Soon after Bruce Ratner bought the Nets and revealed intentions to relocate from New Jersey to Brooklyn, he asked whether I’d attend more or fewer home games.
It’d be impossible to show up less than zero. Not that it mattered anyway, I told Ratner. “I’ll be retired by the time your dream becomes reality.”
As it turns out, I’ll be correct by just a few months.
Still, the chances I’ll show up in November for opening night are a tinge greater if Dwight Howard is the Nets’ centerfold vs. Brook Lopez, and Deron Williams is their lifeguard.
Then again, I promise to get there early and leave late if I know Sandy Koufax, Don Newcombe, Carl Erskine, Ralph Branca, Tom LaSorda, Don Zimmer, Roger Craig, Vin Scully, Rachel Robinson and Joan Hodges — or just the wives of Jackie and Gil — are going to bless the occasion with their revered presence.
OK, so what are the odds Dwight and Deron become made members of the Nets?
First, let’s get this straight: Deron’s free-agent decision will not be based on whether or not Dwight joins him through an exchange program with the Magic.
Will the Nets do everything from their control tower to make Dwight land on their runway? Of course! Everyone knows what it will take to acquire his all-league services. We also know Dwight has eyes only for globally connected Nets czar Mikhail Prokhorov.
What’s more, Magic GM Rob Hennigan has been lopping off heads of front-office personnel and scouts since he was hired. Now it’s the players’ turn to be guillotined, presumably starting with Dwight.
Question is: Does any other team have more eye candy in its goodie bag than the Nets? The Lakers boast Andrew Bynum, also entering the last year of his contract, but neither team seems to want the other’s basket case. Moreover, Howard doesn’t seem especially eager to join forces with Kobe.
Within the last few days, the Rockets have provided a flurry of fantasy by obtaining first-round picks. They now own Nos. 12, 16 & 18. Supposedly, GM Daryl Morey is trying to convert those water-view lots into beachfront property in tonight’s draft, and then package it with two or three players for Howard.
There are two slight problems with this speculated strategy: Howard has given no indication Houston is even a blip in his living/playing plans; and starting from scratch, as the Magic appear set on doing, loses a little something in translation when the swap must include either Kevin Martin ($12.4 million) or Luis Sola ($9.4M/$10.2/$11.0).
Didn’t David Stern make it perfectly clear (by now, at least) how stupid it would’ve been for the Hornets to surrender Chris Paul for a 3 or 4 season sentence of mediocrity by assuming engorged contracts owned by players good enough to get the Rockets shut out of the playoffs?
Yes, throw-in Goran Dragic would’ve been a score, temporarily, because he’s about to become an unrestricted free agent. Instead, the Hornets reaped terminally talented restricted free agent Eric Gordon, who they’re prepared to overpay to re-sign for five years.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot: By finishing low enough (Gordon’s injury certainly helped), the Hornets compiled enough weighted ping-pong balls to steal the pick of tonight’s litter, Anthony Davis.
That brings us back to Deron and the probability of his return to the Nets. I’ve never believed they were going to lose him to Mark Cuban’s Mavs, their lone bucking challenger, and I’m more convinced than ever.
Deron’s desire has been explicit and rigid from the moment Nets GM Billy King plucked him out of nowhere almost immediately after lucking out by losing Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks. All along, Deron has stated he wants to make sure the next four or five years are spent competing for something worthwhile . . . division, conference and league championships.
The Nets, yes, the Nyets, are in much better position to do that than the Mavericks.
If they get Howard, obviously all conversation ceases. If they don’t, they re-sign Lopez, re-enlist Gerald Wallace for a fair price (they will not make a bad deal to justify giving up a lottery pick to Portland), re-up Gerald Green (same philosophy), hugely skilled MarShon Brooks and have in reserve Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar and Jordan Williams.
Depending on how much of their $23 million in cap room they invest in Lopez and possibly Wallace and Green, they should have enough left over to recruit Ersan Illyasova or Mirza Teletovic to man the four.
The Mavs must create cap space to pay Williams the $17 million that he’ll command in year one. So they must trade Shawn Marion’s two-year guarantee ($17.9M) and get no one back (they claim it can be done . . . trade Lamar Odom’s
$8.2M pact or buy him out for $2.4M and the Clippers are said to be interested if Mo Williams can be dealt) . . . trade Vince Carter’s
$3M pact ($2M guarantee) for no one, renounce Jason Terry and Jason Kidd, and amnesty Brendan Haywood ($38M).
That would leave Dallas with Dirk Nowitzki, who turned 34 on June 19, Roddy Beaubois, Ian Mahinmi, Brendan Wright and $22 million to pay Deron and another decent free agent. If Cuban can’t do all the above, he’ll have between $15.8 million and $18.3 million to pay Deron and fill out his roster.
You be the judge what Deron should do. I’m already equipped for the opener. I had my Jackie Robinson jersey dry-cleaned, the one Rachel kindly signed for me a few years ago, and I’m angling to escort Joan Hodges to the game.
peter.vecsey@nypost.com