NJNJ Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 http://www.blogcdn.com/jay-mariotti.fanhouse.com/media/2009/12/lopez-harris-1209-200.jpg EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- For now, we won't worry about the cheerleaders on stilts and the fans wearing bags on their heads and the fact Jay-Z, a man interested in making history, wasn't around to watch the team he partially owns, the New Jersey Nets, enter the record books. For now, we won't worry about the hip-hop mogul's missed songwriting opportunity on the night the Nets sunk to 0-18, the worst start by any team in NBA history. "New Jer ... sey! Concrete jungle where bricks are made of!'' he could have lyricized about the league's worst-shooting team. "There's nothing you can't lose! Let's hear it for Jersey, Jersey, Jersey!'' For now, I'm wondering what possesses a professional sports franchise to let itself become so numbingly pathetic. Only six years ago, the Nets were making their second straight trip to the league finals and embarrassing the far more popular team across the Hudson River, the New York Knicks. As recently as two years ago, they were armed with star players and gate attractions such as Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. Now, they're a disgrace that should be paying fans to attend games at the Izod Center, where entire sections of seats were empty Wednesday as the Nets allowed 49 points in the second quarter, let Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks hit 17 of 19 shots to take a 27-point halftime lead and prompted questions as to whether they'll win a game by New Year's Day. The Nets aren't just bad, folks. They aren't even trying. I am not kidding when I suggest the NBA commissioner, David Stern, apologize to their diminishing fan base and either issue ticket refunds or offer free concessions and parking in the Meadowlands. If not, we're talking about a legitimate case of consumer fraud. "At this point, I feel the streak has definitely gotten the best of us," said a disillusioned Chris Douglas-Roberts, the second-year guard who went 38-2 two years ago at the University of Memphis. "So when a team goes on a run, it's almost like we give up, which is really unfortunate but that's what it looks like to me. We give up and just lay down instead of trying to fight. We don't have any heart. Weak. It's a sign of weakness.''CONTINUE READING Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guru Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 Tanking ftw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damien Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 not trying? this team has played plenty of close games with 8-10 available players. The guy who wrote this article is nothing more than an idiot who was too wrapped up in getting his commission by writing about some overdone topic to actually put effort and thought into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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