Brooklyn Nets: Are they getting a bad rap from the media?

The Brooklyn Nets have been established as the villains of the NBA this season. This is a common thing that we have seen throughout NBA history and it makes for much better storylines to draw in fan interest.

Thinking back to the 90s, the Bad Boy Pistons were hated by the rest of the league, moving forward the LeBron James led Miami Heat, and the Kevin Durant led Golden State Warriors have all been the heels of the league at one point or another.

This also comes with scrutiny from the media. Given that the media has an equal opportunity to give all players a hard time, however, it seems that they really egg it on with the team that is deemed the villains of the league at the time.

Are the Brooklyn Nets being treated fairly by the media, or are their issues self-induced?

The Brooklyn Nets have fallen victim to this in 2021 and it has raised the question of if they are being treated a little unfairly.

This question was raised first by Nets point guard Kyrie Irving early in the season. Irving refused to speak with the media for a span of time during the season because he felt that they were twisting his words to make for better headlines. He was fined $25,000 from the NBA for this act and he later released a statement saying, “I pray we utilize the ‘fine money’ for the marginalized communities in need, especially seeing where our world is presently,” Irving wrote. “[I am] here for Peace, Love, and Greatness. So stop distracting me and my team, and appreciate the Art. We move different over here… I do not talk to Pawns. My attention is worth more”.

The second time that a Nets player has been given a hard time by the media is James Harden when he was traded to the team. Objectively speaking, Harden had some public antics that he carried out to be traded from the Houston Rockets that raised some legitimate controversy, however, the problem arose when he was given unfair criticism once he was traded.

NBA players and retired legends came to the defense of Harden. The first being Jimmy Butler who when asked his thought on the Harden trade on ESPN The Jump, was quoted as saying, “I like James. He’s a friend of mine. I just want him to be happy”.

Wade took to Twitter to say, “Let’s talk about this narrative: James Harden looks happy and there’s no price tag for that feeling. Could he have handled things better. YES! but couldn’t we all. I’m happy for this black man.”

Some more minor run-ins with the media that Nets players have had to endure were Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge when they were added to the team. They were called out for taking the easy route and joining the team with the best odds to win a championship.

Griffin responded by bringing up that he had been called washed for the past two seasons while he was in Detroit so it should not be a big deal if he joins the Nets. Aldridge said that he was just on the team to play a role and do his best to win.