#10 Zoran Planinic
Player File
Zoran Planinic is a 6' 8" second
year point guard from Bosnia - Herzegovina.
Birthday:
September 12, 1982
Birthplace:
?
High School:
??
Drafted:
22nd overall in the 2003 Draft, by New Jersey.
Contract: Signed through the 2005 - 2006
season.
2003 - 2004 Regular Season Stats:
Games Played:
49
Minutes PG:
9.7
Points PG:
3.1
PCT: .411
Free Throw PCT:
.633
Rebounds PG:
1.1
Assists PG:
1.4
Blocks PG:
0.06
Steals PG:
0.27
Turnovers PG:
0.73
Nicknames: Zoran's
such an easy mark, ain't he? See last
year's nickname game for inspiration. This year? "That's a wrap".
More here.
Known For: Ability to run the fast break, creativity, footspeed, Jason Kidd's expected understudy.
The Skinny: Apparently, it's Zoran, who lost about 20 pounds of his 229 lb playing weight, making him lighter and faster, according to media reports. In any case, one full year under his belt should mean that Planinic has the edge in the Jason Kidd understudy competition. But, has he acclimated himself to the US, the NBA, and even East Rutherford? With Kidd as his mentor, he must have picked up something. Needs to work on his outside shot, his in-game awareness, and defense, but who knows? This could be the newest Net point guard when Kidd is finally relieved of his duties and sent packing.
The Concern: Honestly, he's got two veterans (albeit, two past their prime) in front of him on the way to prime time. Coach Lawrence Frank seemed to have more patience (I wouldn't exactly say confidence) with Zoran toward the tail end of last season, but really, his head was swimming in it. What if he falters early, and gets buried on the bench, with Best and Vaughn splitting the minutes? Was the pick not a good one? Always hard to tell, and since the point guard spot is arguably the hardest one on the floor (mentally, people), whether or not Planinic can keep his head straight while the bodies are flying, keeping the turnovers and the charges to a minimum, remains to be seen. (or maybe he's more suited to forward - wait, the Nets already have enough too small forwards. Forget that idea). Hopefully, on the court.
Joe's World View: It's time for some of that "world of potential" to start sneaking out, hopefully in large doses with Kidd on the shelf. Because really, does Travis Best conjure up impossible drives in the lane, no-look passes and the occasional outside shot (well, he can do that)? Does Jacque Vaughn inspire highlight reels? No. So if it can't be Kidd, it must be Zoran to drive the Nets out of mediocrity with creative passing, low turnovers and lots of motion offense (plus, he'd better throw in some defense). Will it really happen? Only Zoran seems to know. The rest of us will just have to take his word for it (if we can understand him).
Joe's Prediction: 6 PPG, 2 Rebounds, 4 assists, 0.5 steals and 15 minutes per game averages.
Zoran Planinic's 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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