Goodbye, Season of 2002- 2003
Backlash Addresses
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The Last Flickering Embers Of The 2002 - 2003 Season
Joe:
Now the hard part begins...
If you were J Kidd wouldn't you go to the Spurs?
If you were Kmart would you practice jump shots?
If you were Kerry or Lucious doesn't the FBI witness protection program look good to you right now..??
If you were Rod Thorn it will be 100 degrees until July 16th (free agent sign date).
If you were Rodney Rogers wouldnt you get off that Mo Vaughn diet??
If you were RJ would you have shown up for the first three games??
If you were Lou Lam would you send out the season ticket bills out tomorrow??
If you were the Cigar Store Indian would go to the movies during the Finals??
If you were Eddie Jordan wouldn't you take that Wiz job?
If you were Mike O'Koren wouldn't you go with him??
If you were Stephen Jackson wouldn't you be in Byron's face right now??
If you were a mason wouldn't you be offended about the term "bricklayers"?
If you were JoeNetsfan wouldn't you let it all hang out from now until July 16th when free agents are allowed to sign...
Also.. J Kidd now just keep your mouth shut and do what you want.. we want you back but give us a break.
Not this year my friends... remember you youngins we are the NJ Nets..
- NJAmericans67, June 15, 2003
NJAmericans:
It'll be a radically different off-season, since Jordan did leave, O'Koren's on his way out, and the Kidd watch is just beginning. We're gonna let it all hang out until the 16th, and try to get over the disappointment of the Finals loss over this long, strange summer.
- Joe
Binky's Bumming
Joe:
For once...I cannot blame Rogers..I cannot blame anyone else..but the f*cking Nets. They are the Nets. They can blow a huge lead. They can suck for long periods of time. They can give up home court and of course they can give up their chances at a championship. I mean I was in the mindset of a Game 7 after they had like a 10 point lead...in like the 4th..but no. NO! I mean...
I don't care who you are and wherever part of New Jersey you are..but if you really cared you are crying like me right now. I mean...I don't even care Scalabrine got to play....I just...I just wish that they weren't the Nets. I wish they could close out games, quarters and a championship series. They played well and that wasn't good enough, they needed to play well the whole game...they didn't.
- Binky, June 15, 2003
P.S. Hey they can still screw up more things...they still can waste a draft pick...but...they will make it to the Finals next year and win it again.
Binky:
Take some time off this summer. Get away from it all. And let's see how the off-season plays out before we start obsessing over next season. It was a tough loss, but we'll just have to hope that Rod Thorn improves the team and keeps Kidd.
- Joe
Nuts And Bolts
Joe:
It's time to get rid of this A-hole of a coach.
Again, his terrible use of timeouts, poor play rotations, lousy game management and lack of leaving the hot players in cost the Nets the Finals. This solely, in my estimation, lays on Byron's shoulders.
I'm not going to get into it but after that steal that got San Antonio and their crowd back into it, Byron needed a timeout. Not after they lost the lead!!!
This guy has got to go, or I guarantee, that Jason Kidd will!!! And if he goes, the Nets won't make the playoffs next year. That, my friends, is a fact.
Before I go, the Spurs, were without a doubt, the better team in this series. The Nets squander chance after chance to win games and blew. They couldn't execute down the stretch and that is the coach's fault.
Now, as usual, watch Byron throw the blame around and he'll want to get rid of this guy and that guy. He'll say that "We're a young team" and "Still learning".
We'll, I'm tired of him learning at my expense.
Rod, it's time. Get rid of this guy.
Champagne, do you still want Byron Scott returning as the Head Coach??? How about any of you "He brought us to the NBA Finals" idiots. This guy can't coach... Period. End of story.
A good, not great coach, could've taken this Nets team to a championship. Byron is neither.
