The Nets have 5 young big guys in their front court: Yi Jianlin, Brook Lopez, Sean Williams, Josh Boone, and Ryan Anderson. Who do you think will emerge as a starter for the Nets in the future and maybe even a star? They're going to need at least one of them to become a good starting quality big man so they can have a core in place ready to attract a free agent in 2010. Also, which is more important to have for 2010: an established starting/star PG or an established starting/star bigman? If they are targeting Lebron, then don't they just need a PG that can bring the ball up the court and spot up and hit open shots like a Derek Fisher type PG? Is it more important to have a big in place then a PG? If none of the young bigs work out to be starter quality then would anyone consider including Devin Harris + other pieces in a package for a good bigman? So if Carter is still around and you add a big man with him, then you have Vince and a good big to compliment Lebron instead of Vince, Harris and Lebron. Now, if both Yi and Lopez workout then none of it matters and Lebron could be the final piece to a contending team.
Carter will be 33 in 2010-11. At worse, he will be Michael Finley, a good shooter who can still make a difference on a given night. If Yi and Lopez are more than just solid big men but instead become NBA stars, the Nets would have two very good 22 year old seven footers still on their rookie contracts. Harris will be 25 midway through a five year deal that is very reasonable. The Nets will also have three first round picks on their rookie contracts, one from the 2009 draft, two from the 2010 draft. In that scenario, anything else is gravy. Getting young good players at the 1, 4 and 5 should be plenty to attract a solid free agent...that plus a new arena. Of course, all of that could go wrong.
I think Kiki and Thorn have made a great base for the 2010 FA lottery. As long as one of the current bigs can become a 15 and 9 guy, the Nets are set. Whether it's LBJ, CB4, or DWade coming in, essentially as long as VC can stay on course for 18,4,4 two years from now (which no doubt is achievable), and Devin Harris improves his shooting, the Nets can contend right away as long as we can pick up one more marquee player because everyone knows that some older big out there (Shaq), will sign for the MLE, and we know that if the Nets move to Brooklyn, it won't kill Ratner to have the salaries go into luxury tax territory, as ticket sales will increase dramatically, and merchandise sales will help the Nets finally turn a profit, like they should have been doing all these years...
I think Yi, SWAT or even Lopez emerging as NBA bigs, forget star, if 2 can pull 12-14 and 8-9 boards a night, in about 34 minutes a night each, that's a good start when mixing it together with a Lebron, toss Harris in that mix too. CDR should be an adequate wing alongside LBJ. The 3 bigs are athletic bigs, probably the most athletic threesome in the league, give them a couple years of experience, LBJ might be the perfect do everything player to fill out the starting lineup. I can't see Boone more than what he's already shown, a great rebounder, good size, big body defender, that's about it.
i love boone's IQ of the game... i mean he does get lost at times... but he doesnt kno what hes doing... i expect a lot more from this year ^^
none of the 5 are starter caliber bigs and i don't see that changing any time soon. the only guy i have hope for is yi. lopez is a career backup center. williams and boone are both quality backups(but nothing more). anderson is an end of the bench player(if that).
Your assessments of Lopez and Anderson should be taken with a grain of salt. Neither has played in an NBA game yet. You can't say Lopez will be relegated to a back-up role throughout his career. That's just ridiculous.
I don't know what you mean as "starter caliber big." Boone was pretty good as a starter last year. Every team has either their PF or their C as their fourth or fifth offensive option: a guy who is there to play team defense, do the "little things," and maybe get some rebounds. The Nets seem to have a bunch of guys who can fill that role. I also think Ryan Anderson will shock EVERYONE with his play. He will be as productive as Boki and will develop into a solid sixth/seventh man type. I have high hopes for Lopez. He obviously has stuff to learn, but he has a nice touch around the basket, and he will immediately become the best post threat the nets have had in a long time. Sean Williams--I'm skeptical about.
or i've assessed their play in college and drawn conclusions about their ability and how it will translate to the nba. take it with a grain of salt though if you wish. just don't get your hopes up too much.
would you rate boone among the 30 best pfs in the nba? i definitely wouldn't. that would mean he's not a starting caliber pf. if you go to the center position, it gets more interesting but still. my point is boone is a garbage man, nothing better. unless you have stars on your team(and generally a star player in your frontcourt), starting garbage men doesn't cut it. and that's the caliber of player the nets have in their frontcourt. a lot of guys that you'd like to have come off the bench, but i don't think any nba team would be happy to have starting games for them.
well, you can name every player drafted in the 20s this decade and say that they "will never be more than a backup," and you'll be right 98% of the time, so let's be realistic about Ryan Anderson, shall we? As for Lopez--I guess it depends how you define "backup," doesn't it? Is Kendrick Perkins a "career backup?" What about Nazr Mohammed? Emeka Okafor? Joakim Noah? Erick Dampier? Jeff Foster? Mark Blount? Johan Petro? Fabricio Oberto? Brad Miller? Mikki Moore? Brendan Haywood? These are all listed as projected starters for their respective teams.
You need to take a look at the projected starters for each team. [but yes, long-term Boone should be coming off the bench, but I wouldn't call him a "garbage man." He could play 20-25 minutes a night as the primary backup big, get a bunch of offensive rebounds and score a few points. Remember Boone is still improving, too]
i'm aware of the projected starters for each team. whoever the nets start in their frontcourt will be among the worst in the league at each position as well as together as a duo. you brought up kendrick perkins but the celtics are able to start him because he is a good defender and they have 3 stars(one of them being a top 5 player who plays in the frontcourt with him). dampier is a solid starter for dallas because dirk is next to him. if yi eventually becomes a star, the nets will be able to get away with having a guy like boone start in the frontcourt. but that's a big if. and by garbage man, that's essentially what i mean. he's not necessarily a bad player, but he's not going to be able to get anything on his own. on offense it's either going to be all open shots from assists or putbacks and nothing more.
it is unfair to judge these players based on who they play with. If the Nets had a frontcourt of Brand, Boone, Lopez, Yi, Sean, Ryan Anderson, Najera, etc., you'd probably say that was pretty good. Yes, the Nets clearly need a stud big man, and yes, it is very, very difficult to find one, even with the #10 pick in the draft. But I'm comfortable with the rest of their front court rotation right now. I think Ryan Anderson will be better than Sean, and obviously Swift is worthless. But those other guys could contribute.
i don't think it's unfair. i feel like boone and williams are both best off as bench players and that's the place they can really help a team. the only time i feel like they are passable as starters is if they are in a situation where they are playing with a star big next to them.
