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djsunyc
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full article:
Content to see who falls their way
by Dave D'Alessandro/Star-Ledger Staff
Wednesday June 25, 2008, 11:05 PM
They were one day closer, yet nothing changed: For the Nets, every move they were contemplating was contingent on what Seattle, the Knicks, and the Clippers were going to do.
And for the Nets, who pick 10th in tonight's NBA Draft, that was fine.
Or so they claim.
"The Knicks are going to take Danilo Gallinari," Nets president Rod Thorn said last night, referring to the Italian forward who had been at the top of his wish list all month. "And the others have yet to make up their minds. Which means that we still have three or four different guys who can drop to us."
The obvious question being: Which three?
The picture began to clarify just a bit late yesterday, when the Charlotte Bobcats made a seemingly minor deal: They traded for Denver's No. 20 pick, which by most accounts meant that they were targeting Georgetown center Roy Hibbert for that spot.
That, however, led at least three NBA executives to conclude that the Bobs were now thinking small at No. 9 -- aiming specifically at either Russell Westbrook of UCLA or Jerryd Bayless of Arizona, depending on which combo guard is still on the board.
Theoretically, that would leave the Nets with their choice of scorer Eric Gordon of Indiana, center Brook Lopez of Stanford, and whomever Charlotte passes up.
"Odds are that at least one of those guys will be there," Thorn said. "And, there's a chance that (Kevin) Love will drop."
Wait, don't say it: Now he's just ticking you off.
Over the past month, Thorn, GM Kiki Vandeweghe and their staff -- director of scouting Greg Polinsky, international scout Rob Meurs, and scouts Jordan Cohn and Maury Hanks -- have assiduously ranked their 40 most viable contenders in order.
For the most part, they have reached a consensus ("Not always, but pretty often," Thorn added). And when their time comes up tonight, even if there are unforeseen circumstances, the grown-ups in the room know what decision they're going to make.
For example, there is at least one contingency deal the Nets are considering with Portland. If they don't get the player they want at 10 -- probably Bayless, but that possibility looked less likely last night -- they were prepared to swap picks with Portland at 13. In that case, the Nets would take Robin Lopez and be satisfied.
"If something comes to fruition," Thorn said, without specifying what that 'something' was, "we can definitely move. We have some needs, and if we can address them by moving down, we'll do that. That doesn't mean we will, though."
Indeed, as of last night, the team was confident they were going to get a player they ranked higher -- notably, Brook Lopez or Gordon.
They were also trying to move up again -- every team in the league was under the impression last night that Memphis's No. 5 pick was available to the highest bidder -- but nothing was happening late yesterday.
How eager were the Nets to move up? Not as eager as they were in previous days,
for one reason: They were more confident -- a bit more, anyway -- that one of their primary targets was going to drop safely in their laps.
And while Gallinari would have been their preferred draftee, Brook Lopez will do just fine. Remarkably, Thorn also values his twin brother just as highly, if it comes to that.
He just knows he'd have trouble selling an offensively challenged big man from Stanford to his fan base.
"It's sort of a leap of faith," Thorn said of Robin Lopez. "He is quicker, the lesser of the two from the standpoint of statistics, is probably a better defender, quicker maybe a little more fast twitch.
"The other is an established scorer who can shoot the ball, is a great shooter from 15 feet from that range in -- facing the basket or with his back to the basket.
"One guy we worked out (Robin) the other we didn't (Brook). The guy we worked out we liked; but the other one, his resume is just a little more (impressive). So you're taking a leap of faith to say the one kid is better than the other one."
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6/25/2008 11:52 PM