- The "Effervescent and Bubbling" NetsNut, June 16, 2003
NetsNut:
Think Kidd wants him gone as well? Let's see what tricks Thorn has up his sleeve. Do we get to see if Byron can coach with Jordan pulling all the strings? Or will Byron be horribly exposed with Fast Eddie? Should be interesting (and read on to find out more thoughts from NetsNut).
- Joe
Angry At Scott
Joe:
We would have won. You can't play 3 quarters and expect to win. I'm kinda angry at Scott right now, granted the guys played like sht, but it's his responsibility to manage them and get them to play well. They called too many time outs and then there were none left when they actually needed them.
After Rogers was running around not playing defense of any kind he should have been taken out long before for Aaron Williams. He hit his big three and then screwed up even more after that...and the next dead ball Williams should have been in, he was nowhere to be found.
As for KMart having 2 bad games in a row, that's unfortunate. Even with his bad game we were still winning. Kittles came through again, but where was Lucious?
I think our goals for the offseason are to re-sign Cap'n Crunchtime, get a deadly outside shooter...preferably at the 2 guard position and maybe it's time to say goodbye to *shudder* Kittles, Harris, Rodgers, Slay, Scalabrine, *sigh* Thorn is going to be a busy man.
It was nice to WIN 2 EASTERN CONFRENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS in a row..but the goal should be set higher. Lets hope Kidd re-signs and start from there. Enjoy your time off.
- Tim Bassett, June 16, 2003
Tim:
Look for a roster reshuffling for certain. Unfortunately, the Kidd signing has to take priority, so hopefully that can be done quickly, and the revamping can get underway. Thorn's a pretty creative guy, so perhaps some of the folks you're waving goodbye to will indeed be gone, and perhaps others that you haven't considered will be as well. I'd say everyone is up for grabs if the deal is right. Or leads to Kidd re-signing.
- Joe
Joe Go?
Joe:
No JNF ? Say it ain't so, Joe!!..
- Ken Gilmore, June 16, 2003
Ken:
It's a distinct possibility. We're gonna take some time off and evaluate whether or not we can continue, and in what form, for the 2003 - 2004 season. Stay tuned. Thanks for your support.
- Joe
Boston's Finest
Joe:
Actually, I'm really Joe Netsfan...since my name is Joe. :) But I live in boston now so I guess you can call me BostonJoeNetsFan. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for all the work you and Champagne do on the site. Being in Boston, the only contact I have with fellow Netsfans is via the internet and through reading this site. Makes me wish I could have been in New Jersey kicking back and watching the game with true blue Netsfans.
Well, it was a good run. I can't say I'm not disappointed, but I'm also happy that we made it this far again. Last year was such a blur since it was so out of the blue that I didn't really get to enjoy our run, but this year I enjoyed every minute of it. I had the pleasure to be at the closeout games in both the Boston and Detroit series...it was so sweet to hear the entire Fleet Center silent at the end of that game after they had been cursing off Kidd and chanting "domestic violence" for 50+ minutes. We had a great season that ended one game too soon...but a great season nonetheless. Here's hoping that Kidd stays, but if not...raise a glass to him anyway. He's given us Netsfans more than we could have ever dreamed of.
Alright, enough procrastinating at work. I think "Da Nad" is gonna be awesome and KMart and RJ are just gonna get better...and thank goodness it's a shorter offseason...so let's go Nets!
- Boston JoeNetsfan, June 16, 2003
Boston Joe:
Thanks for your support. Talk about living behind enemy lines. I'm with you - here's to Jason Kidd, regardless of what decision he makes. He's taken us on a run we never could have expected (especially not Champagne and I, considering our original aim of the site was to have some fun with the Nets' ineptitude). Enjoy the off-season, and thanks again for the kind words.
- Joe
One More Year?
Joe:
Off season priorities.
1.) sign Joe and Champagne
2.) sign Kidd
You guys can't leave us. Relax a few days more during the season, but don't leave us. You guys are just like Kidd - no quality backup and teasing us if you are coming back. Let's all come back and win a championship in 2004. Follow the natural progression - 0 wins in finals last year, 2 wins in finals this year, _ wins in finals next year. That's right, the answer is 4.
