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Nets understand home is home, but the road is where you learn who you are

By Net Income
New Orleans Pelicans v Brooklyn Nets Photo by Matteo Marchi/Getty Images

Kyrie Irving summed it up this way...

“Obviously there’s nothing like being at home, but that’s really where you come together as a group,” Irving told Brian Lewis. “You want to come out with a winning record. Take those opportunities to play on other organizations’ floors or going against other good guys in our league.

“Some great matchups up ahead. You just look forward to that challenge, just use the time to build team camaraderie, obviously spending some time in those cities. All we have is each other. We have our significant others sometimes on the trips, but for the most part it’s just us.”

The Nets will have plenty of opportunity to build that camaraderie starting Thursday when they board a plane for Portland, the beginning of a five-game, two-week swing through the Rose City, Phoenix, Utah, Denver and Chicago. It’s their longest —and could be most defining— road trip of the season. Those teams are a combined 9-5 at home, the Nets 0-2 on the road.

Of course, for a team that endured a stressful trip halfway around the world only a month ago, a trip to the U.S. West Coast shouldn’t be too much of a bad thing.

“There’s a lot of team dinners, a lot of the camaraderie is built on these trips. Obviously we’re excited to compete on the West Coast, but the stuff off the court is fun as well,” said Joe Harris who’s endured two trips to China in the last two months.

“It’s kind of fun, best friends, we’re together every day,” Jarrett Allen added. “We’re going to be out having fun and we’re also going to have the serious side of basketball, so, we’re just going to go out there, work our hardest and enjoy the trip.”

“I love it,” Taurean Prince said. “I love playing away. It’s a great time to grow camaraderie as a team, a great time to figure out who we really are. … I think road games make teams stronger.”

Indeed, as Irving noted, “Five teams that are pretty good in our league. A great test to go on the road trip for that long.”

Kenny Atkinson agrees with his players...

There are a couple of questions still to be answered before the plane doors swing close. How’s DeAndre Jordan? The Nets haven’t issued any medical update on the big man who went down with a sprained left ankle Monday and was expected to undergo tests on Tuesday.

Will that effect the Nets decision on a replacement player? There’s no word yet and who the Nets will sign or when, but one would assume they’d want him on the trip. Also, will Nicolas Claxton, who’s been practicing with Long Island, take a plane to Portland Wednesday or to Fort Wayne Friday for the G League opener. Same goes for Henry Ellenson, the Nets 6’11” two-way.

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