The Brooklyn Nets took the NBA by storm back in 2012 when they relocated from New Jersey, and ever since then, the team have been fighting hard to get a foothold in New York, a city that puts its beloved New York Knicks on an elevated pedestal compared to other teams in the city.
When the team acquired Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency, it looked like they would be the team to bring a Championship to New York, but years later, it was the Knicks to get it done behind one of the most likeable groups in recent NBA memory. Now, the Nets have to somehow try and get the attention back on them as they go through a rebuild, and in his latest interview, owner Joe Tsai addresses that topic and more.
Joe Tsai Admits Knicks Championship was ‘Embarrassing’
GettyBrooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai.
For the city of New York, the Knicks title win was a celebration, one 53 years in the making, but for Nets owner Joe Tsai, it couldn’t have been more different, as the rebuilding Nets team now have an even greater task of gaining diehard fans in the city.
In an interview with NetsDaily, he addressed that topic and more, but it was him openly admitting his feelings on the Knicks Championship that stood out the most, as he admitted it was embarrassing and was a run that left the fanbase feeling irate.
“Every year, some team is going to win a championship,” Tsai said. “So it happens that this year that team is in the same city. It doesn’t make us feel very good. It irates our fan base and it is embarrassing.”
Can the Nets Complete Their Rebuild?
However, that won’t stop Tsai doing business the way he’s been doing it, as he notes that embarrassment shouldn’t change the way he and GM Sean Marks have been doing things, noting that he believes the team have a very good trajectory going.
“But in business or in competition, in sports, or in anything, you shouldn’t let the embarrassment factor affect how you perform,” Tsai notes. “We had a plan and we’re rebuilding and I think right now we are on a positive trajectory. So it doesn’t change my thinking at all.”
This off-season, the team added former Knicks star Julius Randle in a trade with the Timberwolves, pairing him with Michael Porter Jr. and a young core that includes Egor Demin, Mikel Brown Jr., Ben Saraf and Drake Powell, all of whom have flashed potential at the NBA level.
Ultimately, this isn’t an organization that will ever have as big of a fanbase in New York as the Knicks, but with Tsai admitting his feelings and stating they’ll keep going the way things have been going, there’s a chance that in the years to come, this team can develop into a successful, competitive team of their own.
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