"I don't know if he had a bad day, or maybe he caught his wife with somebody else. I didn't deserve to get thrown out." - Coach Byron Scott on the ref who threw him out of Blazers game

"In truth, amateur and professional leagues want their players pliant and obedient, not particularly well educated and free thinking. Why do you think Michael Jordan was so popular? Sure, he was great, but just as important, he did not offend, more beholden as he was to his corporate sponsors than to any convictions. We want our athletes smart and articulate, but unwilling to offer contentious opinion. Or to take independent actions, such as attending graduation the day of a big game." - Jere Longman on the controversy surrounding Vince Carter's decision to attend his college graduation ceremony on the day the Raptors played the Sixers in Game Seven of an Eastern Conference Semi-Final, New York Times, May 21, 2001

"I find myself wanting, in the end, to say more nice things about Checketts, but by the standards I'm conditioned to judge him by, I can't. Under him, the Garden became impossibly expensive and much too loud. None of his teams won it all. He got 10 years, and that was more time than most." - Harvey Araton, New York Times, May 15, 2001

"The NBA is on the way down and MTV and this league is on the way up. I want people to feel like they've gone to a party and a lacrosse game broke out." - Jayson Williams, after announcing that he had purchased the expansion New Jersey Storm of the National Lacrosse League, which will play in the Continental Arena beginning this fall, Newark Star Ledger, May 3, 2001

"I didn't realize I'd have to buy a franchise to get back into this building." - Williams, joking after playing $500,000 for the new franchise in the National Lacrosse League. - Newark Star Ledger, May 3, 2001

"I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream." - What Stephen Jackson said just before he buried a 3-pointer in Hawk Jason Terry's face, according to Terry, February 6, 2001

"They keep talking about the future. When is the future coming? It's always next year, next year, next year. If you keep talking about 'next year,' I'll eventually be out of the league." - Dikembe Mutombo, 34, on the Atlanta Hawks, February 14, 2001

"The Nets were out-heighted at every position. If that’s even a word." - Mike O' Koren’s post-game radio analysis of a game with Seattle, a couple of years ago

"They had an excellent, good team there. But they let [GM] John Nash make decisions and they let [agent] David Falk make decisions " - Sam Cassell of the Bucks, Jan. 13, 2001, apparently still upset he was traded away by the Nets

"I saw something in the paper, Flip [Saunders, coach of the Timberwolves] saying that Marc Jackson [of the Golden State Warriors] is the best rookie. Come on now. It irritates me. The boy is 28 years old. What do they expect?" - Kenyon Martin, Jan. 8, 2001. Jackson turned 26 on Jan. 16th.

"I'm 'Joe fan' speaking out for the people and we feel betrayed." - San Diego Chargers fan Sean Peck, commenting on his verbal confrontation with Chargers QB Ryan Leaf

"And please, no more about Willie Mays." - Harvey Araton expresses Champagne's sentiments exactly in an opinion piece on why Michael Jordan should make a return, New York Times, April 22, 2001

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CNN/SI Basketball
Pretty amazing, entertaining site. Power rankings, NBA Week at a Glance, and great sort 'em yourself stat section.

NJ Online Nets Section
Nets news from Jersey papers. Where Joe and Champagne go to read Don Burke of the Newark Star Ledger, their favorite beat writer.

NYPost Sports Section
Freddy Kerber is a close second to Burke for our favorite beat reporter, and you have to read Peter Vecsey Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Nobody is more "inside" than Vecsey.

NBA.com
For obvious reasons. Links to every team site, plus a standings page that gives teams' conference rankings helps you chart Nets early drop from playoff picture.

Nets Salaries
Want to know why the Nets can't improve? Check this chart, along with all other team salaries, courtesy of USA Today. Their NBA section sometimes informative too.

Nets/NBA page, Bergen Record
Steve Adamek, Nets beat

NY Daily News Basketball page
Michael James, Nets beat

NY Times Basketball page
Liz Robbins, Nets beat

Sporting News NBA Section
We like Dave D'Alessandro, who also writes for the Newark Star Ledger.