The banners changed from red, white and blue to black-and-white. They’ve worn 12 different jerseys since relocating, two that display the actual team’s name. Jackets, hats, and other apparel show “established in 2012”.

For many longtime Nets fans, it’s been a constant smack in the face.

The Nets moved 13 miles from Route 120 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (11 from 25 Lafayette Street in Newark) to Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Not like Seattle to Oklahoma City or Vancouver to Memphis. The Nets followed a similar path, though, completely shutting out their fanbase from New Jersey when they made the move. Former owner Mikhail Prokhorov and former CEO Brett Yormark wanted desperately to leave the New Jersey Nets in the past – and steal Knicks fans from the New York boroughs.

In fact, when the Nets were making the move to Brooklyn, some higher-ups in the organization wanted to abandoned the “NETS” name completely. There were thoughts of calling the team “Ballers” or “Knights”. There were even conversations to be called “Brooklyn” and not have a team name, almost like an EPL team.

“I think there’s a window of opportunity to convert fans and become the team in New York and that’s certainly our goal,” Yormark told the Daily News back in 2014.

Although the Nets fanbase is growing with an exciting future ahead, they’ve failed at prying many Knicks fans away from The Garden. And we’re talking about some of the ugliest days in Knick history.

In the eight seasons the Nets have played at Barclays, only twice have they cracked the top-20 for attendance. They finished 16th in their inaugural season and 17th the second season when they broke the bank to create a super team. This year, they were 24th (20th in percentage of seats sold) through 32 home games.

Kyrie Irving grew up a die-hard Nets fan watching Jason Kidd and the Nets during their glory days, when they made the NBA Finals two consecutive years; the playoffs six straight years. They had an electric team led by Kidd, Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson and then later Vince Carter.

People around Irving’s age grew up watching that team, whether it was for logistical or financial purposes, watching cheaper (and better) basketball at Continental Airlines Arena than at the Garden. Now, It would be wise to shift some attention back that way… for several reasons.

Irving signed his Nets contract in West Orange gym wearing a “New Jersey” Nets cap. He works with The Patrick School in Hillside, his alma mater.

“I’m a die-hard New Jersey Nets fan before [we] came to Brooklyn,” Irving said with a huge smile after the Nets faced Carter and the Atlanta Hawks on January 12. “I love Brooklyn the same, but that was just a kids dream to go see Vince Carter and Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets… I’m a happy New Jersey Nets kid.”

“I’m a die-hard New Jersey Nets fan, before [we] came to Brooklyn.”



- @KyrieIrving on Vince Carter pic.twitter.com/ReFCZ6HYFY — Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) January 13, 2020

There was more history in East Rutherford, 33 years worth (plus two seasons in Newark) in the years since they departed New York back in 1977, leaving one new arena in Long Island for another in the Meadowlands

Now, with new owners in Joe and Clara Tsai, the Nets have an opportunity to change their ways and reach the New Jersey fanbase – yes imperfect, but a fanbase nonetheless. Again, it’s not like the Sonics-Thunder situation where the team moved several states and almost 2000 miles away while changing its name.

There are just a few knots they must untie if they choose to embrace their New Jersey days and its history.

I. MARKETING (FUHGEDABOUTIT)

Brett Yormark deserves credit. He was integral in the Nets transition to Brooklyn, but his unwillingness to embrace the history was appalling. If you type in “Yormark” and “fans” in Google, the first image you’ll see is him yelling at two fans who wore bags over their heads during the infamous 12-70 season. Fans in Jersey especially gave him flack when he tried a unique ticket plan where they handed out reversible jerseys – with a player from the opposing team on the flip side! To his last days as a Nets executive, he defended that move.

No matter. Where should we start?

The banners. When the Nets moved to Brooklyn, they did not bring the banners from the Meadowlands. Instead, they created new ones, custom ones, with black-and white as the color scheme. The teams that earned those banners were red, white and blue. Is an insult to those who played on those teams and the fans who supported during those times? You decide.

The Nets were going into Brooklyn with trendy black-and-white colors, undeniably clean and unique in its own way. That wasn’t the problem. Eight years after moving, the Nets have worn 12 different jerseys – two which have remained throughout their tenure in Brooklyn. They’ve only worn two jerseys that say “Nets” on them. Not “Brooklyn.” Not “BKLYN.” Not “Bed Stuy.”

“Nets” have been their name for the last 52 years. The two times they actually had jerseys that said “Nets” on them? They never wore them more than 10 times in a season. Compare that to the jerseys that say “Bed Stuy” on the front. They were set to wear the 28 times this season and they don’t even play in Bed Stuy!

Is it a big deal?

“When you’re trying to build a fanbase and you still aren’t making money; yeah it’s a big deal,” one team insider said.

It’s not like they’re starting from scratch. They have their fair share of fans from Brooklyn. But there are also roots in New Jersey. Market what’s now known as “vintage” and you’ll have a ton of happy fans – and sales.

What is there to lose?

There is some belief that the Nets will bring back some sort of vintage Nets jerseys next year, specifically the 90’s era jerseys. The 2020-2021 season will mark 30 years since those kits came out.

