HoopsCritic’s Brian Geltzeiler called the Knicks the least-talented roster in the NBA when he jumped on with Marc Malusis on Wednesday…but had pretty much the opposite opinion on the cross-town Nets.
“Right now, I think they’re the best team in the East, I really do,” Geltzeiler told Malusis.
That topic came up while the two were discussing the possibility of the Nets acquiring James Harden, which Geltzeiler doesn’t see as feasible…not that Houston is in a rush.
“I don’t think that’s happening. Not that it can’t in the future, but I think Houston will hang on a bit, and they’re not tied to Harden’s list – everything you need to know is that Harden has expanded his list,” Geltzeiler said. “If he was going to get to Brooklyn the way he wanted to, he’s not expanding his list.”
To be honest, it doesn’t seem like Sean Marks should be in a rush to make it happen, either.
“Sean Marks is the guy that had to clean the mess with the Boston trade, so he knows what that takes to do that – and when you look at what stars like Antonio Davis, Paul George, or even Jrue Holiday have gone for in terms of picks, do you think James Harden will go for less than three 1’s?” Geltzeiler asked. “Not unless you have a package full of really good young players, and I don’t think Brooklyn has enough – nor does Marks want to pay it.”
And that’s where Mr. HoopsCritic dropped the bomb.
“Brooklyn likes this team; it’s a deep, good team with two stars and a lot to fill in behind them, and Steve Nash has a ton to work with,” he said. “I think they’re the best team in the East, and I think they want to give it a run. I don’t think they need Harden – and I think they believe it too.”
So what could derail the Nets as constructed from living up to that best in the East hype?
“I think the one thing that could lead to them not realizing their potential is if Kyrie gets hurt,” Geltzeiler said. “Kyrie is Kyrie, man, he’s a different type of dude. Yes, I think he made a mistake with not talking to the media and doubling down – but I think someone got in his ear and told him calling the media pawns wasn’t smart, and the fact that he wanted to disrespect people who get paid to over the team and write stories because they want to cover the team is not a good look.”
Just time to keep the distractions to a minimum, Geltzeiler notes – and within that, maybe threw out a quote that illustrates why Irving took some words to heart.
“One thing Kyrie doesn’t want to do is distract from this. He wants to win, and he loves being home around his family, and this is one of the reasons he was miserable in Boston,” Geltzeiler said. “And he knows he’s not good enough to be the guy on a championship team. He’s been No. 2 on a title team, so he paired up with Durant, who is better than him. I know Kyrie has his opinions, but a lot of it is noise. As long as he’s engaged on the court, I don’t think this will be a distraction.”
Listen to Geltzeiler’s full interview with Marc Malusis below!
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