Lynne Sladky/Associated Press
When the Nets swung a deal to obtain Paul Pierce, left, and Kevin Garnett from Boston, a trade that is not official until July 10, they acquired more than talent.
The lights will go up, the "Broook-lyn" chants will resume and, in the giddy haze of opening night at Barclays Center next fall, a brooding, solitary figure will approach the basket stanchion closest to the home team's bench — and ram his head into it. Repeatedly.
Kevin Garnett will fiddle with his waistband. He will mutter things only he can hear or comprehend. Then he will skip around the court, right fist clenched, thumping his chest, howling into the night, rousing the masses.
When the Nets swung a deal late Thursday to obtain Garnett and Paul Pierce from Boston — a trade agreed to in principle but not official until July 10 — they acquired more than talent, more than marquee value, more than Hall of Fame credibility. They acquired a new attitude, which — aside from shooting and athleticism — was their greatest need of all.
The Nets were perfectly competent in their maiden season in Brooklyn, winning 49 games and making the playoffs on the strength of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez. But they inspired neither fear nor loathing. The Nets had poise but no pulse, a personality that fell somewhere between "eh" and "meh." They didn't play much defense, either.
When a Chicago columnist reported during the playoffs that the Bulls viewed the Nets as "heartless and gutless," few people disagreed (even some wearing Nets ID badges).
These are no longer relevant concerns.
Garnett and Pierce built their brilliant careers on tenacity and fire, driving the Celtics to five straight Atlantic Division titles, two finals appearances and the 2008 championship, which ended with Pierce clutching the Most Valuable Player trophy. Their commitment and professionalism are unquestioned, and they will become the Nets' most important voices on Day 1.
Despite their advanced ages — Garnett is 37; Pierce will be 36 next fall — they will also significantly improve the Nets' lineup.
Pierce is still an effective scorer who averaged 18.6 points a game last season, and he is a feared clutch shooter who converted 38 percent of his 3-pointers. An underrated playmaker, Pierce also averaged 4.8 assists, often directing the offense after Rajon Rondo was lost to a knee injury.
Garnett is among the best jump-shooting big men of his era and, when inclined, a solid post scorer.
They are directly replacing Gerald Wallace and Reggie Evans, two nonscorers who were easily ignored when opponents double-teamed Johnson or Lopez. The Nets will have All-Stars at every position, players who will demand attention and keep defenses honest. (Also, no one sets an illegal screen as well as Garnett.)
While Garnett and Pierce have each slowed a bit, they are still stout, smart defenders who will help close the lane and relieve some pressure on Lopez. Their presence alone should raise the Nets' defensive efficiency rating, which ranked 18th last season.
Durability is always a concern, but Pierce played 77 games last season and Garnett 68, more than Carmelo Anthony (67 games). After six years of carrying the Celtics, Pierce and Garnett will have the luxury of playing a supporting role in Brooklyn, with Williams, Johnson and Lopez already carrying the offense.
While the trade for two aging stars will inspire obvious comparisons to the Knicks' go-old campaign last summer, the Nets can expect much better results. Pierce and Garnett are not who they were in 2008, but they are still playing at a high level, each ranking in the top 40 in John Hollinger's player efficiency ratings last season. The Knicks, by contrast, imported players who were either already retired (Rasheed Wallace) or played like it (Marcus Camby, Kurt Thomas, Jason Kidd).
Kidd is now the Nets' rookie head coach, and while expectations keep rising, his job perhaps just got a little easier. As the former star guard Tim Hardaway noted on Friday, Kidd now has two dominant personalities to rule the locker room.
"Now he really don't have to coach," Hardaway said. "He's got guys that can coach themselves."
Still, the Nets have a two-year window at best to win a championship before Pierce and Garnett fade into history. Or possibly one year, if Pierce were to leave as a free agent or retire in 2014.
In the short term, this was an easy gamble for General Manager Billy King to take, costing him no key players and no erosion in payroll flexibility — because the Nets had no flexibility for the next few years anyway.
The final deal will send Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Keith Bogans and Kris Joseph to Boston. Brooks replaced Reggie Evans, who was originally in the deal. The Nets will miss none of them, although they now have a lot of holes to fill on the bench.
The real risk is the three first-round picks the Nets surrendered, in 2014, 2016 and 2018, the latter two unprotected, plus a right to swap picks in 2017. If the Nets crash and burn, those picks will haunt them.
But those are concerns for another day. With one bold stroke Thursday night, the Nets got deeper, sturdier, tougher, much more compelling and considerably more snarly. They sent another shot across the bow of the Knicks. They stole all the headlines on draft night. With a little good fortune, they might even steal a title.
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