Peter Vecsey pulled back the curtain on some of the biggest what-ifs in Nets history, revealing why Brooklyn passed on Kobe Bryant, whether Drazen Petrovic would return, and what really happened to Julius Erving.
The Brooklyn Nets have had plenty of memorable players and moments throughout their history, but there are also several decisions that could have changed the franchise in a major way.
Hall of Fame NBA columnist Peter Vecsey recently revisited some of those moments, sharing behind-the-scenes stories about Julius Erving, Drazen Petrovic, and Kobe Bryant during an appearance on the Nets Fans You Know and Nets Kingdom podcast.
One of the biggest topics was the 1996 NBA Draft, when the Nets passed on Bryant and selected Kerry Kittles instead.
Vecsey said New Jersey knew exactly how talented Bryant was. The future Hall of Famer had worked out for the Nets multiple times, and Vecsey said the organization was “totally in love with him.”
There were concerns about taking a player directly out of high school, though, and Bryant's representation also played a role in the decision.
Vecsey explained that then-Nets coach John Calipari backed away from taking Bryant after his agent, Arn Tellem, indicated that Bryant could play in Italy rather than join the Nets.
The Nets selected Kittles with the No. 8 pick, while Bryant went 13th overall to the Charlotte Hornets before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Vecsey was actually on television urging the Nets to take Bryant before the draft.
Years later, he asked Bryant whether he would have joined the Nets if they had selected him.
“Of course I would,” Bryant told him.
Vecsey then asked Bryant what he thought would have happened if he had ended up in New Jersey.
“Calipari would still be coach.”
That was just one of several interesting stories Vecsey shared about the Nets.
He also pushed back on the idea that Erving's departure was solely the fault of Nets owner Roy Boe. According to Vecsey, Erving and his agent, Irwin Weiner, forced the issue after the Nets refused to immediately renegotiate Erving's contract following the ABA-NBA merger.
Vecsey believes Erving would have stayed with the Nets if the team had matched the contract Philadelphia eventually gave him.
The conversation also turned to Petrovic, with Vecsey offering a different perspective on whether the Nets star was planning to return to New Jersey.
Vecsey said Petrovic was frustrated with the Nets' handling of his contract and was angry with teammates Kenny Anderson and Derrick Coleman following the 1993 playoffs. He also said Petrovic was talking with two Greek teams and was reportedly close to signing overseas before his death in June 1993.
Vecsey, who was working for USA Today when Petrovic died, also recalled being in Portland when the guard was traded to the Nets. Petrovic was emotional after the trade and cried in the locker room, with Vecsey and Clyde Drexler staying behind to see it.
Drexler told Petrovic that the trade could be the best thing that ever happened to him. That turned out to be the case, as Petrovic eventually became one of the most important players in Nets history and made the All-NBA Third Team in 1993.
The interview eventually moved into the more recent Nets era, with Vecsey giving his thoughts on the James Harden trade and Sean Marks.
Vecsey said he never would have brought Harden to Brooklyn and questioned the decision to focus so heavily on his production without giving enough consideration to chemistry and character.
He was even more direct when asked about Marks, saying he believes the longtime Nets executive should have been out of the NBA years ago.
Vecsey also acknowledged that he has not followed the current Nets closely enough to comment on the team's present roster.
Still, his stories offered a rare look at several important moments in Nets history, from the decision to pass on Kobe to the circumstances surrounding Erving's departure and Petrovic's time in New Jersey.
Each story showed just how different the Nets' history could have looked if a few key decisions had gone another way.
