#35 Jason Collins
Player File
Collins is a 7 footer in his fourth year
out of Stanford.
Birthday:
December 2, 1978
Birthplace:
Northridge, CA
High School:
Harvard-Westlake, North Hollywood, CA
Drafted:
18th overall in the 2001 Draft, selected by Houston, acquired from Houston
June 27, 2001
Contract:
Signed through 2004 - 2005 season.
2003 - 2004 Regular Season Stats:
Games Played:
78
Minutes PG:
28.5
Points PG:
5.9
PCT: .424
Free Throw PCT:
.739
Rebounds PG:
5.1
Assists PG:
2.0
Blocks PG:
0.72
Steals PG:
0.86
Turnovers PG:
1.24
Nicknames:
"Twin" is what the Nets staff has settled on – Jason's
twin Jarron plays for the Utah Jazz. The readers go for something a bit
less kind: "Stone Hands", "Shaq Snack", and Jason
"I rebound like Doug" Collins are some of the nicknames
bestowed upon Mr. Collins.
Jason Collins
– C
Known For:
Intelligence on and off the court, rebounding, positioning, defense and
all the intangibles needed as a role player in the NBA. Oh, and that maddening
inability to finish around the basket.
The Skinny: Shaq is in the East, and the
Nets still have Jason Collins in the middle. Remember the 2002 Finals?
Collins is remarkably consistent, but is that what the Nets really need
at center? Of course, it doesn't hurt that Twin can do small things like
set a pick or not get caught out of position. It's just that he doesn't
do enough on the offensive end for most everyone's taste, and that will
loom important for this edition of the Nets. He can can a short jumper,
but could stand to use some of those finishing skills that other centers
have. Of course, then again, Collins does everything else that those "made-for-the-NBA's
big-paycheck" college centers seem not to understand, so go figure
today's NBA man-in-the-middle.
The Concern: Are
you gonna finish that? Anyone else besides Joe get crazy watching Collins
around the basket? The guy doesn't know how to finish underneath, with
an inability to leap, switch hands or pump fake seemingly wired into his
DNA. We know he'll grab some boards, set some mean picks, box out, defend
his man, and even sell popcorn if you want him to without complaining,
but has he added any dimension to his offensive game? Reportedly, he worked
out with a shooting coach this offseason and has come to camp in the best
shape of his life.
Joe's
World View: In a perfect world, Jason Collins would be the Nets'
backup at center and power forward. He's not a bad player, it's just that
the Nets need a more active offensive player to go places in the suddenly-not-so-weak
Eastern Conference. No, I'm not talking about the Knicks here, but the
Heat, Pistons and Pacers, all of whom have a man in the pivot who can
change a game. Collins won't do that, though to his credit he won't outright
lose a game for you either. Look for plenty of Collins this year, as ATrain's
minutes could be split between the two positions, and clearly Nenad Krstic
is not quite ready to contribute.
Joe's Prediction: 8 PPG, 6 Rebounds, 2.5
assist, 1 steal and 31 minutes per game averages.
Jason Collins stats and bio: click
here.
The
2004 - 2005 Roster
Travis Best - G
Rodney Buford - G/F
Jason Collins - C
Kyle Davis - C
Richard
Jefferson - F
Jason Kidd - G
Nenad Krstic - F/C
Ron Mercer - G/F
Alonzo Mourning - C
Zoran Planinic - G/F
Brian Scalabrine - F
Jacque Vaughn - G
Aaron Williams - F/C
Eric Williams - F
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