Brooklyn Nets’ Joe Johnson, On Moving to the Big City
So, has all this behind-the-scenes assistance getting Johnson settled let the Arkansas native feel like a native here? “Kind of, sort of. I’ve taken to the lifestyle pretty well. It hasn’t been as difficult as I thought it would be.” He’s already on Instagram, which seems like a good start. Every crowd shot during the Nets season opener contained at least one fan conspicuously taking a picture with their smartphone. (Except when the cameras honed in on the courtside seats of a supremely relaxed Beyoncé, anyway.)
And can the air of Brooklyn cool and a roster ready to contend right away cause eyes to wander across the Hudson for a few Knicks diehards? “Hopefully. Our main focus is not necessarily stealing Knicks fans, though,” says Johnson. “I think Brooklyn, period. Just that borough alone can fill up that space and make it a very noisy, tough place to play. So far it’s been beyond my expectations.”