Chris Douglas-Roberts has one word for this season with the Nets.
“Hell.”
There is no way to argue with the man. Unless you want to say the Nets’ 2009-10 folly really hasn’t been that good.
Douglas-Roberts wears his passion on his sleeve. He spoke his mind all season, ruffled some feathers and now picks his words as carefully as fresh produce. He has heard his name mentioned in trade rumors, that his will be the next ticket out — although team president Rod Thorn said this weekend the Nets are not looking to trade the second-year wing. But all the recent developments, including a move to the bench, have affected him.
“A little bit. I’m just more cold. But all that stuff, I don’t care one way or the other,” said Douglas-Roberts. “Caring about winning? Absolutely. But everything else doesn’t matter. All of this is because I want to win. I take losing bad. All of this, everything comes from me being a sore loser. I don’t like losing.”
The Nets aren’t just losing. At 4-46, they are losing like only two other NBA teams ever have done. Only the 1972-73 Sixers, who were a worst-ever 9-73, and the 1992-93 Mavs, who had 11 wins, were 4-46 after 50 games. What has it been like?
“Hell, really,” said Douglas-Roberts, whose production (7.5 points from 16.4), shots (6.6 from 14.3) and minutes (24.8 from 36.5) all have plunged since Yi Jianlian returned in late December. “With so many ups and downs, even when I was playing well early in the year, I didn’t get any satisfaction from playing well if we’re losing. It’s been real bad. I’m not really playing, so it’s worse.”
And the Nets get the Cavs tonight in Cleveland (7 p.m.; YES; WFAN 660 AM) as their disaster season continues.