Round 1, Pick 1
Dec 12, 2015 16:33:04 GMT
Post by Aeon on Dec 12, 2015 16:33:04 GMT
The Nets are faced with an unheard of situation in the front office: back-to-back #1 picks. Last year the Nets faltered for the first time in franchise history, coming in with the worst record in the league. As a consolation, the team was able to pick forward Shawn Kemp, a terribly talented player who looks to be the future face of the team. In the off-season they added talent like Charles Oakley and Sam Perkins, added Kendall Gill in the draft as well as a surprisingly good deep pick in Alaa Abdelnaby. William Bedford continued to improve and the team felt it was poised for success.
That hope was unfounded it seemed, as the team floundered for another season. Nowhere as bad as their previous season, but the Nets fell short of the playoffs and hit the lottery again. This time they expected to pick in the latter half of the lottery and hope to add to their talent pool. Instead the team rocketed to the #1 spot once again.
It's the kind of luck that could have other teams ready to throttle the Nets management, but it came in a draft class which is being criticized as having no franchise faces. Unlike the Pacers, who took Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson in back to back drafts, the Nets aren't expected to add another All-Star player to their team. Still, number one is the best place to be.
The Nets management is expected to take a "best player available" approach to the pick. Though they did not have a good season, there are not glaring holes on the team. Michael Adams is a young point the team believes in, aging star Otis Birdsong has Kendall Gill and Vinny Del Negro behind him, there is a glut of players who can play both the small forward and power forward positions, including shooters like Chuck Person, rebounders like Oakley, and do-it-all types like Tim Perry. Shawn Kemp anchors the team and they have promising centers in Abdelnaby and William Bedford. The team is expected to simply take the best talent available that fits their system.
The GM is approaching the podium, so let's see where the Nets go with this pick:
That hope was unfounded it seemed, as the team floundered for another season. Nowhere as bad as their previous season, but the Nets fell short of the playoffs and hit the lottery again. This time they expected to pick in the latter half of the lottery and hope to add to their talent pool. Instead the team rocketed to the #1 spot once again.
It's the kind of luck that could have other teams ready to throttle the Nets management, but it came in a draft class which is being criticized as having no franchise faces. Unlike the Pacers, who took Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson in back to back drafts, the Nets aren't expected to add another All-Star player to their team. Still, number one is the best place to be.
The Nets management is expected to take a "best player available" approach to the pick. Though they did not have a good season, there are not glaring holes on the team. Michael Adams is a young point the team believes in, aging star Otis Birdsong has Kendall Gill and Vinny Del Negro behind him, there is a glut of players who can play both the small forward and power forward positions, including shooters like Chuck Person, rebounders like Oakley, and do-it-all types like Tim Perry. Shawn Kemp anchors the team and they have promising centers in Abdelnaby and William Bedford. The team is expected to simply take the best talent available that fits their system.
The GM is approaching the podium, so let's see where the Nets go with this pick:
"With the 1st pick in the draft, the New Jersey Nets select Dennis Scott from Georgia Tech."
"There are quite a few talented players in the draft who could have done well on our roster. However, Scott has a remarkable talent which we think will do well opposite last year's pick, Shawn Kemp. While Kemp is a danger to score inside with every touch of the ball, Scott has a range on his shot which is unprecedented. He also looks to score, and has the athleticism to create his own shot against defenders, and we think if Dennis works on his three point shot in the pros he will be a player which teams have to defend constantly on the outside. That should create wonderful mismatches for us and chances for Adams to distribute the ball and make plays happen. We look forward to having Dennis as part of the Nets organization."
"There are quite a few talented players in the draft who could have done well on our roster. However, Scott has a remarkable talent which we think will do well opposite last year's pick, Shawn Kemp. While Kemp is a danger to score inside with every touch of the ball, Scott has a range on his shot which is unprecedented. He also looks to score, and has the athleticism to create his own shot against defenders, and we think if Dennis works on his three point shot in the pros he will be a player which teams have to defend constantly on the outside. That should create wonderful mismatches for us and chances for Adams to distribute the ball and make plays happen. We look forward to having Dennis as part of the Nets organization."