...And Chris Douglas Roberts, too

The Nets may have gotten the steal of the draft at #40, Chris Douglas Roberts of Memphis, who was expected to go in the first round.

Of course, my first paranoid reaction was, "why did he slip so far?", but a steal's a steal (just like Marcus Williams was a few years ago?).

So, the Nets get younger, they get under the cap, they change out the roster in a heartbeat (ok, I'm still not ok with Yi, but I'll let it work itself out), and likely they've seen the last of Nenad Krstic, Boki Nachbar and Gana Diop.

This is a young, young team as it stands - are we sure that Rod doesn't have something up his sleeve? Could be another painful year, Netsfans, even with Carter and Harris returning...

Overall, a good to great draft for the Nets, but we are officially in - we can say it now - rebuilding mode.

More to come, have to get the move of JNF HQ out of the way in the week ahead. Then, we'll see where we are once July 1 rolls around, who stays and who goes around the league, and start cleaning up the site for the 2008 - 2009 season.

Just think - a few more years before the Nets move to Brookly and I can get out of this gig.

Brooklyn (Brook) Lopez playing in Brooklyn? You can't make this stuff up.

-Joe

The Change Has Begun - But For The Better?

Wow. Rod and Kiki were serious about making a change, and not just a small one.

Richard Jefferson to the Bucks for Yi Jinlian and Bobby Simmons is about as much change as we can expect. It's not the deal that any Netsfan wants, but it's the deal nonetheless.

It certainly changes the complexion of the Nets, and now as I see the Nets have drafted Brook Lopez with the #10 pick, the Nets have gotten larger quickly. Maybe somewhat tougher, but Yi is likely not going to be confused for a tough guy any time soon.

Lopez is a good pick, the right pick considering who was left on the draft board. Will he be an immediate game-changer? Likely not. But he can most likely come in and contribute right away. And the Nets need all the help they can get, even if the help they appear to be getting is younger (Yi is only 20, and Lopez came out after his sophomore year).

The big question is - do I like the moves? Not entirely, but I think we'll have to give it a chance, or perhaps Thorn isn't done yet. I don't get why they are so high on Yi, since he never did much of anything against the Nets last season, but I guess we'll have to play it out.

Jefferson was a solid citizen who maybe regressed last year as all offense, little defense, which was exactly what the Nets DIDN'T need.

And was this a move toward the big 2010 free agent class led by LeBron? The Nets will gain flexibility with this pick since Simmons' deal is a year shorter than RJ's, but it's probably a pipe dream to think the Nets will be in the running for him.

The Nets are retooling - they had to, this team wasn't exactly scaring anyone last season - but will the trade, plus the draft picks, plus the remaining core, be enough to put the Nets back into the playoffs?

Right now, I don't see how...

The Nets second pick, #21, is just in - Ryan Anderson from California. Interesting pick for a team that is now swimming with bigs. This just begs for a trade.

A bit surprising the Nets didn't pick a shooter or slasher - guess this was a "best remaining athlete on the board" pick? Seems he's a good outside shooter, though - so maybe he's Boki's replacement (or training under Boki if he comes back)

The Nets roster now has:
C Nenad Krstic (restricted free agent I assume the Nets will pick up or trade)
C Desagana Diop (free agent - the Nets must not think he's coming back)
F/C Josh Boone (a staple last year, his growth one of the few bright spots)
F Boki Nachbar (free agent)
F Stromile Swift
F/C Sean Williams
F Trenton Hassel
F Yi Jinlian
F Bobby Simmons
F/C Brook Lopez
F Ryan Anderson

That's a lot of front liners...If Diop is gone, and maybe Boki too, it makes sense. Otherwise, there must be some dealing to come, since the first round picks get guaranteed contracts.

And looking at this, and the roster, the Nets are painfully thin at guard, with only Carter, Harris, Marcus Williams and Mo Ager on the roster right now (Armstrong DID retire, correct?).

More to come, I'm sure.

A reminder (as if you were really going to remember) - JNF will be largely silent for the next week or so as we pack up and move headquarters about a mile east.

