Derrick Favors or DeMarcus Cousins? DeMarcus Cousins or Derrick Favors?
How about Wesley Johnson of Syracuse for the Nets?
“That certainly is not a far-fetched scenario,” Nets president Rod Thorn said of Johnson, the consensus best small forward in the NBA Draft. “He’s a real athletic kid, can shoot the ball and rebound. We certainly would be interested.”
For now, the 6-foot-10 Favors from Georgia Tech is the leading choice for the Nets over 6-foot-11 Kentucky center Cousins. Favors is as raw as a butcher shop hamburger, but his upside is enormous. He projects as a prototypical power forward whose prime directives are defense and rebounding.
If the draft came after free agency and the Nets were confident they could land a plum power forward (Amar’e Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, David Lee), maybe Johnson would have an even better chance. Thorn said that is not a factor. He will always draft the best player available.
Johnson, who averaged 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds and shot 50.2 percent as the Big East Player of the Year for Syracuse, would love landing behind the projected top two picks, Kentucky’s John Wall and Ohio State’s Evan Turner, and becoming a Net.
“They have a lot of talent with Brook Lopez and Devin Harris for starters,” said Johnson, who is 6-foot-6 1/4 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan. “There are a lot of guys who can contribute right away. Coming in there, I think I can contribute.
“They’re good. They have a lot of good young guys, so really I think I could be an asset and bring what I have to help them out, even though they have twos and threes,” Johnson continued. “I would welcome it, especially after playing in upstate New York. It’s not that far away. I would love being there.”
Johnson played much of the past season with a hand injury that hampered his game. But, as a glass-half-full guy, Johnson said the situation showed his toughness. Give him a chance, you’ll see a lot more.
“Getting up and down in transition, being able to shoot the ball the way I do and rebound — those are going to be my strengths in the NBA,” Johnson said. “Growing up, it was always my dream to be in the NBA, so I’d be honored to play on any team that drafted me.”
What about weaknesses? Scouts say Johnson’s defense is lacking (which would make him a perfect Net) and that he needs to improve ball-handling.
On the coaching-hunt front, Thorn denied a report that said he has a planned meeting with Avery Johnson.
“I don’t have any interviews scheduled,” Thorn said.
Avery Johnson, the former Mavs coach, and Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau, who also is considered the front-runner for the Hornets’ opening, remain the contending favorites with current announcer and former player Mark Jackson a dark horse candidate. Fired Cavaliers coach Mike Brown will likely enter the field.