We are in the midst of a possible Brooklyn Nets New York City hoops takeover.
I refuse to believe that the Knicks and Madison Square Garden have become a less desirable destination than the Brooklyn Nets, but Kyrie Irving is trying to apply that theory and Knicks Nation — from the fans to the front office — feel like they are getting done dirty.
They can feel it in the air like Beanie Sigel did, shortly before everything went downhill for his rap career; going to prison, coming out and then surviving several shooting attempts on his life.
At the same time, it’s almost as unfathomable as when Irving said he believed the earth was flat.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the point guard is “serious” about joining the Nets this summer, and the team is just as serious about jumping the Knicks’ plans of landing the NBA‘s top free agents.
We have been hearing rumors of this Kyrie and KD to the New York Knicks free agent scenario for months now. Knicks fans are praying that Steve Mills and Scott Perry can catch a big fish or two this summer.
It’s do or die time for the Knicks franchise. No matter how many billions they pull in each year, fan morale, the likeability of the owner and the unattractiveness of the brand can’t get any worse in the eyes of most sports fans and media personalities.
Actually, it will get worse if the latest rumors about Kyrie going to the Brooklyn Nets and trying to bring Kevin Durant with him has any validity to it. It also sets the stage for a Civil War in New York between the teams to acquire free agents.
Brooklyn seems to be clearing cap for a major move.
This trade will technically need to be completed in July, at which point Nets would create a $15.0M trade exception, which they could bypass in favor of: (i) $66M of cap room (enough for 2 maxes) or (ii) $46M of cap room plus D'Angelo Russell’s RFA rights.https://t.co/ZlKlq8SrA4
— Albert Nahmad (@AlbertNahmad) June 6, 2019
If this is true, it’s the worst possible scenario for the Knicks, who must have scorned Lady Luck something awful somewhere along the way. The Nets are basically hijacking the Knicks’ plan and trying to take over the city. The crown has never been so up for grabs.
Here Are The Top 3 Reasons Why KD and Kyrie to BK Is Great For New York
The Influence of Jay-Z
The Nets still have the energy of Jay-Z and Roc Nation and Live Nation and the close relationships with the Barclays and therefore, the Nets. Shawn Carter already has Durant in his Roc Nation Sports/CAA family.
The vision is clear for the Barclays Center to become the prime destination spot for sports and entertainment in NYC. Jay-Z is still hip-hop’s premier brand and just became the first rap billionaire. His influence on pop culture, urban branding, entertainment and the consciousness of Black America as well as his access to Beyonce’s resources, make him a guy that can help push this agenda to fruition.
Jay-Z is the first rapper to become a billionaire 🏆
The breakdown ⬇️
$310 million: Armand de Brignac
$210 million: Cash, investments
$100 million: D’Ussé
$100 million: Tidal
$75 million: Roc Nation
$75 million: Music catalog
$70 million: Art collection
$50 million: Real estate— XXL Magazine (@XXL) June 3, 2019
Brooklyn Is As New York As It Gets
When you think of the Knicks and The Garden you think of Wall Street and Madison Avenue and glamour and privilege. Just attended a Knicks game and you’ll see what I mean. It really doesn’t get any more New York than Brooklyn.
When you talk about the Five Boroughs and the concrete streets — where honest, homegrown, blue-collar city workers and small business hustlers raise their families, exist in tight-knit communities and are passionately devoted to their sports teams — it’s not Park Ave that comes to mind.
Brooklyn still rocks the house. The ungentrified areas at least, are considered the “real” New York.
Nets Have A Better Culture Right Now
The Brooklyn Dodgers were the last team in Brooklyn to win a championship and that was in 1955. If Kyrie and KD come to Brooklyn and bring the borough and the city of New York a championship, we’d experience a seismic shift in fan loyalty and the Nets would become the No. 1 team in New York. An entirely new basketball culture would emerge and eventually, the Nets would begin to close the gap on the extreme profit differential between the two teams.
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByYvl8VgkBE/?igshid=yyr22tk14iel
The Nets made the playoffs last season with 0 superstars. Whether or not the Knicks are truly implementing stability and a new, winning culture is yet to be seen.
As millennials and post-millennials become more disenchanted with the Knicks, the high costs to watch losing games and less familiar with the history of Walt Clyde Frazier and Patrick Ewing, downtown Brooklyn’s gentrified but diverse explosion of young intersecting cultures and it’s connection to hip-hop, urban lifestyles, makes it an attraction to the younger generation and therefore a major player in the future.
In any event, Brooklyn might not be a bad look, even though it would totally destroy the spirit of Knicks fans and crush the All-Black front office before it ever got off the ground.
