Getty Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden at Barclays Center.
It is no secret that the Brooklyn Nets are considered the villains of the NBA.
The team already came in viewed as a potential championship threat with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but when they made the blockbuster trade to add James Harden, they became one of the most offensively talented teams in NBA history.
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Charles Barkley Turned off by Brooklyn Nets
While the Nets’ three-headed monster is eye candy for some, many are somewhat disgusted at how stacked this Brooklyn team is. One man being Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. He took to the airwaves after the Celtics-Lakers game on Thursday to voice his opinion.
“I’m always going to root against Brooklyn,” Barkley said on Inside the NBA via Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson.
“I don’t like the way they put the team together. You know I’m never going to be a proponent of guys teaming up. Never going to be for it. I’m rooting for anybody to beat Brooklyn.”
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Barkley Criticized KD for Move to Golden State
Barkley also felt strongly about KD’s move to Golden State in 2017, so this reaction from the Round Mound of Rebound is to be expected.
“I was disappointed. I was disappointed like I was disappointed when LeBron went to Miami,” Barkley said of KD’s move via Bleacher Report.
“Kevin is a terrific player, he’s a good kid. But just disappointed with the fact that he weakened another team and he’s gonna kind of gravy train on a terrific Warriors team.”
It Has Been a Long Road to the Top For Brooklyn
The Nets have had a long road back to success since moving from New Jersey to Brooklyn.
Brooklyn completed a blockbuster trade in 2014 with the Boston Celtics to get Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. In return they gave up a truckload of draft picks that eventually became Celtics’ 2021 All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
When Pierce and KG left in 2014 and 2015 respectively, the organization had to struggle through the rebuilding process for three years, never even breaking 30 wins let alone going to the playoffs.
Just when it all seemed hopeless for the franchise, they decided to go in a different direction in 2016 by hiring Kenny Atkinson as head coach and Sean Marks as General Manager. Marks had made it clear from the start that his strategy for rebuilding would take some time, but in hindsight, it may have been worth it.
Through trades and signings, Marks took a team that had not cracked 30 wins in the previous three seasons and got them 42 wins in 2019, getting the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference and a trip to the playoffs.
Even though the campaign was cut short in the first round, it set a tone strong enough to attract some star-studded talent, and eventually, the biggest free agent of that summer in two-time NBA Finals MVP Durant as he decided to sign with Brooklyn, and brought Kyrie Irving with him.
Through all the trials and tribulations, it would seem ethical to give Marks his credit and Brooklyn their respect. Going from 10 or 20 wins a season to housing two NBA champs, three of the greatest scorers of all time, and five all-stars, you would think people would be excited to see how this Nets team plays out.
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