Suck it Up
Basketball is hard, just like life.
OK, maybe that's not quite it. Compared to life, basketball is easy. Put the ball in the hole. Score, rebound, defend. Beat the shot clock.
Just like life, you've got to learn to improvise. Deal with whatever comes your way. Get over rejection and disappointment and face another day. Rely on your bench for support.
The NBA has had a tough year already with injuries or illness to many of its players, including Alonzo Mourning, Keith Van Horn, Grant Hill (OK, he was injured last season, but he still hasn't recovered), Jalen Rose, Scottie Pippen, Hakeem Olajuwan, and Kerry Kittles.
Injuries are a part of basketball. You can't win in the league without a deep and talented bench. Injuries force teams to change strategies, scan the waiver wires, and try to tread water until stars and key reserves return.
Yep, injuries are part of the game. Unless you're the NJ Nets, then it's a major part of your season. EVERY season.
There's a new team in NJ - from the new team president Rod Thorn, to new coach Byron Scott, to a new first round draft pick. But the same old injury jinx remains. Keith Van Horn, Lucious Harris, Kerry Kittles and Jamie Feick are all currently injured. Four key returning players from last season, being counted on to smooth the transition while elevating their games under a new regime. We start the season already balancing precariously between a team of some depth and talent and a team who is hanging on until they can get healthy.
It's gut check time, Nets. You're off to a 1 -2 start, with the promise of a tougher road ahead. Seattle, Miami, Portland and Utah are all upcoming. Being able to hold your own and fight for the season until the team gets healthy is the key to the team trying to make a run at the playoffs and being eliminated before January.
It's up to you Nets. And so far, it looks far from promising. But I have not given up hope. I have chosen, for the time being, to buy into the "New Nets" and all the hype and promotion that goes with it. I'm staying put, in the half empty arena, to watch the future unfold. So suck it up Nets, and prove me right.
For I am Joe Netsfan, and I have to believe that our luck is changing. Even if the evidence so far proves otherwise.
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