Brooklyn Nets: How The Big 5 Destroyed The Franchise

How the Big 5, along with some help from Billy King, destroyed the Brooklyn Nets franchise

In thought it was a great idea. On paper it seemed unstoppable. But in reality it was a disaster.

Billy King pulled one of the best trades in Boston Celtics history that resulted in the worst trade in Brooklyn Nets history.

But doesn’t King work for the Nets?

This ladies and gentlemen is how you lose your job, crumble a franchise and alienate a fan base all in five minutes, with one decision.

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Okay, maybe it didn’t take five minutes but you get the point.

King was given the green light to do whatever it took to win a championship – to hell with chemistry, luxury tax and future ramifications, the Nets wanted to win and they wanted to win NOW.

King made the call to Celtics GM Danny Ainge, whom I believe was on the other end astonished, all the while smiling from ear to ear as to what King was offering. King wanted Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, and Ainge wanted a future.

A deal was sturck that would send Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans and most importantly three draft picks (’14, ’16, ’18 and the right to swap in ’17) for Garnett, Pierce, Jason Terry and D.J. White.

At the time, the Brooklyn Nets motto was Championship or Bust.

And unless you have been living under a rock recently, the Nets are bust.

In their time here, the Brooklyn Nets went to the playoffs twice but they never really reached the potential King or the fans thought they should.

Now close your eyes and pretend you can hear the words as I yell out a few names to you.

Deron Williams, Pierce, Garnett, Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson, Terry, Andrei Kirilenko, and Mason Plumlee.

Now can you explain to me how they only won 44, 38 regular season games with that team in their time together?

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It’s wrong to put the blame on the shoulders of Pierce, as he was there only one year but was a shell of himself while wearing the Nets jersey. And Garnett, for all he accomplished throughout his career, did noting for the Nets either (Father Time).

This is what King did to this franchise, not the players. He mortgaged the future on older, wiser and big name guys instead of building with Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Plumlee. The playoffs were nice for the Nets for those two seasons, but look what they are left with…

Joe Johnson (nobody wants that contract)
Brook Lopez (just a low post move away form the IR)
Andrea Bargnani and Wayne Ellington (really???)
Did I forget to mention that Williams is gone as well?

The Brooklyn Nets are 3-12 and at this rate they will miss the playoffs, hit the lottery and then give that pick away to the Celtics all because King took a gamble on the past and not the present, while ignoring the future.

That Big 5 (D-Will, Johnson, Pierce, Garnett, Lopez) didn’t win anything for the Nets. Now, all Brooklyn can do is sit back and pray that they make some miraculous run and avoid the lottery.

Ainge may be the greatest mind the Celtics franchise has ever seen. He helped bring them a championship as a player, then brought them one with the addition of Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen. Got rid of them, stockpiled for the future with his own picks and now he could be looking at three possible lottery picks in the future thanks to the over-reaching hands of King.

The Big 5 has destroyed the Nets, but turned the Celtics into contenders.

Way to go, King.

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