If anyone had the opportunity to catch ESPN's Destination: Draft 2008 you might have caught this already. Similar to shows that follow the rookies around in their pre-draft workouts, this one also featured a heavy dose of GM interviews. Also, it just so happened to be that the GM most closely featured in the show was our own Kiki Vandeweghe. During one of his many interviews taken in his office, the camera focused to one of the white boards that had the 2008-2009 depth chart on it. The guy right behind Vince Carter was Maurice Ager; talk about an increased role! Of course this has not yet taken FA or the draft into consideration, but I thought it was interesting that he had at least jumped over Hassell. Unfortunately they didn't show that angle that long, so I couldn't see if the starting PF/C changed Oh, and I have no clue if I'll be able to get a link to this, short of getting a copy of the broadcast and capturing a still :-/
Perhaps Nets Brass seems convinced over the summer that Ager is ready to play rotation minutes at the 2? Could be interesting, or just a temporary roster list before the draft. Good find though, GMJ.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Jun 25 2008, 03:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>That could change if Julius Hodge comes in and outdoes Ager.</div> Yeah, or if he's outplayed by a Nets' second round draft pick, right? I don't see why everyone always values the new names over the old ones at this time of year. It's funny how on draft night people post about how they'd like to have a player on their roster for "two or three years down the road," and then when those two or three years pass, they're talking about drafting a second rounder to replace that guy on the bench. Ager's one of the most polished scorers in his age group. He can score from long-range, can drive to the rim and draw contact because of his explosiveness, and he's an excellent finisher in transition. He's also got the long arms and lateral quickness to be a decent defender. All of Ager's problems earlier in his career were mental. He had one of the hugest egos of any player in his draft class. I remember during his senior year, even though he was playing with two other NBA players, he'd always call his own number on offense, struggle off-the-ball, and drift in and out of the game mentally. You'd have to think that two years of no more than 6 mpg and change would have changed his perspective and helped mature his game though. I'm all for him playing a more significant role next season. He's only had the chance to play 58 career games in two seasons, and most of that time was spent in a ridiculously stacked wing rotation in Dallas.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Voodoo Child @ Jun 25 2008, 05:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Jun 25 2008, 03:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>That could change if Julius Hodge comes in and outdoes Ager.</div> Yeah, or if he's outplayed by a Nets' second round draft pick, right? I don't see why everyone always values the new names over the old ones at this time of year. It's funny how on draft night people post about how they'd like to have a player on their roster for "two or three years down the road," and then when those two or three years pass, they're talking about drafting a second rounder to replace that guy on the bench. </div> Well, Julius Hodge was a 1st round pick. I don't see why it's that out of the question.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Jun 25 2008, 04:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Voodoo Child @ Jun 25 2008, 05:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Jun 25 2008, 03:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>That could change if Julius Hodge comes in and outdoes Ager.</div> Yeah, or if he's outplayed by a Nets' second round draft pick, right? I don't see why everyone always values the new names over the old ones at this time of year. It's funny how on draft night people post about how they'd like to have a player on their roster for "two or three years down the road," and then when those two or three years pass, they're talking about drafting a second rounder to replace that guy on the bench. </div> Well, Julius Hodge was a 1st round pick. I don't see why it's that out of the question. </div> I'm a fan of Hodge's, and I hope he makes the squad, but I don't see why most Nets fans are so quick to jump on Ager or would even be shocked enough to see him as the #2 shooting guard (behind Carter, a 35+ mpg player, none the less) to start a whole thread about it. For a lot of reasons, if you want to expand on it, I think Ager's a better option than Hodge, but either way, the negativity that clouds Ager in New Jersey is unwarranted.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Voodoo Child @ Jun 25 2008, 05:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Jun 25 2008, 03:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>That could change if Julius Hodge comes in and outdoes Ager.