The Los Angeles Clippers’ disappointing playoff implosion has been attributed to preferential diva treatment of stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and the internal dissension and division that it wrought.
Almost 3,000 miles away, Brooklyn had best be taking notice.
Both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have seen their leadership skills questioned in the past. And while both have, by all accounts, looked great in workouts coming back from their respective injuries, it may be their ability to lead — and accept being led — that determines how the Nets fare.
“It has been great. Those guys are better leaders than I think people realize. They always try to get certain guys together whenever the situation calls for it. It’s been a blessing in disguise, and I just try to take advantage of it every day, and learn as much as I can and pick their brains,” Taurean Prince said Thursday. “They’re both vocal. They both lead by example.
“They both will come up and talk to you, say what you did wrong. But also, the thing that surprised not only myself but, I’m sure, a lot of guys is that they receive criticism from their teammates very well. If we feel like we want to correct them or we’re talking to them about a situation where they could’ve [been there] for us, it’s the same thing, vice versa. You don’t feel that pressure not to be able to go tell your star call a screen next time or whatever the situation may be.”
Prince stands to lose the most playing time with Durant returning. He started at power forward with the All-Star sidelined all of last season with a ruptured Achilles, but now the four-time scoring champ will start there, and Prince would likely either be relegated to reserve or compete with Joe Harris for small forward minutes.
That is, if he’s not traded.
“As far as rumors, I’ve been in the league five years, so I don’t think — besides this team — I don’t think I’ve had the same teammates halfway through the season or in the second half that I did in the first half,” said Prince. “I’m used to seeing new faces.
“And I’ve also been traded myself, so the fear of that or having that not wanting to happen, that’s gone, because you realize you can’t control that, you went through that before. So I just take it day by day. I know what type of guys we are. I know all of us know what type of players we are. At the end of the day it’s a business, so you can’t really pay attention to that. You’d be doing yourself a disfavor.”
The Nets confirmed they’ll wear a City Edition uniform inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat, the late Brooklyn artist.
“Basquiat embodies much of what Brooklyn represents, and his creative spirit and passionate voice can still be felt throughout the borough,” said John Abbamondi, president of the Nets and parent company BSE Global. “Today, more than ever, Basquiat matters.”
