At first glance, the Brooklyn Nets 18-12 record looks good. It puts them in third place of the Eastern Conference, which is nothing to criticize. This is a conference after all that includes the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Boston Celtics. It’s understandable how they could be a few games behind. While the Nets will most likely jump between the top 3 spots in the Eastern Conference throughout the season, the concern is not necessarily on the court. Their roster of All-Stars looks more like a videogame lineup with all the cheats enable! Yet, there is cause for concern off the court and with team chemistry. There have been multiple teams in the past with an All-Star caliber lineup. One significant difference between those unstoppable teams and the Nets, unpredictability.
Throughout the history of the NBA, the greatest teams have synced together with not only their talents but chemistry. Sure, there might be a player or two on those super teams that skipped a few practices. But, there has never been a team where all of their biggest stars never seemed to fit in with any organization. The Nets three main players have already established their place in the league. Although some might say, not for the best reasons. Remarkably, Brooklyn found a way to assemble three of the most erratic players of the past decade. Those players of course are Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.
Durant, Irving & Harden
Durant decided to leave one of the greatest dynasties of all time in the Golden State Warriors. Now he is attempting to win on his own. Presumably so he can feel validated for winning a championship (and not join a 73 win team). Irving has been one of the best point guards the past decade. However he is now almost more associated with conspiracy theories and going AWOL during the season (for reasons still unknown). Last, and certainly not least erratic, James Harden. He has spent the majority of his career with the mostly underachieving Houston Rockets. Somehow he never was considered the issue despite the Rockets continuous dysfunction over the years.
While we are still not even halfway into the season, the Brooklyn Nets have already shown more dysfunction than most teams have the whole year. Although the Nets have one of, if not the most talented teams, the biggest obstacle they will face is the egos and erratic behaviors of their main stars. Despite all the flash and excitement brought to the court every night, most fans have to wonder about what happens behind closed doors. Even if each member of the new “Big 3” score 30 points in a playoff game, we can all expect the first question in the locker room to be, “Who shot the last shot, and why didn’t you pass to me.”
