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NEW YORK – The Brooklyn Nets continue to build a roster full of decorated superstars. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge’s team signing over the weekend drew strong reactions from fans across the league as they dealt with the Nets acquiring James Harden, Blake Griffin and Aldridge for the past two and a half months.
“It’s kind of funny to me, because for the last two years, all I’ve heard is how bad I am,” Griffin said. “You sign with this team and they all say, ‘That’s not fair!'”
The Nets pulled Griffin, a six-time All-Star pick, from the buyout market in early March. Aldridge accepted a one-year contract with the Nets, his agent told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“It’s kind of crazy how it all comes together,” Griffin said. “At the beginning of the season, if you had said that James, LaMarcus and I would end up with the Nets, everyone is betting against that.”
Griffin said the prospect of winning is a big part of what draws veteran players like him to Brooklyn, but also the way the organization conducts itself is attractive. Griffin added that he knows that just because the team has amassed talent like himself, Aldridge and others to complement Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Harden, that doesn’t mean they are guaranteed to win a championship.
Griffin noted that when the Lakers added Steve Nash, who now coaches the Nets, and Dwight Howard to their roster that already included Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol in 2012-13, the team finished seventh in the West.
“We still have to prove ourselves,” Griffin said. “Sometimes it doesn’t work. We realize that. We know we have work to do and we know we have to be great.”
