WEST POINT — If you want to tick off — really tick off — a Nets fan, you need only say two words.
Travis Outlaw.
NetsNation’s animosity toward Outlaw, in camp with the Knicks, goes back to the 2010 free-agent pursuit of LeBron James and friends. On the very first day, the Nets met with James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. They knew James was a long shot, and the backup plan was Rudy Gay, who snuffed the contingency when he quickly re-signed in Memphis.
So James, Wade and Bosh became Outlaw, Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro and Anthony Morrow. Not quite what Nets fans envisioned.
“I can’t ever say I thought that way,” the 6-foot-9 Outlaw said Thursday. “I was never, ‘I hope they think I’m LeBron.’ I sure didn’t think it. I just went in with a clean slate, trying to learn a new system and play to my abilities.”
The Nets gave Outlaw a five-year, $35 million contract, still the priciest deal they ever presented to an outside free agent (they’ve re-signed their own players for more). But the unraveling came with positioning.
Outlaw had been a stretch four off the bench with the Blazers; the Nets needed him to be a starting small forward. It was a match made in Purgatory. Outlaw and the three never meshed. He shot 37.5 percent, his career low to that point. He averaged 9.2 points and about 74 frustrated insults per game from fans. He was amnestied after one season.
“The Nets were a fresh start,” he said. “It was new to me. It was the first time I ever was playing the three, so it was a new situation. I wish I could have done better there, but they did what they felt was best for the team. I can’t fault them.
“I’ve got nothing against them or the fans. That’s life. You can always point fingers. But I’m the type of person that I always try to look at myself to see what I could have done better.”
He spent the last three seasons in Sacramento playing three different spots; Kings coach Mike Malone used him at shooting guard. Outlaw now hopes to find a role with the Knicks — as a combo forward.
“It’s a great system, it’s just learning the 3-4 spot,” he said. “It’s a little tricky but the coaches have been patient with me and they’re working with me, so I think I can succeed.”
So far, so good — even if it has been only three days.
“Travis, first of all, is a great person,” coach Derek Fisher said. “You can’t have too many great guys on your team. He’s a veteran. He’s been on multiple teams. He understands how to play.
“He can put the ball in the basket. I love his versatility. … He’s a guy that can cover multiple positions and gives us a lot of things on the defensive end that we look forward to being able to utilize.”
Outlaw has even impressed teammates with his willingness to adapt.
“He came in and he’s very receptive to what we’re trying to do here,” Carmelo Anthony said. “He’s asking questions. He’s learning, although he’s been in the league for a long time. He’s still a guy who if he doesn’t know something, he’s asking and he’s willing to take that advice and try to get better.”