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Joe Johnson Believes The Nets Is Better Than The Knicks
Teaming in the backcourt with Olympian Deron Williams after a surprising trade and playing in Brooklyn has energized the 6-foot-6 guard.
“I haven’t been this excited since my Phoenix days,” Johnson said, which is a real stab at his six years with the Hawks.
Ironically enough, Nets general manager Billy King was not interested in acquiring Johnson until he called new Hawks general manager Danny Ferry — like King, a graduate of Duke — to congratulate him on his new job when Ferry raised Johnson’s name. King became interested then, and a massive deal eventually took place that got Johnson and his enormous contract (still $96 million on it) out of Atlanta.
Johnson called his new team — featuring him, Williams, center Brook Lopez and swingman Gerald Wallace — better than the other half of the East River Rivalry, the Knicks. But he and the rest of the Nets are so optimistic about the team that beating New York does not register as their highest ambition.
“It’s not just about winning a local championship or a regional championship,” coach Avery Johnson said. “It’s really about winning an NBA championship, and that’s what our focus is on.”
This coming from a team that went 58-172 in the last
three seasons and have not made the playoffs since 2006-07. Johnson’s
presence is one reason the Brooklyn Nets have their heads held high,
even after several failed attempts to acquire Orlando Magic center
Dwight Howard in a trade.
“I’m just glad now that we have a direction,” said general manager Billy
King, adding that Lopez will get into the Metropolitan area to take his
physical Friday. “We know where we’re going.”
He knew on Wednesday, when he and the club became exasperated in trying to negotiate a trade for Howard.
“It wasn’t about moving on,” King said. “At some point, you’ve got to
decide, we’ve got a young center that’s pretty good, and it was about
him under contract and getting him focused and getting our team
focused.”
Source: Atlantablackstar.com
Date Submitted: 7/13/2012 11:34 PM
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PostedBy: Single In The City
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