Politi: Negative signs are everywhere for downtrodden NJ Nets
By Steve Politi/The Star-Ledger

The sign was a simple protest, scrawled on a white poster board in black Magic Marker. It did not contain any naughty words. It was, as these things go at sporting events, rather tame.

“End Ratner’s Reign of Error!” the sign read, and 14-year-old Evan Juliano held it up twice from his seats a few rows behind the Nets bench.

He held it up because he and his father, Dave, are season-ticket holders for what is fast becoming the worst team in NBA history, an 0-18 train wreck that didn’t even bother to show up for its date with infamy Wednesday night.

But somewhere in the second quarter, as the Mavericks impossibly scored on 22 of 24 possessions en route to a 117-101 victory, the Julianos were told to put their sign down. They were told it was derogatory.

They were told that, if they held it up again, they would be kicked out of Izod Center.

Kicked out of a Nets game. Is that a threat?

Or a promise?

“I told him, it’s not derogatory to me — it’s the truth,” Dave Juliano said, pointing to the mess on the court. “We’re season-ticket holders. We have the right to express ourselves.”

Not here, apparently. The Nets and Bruce Ratner deserve every iota of criticism they get for putting this steaming carcass of a basketball team on the floor, but apparently, they’re not willing to take it.

An arena official approached the Julianos and told them it was against arena rules. Dave Juliano asked, if it was against the rules, why were they allowed to bring the sign into the building in the first place?

No one had an answer to that. Richard Singleton, the security official who instructed the sign to come down, said it had nothing to do with the message, only the size.

“If it’s too big,” he said, “it has to come down.”

Maybe there is such a policy, it sure wasn’t enforced on the other signs in the building. Nor was it back a few years ago, when Jason Kidd — here as a cruel reminder of the good days — led this team to back-to-back NBA Finals. There were all sorts of enthusiastic signs in the arena then.

Juliano has a right to be furious. He is the rare paying season-ticket holder — one of just 1,500, according to one executive, if you combine all the full and partial plans.

Why buy tickets? The team gives away more freebies than the Salvation Army. The Julianos pay $85 a seat for 41 home games — nearly $7,000 for the season. They drive in from New Rochelle every game, across the George Washington Bridge, in rush-hour traffic.

Forget holding up a sign. They should be able to coach the team. And, with the way new interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe cowardly left this game to assistant Tom Barrise, they probably could have, had they asked.

“To see what’s happened the last seven years, it’s disgusting,” Dave Juliano said. “This fish is rotting from the head down.”

Juliano blames Ratner, which means he is an educated fan. What other NBA team can you see three different head coaches in three games? That doesn’t even bother to have an advance scout travel to away games anymore?

That gave away not one, not two, not three, but four legitimate stars?
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As the minutes ticked off the clock, a couple courtside fans put on paper bags with 0-18 written above the eye holes. A kid behind the basket wore one that said: “The Nots.”

And the Julianos proudly held up their anti-Ratner sign. Nobody kicked them out. On a night like this, they might wish somebody had.