Roughly 12 hours and 15 minutes from Michael
Piermont's current Chicago Headquarters is East Rutherford, N.J.
It’s
where Jason Kidd once floated up alley oops and unfurled surgical lobs to
Kenyon Martin and sky-risers Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson.
Kidd, under a microscope for his paper/power trail from Brooklyn to Milwaukee, resuscitated a left-for-dead New Jersey Nets franchise as a player.
Kidd’s embodiment of the quintessential NBA
point guard role and an eclectic blend of set 3-pointers, drives, and flashy passes
quarterbacked New Jersey’s hellfire, go-go transition game to NBA Finals berths in
2002 and 2003.
Those days have special resonance and sacred
value with Piermont, of Morristown, N.J.
Now the Co-Founder and CEO of AmSTATZ.com, a
fitness company akin to LinkedIn and GRUBHUB, Piermont watched this unrivaled epoch unfold
before eager teenage eyes.
Serving
as a ballboy for the Nets and Pacers, Piermont was schooled on the convolution
of the NBA game, receiving an additional education on locker room etiquette.
His workaday function fluctuated. He served as a
de facto player confidante while handling impromptu and unwritten tasks such as fetching girls’ numbers
for players.
The gig helped groom Piermont, who saved
a considerable chunk of change while working for Norfax, an online
health insurance shopping company, for AmSTATZ.
AmStatz’ sole purpose is to connect trainers
with clientele, providing an online platform that allows for networking and
professional collaboration.
“Our focus is to empower trainers to keep their clients in shape,” Piermont explained.
AmSTATZ is a B2B2C company—its technology enhances the overall personal training experience, while simultaneously keeping the trainer’s brand fresh and innovative.
Piermont's stay with the Nets heightened during the summer of 2001. They had just finished a dreadful season, wallowing in the league's lower-percentile with slim prospects for revival.
It was after Martin, the team’s No.1 pick out of Cincinnati, suffered a broken leg. The Nets shipped then-leading scorer Stephon Marbury to Phoenix for Kidd, altering the perception of the ailing franchise.
It was after Martin, the team’s No.1 pick out of Cincinnati, suffered a broken leg. The Nets shipped then-leading scorer Stephon Marbury to Phoenix for Kidd, altering the perception of the ailing franchise.
“Kerry Kittles was healthy and (Kidd) arrived
during training camp on a mission. That first day, he was on the floor diving
for loose balls. We knew everything was only going up from that point on. My
best memory is (New Jersey) beating the Pacers in triple overtime in the first
round of the playoffs.”
Piermont watched with a bird’s eye gaze as Kidd thoroughly out-dueled 3-point assailant Reggie Miller. Tending to the arena and rebounding
for everyone from Kevin Ollie to Michael Jordan in shoot arounds, Piermont
relished those back-to-back Finals runs.
He enjoyed seeing Keith Van Horn counter the post game of Jermaine O’Neal, utilizing a funky slingshot of a deep jumper.
Piermont was jolted out of his court-side sprawl when he watched Aaron Williams fly off the bench for stick-backs. Yet it was his relationship with the opponent’s staff which helped him solidify his future position.
He enjoyed seeing Keith Van Horn counter the post game of Jermaine O’Neal, utilizing a funky slingshot of a deep jumper.
Piermont was jolted out of his court-side sprawl when he watched Aaron Williams fly off the bench for stick-backs. Yet it was his relationship with the opponent’s staff which helped him solidify his future position.
“I was there in 2004 when we won 61 games. I was there during the “Brawl Year.”
Windle worked at Rutgers and UConn before
becoming the Pacers’ head strength and conditioning coach and assistant
athletic trainer. Piermont regards him as a major asset to the company and a loyal friend.
Kidd’s golden boy image as a Team Guy is now shattered. A domestic violence charge, a DWI, and several shaky in-house decisions may have sullied his public image.
Few could debate Kidd's legacy as a creative, Hall Of Fame play-maker who drove New Jersey out of turmoil and into uncharted heights.
The recent power play allowed his history as a noted coach killer and to resurface.
A naturally selfless player, known for bettering his teammates and getting everyone involved, Kidd's feuds with Byron Scott and Lawrence Frank paints a vastly different image.
Still, Piermont harks back how the Hall of Fame point guard steered the Nets out of downtrodden, dungeon dwelling obscurity and into respectability.
Few could debate Kidd's legacy as a creative, Hall Of Fame play-maker who drove New Jersey out of turmoil and into uncharted heights.
The recent power play allowed his history as a noted coach killer and to resurface.
A naturally selfless player, known for bettering his teammates and getting everyone involved, Kidd's feuds with Byron Scott and Lawrence Frank paints a vastly different image.
Still, Piermont harks back how the Hall of Fame point guard steered the Nets out of downtrodden, dungeon dwelling obscurity and into respectability.
Piermont said the company embodies
the principles of an innate point guard. Emphasis is placed on sacrificing
self-interest and surrendering individual desires for the value of the whole. He illustrated a team environment, most effective when everyone contributes at the same rate.
A long ways from East Rutherford, Piermont hopes to mold AmSTATZ with the same leadership qualities and foresight. If everyone can buy in, Piermont said, a success story will surface.
He won't have Martin to punch down loud dunks. He won't have Kittles to locate for 3-pointers. While he's got size in his fleet of trainers, few are as tall and wide as Todd McCullough. Still, the strategy appears strikingly similar to Kidd's 13 years ago.
A long ways from East Rutherford, Piermont hopes to mold AmSTATZ with the same leadership qualities and foresight. If everyone can buy in, Piermont said, a success story will surface.
He won't have Martin to punch down loud dunks. He won't have Kittles to locate for 3-pointers. While he's got size in his fleet of trainers, few are as tall and wide as Todd McCullough. Still, the strategy appears strikingly similar to Kidd's 13 years ago.