When NBA people talk about teams feeling the financial crisis, the Nets are always part of the conversation. They have never had great crowds in East Rutherford, have been cutting costs, and have had frustrations with the promised move to Brooklyn.
As NBA fans play GM with the new trade machine, many will assume that the Nets will be holding a fire sale. (More than a few Portland fans have expressed their willingness to take Devin Harris off Rod Thorn's hands.)
But Nets General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe, in a blog entry on the Nets' website, paints a different picture.
Vandeweghe hints at what I have been hearing: That the Nets are among a handful of teams expressing a willingness to take on more salary:
The current economic environment globally has impacted basketball as well. It is a unique time in basketball and, with that, there will be many unique opportunities to improve your team. We believe that there will be several big-name players made available in the near future. It is important that you continue to stay with a successful game plan. We would not be opposed however, to speeding up our rebuilding process if the right player, for us, became available.
Flexibility is extremely important because you never know when the opportunities will arrive. You also do not know what form they may take, whether they come during the draft or at the trade deadline. Being very aware of league-wide events and being able to capitalize on opportunities is the quickest and surest way to improve.
