Nets Insider Videos


Showing posts with label Miami heat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miami heat. Show all posts

How Kooky Kyrie, The Bearded One, and Kevin, too, ruined Nets' Superteam

It started with a clean sweep and ended with a clean sweep. Bookended by utter bliss and overwhelming dysfunction, the Nets superteam era was littered with disappointment and sprinkled with highlights. 

 From James Harden's lingering hamstring strain to Kyrie Irving's season-ending ankle injury and finally Kevin Durant's toe in the line in Game 7 of the 2021 NBA playoffs, even the most anticipated season in Nets' history ended in bitter anguish. 

 The offseason to come was filled with optimism that all three superstars would ink long-term extensions, but only Durant made good on his long-term commitment to the franchise, one he would reneg on not just once, but twice.

Irving's unvaccinated status caused him, fairly or unfairly, to be ineligible for home games and eventually the team refused to let him be a part-time road player. Discontent formed in the locker room with Harden growing impatient without Irving and eventually Durant who was sidelined by a knee sprain suffered a few weeks before the All-Star break. 

 Every step of the way, Durant, Irving and Harden had a chance to take a leadership role to keep the organization on the tracks. All three refused to hold each other accountable, culminating in Harden asking out and getting dealt to Philadelphia centered on a package around a physically and mentally damaged Ben Simmons. Irving eventually rejoined the team in time for a late season push, but with a friend turned foe Ime Udoka leading the hottest team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics, the Nets couldn't simply flip the switch come playoff time.

 The Nets lost four highly competitive games with Simmons in the series sweep, including falling victim to a Jayson Tatum game winner in the opener. Brooklyn was back to the drawing board and now it was Durant who grew disenfranchised with the direction of the team by demanding a trade that summer, only to rescind it a few weeks later. The Nets, with Durant and Irving leading the charge, raced out again to an impressive start to the 2022-23 campaign, but Irving's off the court antics, including promoting a film with anti-Semitic tropes became a breaking point in his relationship with the team. 

 Owner Joe Tsai gave Irving a punch list of tasks to complete to get reinstated by the club, which he ultimately fulfilled and then returned. For the second straight year, Durant suffered another pre-All-Star break MCL sprain and the locker room, led by Irving, unraveled. 

 Only weeks later, Irving, who was set to become a free agent at season's end, held the Nets feet to the fire to offer him a near max contract extension. The two sides were miles apart, leading Irving to requesting a trade and the Nets obliging, sending him to Dallas for a package centered on Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and picks. 

 With his co-star gone, it wasn't long before Durant revisited his trade request and skipped town like the other two thirds of the superteam. It was a tragic story of misfortune, missteps and a lack of leadership. The front office and ownership deserve their share of the blame for the dysfunction, but the trio stars not only gave up on their teammates and the organization, but the fans and each other.

 Irving, Durant and Harden will remain as not only the biggest What-if in Nets history, but in sports history as well.

Lillard lists Nets, Heat as 'obvious' landing spots

 


Damian Lillard is likely on the move this offseason. While all of NBA Twitter speculates on his next destination, Lillard spoke with Showtime about his preferred places to play. 

While the Celtics, Knicks, Heat and Nets have all be rumored to be in on the "Dame Time" Sweepstakes, Lillard set the record straight once and for all. 


It shouldn't come as a shock to Nets or Heat fans, but it definitely confirms prior suspicions that Lillard will be on the move from the Pacific Northwest. Lillard's close relationship with Bam Adebajo in South Beach and Mikal Bridges in Brooklyn will definitely be a factor this summer. 

At the end of the day, the Trailblazers won't simply move Lillard to his preferred destination without getting a haul of picks and young assets for him. Another team to keep an eye on his Philadelphia as James Harden looks to have one foot in the door and one foot moving towards a reunion with Houston as a free agent. 

Should Harden bolt, a package centered on Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris and picks might be enough to entice Portland to move their franchise cornerstone. The Sixers will need to scramble to keep Joel Emiid happy and bringing in a costar to potentially replace Harden is a good start.

This will be a very intriguing offseason for the Nets, who are caught in limbo between being a rebuilding team and a true contender. While Lillard can push them toward contending status, he alone won't put them over the top and Sean Marks will need to make additional moves if Brooklyn hopes to rise to the top of the Eastern Conference. 

Remember when Jimmy Butler had Nets on his wish list?

 



A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the Nets and Jimmy Butler seemed almost destined to unite.

Before the sign and trade for Kevin Durant, before signing Irving and DeAndre Jordan in Brooklyn's clean summer of 2019 free agency sweep, Butler had the Nets as a preferred destination.

After falling in Game 7 of the semifinals on a dramatic Kawahi Leonard game winner enroute to Toronto's lone title, Butler went on a free agent tour that included Brooklyn, the Lakers, Sixers and Heat.

Ultimately, Butler landed in South Beach, while the Nets pulled the trigger on the duo of Durant and Irving.

Durant and Irving were a package deal, but Nets fans can't help but wonder what things would have been like had Butler replaced Irving alongside Durant.

While Irving was the impetus for Durant joining Brooklyn, the New Jersey native had a tumultuous four seasons with the Nets that culminated in his and then Durant's trade demand.

Butler is the kind of selfless superstar that Brooklyn needed. The anthesis of Irving. Low maintenance and dedicated to basketball. Butler has a Brooklyn grit to his game that would have resonated with the fan base and complemented Durant even moreso than his eventual costar Irving.

Alas, the stars were not aligned and Butler is in the midst of his second NBA Finals appearance in three years. Last year his title push fell short in Game 7 of the Conference Finals as he barely missed a last second shot that would have sent Miami to the finals.

Meanwhile, Durant and Irving didn't sniff a finals appearance and their tenure was rife with dysfunction, off the court distractions, and injuries that derailed a potential championship push. 

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)