Earlier this year, after the Godzilla-sized likeness of Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov was long gone from the shadow of the Garden, the Knicks responded with an ad to dig back at the Nets.
“Hey Nets,” said a voiceover. “You can walk like us, you can talk like us, but you ain’t never gonna be like us.”
Maybe the Nets didn’t get the message, because it sure looks like they’re trying to be the Knicks. And apparently, they’re even failing at that.
With the 28-26 Knicks getting Carmelo Anthony — and keeping the woeful 17-40 Nets solidly down once again — the area rivals in New Jersey, NBA sources said last night, were hoping to trade for two soon-to-be former Knicks, Timofey Mozgov and Raymond Felton, both of whom are headed to Denver in the Anthony deal.
The Nets were looking to send two first-round draft picks to Denver and deal Devin Harris to Dallas in order to receive Mozgov and Felton from the Nuggets plus a first-round pick from the Mavericks.
But Denver general manager Masai Ujiri squashed the notion last night when he told reporters the Nuggets will keep all the players they acquired from the Knicks.
The Nets, who remained erroneously confident throughout the process they could get Anthony, have other plans in place, but none, obviously, to land a performer of Anthony’s ilk.
The NBA trade deadline is Thursday.
One source maintained Prokhorov was presented with five contingency plans by his executives during All-Star weekend and most strategies centered around Harris and Troy Murphy.
One report last night suggested Harris might be going to the Hawks, possibly for Jamal Crawford, another former Knicks player.
Murphy could be headed to Golden State along with a second-round pick for a pair of big men: underachieving Brandan Wright, the No. 8 overall pick in 2007; and offensively limited Dan Gadzuric, a native of the Netherlands. Gadzuric at least would help the Nets achieve Prokhorov’s vision of a global team.
One planned contingency deal calls for Harris ($8.98 million) and Murphy ($11.96 million) to be traded to Portland for a package including Andre Miller ($7.2 million) and Joel Przybilla ($7.4 million). There also was a request for draft picks that needed to be settled. To make the potential deal work financially, Portland would have to add around $6 million in salary, which would mean either Greg Oden ($6.7 million) or Wes Matthews ($5.7 million).
But that deal may not happen, either.
“They’re not getting either of those guys,” one source said.
Harris had fallen from favor in the Nets organization as some questioned his commitment. Last month, amid non-stop trade rumors, Harris admitted disgust and no doubt felt unwanted.
“It really puts a strain on our team,” Harris said of all the rumors, especially those that seemed as if a deal were done. “When you tell a guy he’s traded and he has to come back, I think that’s one of the really worst things to deal with as a player.”
Prokhorov, who talked with Anthony on Saturday in Los Angeles in what he termed a “fantastic” meeting that helped fuel an “air of optimism” around the Nets, wants a global team. He wants a star for when the Nets move to Brooklyn. He wants to usurp the popularity in the area from the Knicks.
Well, he’s working on his global team — as the Nets continue to whiff in their search for star power and popularity.
Now the Nets, who resume practice tonight, with Sasha Vujacic (Slovenia), Johan Petro (France) and maybe Gadzuric (Netherlands) could field a United Nations team when they play in London on March 4-5.