</div> Yeah, or if he's outplayed by a Nets' second round draft pick, right? I don't see why everyone always values the new names over the old ones at this time of year. It's funny how on draft night people post about how they'd like to have a player on their roster for "two or three years down the road," and then when those two or three years pass, they're talking about drafting a second rounder to replace that guy on the bench. Ager's one of the most polished scorers in his age group. He can score from long-range, can drive to the rim and draw contact because of his explosiveness, and he's an excellent finisher in transition. He's also got the long arms and lateral quickness to be a decent defender. All of Ager's problems earlier in his career were mental. He had one of the hugest egos of any player in his draft class. I remember during his senior year, even though he was playing with two other NBA players, he'd always call his own number on offense, struggle off-the-ball, and drift in and out of the game mentally. You'd have to think that two years of no more than 6 mpg and change would have changed his perspective and helped mature his game though. I'm all for him playing a more significant role next season. He's only had the chance to play 58 career games in two seasons, and most of that time was spent in a ridiculously stacked wing rotation in Dallas. </div> Wow, Spartan Splooge By being outplayed by a second rounder, you must mean like Daniel Gibson outplaying Shannon Brown
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Voodoo Child @ Jun 26 2008, 10:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>For a lot of reasons, if you want to expand on it, I think Ager's a better option than Hodge, but either way, the negativity that clouds Ager in New Jersey is unwarranted.</div> It's just about his inexperience and is a further example of how we have little experienced quality depth. I hope he breaks out and plays great, but he isn't a known commodity at this stage... same goes for most of our roster.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dumpy @ Jun 26 2008, 10:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Ager certainly has potential. He deserves at least as much of a chance that Antoine Wright received.</div> Really they gave antoine a shot and he sucked since day one.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cpawfan @ Jun 26 2008, 10:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Voodoo Child @ Jun 25 2008, 05:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pegs @ Jun 25 2008, 03:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>That could change if Julius Hodge comes in and outdoes Ager.</div> Yeah, or if he's outplayed by a Nets' second round draft pick, right? I don't see why everyone always values the new names over the old ones at this time of year. It's funny how on draft night people post about how they'd like to have a player on their roster for "two or three years down the road," and then when those two or three years pass, they're talking about drafting a second rounder to replace that guy on the bench. Ager's one of the most polished scorers in his age group. He can score from long-range, can drive to the rim and draw contact because of his explosiveness, and he's an excellent finisher in transition. He's also got the long arms and lateral quickness to be a decent defender. All of Ager's problems earlier in his career were mental. He had one of the hugest egos of any player in his draft class. I remember during his senior year, even though he was playing with two other NBA players, he'd always call his own number on offense, struggle off-the-ball, and drift in and out of the game mentally. You'd have to think that two years of no more than 6 mpg and change would have changed his perspective and helped mature his game though. I'm all for him playing a more significant role next season. He's only had the chance to play 58 career games in two seasons, and most of that time was spent in a ridiculously stacked wing rotation in Dallas. </div> Wow, Spartan Splooge By being outplayed by a second rounder, you must mean like Daniel Gibson outplaying Shannon Brown </div> Oh man, don't even get me started on Shannon. That whole deal is the biggest reason I'm so disenchanted with the NBA at the moment. The funny thing is that I could explain the lack of playing time in Cleveland (Gibson being a role player fitting Cleveland's need of a sharpshooter who could hit down the open jumper when LeBron's doubled down on, Mike Brown not getting along with Shannon, etc.), but when he got traded to Chicago, I was away at school and never got to keep up to date on the situation, so I really don't know what excuses to use for his lack of minutes as a Bull. I will say this though; he was incredibly productive in the stretches where he did get the chance to play in Cleveland. As for Maurice though, I liked him in his first three years at Michigan State, but like Drew Neitzel this season, he was a completely different player as a senior. He was selfish, took defensive possessions off, and didn't move on offense if the ball wasn't in his hands. Like I said though, being two years into the league and not receiving any playing time yet, you'd think he'd be humbled a bit. I'm not saying the guy is anything special, but he'd definitely be a great scoring punch in a 10-15 mpg role off the bench (ala Damien Wilkins), and the Nets wouldn't lose any ground defensively with him on the floor.
