There has been so much hype around the Nets over the last few years, mostly self-induced, but will they ever live up to their self-hype? From the moment the Nets crossed the Harbor into Brooklyn, they have talked a big game as if they would end up taking over the city. Oh, the Knicks? Who are they? Fuhgeddaboudit! The Nets believed their franchise would be the next Boston Celtics or Los Angeles Lakers. Joe Tsai wanted to be on the fast track to stardom, and he was willing to risk it all to do so.
Failure to backup the self-hype
Here’s the Nets' reality with respect to their time in Brooklyn: it has been an epic fail. They are no better than they were in New Jersey. Their two super teams flamed out. And to top it all off, they have been under scrutiny for throwing themselves in the middle of controversy after controversy. They have yet to play in a conference final or the NBA finals.
Today, they find themselves in perhaps one of the most humiliating scenarios in franchise history with the departures of Harden (last season) and Irving this week, leaving them with just one of their original superstars: Kevin Durant. Irving and Durant ended up playing just 74 games together.
Champions aren't made overnight
Nets' owner Joe Tsai is undeniably being taught a valuable lesson here. Maybe don't create a team with zero regards for consequences and a lack of team chemistry. His greed and desire to turn this franchise into that one of the best overnight fogged his decision-making in the process. We all know champions aren't made overnight, and further, you can't storm a city like New York and think you're going to attain a whole new fan base.
He got what he deserved. He should have known better than to hitch his championship hopes on an unstable Kyrie Irving and the miserable Kevin Durant.
Nets will have to pay the price, at what cost?
Consequently, the Nets have now become laughingstock within the NBA. They have earned special lore of being one of the worst teams in New York sports history. And this chaos will not soon be forgotten.
Since relocating to Brooklyn, the Nets can't seem to come to a consensus on how they want to build the team. They've been a little all over the place. They need to take one good look at themselves and ask what they want to be. Do they want to continue to go after the Knicks for the city’s love? Do they want to buy championships? Do they want to build the right way by building from within that can make fans proud of them? Do they want to just focus on marketing rather than winning? It’s about time they stick to one route and not deviate from it.
They had the right idea when they were trying to build from within after the Deron Williams, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce experiment failed. They lost to the 76ers in a gentleman’s sweep in their second year of rebuilding during Kenny Atkinsons' second season. This was a team that was built around Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen and Spencer Dinwiddie. This was a team that was entertaining, likable, and in my head, they were going places.
They chose to deviate from that to form a team around Durant, Irving and Harden, and wound up broke.
As for where the Nets go from here? Nobody knows. Troubling times lie ahead for the organization and its fans. Somehow, I have my doubts about whether the Nets will own up to their mistakes and right the ship.
You can read Leslie's Jersey Sporting News columns on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
- Strawberry and Gooden Should Enjoy this Moment as Mets to Retire Numbers - August 25, 2023
- Don’t expect Zach Wilson to ever start for Jets again - August 22, 2023
- Honeymoon will eventually end for Daboll and Schoen - August 21, 2023
