Michael Jordan once said, “I failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.” Winston Churchill stated, way back in the early 1900s, “Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” However, Brooklyn Nets fans, use to a winning team and games in the postseason these last few years, at least to the second round, may find this passage by Langston Hughes best reflects their thoughts and feelings about this current Nets team: “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?”
The Brooklyn Nets, now 14-40, currently in 14th place in the Eastern Conference, are closer to the last place Philadelphia 76ers, who’ve been last for several years, than to the 13th place Milwaukee Bucks. The Nets, who’ve been in the playoffs every year since the 2012-13 season, probably won’t qualify at the end of this one.
“You definitely want to reflect a little bit,” said center Brook Lopez. “You want to learn what you did in the first half, but obviously you want to come in fresh and ready to go with a positive attitude,” he further stated, referencing the remaining portion of the season.
Though they weren’t voted onto the all-star roster, Brooklyn’s most valuable players are Lopez, forward Thaddeus Young and the second highest paid player in the league, forward Joe Johnson, who will gross $24.8 million this season. His numbers have dropped off from past years but not his salary.
There are 28 games left on Brooklyn’s schedule. The midseason break is over, and the trade deadline ends today (Thursday) at 3 p.m. The Nets are sellers, not buyers. They’re without draft picks in the offseason. It’s complicated.
“We’re going to clear our minds on this break, and hopefully we can come back and win some basketball games,” said Young. Looking at the schedule, that might be complicated, too.
Brooklyn hosts the New York Knicks at home at the Barclays Center tomorrow (Friday). The matchup features two teams with interim head coaches, with Tony Brown for the Nets and Kurt Rambis for the Knicks. The Nets fired their head coach and stripped their general manager of his duties in January. The Knicks fired their coach about two weeks ago.
The Charlotte Hornets visit Sunday, then Brooklyn embarks on a nine-game road trip—seven out west, then two here in the east before returning to Flatbush and Atlantic to play the Milwaukee Bucks March 13.