-Joe

Caffeine Buzz

Now we're talking - rumors are flying, things are starting to heat up, and still there is zero consensus of what's to come on Thursday night.

All of this should work in the Nets' favor.

Teams are unsure of where the real talent is in this draft beyond #'s 1 and 2, and it sounds like even #2 Miami isn't all that in love with Michael Beasley if Chicago does the expected and takes Derrick Rose with the first pick. That's good news - more and more it looks like the Nets will find someone unexpected falling into their laps.

That is, if they don't trade up. Or trade down. Or even trade out.

Rod Thorn is fielding calls for the Nets' picks, and apparently things are starting to get interesting. Trading down with Portland for the #13th pick sounds like a real option.

And the latest word is plenty of teams covet the Nets #21 pick and so far they're not biting. Too much youth ain't a good thing, but maybe Thorn has ideas to package bodies later in the summer...that's probably too much to hope for.

In any case, this is the best part of the off-season, when the caffeine buzz finally kicks in and months of talking about everything and nothing starts to come to fruition.

I'll say it again - the Nets need to make changes, and quickly. Not just hiring Doug Overton to replace Pat Sullivan kind of changes, but big, meaningful changes. Adding 3 more rookies to the mix isn't exactly a short term growth plan, but if that's what Thorn and Vanderweghe decide, then we're in for a bit of a long season.

But I can't imagine that Rod wants to wait 3 years or more to be a good team again. I'm sure he'll come up with something before hanging it all up when the move to Brooklyn happens.

And speaking of that, it appears the last of the major legal hurdles has been cleared, since the Supreme Court refused to hear any arguments relative to the case. So, despite the heavy costs incurred to date, looks like Mr Ratner will get his wish. And we'll eventually see the Nets leave New Jersey, to the usual blanket of apathy...

Let the countdown begin...

At least to Thursday night, when the Nets world (hopefully) starts changing...

-Joe

Big Bigger Biggest

We're dialed in exactly 5 days before the draft, and from the looks of things, the Nets are keeping their picks at #10, 21, and 40.

Or maybe not.

Such is the life of the Nets right now - in stealth rebuilding mode, wanting to move one of their chief assets (albeit one that's overpaid) in Richard Jefferson while bringing in newer and younger blood. Holding some good draft pick spots in a draft where quality will come, but will it be at #3, #10, or even #24? It's that kind of draft - Rose and Beasley and then everyone else.

So the #10 pick will likely net quality, but is also something of a crap shoot. How do you feel about that, Netsfans? Can the Nets afford to take someone with serious upside potential but also needing 2 or 3 (or more) years to get there? Do they need to cast the waters for Antoine Wright version 2.0?

Dave D and others say the Nets have five players on their wishlist for #10, including 2 guards. The expectation is the Nets will pick Danilo Gallinari, the forward with the sweet stroke (but unathletic)from Italy if he's there at 10. Certain folks feel he could be another Dirk Nowitzki in the making, and the Nets would be fools to pass him up if he's still there at 10.

Let them be fools, I say. Will he be the second coming of Nowitzki, or Andrea Bargnani? Is that something we want?

Others on the list of five - F Joe Alexander, C Brook Lopez, G Russell Westbrook, and G Eric Gordon, if any of those folks are still on the board.

Not expected to be on the board, but with a serious man-crush by Vanderweghe and Thorn, is Kevin Love of UCLA, who isn't expected to make it past #5.

Anyone on the list excite you more than any other? Should the Nets trade up, or trade down? Or better still, package the pick for existing, established talent?

At this point, you know how I feel - move the pick, either for a better draft position in the top five or for someone who can help the Nets right away (like Elton Brand, perhaps, though he's only an example), rather than settle for Gallinari or even Lopez (and they might turn out to be fine pros, but the Nets need someone to help them win NOW, not in three years' time).

But, if the Nets don't go that way, and stay at #10, grabbing a big over a guard would be a good idea (though Westbrook intrigues, to say the least, as does OJ Mayo if by miracle he drops down).