Give it one more year. Please, Please, Please.
- Doug Sheff, June 16, 2003
Doug:
Are you telling me that if we stick around for year 4 of JNF, the Nets will win 4 games in the Finals next year? If you can get that in writing, consider us in. Thanks for the kind words - it's not that we want to go, but that we're not sure we can afford to stay...
- Joe
Scott And Harris: A Love Affair?
Joe:
I have been a die hard Nets fan for a very long time. As bad as the Nets were they never had a coach as bad as Byron Scott. I can't believe the substitutions he makes. Who ever is playing well gets taken out of the game. Every time the Nets get hot on the floor he substitutes and breaks their momentum.
I also think Lucious Harris is the worst player on the Nets. How many times have we seen Kerry Kittles Running on the fast break, knocking down shots, and getting steals only to be taken out of the game for Harris who comes in and throws up the worst looking shots I have ever seen. No matter how badly Harris is playing he is in the game down the stretch in the fourth quarter missing shots and turning the ball over with Kittles sitting on the bench wondering what the hell is going on. Scott and Harris definitely have some kind of love affair going on because no coach in their right mind would play Harris as much as Scott, especially in key situations.
I can go on and on about how badly the Nets are coached by Scott. There is no doubt in my mind that the Nets would have won the championship this year had it not been for Scott's terrible coaching, not to mention that they would have easily had the best record in the East.
I sincerely believe that the Nets key players do not like Scott. Let's hope that Rod Thorn signs Jason Kidd, and gets rid of those two useless pieces of crap Byron Scott and Lucious Harris
- Jimmy, June 16, 2003
Jimmy:
Does anybody have any use for Byron Scott? How could Rod Thorn have been so wrong, or so duped, about the man? As for Loosh, wow. Back in December we would have elected him to the starting five, and now he's a useless piece of crap? Yes, he had a bad series, but was he so much worse than Rodney Rogers all season long? Think not. In any case, Loosh is probably gone this off-season.
- Joe
Hope Springs Eternal For Netsfans
Joe:
Wow. It's just amazing how much this one hurts. After being a NetsFan for so many years, dealing with all the losing and the nonsense seemed like a breeze compared to this. Before Kidd, the team was a joke that nobody paid attention to. Now it seems the Nets are a joke that everyone wants to tell. The media has sucked exceptionally hard on this one, each one with their 'I told you so' & 'See? The Nets were never any good to begin with'. Each one taking the obligatory shots at each one of our guys...rightfully so, I guess...and the even more obligatory, 'well, this just cinches Kidd going to San Antonio'. It seems like, to the world, the answer to the question "Is it better to have loved and lost, then to never have loved at all?" is the latter.
Bullsht.
Yeah, it smarts...yeah, I've learned to hate the media even more (I once aspired to be a journalist before I truly discovered what unfathomably immoral leeches they are)...yes, I hate the thought of the next several months having to listen to the whole "West is best, East is weak" stuff and the two-years-in-the-making Jason Kidd Free Agency Saga.
But it was a fun ride. Right up until about 7 minutes to go in Game 6, there was hope. There was a chance. And that's a lot longer than 27 other teams could say that. The Nets were clearly the best team in the East, and we have every reason to think they can get better. Why?
Experience - yeah I know, you hear this over and over...but think about this: next year, Jason Collins & Richard Jefferson will be third-year players with 2 finals runs under their belts. KMart will be in his fourth NBA year. All three have become progressively better in their short NBA time...I don't think that will stop with this year.
