Trip changes nothing for Dinwiddie — and his China-made sneakers
Last week in China, the NBA encountered an angry government, offended fans and lost sponsors. But China is old hat for several Nets, and they came out of the international adventure none the worse for wear.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving regularly go there on Nike business, although they haven’t spoken publicly about last week’s contentious trip. But Spencer Dinwiddie’s self-endorsed signature shoe is made and marketed in China — and says it still will be even after the latest flap.
“[That] doesn’t have much of a bearing on what was going on,” Dinwiddie said. “That was completely outside Spencer. So, I mean, they still sell my shoes, so I don’t have any problems.”
Triggered by Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s retweeted meme, China’s communist government shut down all media availability to the Nets and Lakers until the NBA eventually canceled the rest.
“It was eventful. There was a lot of stuff going on that we were not prepared for. But us as a pretty smart team, we dealt with it; and a mature team, we dealt with it the way we were supposed to,” DeAndre Jordan said. “Nobody stepped out of their role. We talked about it and we had discussions about it, but it wasn’t anything.”
Despite the charged atmosphere and inevitable post-China hangover, Kenny Atkinson felt the trip was worthwhile. He’ll deal with the short-term struggles for the long-term payoff.
“Yes, long term and the big picture, if we get to April and further down the line, it’ll help us,” Atkinson said. “I saw it in [Wednesday’s] scrimmage there’s going to be a physical and mental hit; I understand that.
“But we put the protocol in place to help alleviate that. … This week’s practice was extremely light. That was a study done by our performance team and how we’re recovering.”
Kyrie Irving practiced Thursday and is full go for Friday. And with Toronto being the final tune-up — and Irving having played just a single minute in the preseason — the Nets want to get him significant playing time despite a minutes restriction.
“This is a game we want to prepare for like a regular-season game,” Atkinson said. “I don’t think he’ll be there at the minutes I expect in the regular season — that’s obvious with him being out a little bit — he’ll still play good minutes, but not regular-season minutes.”
In the latest GM Survey, Brooklyn was picked fourth in the East and fourth most-improved. Irving was snubbed for top point guards but was fifth among players to take a shot with a game on the line; Durant was second. Atkinson was among the top vote-getters for defensive schemes and motivator, as was Dinwiddie for impact off the bench.