I had a dream last night. I was in a sports bar in the year 2025, watching Lebron James Jr. team up with his father to lead the New York Knicks to a victory over the hapless Brooklyn Nets. I turned to the man sitting next to me sipping a Guinness and asked, "Remember back before the Nets moved from Jersey? Remember when they were really good for a few years?"
The man put down his Guinness and furrowed his brow. "The Nets? Be serious."
Now I've never been one to put too much stock in my own dreams, especially since I was 8 years old and dreamed that Darth Vader married my sister. But the events of the last several months have brought nothing but negativity to the Nets, harkening back to their decades-long reign as the most pathetic franchise in all of sports.
After Julius Erving abandoned the then-New York Nets for the Philadelphia 76ers, nothing went right for the franchise for years. Who could forget the days of Reggie Theus and his 25-points-on-35-shots mentality? Or "team leader" Derrick Coleman's "whoop-de-damn-do" response to a teammate missing practice? Or the immortal Yinka Dare - possibly the worst draft pick in the history of the NBA?
Starting in 2000 things turned around quickly for the Nets. First they drafted Naismith Award winner Kenyon Martin, then traded for All-Star Jason Kidd from Phoenix, and finally orchestrated a brilliant draft-day trade, moving Eddie Griffin for Richard Jefferson and Jason Collins. The Nets went from perennial laughingstock to powerhouse organization, winning two consecutive Eastern Conference titles.
Even in the summer of 2003, with Kidd's contract up, the Nets shocked everyone by re-signing their star to a long-term deal. The team rode Kidd to the playoffs yet again last season, before the injury-depleted squad lost to the 2004 champion Detroit Pistons in the second round.
Too good to be true? Maybe, but anyone who knew Nets history knew their run of good luck couldn't possibly last.
Things began crashing back down to Earth over the summer. Martin, who had grown to be the soul of the team, was up for a new contract, and team ownership elected to not give him a maximum contract. Upset over the slight, Martin left for Denver, taking with him Jersey's championship hopes.
With the team finally facing some trouble, Net fans found out firsthand about the rumored petulance of Kidd that made Phoenix want to get rid of him in the first place. Kidd, who may or may not have been behind coach Byron Scott's firing last season, reportedly told team management that he wanted to be traded and would not play for the Nets. The season began with Kidd sitting out with an injury and many fans speculating that he would milk his injury until he got his trade.
The Nets struggled out of the gate, with Jefferson leading a rag-tag group of journeymen to 10 straight losses early in the season. Kidd finally returned to the court early in December (ostensibly to beef up his own trade value and try to entice a contender to trade for him), and it appeared the worst was over for the Nets.
But then Net management grew restless. After refusing to pay top dollar for Martin, one of the toughest players in the league, the Nets traded three players for Toronto Raptor Vince Carter, widely perceived as one of the softest players in the NBA. The same Carter who'd been visibly sulking through games in Toronto, and recently admitted to the media that he did not put forth his best effort for the Raptors when things went bad.
With management more concerned with box office receipts than its team, the Carter trade further diluted New Jersey's razor-thin lineup. The fact that a team with three former Olympians had a legitimate chance to miss the playoffs speaks volumes about the talent of the rest of the team.
If you haven't been keeping track, so far the Nets lost their team leader, upset their childish star, traded for another known whiner and unloaded a handful of useful role players. Through it all, the one star who never stopped shining was Richard Jefferson. The team's leading scorer. The 2004 Olympian. The latest, the greatest, the...
Oops. An MRI on Monday revealed an injury to Jefferson's left wrist, which will require surgery and end his season. The injury was likely incurred on a hard foul by Piston Chauncy Billups in a Dec. 27 game.
The team must now trudge on without Jefferson, who was leading the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and minutes. With two unhappy superstars and not much else in the lineup, it must trudge through a likely last-place season. The Nets must trudge back, after a three-year respite, back to their old status as the league whipping-boy.