Talent - Yes, a lot rides on getting JKidd back...no one can possibly replace him. But also remember that we have Rod "In Rod We Trust" Thorn at the helm this summer...the guy who got us players like Kidd, Jefferson & Collins. He has his work cut out for him, but he can certainly improve this team. Nenad should be coming in...an unknown for sure, but so was Ginobili & Nowitzki. He's a guy with size & a shot...damn, that would have been nice this year. Garnett is in the final year of his contract, & the T-Wolves are reportedly listening...Lucious likely won't be back. He'll be missed, but the Nets can use his spot to find a more consistant shooter. Armstrong & Slay will likely be gone, Scalabrine might be as well, though he might be put into the Donny Marshall 'chronic back injury' category. If Thorn can find a way to ditch Defend-e Rebound-o & Rodney, those spots could be filled with marksmen...Jon Barry is on the market and eligible for the mid-level exception.
Software - Next year, we get to raise two more banners to the rafters, doubling our historical total. I still have my 01-02 Eastern Conference replica banner at my desk at work, looking forward to adding another. No, it's not the big one, but my trophy case is filled with silver & bronze medals that I'm extremely proud of.
So rest well, oh keepers of Joenetsfan.com. Know that where there is life, there is hope...know that your site has many fans, growing all the time...know that we'll all be back & feeling better next year...and know that sometimes even Tim Duncan has to change a diaper and winds up getting peed on.
- Jim, June 16, 2003
Jim:
Thanks for your recap. And your optimism.
- Joe
Joe Don't Go
Joe:
Hello from an old friend (perhaps you remember "Joss's Journey"). First, I wanted to offer my condolences on what was a miserable and utterly painful series. HEARTBREAKING because I really believe we could have won that series. Who knows? Maybe I'm just looking at the whole thing through Nets goggles. I don't want to get started, I want to keep this short.
Second, I wanted to thank you guys for an outstanding season of coverage. You do a great job and everyone in the "Slate Blue and White with Red Trim Nation" apprecitates it.
I was less involved this time around but assure I was reading every word on JNF. In doing that I read that you guys need to ponder if you'll return next season. I almost fell off my chair. As if Jason's return wasn't worrying me enough, I now need to agonize over the future of the one constant in my Nets-crazed life: JOENETSFAN.COM
I'm starting the chant right now and by nightfall it will be ring out and be heard across all of North Jersey -
JOE DON'T GO!
JOE DON'T GO!
JOE DON'T GO!
Yours in Nets basketball,
- Joss Williams, June 16, 2003
Joss:
Relax. It's finally stopped raining, and summer might actually be here. Enjoy the off-season, and it's many twists and turns that are sure to come for Netsfans. As for us, well, we'll do the worrying about what comes next. Though it's great to know that you Netsfans seem to appreciate what we do and how we do it. Thanks for the kind words as well.
- Joe
Keep Hope Alive, And Trust In Rod
Joe:
You might not remember me, actually you probably don't remember me. I wrote in at the end of last season after the Nets got swept by the Lakers. When I lost all hope, this site kept me faithful and hopeful.
Well, I'm back again this season, and let me tell you: I'm as hopeful as ever!! Several big factors contributed to this Finals loss: Kidd's ankle sprain not recovering fully, Martin's untimely flu, Lord Byron's um... interesting substitution pattern (what pattern?). They definitely could have won it all this year, but the fact that the Spurs were healthier and had a bigger purpose (going away present for the Admiral) came through in the end.
If Kidd stays, all is well. Because amazingly, we're still a building franchise! Kmart and RJ are still young and not even close to their peak, heard that Krstic kid ain't bad either. Kidd has to realise that staying with the Nets is his best and the only successful option.
But anyway, enough blubbering and straight to the point: This season was a success, not a complete success, but a good one nevertheless. Just two years ago we were still trying to get this team into the playoffs, look at them now! The best thing is, it can get better still! No matter what anyone thinks, the Nets is still the best team in the East, and can compete with the Mighty West for a Title. So there, Amen and stop moaning, Rod will get us there, trust him.
- RXLcrab (Previously HXRcrab), June 16, 2003
RXL:
In Rod We Trust. Amen to that. Let's hope Rod's put in his time and done his homework for this off-season.
- Joe
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