Brooklyn Nets content: "Kenyon Martin Reflects on the 2000s Nets." Missing: his take on developer/team owner Ratner: "Hell, yeah, there's hard feelings!"
More content from the Brooklyn Nets, getting together some old heads from the New Jersey Nets: "Kenyon Martin Reflects on the 2000s Nets with Kenny Anderson, Derrick Coleman & Buck Williams."
The summary: "In Episode 2 of One Night in Brooklyn, presented by Beam Suntory, Kenyon Martin, Derrick Coleman, Kenny Anderson, and Buck Williams reflect on the Nets’ early 2000s era. Kenyon dives into what made those teams special, while Derrick shares a classic story about dunking on Shaq."
The summary: "In Episode 2 of One Night in Brooklyn, presented by Beam Suntory, Kenyon Martin, Derrick Coleman, Kenny Anderson, and Buck Williams reflect on the Nets’ early 2000s era. Kenyon dives into what made those teams special, while Derrick shares a classic story about dunking on Shaq."
Right, we wouldn't be watching it without that sponsor, "The House of Suntory: The Nature and Spirit of Japan." (The YouTube version below is shorter than the version on the Nets' website.)
The former ballers, perhaps loosened a bit by their host's spirits, are companionable raconteurs, and surely they have enough to say about basketball.
Different candor
But some might remember a May 2016 interview (my coverage) with Martin by then-Yahoo columnist Adrian Wojnarowski, on his Vertical Podcast with Woj: Kenyon Martin. The action starts at about 33:03 (audio here), when Martin had some choice words for former Nets owner Bruce Ratner.
"Bruce Ratner bought the Nets from there," Wojnarowski narrated, as Martin laughed with dark knowingness, "which was the beginning of the end, he wanted to move the team, he wanted to build a building to move the team, he didn't care about winning. Right?"
"Obvious," replied Martin, still chuckling.
"You knew that right away, you were trying to negotiate an extension [of your contract], it wasn't happening," Wojnarowski continued.
"Didn't happen." Martin went on to say that point guard Jason Kidd had gotten a new contract, but he had been offered $66 million but felt he could get more. He played the year out, and during the season Ratner became the new majority owner.
"I just didn't leave," Martin said forcefully. "I wasn't offered a contract to play for the New Jersey Nets... I didn't want to leave. We had something great going. One piece away from actually winning a championship."
As noted on NetsDaily, the Denver Nuggets offered Martin a $92 million deal, which the Nets declined to match. NetsDaily editor Net Income (aka Bob Windrem) noted that Ratner, unlike owners before and after, wanted to save money and would not pay into the luxury tax penalty payable after the team payroll hit a certain threshold.
Meeting Ratner
"Funny you mentioned Bruce Ratner," Martin continued. He related an anecdote in which he was introduced to Ratner for the first time during an All-Star Weekend at a bowling event at L.A. Live.
"Guess what the muthafucka told me: 'No hard feelings, right?'" Martin related. "It's my first time ever seeing him! I ain't never met him. Never laid eyes on him, never had a conversation with him. That's the first thing: 'No hard feelings.' Hell, yeah, there's hard feelings!"
Wojnarowski laughed.
"I didn't say it to him, I'm a grown man, but yeah, there's hard feelings," Martin continued. "I feel you cheated me, you cheated us, you cheated Nets fans, you cheated everybody, man, out of an opportunity to win a championship, for your own satisfaction, for your own gratification. You was well-off and wealthy, you was able to buy a team. OK, do right by that team. But you didn't. Definitely hard feelings... I'm looking at this man like, 'Are you for real?'"
"Bruce Ratner bought the Nets from there," Wojnarowski narrated, as Martin laughed with dark knowingness, "which was the beginning of the end, he wanted to move the team, he wanted to build a building to move the team, he didn't care about winning. Right?"
"Obvious," replied Martin, still chuckling.
"You knew that right away, you were trying to negotiate an extension [of your contract], it wasn't happening," Wojnarowski continued.
"Didn't happen." Martin went on to say that point guard Jason Kidd had gotten a new contract, but he had been offered $66 million but felt he could get more. He played the year out, and during the season Ratner became the new majority owner.
"I just didn't leave," Martin said forcefully. "I wasn't offered a contract to play for the New Jersey Nets... I didn't want to leave. We had something great going. One piece away from actually winning a championship."
As noted on NetsDaily, the Denver Nuggets offered Martin a $92 million deal, which the Nets declined to match. NetsDaily editor Net Income (aka Bob Windrem) noted that Ratner, unlike owners before and after, wanted to save money and would not pay into the luxury tax penalty payable after the team payroll hit a certain threshold.
Meeting Ratner
"Funny you mentioned Bruce Ratner," Martin continued. He related an anecdote in which he was introduced to Ratner for the first time during an All-Star Weekend at a bowling event at L.A. Live.
"Guess what the muthafucka told me: 'No hard feelings, right?'" Martin related. "It's my first time ever seeing him! I ain't never met him. Never laid eyes on him, never had a conversation with him. That's the first thing: 'No hard feelings.' Hell, yeah, there's hard feelings!"
Wojnarowski laughed.
"I didn't say it to him, I'm a grown man, but yeah, there's hard feelings," Martin continued. "I feel you cheated me, you cheated us, you cheated Nets fans, you cheated everybody, man, out of an opportunity to win a championship, for your own satisfaction, for your own gratification. You was well-off and wealthy, you was able to buy a team. OK, do right by that team. But you didn't. Definitely hard feelings... I'm looking at this man like, 'Are you for real?'"
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