time to evaluate their historical significance as they undergo a major F stop facelift, before the oligarchy mismanages this situation in two years.
I have no choice but to center Nets gravity around the 2001-03 seasons, when they slammed and jammed their way to back-to-back Finals appearances, and losses.
Let’s talk about the first super team in NBA history: Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson, Kerry Kittles
I’ll take that team, maybe at their current age and skill-level, and go to war any day. Brick walls, baby.
What I actually found interesting is this being the first likable team in the NBA Finals that wasn’t dominated by star power. They didn’t even have a guy in the top 30 in scoring during the ’02-03 season. Coming right off the heels of 76ers (Iverson trying to outscore everyone) and Lakers (two stars being better than everyone), I found this good for basketball, and perhaps paved the way for more team ball titles later in the century (Pistons, Mavericks, ummm…Nuggets one day?).
In a star-led league that made it appear you needed to have a Hall of Fame shooting guard (Jordan –> Kobe) to even be in the Finals, the Nets proved you can pass to open teammates and win basketball games. Ya they didn’t get a ring, but they got a seat at the table twice. Maybe I am giving them too much credit.
My point is there is a nice block of Nets history that shouldn’t be swept under the rug.
Do those Nets teams deserve any of my greater basketball praise above? Or should we ignore their New Jersey days like most of the world does? And should we view the Brooklyn Nets as a different franchise?
CP: I appreciate that. Thanks for the redirect, sir.
While peak J-Kidd was very fun, and he’s a top-10ish point guard all time, I don’t think those Nets teams deserve too much credit for the later pass and move squads you mention.
The Nets were pretty good, but that year was a nadir for the league. Shaq and Kobe hated each other, LeBron and Melo were still in high school, and Jordan was about to retire for the final time. In 2002 and 2003, Wally Szczerbiak, Jamal Mashburn, Steve Francis and Brad Miller (!) were named All-Stars. Those guys were, umm, fine.
The Nets took advantage of a historically weak east and made the Finals twice. But, they got drubbed both times. The Lakers spanked them and nobody watched Spurs-Nets. Anyone who says they did (including me) is a liar.
I could not get excited for Tim Duncan post ups and Jason Kidds fundamental chest passes. Kerry Kittles finger roll was literally the only good thing about that team.
Sidebar: I hated Kenyon Martin with a fiery passion because Cincinnati beat Duke in 1999 and then Duke went 37-1. So, before the championship game I was very mad at Kenyon for ruining my perfect season. Then a Duke team with 4 lottery picks (3 busts, but still) lost to Rip Hamilton, Khalid El-Amin and Jake fucking Voskuhl. That was a tough one. But, I digress.
Back to the Nets. They only won 49 guys and finished 7th in the league in assists. They were fine, but would’ve been the 5th best team in the West after the Spurs, Lakers, Kings and Blazers. Hell, maybe even the Mavs/Suns.
That brings me to the true reason why they are not the analog to the later team oriented title contenders: that mantle is already taken by the Sacramento Kings. C-Webb, Bibby, J-Will, Peja, Vlade Daddy, Doug Christie, Doug Christie’s wife. Those teams were the genesis of the Seven Seconds or Less Suns, the pass and move Spurs and the Pre-Durant Warriors.
The ball has energy when it is moved.
On the New Jersey vs Brooklyn thing: I think they are geographically close enough to be considered the same entity.
What about our otherborough boys intrigues you most?
JD: Khalid El-Amin, the first thicc boi. Nice reference.
So basically we are coming to the conclusion where all Jersey roads end: semi-irrelevance. Just kidding all New Jersey readers, y’alls joke, not mine.
I’m slowly realizing that no one might know about the New Jersey nets except a few of our friends and Kerry Kittles’ family. Maybe I am holding onto them similar to that vague Lower East Side bar that we thought was unbeatable but was actually status quo. What was its name? It was on Bowery and Stanton.
OK, connecting this greater Nets universe dancing around the fringes of Manhattan.
Can they ever be the top dog in greater New York? Or is this just a money play for all parties involved?
CP: Oh, you mean “Leave Rochelle out of It”. Great bar. Weird place.
On the Nets — if this strange team wins the title they’ll be relevant, but the Knicks run NYC and it’ll be like that forever. Not to get too socioeconomic, but a lot of the money is Brooklyn is transient. People who will go to the games aren’t die hards, and anyone who has lived in Brooklyn for a long time is a Knicks fan.
If this team sustains a run of excellence and KD and Harden finish their careers with the Nets, they’ll be confirmed as a relevant franchise.
You can guess how likely that is…
JD: Mentally I feel lost on a side street in Gowanus or Secaucus. We have circled back to semi-irrelevance for this franchise.
Maybe not every Net should be bothered, and we let them drift around our basketball burroughs.
Look Nets fans, we tried.
...
