THE name on the building makes you laugh: Nets Champion Center. There have been no championships for these NBA Nets, only one disaster after another. The joke is always on them. But these are new days for the YankeeNets and like the ad says: There is no off-season.
Yesterday marked the official changing of the guard at the Nets Champion Center and the changing of the Nets’ culture as Jason Kidd was formally introduced as the latest savior. Stephon Marbury and all his amazing individual talents have been shipped out West to Phoenix, and Kidd – an assist-first point guard, a pick-up-full-court defender, a living, breathing, fast break – is the new sheriff in town.
This is a deal that has George Steinbrenner’s fingerprints all over it. Which is a good thing for this trade could do for the Nets what the Catfish Hunter free-agent signing did for Steinbrenner’s Yankees back in 1975 – a deal that finally got the Yankees moving in the right direction.
Kidd, 28, made it clear he is not coming here to play second fiddle to anyone and wouldn’t it be something if the Nets become the best basketball team in town over the next few years?
There was talk yesterday of the Nets being everything the Knicks aren’t – a fast-break, exciting team. After all, this game is still about entertainment, not zone defenses. When I asked Kidd about taking on the Knicks head-on, he drove hard to the hoop.
“That’s why I’m here, I’m here for that challenge to let everybody know there is another team here,” Kidd said, firing broadside at the Knicks. “It’s sort of like the L.A. situation with the Lakers and the Clippers.”
Sort of, except the Lakers have won the last two championships and the Knicks have not won a championship the last 28 years. Kidd followed up on his Lakers-Clippers point.
“The Clippers have a young, talented team and they’re going to give the Lakers a run for their money in that building,” he said. “We’re not playing in the same building, but we’re right across the river. I look forward to this challenge to let people know that there is another team and that you can see good basketball played here in New Jersey. Hopefully we can compete . . .” Kidd then checked himself and added, “I think we can compete with the Knicks.”
The Nets, of course, have to upgrade their roster to compete with anyone, and that process will take another year. For now, they are looking for 40 wins and sneaking into the playoffs, but Kidd said he already has received recruiting calls from stars like Antonio McDyess. Imagine that, good players who actually want to play in New Jersey. What a concept.
Kidd will get them the ball. That’s what scorers want. Keith Van Horn is a huge winner in this deal. Kidd will get him the ball and tell him to keep shooting. Kidd led the NBA in assists for the third straight season this past year with 9.8 per game. Only three other players have done that: John Stockton, Oscar Robertson and Bob Cousy.
“If you fill the lane,” noted coach Byron Scott, who compares Kidd’s point guard skills to those of his old pal Magic Johnson, “you’re going to get a dunk. In my opinion, Jason is the best point guard in this league.”
When have the Nets had the best of anything? You have to go back to the old ABA days and Dr. J for that. In 25 years of NBA play, the Nets have managed only nine playoff victories, that’s 0.36 per season.
“I’m excited,” Kidd said. “The [new] arena and the likes of free agency . . . anything can happen.”
The Nets know that. Anything and everything has happened to this franchise – 99.9 percent of it bad. It’s time for change and Kidd is the first step in that direction. Someday maybe, the Nets might even earn the name on their building.