The New Jersey Nets gathered in October 2001 for the opening of training camp. They were coming off yet another disappointing season with only 26 wins and were preparing for a new season with essentially one change on the roster. They had made a splash in the offseason – a swap to acquire Jason Kidd for Stephon Marbury.
Now, even before the balls were rolled out, the team with no real expectations sat down for the traditional opening of camp, the team dinner
Kidd looked around at his teammates, coaches and staff and uttered four words that would change the franchise forever: “The losing ends now.