Dr J's Hot Take

When somebody like Julius Irving talks, people listen. And why not. He's considered one of the greatest basketball players to ever step foot on a court. And he knows something about getting big deals. So when Julius calls out the Nets for what they're doing, it could mean something. In a recent podcast interview with Danny Green, Irving called the Nets, the New York Yankees.

Irving said in the interview: “It’s reminiscent of how the Yankees used to do it all the time. They load up – they call it ‘buying a championship.’ The Lakers are known for doing that too. They’re getting all these pieces … they don’t know at the end of the season what it’s going to look like or what it’s going to feel like, but they’re going to be formidable. You’ve got a team with six former All-Stars, and three [All-NBA] guys who have been there and succeeded in the playoffs.”

Lets start here. This isn't the same as what the Yankees did. I mean it is but it isn't. The Yankees had all the cap space in the world to do whatever they wanted when they went out and got those players. The Nets its different, they have to worry about dealing with Cap space. They were able to pick up a couple of players after buyouts in Blake Griffin and a now retired LaMarcus Aldridge.

That's not the point, the point is Irving was a little off the mark. Yes the Nets went out a got some big name talented players and went all in on trying to win a title coming out of the East, same way the Yankees did for years in baseball. There's also a big difference between what the Yankees did and what the Nets are doing. This has nothing to do with what Irving said, its about the sports themselves.

What the Yankees did was, when they got their star lineups, they actually played them every night. If they were healthy, they played. The Nets give their guys days off for maintenance. Sure, the Nets are going to be in good shape for a deep run come playoff time. But the fact that they sit players for rest when they fighting for the top seed in the East and what could be home court advantage throughout the playoffs really boggles my mind. And this is turned up even more after the comments made by Dr J.