NBATabloid FodderWeird But True

The Nets Are Really Going All-In On This “Trying To Keep Deron Williams” Thing

Deron Williams is set to become a free agent on Saturday, when he plans to choose between the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks. But today, he celebrated his 28th birthday, the perfect age for teams to believe he’s still young enough to justify a max-contract. And in typical ostentatious Mikhail Prokhorov fashion, the Nets wanted to absolutely ensure that Deron knew they thought of him on his special day. So, they put this Billboard-sized sign on a truck sitting outside his apartment, as you can see above. I’m sure Deron noticed.

The Twitter-consensus has been to mock the Nets for being “desperate,” but, like, duh! Yeah, they’re desperate. So they make a nice gesture for their star player? Not really sure what there is to criticize here. Prokhorov wants to show that Deron Williams is in New York City. This is big-time. You’ll be noticed. Everything is magnified. You’re not in Newark anymore, Toto.

And I’m sure this dented Prokhorov’s wallet less than when I leave a penny at 7-Eleven, so I’d say it was worthwhile. It won’t be the reason Deron stays, but it won’t be the reason he leaves, either. It can’t hurt.

Still, if I had Prokhorov’s money and power, I’d probably have renamed the Barclays Center the “Deron Williams Is Like Totally The Greatest And Best-Looking Player Ever,” because, what is there to lose? If the Nets don’t keep Williams, they’re gonna have to trot Jay-Z out on the court to fill seats.

[CBS Sports]

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