Ex-Net Pierce: "It was a tough situation (in Brooklyn) last year. Horrible, really."

From ESPN today, an interview with an ex-Net who was part of the onerous trade with the Boston Celtics that aimed to make the Brooklyn team contenders, Wizards' Paul Pierce speaks the truth:

"I'm much happier,'' he said. "It was a tough situation (in Brooklyn) last year. Horrible, really.
"It was just the guys' attitudes there. It wasn't like we were surrounded by a bunch of young guys. They were vets who didn't want to play and didn't want to practice. I was looking around saying, 'What's this?' Kevin (Garnett) and I had to pick them up every day in practice.
"If me and Kevin weren't there, that team would have folded up. That team would have packed it in. We kept them going each and every day.''

Pierce suggested that the pressure got to point guard Deron Williams and that shooting guard Joe Johnson was too quiet to be a leader. Both of course are paid very well.

Pierce's candor is only possible because he's gone--otherwise, players are usually quite careful in discussing the team that pays them.

Note this comment from NetsDaily's Net Income (aka Bob Windrem):

NO doubt most of what Pierce has said is accurate but he did want to stay and wanted a lot of money.
— NetsDaily.com (@NetsDaily) April 15, 2015

Nets vs. Knicks
Writes Times columnist Harvey Araton:

As soon as the Nets are eliminated [from the playoffs], the Knicks will retake the stage with their roughly $30 million in salary cap space for potential free agents and a high first-round draft pick that has, suddenly and comically, been imperiled by the prideful résumé padding of next season’s possible end-of-bench players.
While the Knicks invent fascinating new ways to infuriate their fans, the Nets continue providing few reasons to consider them as a viable alternative.

Nets merch sinks

From NetsDaily:

The Nets last season in New Jersey, sales of their merchandise were 31st in the league, behind the defunct Seattle Supersonics. Their bold black-and-white gear jumped to No. 4 their first year in Brooklyn, selling more merchandise in their first day than they had sold the season before. Last season, they dipped a bit to No. 7.
But with the team losing more than they won this season, and playoffs now in question, their sales dropped out of the NBA's top ten, according to the latest numbers released by the NBA Tuesday. The bad news didn't end there: for the second straight year, the Nets didn't have a player in the top 15 of jersey sales. Deron Williams had finished sixth two years ago. D-Will, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett weren't in the top 15 last season.
The rankings are based on overall retail sales on NBAStore.com since the beginning of the 2014-15 season, not worldwide retail sales. And the Nets have pointed out that their sales overseas have jumped, particularly in China.

Note that the actual ranking is not listed by the NBA, which only enumerates the top 10.