Are the Nets snakebitten? The question has been posited time and again, and more frequently of later in light of the 44-point shellacking they received at the hands of the supposedly dysfunctional Bulls the other day. Significantly, the final score deficit wasn’t even their worst this season, or this month. Not that they had anything to be proud of relative to their setback against the Celtics to start February; they were down by a whopping 50 at one point in the final period, and only an easing on the gas pedal by the hosts did they escape setting an embarrassingly new low.
For those who refuse to see any silver linings to the Nets’ plight, recent developments reflect their struggle for respect and respectability since they moved to Brooklyn in 2012. A year into their tenure at the Barclays Center, they swung for the fences to claim marquee names Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce; they cast moist eyes on the hardware with the trade, which, on paper, bolstered a roster that already had Joe Johnson and Deron Williams. Instead, the gamble had them peaking with a semifinal round appearance alongside frequent bouts with mediocrity. If there was anything the experience should have proven, it’s that fit and future are just as important as premise and promise.
To be sure, the Nets absolutely had to spread the welcome mat for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2019, and then James Harden a year later. They had a bone fide Big Three with a solid supporting cast. Unfortunately, staying on the court was a problem; between injuries and self-inflicted wounds, they struggled to have their All-Stars burn rubber together. The result was theory not meeting reality, and three-plus tumultuous seasons later, all they have to show for their efforts is a shaky prognosis with Ben Simmons.
Not everything is clouded in black, though. The Nets are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference, and may yet have enough of a reserve to claim a playoff berth. The so-called Love Month hasn’t been kind to them; three victories in nine set-tos don’t lend well to optimism. That said, they’re determined to show that, with nothing to lose, they’re capable of exceeding themselves. Not all successes have to end with a title. Even if they won’t have the privilege of wrapping their arms around the Larry O’ Brien Trophy when their 2022-23 campaign is done, they can at least be able to hold their head high in the knowledge that they tried their best against the odds.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