Apparel that says “2012” is another part of the marketing scheme to break away from the New Jersey days. It makes little sense. They’ve have had some of the best players in history in Julius Erving, Drazen Petrovic, Jason Kidd — all Hall of Famers— and many more.

What are you telling the thousands of fans that have supported your organization before the team moved 13 miles? You’re telling them the team and THEIR history doesn’t matter. Down the memory hole? You can never erase history, whether you like it or not.

II. TELEVISION DISASTER

Back in 2016, YES Network and Comcast had a long-lasting dispute that took the Nets and Yankees off the screen for more than a year. The dispute lasted the entire 2015-2016 season and ended in March 2017, leaving 900,000 households without Nets gameday coverage during that time. The overwhelming majority of those households were in New Jersey. There were others without coverage in Pennsylvania and Connecticut, not one in New York.

New Jersey fans had to resort to illegal and often lousy quality online substitutes or sports bars where there might be a satellite feed and where they had to ask the proprietor could he please turn one of his screens to said feed. Rough times.

III. BAR NETWORK

Speaking of sports bars ... if you’re looking for a recent example of how the Nets see New Jersey as the land beyond, we give you the Brooklyn Nets Bar Network.

The Nets set up a network of nearly 40 local bars and taverns for Nets fans to visit while the team was on the road. They have bars in all five boroughs and even out on Long Island. Not a one in New Jersey. It was yet another missed opportunity to revisit the marketing possibilities for the state where they played for 35 years. We’re sure Jersey guys could help them identify a few of their favorites.

Here is the website for their Bar Network.

IV. FORMER PLAYERS

Start with Jason Kidd. Kidd turned a 26-win Nets team into a 52-win Eastern Conference Championship team. The Lakers completed a three-peat against them in 2002 with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal leading the charge. Kidd brought the Nets to the chip a second consecutive season, falling in six games against Tim Duncan, David Robinson and the San Antonio Spurs. They made the playoffs six straight seasons with Kidd at the starting point. He nabbed 61 triple-doubles in a Nets uniform and lead the franchise in assists, steals and 3-point field goals.

The Nets hired Kidd as head coach in 2013-2014, a nightmare waiting to happen. Kidd was fresh out of retirement and assumed the head coaching position during Brooklyn’s biggest season filled with star egos in the locker room. Kidd pulled a powerplay in the summer, wanting more control of basketball operations, but the Nets remained loyal to Billy King. Pick your poison.

The relationship ended ugly and Kidd got a new job in Milwaukee not long after. Brooklyn fans booed Kidd when he returned. Think about that: the best player in Nets’ NBA history being booed by Nets fans. Imagine Yankees fans booing Derek Jeter for buying into the Miami Marlins? You can’t can you.

It’s been more than five years since that all happened. His banner hangs in the rafters. The former owners he feuded with are gone.

There should be some sort of embrace for the point guard from his former team. The 2020-2021 season will mark 20 seasons since Kidd singlehandedly turned the franchise around. They should do something, anything with that team. But will they?

Perhaps, they took a step in the right directed when they hosted Julius “Dr. J” Erving at Barclays Center for the first time this past February. Eight years later. The legend won two ABA championships with the Nets before they were forced to sell him off to the Philadelphia 76ers as a product of the NBA-ABA merger in 1976. At least they had their moment with that.

And, oh yeah, how about the idea of retiring Vince Carter’s jersey? When Kidd left New Jersey, they refused to let any player wear No. 5. Since Carter left, it’s been handed down from Isaiah Whitehead to John Egbunu. Really?

——

There was once a time when New Jersey Nets fans chanted, “N-E-T-S, NETS, NETS NETS” as they stood near the top of the NBA world. But you’d never know it given how the Nets have embraced their history, or better yet, forgotten about their history.

I’d bet most people in Brooklyn would tell you the same thing the Nets ought hear: Never forget where you came from.

What a time.@Coach_Keith44 knocks down two 3-pointers to seal a 20-1 run in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Fans chant, “N-E-T-S, NETS NETS NETS” pic.twitter.com/aYfVwWmpSn — Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) April 19, 2020

Truth be told, the break for Brooklyn antagonized a lot of New Jersey fans who recognized they weren’t going to be welcomed in the borough. It didn’t help that the governor, Chris Christie, wished the team “good bye good riddance” as the vans pulled up outside the Meadowlands. (Christie pushed the false hope that another NBA team might want to relocate to Newark.)

Still, despite all of that, Nets marketing types believed that 16 percent of the Jersey fans that first season would make the trek across bridges and tunnels. Half that number actually did and in the years since, it’s been more and more difficult to lure them back. Yormark, a New Jersey native, was done with his home state.

But now, there’s an opportunity with the Tsai’s in charge. They’ve made it known in quiet conversations that they are not beholden to decisions made before they were in charge. Most importantly, they have that kid from West Orange whose NBA dream started in the cheap seats at Continental during a Finals game watching Jason Kidd. How hard can that be?!?