Virtually to a man, the Nets said Monday night's game against Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets was about getting a winning feeling back on their homecourt where they completed a 4-1 homestand before a disastrous Midwest visit brought a 32-point defenseless loss in Indiana and a 10-point, no-offense setback in Milwaukee.
The meeting with Anthony and the Nuggets was just one-of-82 scheduled games.
If they say so.
“Just another game,” Anthony Morrow said.
“Take this game like any other game,” Stephen Graham said.
“You try to stay as focused as possible and do what you do every day, just come to work and put your best foot forward,” Ben Uzoh said.
“We just look more to try to protect home court and continue how we’ve been playing at home. That’s the main focus rather than worrying about things we can’t control,” Devin Harris said.
Morrow, Graham, Uzoh and Harris were among the eight Nets who heard, read, saw, were informed by text that their names were linked daily to the gargantuan proposed three-team trade for Anthony, a deal that died when Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov flew in from Moscow and ended the proceedings 13 days ago.
Whether the Nuggets call back and how hard the Nets listen (figure on yes answers to both theories) remains to be seen. But now the Nets insist it is all ancient history. The door has been closed, Avery Johnson said.
“We already closed it. It’s already closed for us. The owner is not in town. We’ve lost two in a row. They’re our next opponent. For us it’s closed,” Johnson said. “We’re just focusing on our plan we’ve had from Day 1: Continue to develop young talent. Hopefully, our young talent we’ll have somebody emerge in the next year or two in terms of being a star player.”
The most likely candidate -- or the one the Nets are banking on -- is Derrick Favors, who was the Nets' prime chip in the offer. Favors admitted he was a little upset (more like truly concerned) when his name first surfaced in preseason. But he learned to deal with it.
“The rumors are over, I don’t have to worry about them, I don’t have to worry about me, so I don’t care,” Favors said.
The Nets think it is over and done.
“I hope so. I’m not trying to worry about it too much. Everybody that wants to be here is here,” Morrow said. “I wasn't trying to find out anything (during the heaviest rumors). I was just trying to keep my head right. …Talking to some other guys around the league, who have been in the league for a while and I kind of look up to, they told me not to worry about it as much and go play my game.”
So that is what the Nets’ intent is from here. If Anthony moves elsewhere, he moves elsewhere.
The Nets just want to relive that homestand feeling after their owner pulled the plug.
“We’ve moved on. Denver’s moved on. We all know Carmelo Anthony’s an outstanding player. That’s why he’s been involved in so much trade talk. There are so many teams around the league that if Denver decides to do something would love to have on their roster,” Johnson said. “For us, that’s pretty much an open and shut case.”
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