Go big, says Joe. Of course we love Love over here at JNFHQ, but there are others on the board we'd certainly be interested in bringing in, everyone from Anthony Randolph to Mareese Spreights, and a whole bunch more. Can the Nets get quality at #21? Even better.

Of course, #21 could surely be reserved for a shooter, which the Nets seem always to be in short supply of. There isn't anyone in the draft that should be considered a lock, but there are options to pick one up (and I won't get into them here, because no one is really interested in them per se).

Go big. Do something big. Bigger. Biggest. That's my opinion on things - whether it means trading up to get some Love, or trading down to get a veteran body plus a draftee, whatever.

Hell, right now I'd even consider the muck in the papers that has Richard Jefferson going to Phoenix for Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw. Just because it would be doing something different. Add Love or Lopez or Darrell Arthur upfront, and it will at least begin the serious change away from the Jason Kidd era.

Face it, no one is convinced the Nets can win anything with Jefferson and Carter and a cast of role players. Might as well make the big play.

Of course, draft night always throws us a curve somewhere (like in 2002, when the Nets selected Eddie Griffin and Netsfans were for the most part despondant, then a bit confused when he was traded for 3 bodies), and there is no better time for that curve to be from the Nets.

Sure will be interesting to see what the Nets actually come up with, and who falls downward or floats upward in the draft.

More thoughts to follow, especially based on any last minute conjecture as we head into the final week.

-Joe

Chem Class

Well, in the slow-news Nets world, the competition has started for picking the perfect players in the upcoming draft. With the candidates slowly drifting in, it appears the Nets have their sights set on a forward with the #10 pick, bringing in the likes of Darrell Arthur, Mareesse Spreights, and DJ White and pledging to bring in anyone who is anyone in this draft.

If they keep the pick, or picks, that is.

Still too early to firm up rumors, but Kiki himself said the picks could be in play if the right offer comes around. Forget Denver and 'Melo, at least for now. Could we be looking at Elton Brand, or Rasheed Wallace (perish the thought, but he's likely out there).

In any case, one thing the Nets need to do with the young remnants left on the roster - make sure they establish some sort of chemistry for this team. The chemistry of the Nets went horribly wrong last year, and once their leader in spirit and body chucked in the towel, there was no turning back on the wasteland that things became. Kidd, for all his strengths, deserves a lot of the blame for that. But, he didn't put the roster together, either..

Let's face it, no one is Jason Kidd, and asking Devin Harris to be anything like him is just wrong. But the Nets do need players who can all play in the same style, which given that Lawrence Frank is still around, will be defense first, with a bit of a more wide-open offense with Harris at the controls.

But with 7 players on the current roster at 24 or younger, the Nets need to bring in some veterans to go with that youth (or use that youth as trade bait) to ensure the rebuilding doesn't take another 5 years. With no impact player likely coming out of the draft for the Nets (immediate impact, anyway), the Nets have to make sure they have a good mix of personnel, skills, youth vs vets, complimentary players, and all that jazz.

They also need to make sure they don't come away empty handed if trading is what they're about. Same is true for free agency.

Though it won't be a terrible thing if the Nets keep the picks, they certainly need to move some bodies and make some changes beyond that. Doubtful they can pull off a Garnett or Gasol miracle, but they need to be trying, and consider any opportunity.

How about those Celtics, speaking of KG? Up 2 - 0 against a Laker team I thought was more powerful, and unleashing the likes of Leon Powe against the Phil Jackson hate machine. Incredible, really, but these Celtics really can play some defense.

And how about Eddie House, ex-Net, winding up in nirvana, even if he's not getting all that much playing time. Not to mention former fave Brian Scalabrine, who's making $15 million over 5 years to not dress and will probably still wind up with a ring. Now that's living...

The JNF world headquarters is packing up to move locations at the end of the month, so we'll try to hang in as long as we can and keep discussing the draft and other things Nets. Draft night itself might be the last you'll hear from me for awhile, but once we're up and running in July we'll try to take a look at everything we'll likely miss over the course of the next month. Keep checking back, though, because I'll try to get posted no matter how much painting I need to do.

-Joe