On Kris Humphries, the Brooklyn Nets, and Hollywood Life
By Ryan Press
Kris Humphries, a man far more famous for his off the court exploits than for his (considerable) basketball ability, recently snagged an interview with the website Hollywoodlife.com. Humphries is a talented player without question and his double-double average has caught the eyes of NBA fans everywhere, but it is clear Hollywoodlife.com doesn’t really understand Kris’s place in the basketball universe.
A quote from the article: “Kris, 27, is currently a free agent, but the team that rose him to fame – The New Jersey Nets – recently relocated to Brooklyn, New York, renaming the team the Brooklyn Nets as of April 30! We had to know — would Kris make the move as well if the team asked him back?” Such drama! The article goes on to say that Humphries would be honored to play for Team USA in the Olympics. Um…Kris Humphries on the Redeem Team 2.0? Classic Hollywoodlife.com.
There are links to three Humprhies articles at the bottom of the original article. One is the link to the Olympic Team story, another links to an entire article about Kris saying LeBron is talented, and the final one discusses his belief that Kim Kardashian cheated on him with Kanye West. You know, I wasn’t sure that LeBron was a “talented and special player,” but now that Kris says it…
What’s my point in all of this? Clearly, people view ex-Mr. Kardashain in a way that is simply not consistent with his play on the court. ESPN ranked him 145th overall in their pre-season NBA player rankings, just under studs like Rashard Lewis and Rudy Fernandez. It’s very funny to me to see Hollywood Life freaking out over every word he says, almost to the point of reverence. They don’t even have a sports section on their website, yet Humprhies dominates the headlines.
The article does come to some important conclusions, such as Kris stating his desire to return to the Nets franchise and move to Brooklyn. This move might be tough for the Nets to pull off, as their need to fill their roster conflicts with the large contract Humprhies deserves. “Well I am one of those few guys that played with the Nets when they moved to Newark, and I have really been a part of it the whole way. It would be nice to play there and it would be nice to be a part of it!,” said Humphries (though I have to wonder if he said the word it with so much emphasis that an exclamation point was needed).
It’s possible the Nets can retain his services, but it makes more sense to bring in guys with similar stats and higher upsides, such as Ersan Ilyasova, that could be solid bargains and less distracting. No team could complain about having a guy that brings the combination of energy and skill that Humprhies possesses, but this off the court drama could be a little much for a big market team like the Brooklyn Nets. I can see it now. “Breaking News! Kris gets emotional as Kanye attends Brooklyn Nets game with Kim!” The Nets are going to be a young and inexperienced team (at least in terms of playing together) next season, and do not need a distraction as large as the Humprhies drama is sure to be. If the Nets were not in rebuilding mode, I would strongly advocate the resigning of the Hump, but there is no place for him on the team in this situation.
Link to the original article: http://www.hollywoodlife.com/2012/06/24/kris-humphries-brooklyn-nets-exclusive-interview/