The Brooklyn Nets have people back on their bandwagon now after pulling off the blockbuster Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce trade.
Former Knicks coach and current ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy told a New York radio station that he thinks the Nets have the best starting five in basketball according to The New York Post.
Speaking in an interview on ESPN 98.7 FM Friday afternoon – a day after the Nets stole the headlines from the draft they hosted at Barclays Center with a massive blockbuster trade that saw them land Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett andJason Terry from the Celtics – Van Gundy praised the move for the Nets.
“I think, for the short term, the Nets certainly have the best starting lineup, talent-wise, in the NBA,” Van Gundy said.
We should never be shocked by hyperbole displayed by Jeff Van Gundy. He then went on to praise Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov for spending the money to build a championship.
“I give the ownership of the Nets a lot of credit, because we always hear about luxury taxes and how they can’t afford to go over the luxury tax,” Van Gundy said. “We often hear the word “can’t” be interjected where the word “won’t” is more descriptive.
“In this case, the Nets ownership put personnel for their team way ahead of profits. And, if you’re a fan, you have to understand how rare that is and you have to be excited about the opportunity. Now, if this turns out to be a championship run or not, you have to be excited about an ownership that will put the personnel of a team ahead of the profits of that same team.”