BROOKLYN, NY – I went to Brooklyn the other night to watch the Nets host the Orlando Magic and I left Barclays thinking, who are these guys that I just witnessed bouncing a basketball?
It seems like years ago when Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden were on the roster, with hopes of bringing a championship to Brooklyn. It didn’t take long to realize that chemistry cannot be bought. The current team consists of names like Egor Demin, Michael Porter Jr, Noah Clowney, Zaire Williams and Nic Clayton just to name a few. These so-called NBA players have lead their team into the basement of the Atlantic Division.
It amazes me that this rebuilding team draws very well as they pack them in on game day.
On this night the fans were cheering on the home team to a deafening chorus. I looked around from my seat to see if they had a clue what they were watching. I couldn’t help but notice the banners above me with the names of the past great Nets. Petrovic, Kidd, Carter, Williamson, Melchionni, Erving and Williams were high up in the rafters, while the action on the court looked like a development league.
I was willing to bet that the majority of the 17,000 plus in attendance didn’t have a clue on who those past greats were. There were two other banners that were hanging who the fans were well aware of, Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls. Two Brooklyn bred rappers who never played a minute in the NBA.
With the Jets ending their season on a pathetic note and the Mets using the off-season to dismantle their nucleus, what else is there to do but chant, Let’s Go Nets!”
Comeback tomorrow for huge Nets fan, Jacob Sternberg.
