Let the battle begin. Â During the introductory Brooklyn Nets press conference, new addition Joe Johnson, Nets GM Billy King and others each had choice words to bolster their team and throw shots at others mainly the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. Â Read more after the jump.
“For nearly 40 years, the Manhattan Knicks have shown that they can’t bring the championship home to New York City!†Marty Markowitz, the Brooklyn borough president, bellowed to a crowd of about 1,000. “So it’s going to take the Brooklyn Nets to get the job done!â€
Joe Johnson thinks the best NBA team in New York City is the one that just traded for him: the Brooklyn Nets.
“The Nets. Definitely, the Nets,” Johnson responded Friday at a news conference at Brooklyn Borough Hall, kicking off what should be a riveting “East River Rivalry” between the Nets and theNew York Knicks.
“This is a great day, because it’s a day when we put together the best backcourt in the NBA,” general manager Billy King said, alluding to pairing Johnson (four years, $89 million) with Deron Williams, who signed a max contract worth $98 million over five years.
So what about the Los Angeles Lakers’ dynamic duo of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash?
“They’re good. But I think ours is better,” King replied. “If you asked [Lakers GM] Mitch [Kupchak], he’d probably say his is better. It’s like a North Carolina-Duke thing.”
