On the court, the Nets have a nice young team. That’s not going to be enough.
So as the Nets walk through the doors to be the first team to pitch LeBron James -- starting at 11 am Eastern -- here is what they are selling, according to the New York Post.
Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov will pitch his global vision, showing James the vast network his resources reach, including Russia, Brooklyn, China, a network that could make him a billionaire.
Hip-hop mogul and longtime James friend Jay-Z will propose James’ own clothing line plus a new fragrance, as well as opportunities in entertainment.
New coach Avery Johnson will be there to pitch the whole “we’re a young team on the rise and you can be the leader” angle. Rod Thorn will sit quietly and say, “I’m sure the next guy will be just as good as me.”
The Nets are two years away from New York, a new arena in Brooklyn. Which is where all the hip people live anyway. They can offer a better team and more options in many ways than the Knicks, if LeBron can deal with Newark for a couple years. It’s a long shot, but the Nets are all in.
In a dream world the Nets would get LeBron and Chris Bosh. In reality, it will be hard to get either, but they may be able to attract second tier guys like an Amare Stoudemire or Carlos Boozer. Plus they may make a run at someone like Rudy Gay (Joe Johnson is now off the table, apparently). Whatever happens, you can bet they win a lot more than 12 games next season.