Twice before in their Yinka Dare-Ed O’Bannon-Pearl Washington tortured draft history, the Nets have held the No. 3 overall pick.
In 1981, they drafted Buck Williams, the greatest power forward in team history at No. 3. In 1987, they drafted Dennis Hopson, the biggest draft bust in the franchise’s past — especially at No. 3 and especially considering Scottie Pippen and another two guard named Reggie Miller were available.
“Well, one-for-two is not bad,” Nets president Rod Thorn said.
But Thursday night, the Nets, who also pick 27th and 31st, can’t draft a Hopson at No. 3. Three names — though some in the organization insist there are more — form the talent pool that should supply the Nets’ initial first round pick of the Mikhail Prokhorov-Avery Johnson era.
Assuming Kentucky’s John Wall and Ohio State’s Evan Turner go 1-2 as expected, there are three big names the Nets are looking at. They are interested in 6-foot-10 Georgia Tech power forward Derrick Favors, the most raw candidate. The Nets also have an eye on 6-11 Kentucky center DeMarcus Cousins, a huge talent who comes with red flags, including 16.4 body fat that’s fine for Sumo wrestlers bu questionable for NBA players. They also have 6-7 Syracuse small forward Wesley Johnson, a superb shooter and all-around player, on their radar. The super dark horse is 6-11 Georgetown power forward Greg Monroe, the best passing big in the field.
“Favors has upside, he’s athletic,” Thorn said. “He looks like the prototypical power forward. Cousins has great feet, great hands knows how to use his weight. Just a really big guy. Can shoot. He’s got a lot of skill. Johnson is a tremendous shooter, athletic as heck. Really gets up off the ground, rebounds the ball and is a great kid. He’s good.”
So who do they take third? Going into tomorrow’s Favors-Cousins workout, Favors remains the leader as they discount reports he was “out of shape” for his Minnesota workout.
“It’s going to be a team effort,” coach Avery Johnson said of the decision-making process. “We’ve had scouts scouting these guys all year. Rod knows them really well. They know what I need. We’ve already discussed that. So we’re going to make the decision we think is in the best interest of the Nets ball club.”
The Nets need bigs and especially need a rebounding power forward to plop next to Brook Lopez.
“A guy who loves to crash the offensive glass,” Lopez put on his summer wish list.
This is the highest pick the Nets have had since 2000 when lottery night brought the first pick which they used in no-brainer fashion on Kenyon Martin.
The three spot has produced some great picks over the years, the most famous being Michael Jordan, drafted by Thorn in Chicago in 1984. Others include Dominique Wilkins (1981), Chauncey Billups (1997), Pau Gasol (2001), Carmelo Anthony (2003) and Deron Williams (2005). The 27th spot has produced Dennis Rodman (1986) and Kendrick Perkins (2003) while Gilbert Arenas (2001) went 31st. There is always the chance of a trade but Thorn is not anticipating one.
“I don’t see it, but you never know,” Thorn said.
Logic would seem to say the Nets, if they go big at No. 3, will try a different tact at 27. Not necessarily, Thorn said.
“We don’t have that many guys on our roster. We have needs across the board,” Thorn said, insisting what happens at No. 3 “doesn’t impact what we’ll do [at 27 and 31]. We may take two big guys, maybe even three. Or maybe we’ll take two or three guys who are wing players or guards.”
At 27, shooting guard Dominique Jones of South Florida, and three power forwards — Gani Lawal, Favors’ college teammate; VCA’s Larry Sanders and Iowa State’s Craig Brackins — all are candidates.
“We have a bunch of people we like — if they get there. I’d say six, seven, eight guys,” Thorn said. “Some of them obviously won’t get there, maybe most of them won’t get there but hopefully, some of them will.”