For the years, the New Jersey Nets toiled in obscurity. As an outsider, it seems like the Nets haven’t been relevant since Derrick Coleman and Drazen Petrovic electrified fans back in the early 90’s. In reality, Jason Kidd, Kerry Kittles and Kenyon Martin led the Nets to two consecutive Finals’ appearances in 2003 and 2004, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs respectively. But since 2006, when Kidd (now with the NY Knicks) shook the spot for greener pastures in Dallas, the Nets have been lost and forgotten – until now.
After being purchased by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, moved across state lines to Brooklyn and brilliantly rebranded by minority owner and Brooklyn legend Sean Carter aka Jay-Z, the Brooklyn Nets are ready to return to relevance in a city where minorities are the majority. Black and Hispanic Americans make up nearly 54% of the population of proud Brooklynites.
Though Jay-Z’s minority stake likely falls somewhere between 1/15th of one percent and 1.47%, depending on who you believe, his impact on the team is immense. The multiplatinum rapper and husband to Beyonce helped recruit and current and former All-Stars Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace. All three players were acquired by trade, but both Williams and Wallace recently re-signed with the team largely due to the Jay-Z’s influence and the immense buzz throughout Brooklyn. As New York City’s most populous borough, success in Brooklyn will mean high earning power for Nets players. The minority owner’s influence goes far further than serving as a recruiter, as he designed the team’s logo, sits on the Barclays Center’s board and helped design the area which challenges Jerry Jones’ Cowboy Stadium in technological superiority as far as sports venues are concerned.
Of course the product on the court is what counts. For years the crosstown Knicks have spent buckets of bills on star players and marketing and have as many championships in my lifetime as I do – none. But the Knicks have also began ramping up its efforts to build a contender by acquiring stars such as Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudamire and Tyson Chandler. This should set up a nice NY rivalry between two very talented teams. Also Prokhorov’s smart but free-spending style will fit perfectly in the Big Apple and contrast the Knicks’ ‘spend first, ask questions later’ approach to basketball.
Though the Knicks have a more loyal following, the Nets have a better starting lineup.
Even after the failure to strike a deal for Dwight Howard, the Nets lineup is stacked. Williams, Johnson and Wallace are joined by Kris Kardashian…er…Humphries and Brooks Lopez. Neither Humphries nor Lopez are all-world players but they are both very talented and underrated throughout the league. Assuming health, the Nets have enough talent to challenge a handful of other teams to earn the Eastern Conference silver behind the defending champion Miami Heat. If they draft as well as they deal, Brooklyn could see the Jiggaman hosting a championship parade a few years down the line.
Jay-Z’s recent string of eight consecutive sellout shows to open the Barclays Center is a big sign of the excitement in Brooklyn. His reputation as hip-hop’s finest and presence as “executive producer” of the popular video game NBA 2K13 should help extend the popularity of the reborn Nets beyond city and state boundaries, meaning more and more fans will be saying Hello Brooklyn, goodbye futility.
