Nets Go Back to the Future

There was a time not too long ago when the Nets were the laughingstock of the NBA. Along with their brethren in ineptitude, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Nets were consistently one of the worst franchises in the league. Season after losing season, the Nets slogged along in the NBA, playing meaningless games in front of disinterested fans in a half-empty barn of an arena, en route to their yearly trip to the draft lottery.

In fact, it almost got to a point where the team had their own custom-made, embroidered seats at the lottery (okay, that's not true, but seriously, would it really surprise anyone if they did?) The players didn't care (remember Chris Morris and his sneakers?), the fans certainly didn't care, and I'm sure most of the media assigned to the team wished that they weren't paid to care.

Outside of the Clippers, the Nets' ownership group had to be the worst in the league. Any basketball-related decisions were better off left to a carnival show palm reader than to the group of uninformed individuals who ran the team. In terms of favored destinations for NBA players, East Rutherford ranked only slightly ahead of the Yakima Sun Kings of the CBA.

However, things changed one fateful July day in 2001. That day, the Nets traded away their latest franchise point guard, Stephon Marbury, to the Phoenix Suns for their newest franchise point guard, Jason Kidd.

Kidd immediately brought a sense of legitimacy to the team and his signing proved to be the turning point in the fortunes of the team. The Nets went from being perennial doormats to the three-time defending Atlantic Division champions and appeared in two consecutive NBA Finals. Along with Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson, and Kerry Kittles, Kidd helped turn around a once downtrodden franchise. And although fans didn't exactly flock to the Meadowlands to watch them play, they did develop a loyal base of core fans that supported their team night in and night out.

Suddenly, the Nets were en vogue. They were featured nightly on SportsCenter, as Kidd, Martin, and Jefferson engaged in their unique brand of slamball. The team was winning and people weren't ashamed to walk around the streets wearing a jersey emblazoned with "Nets" on the front anymore. The Nets were even beginning to draw some New York area fans away from the Knicks, something that seemed almost unthinkable only a few years ago.

And with the news that Brooklyn developer Bruce Ratner was going to purchase the team and rescue them from the cast of characters that was currently in charge, things were really beginning to look bright for the future. Maybe, just maybe, the perpetual dark cloud that hung over the Meadowlands would be lifted.

But, as any longtime Nets' fan knows, the light at the end of the tunnel isn't always a good thing. For this franchise, the light at the end of the tunnel is more often than not an oncoming train, poised to run right over you. And, as far as Nets fans are concerned, Ratner is the 5:45 express speeding straight ahead to roll over the fortunes of the team.

Following a season in which the Nets fell short of reaching the Finals for the first time in three years, a period of prosperity not seen since their old ABA days, Ratner made it clear that he would not spend any more money to keep the nucleus of the team together. First, was the draft day trade of their first-round pick, Russian forward Viktor Khryapa, to the Portland Trailblazers for Eddie Gill, who was subsequently waived, and cash.

Although not a major catastrophe, the trade was but a signal of things to come. Next, in a move that was shocking just for the sheer devastation it did to the makeup of the team, the Nets signed and then traded away Martin, their best interior big man, to the Denver Nuggets. In return, they received little more than the $24 worth of trinkets the Native Americans got for Manhattan Island, three future first-round draft picks.

Alluding to the looming luxury tax, Nets' GM Rod Thorn said, "This was an extremely difficult decision for our franchise, but I felt that the magnitude of the contract, both in its first year due to the signing bonus as well as over its duration, would seriously impair our ability to sign enough quality players." Thorn also added, "This core group of players has had an amazing run over the past few years, and we will work diligently toward once again competing for an NBA title."

Even though Thorn's words may have been true, the actions of the team following the Martin trade seemed to suggest that they wouldn't begin working diligently toward that title again for another few years. Soon after, only two weeks later, the team traded away Kittles, their starting shooting guard and the team's second all-time leading scorer, to their kindred spirits, the Clippers, this time for a future second-round draft pick.

Now, one may argue that Kittles is a one-dimensional player and Martin isn't a "max" player, but, along with Kidd and Jefferson, they were the foundation for a team that was able to win three-straight division titles. To borrow from New York Jets head coach Herman Edwards, "You play to win the game!" And that core group had won more than their share of games for the Nets.

But, with these deals, the Nets seem to have given up on the upcoming season in return for cutting costs and stockpiling future draft picks, which may or may not pan out. Not exactly the team strategy you want to adopt when you're trying to hawk overpriced season ticket packages.

Then, as if those moves weren't enough, the team announced that they had released Lucious Harris, an important bench contributor and one of the last remaining pieces to the team's recent successful past. It's almost as if the Nets are having a "Going Out of Business" sale this summer and everything must go, at ridiculously low prices.

In fact, I almost expect to see the guy from the old "Crazy Eddie" commercials appear on the dais with Rod Thorn at the next press conference announcing another lopsided trade, screaming into the microphone and imploring other league GMs, "We're the New Jersey Nets. The team where no trade is too outrageous. Just call us up and make us an offer. Our prices are INSANE!"

So, where does that leave the Nets franchise now? Well, for starters, Jason Kidd is still around, although he's probably wishing that he were the next one out the door. In fact, there are published reports stating that the Nets and Trailblazers are discussing another deal, this time to send Kidd to Portland for Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Kidd must be on the phone with his agent every day, begging him to get him out of this mess ... and quick.

Richard Jefferson is also still around, having just signed a contract extension with the team that will keep him in the Swamp for the foreseeable future. However, if Kidd is traded, Jefferson will wish he waited another year and forced his way out like Martin. (For his sake, I hope he got a percentage of the team along with his contract.)

Other than that, there isn't much else to get excited about on the Net roster. It's dotted with unproven foreign players, undistinguished veterans, and, potentially, one huge question mark, Alonzo Mourning. Mourning's comeback, if it happens and he stays healthy, is inspirational, even admirable, but there's no way he can be the same Alonzo Mourning he was before his illness, which means that the Nets will be considerably worse off than they were last year.

Considering the Kidd trade does actually come off and Mourning is healthy, the Nets' opening day starting roster would probably look something like this: Mourning, Jefferson, Abdur-Rahim, Ron Mercer, and Zoran Planinic. A good team, but not an Eastern Conference championship and NBA title contending team. In fact, with this roster, the Nets will be hard-pressed to make the playoffs, much less win another division title.

Four years ago, the Nets were at the bottom of the league, trying to become relevant again in a league where stars make teams and translate into huge television ratings and attendance figures. With one masterstroke, they acquired Jason Kidd and their fortunes immediately changed for the better. However, today, here they sit again, once again staring at a lost season, begging their fans to stick with them through yet another transitional phase, insisting that they have a plan for success in the future, but with seemingly no chance for success this year.

And the one-time savior, owner Bruce Ratner, is beginning to look more and more like a Donald Sterling clone ... cheap and totally ignorant of what it takes to put together a championship roster. I guess the old saying really is true: the more things change, the more they stay the same ... especially when it pertains to the New Jersey Nets.

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