Nets Are Scorching

There have been alotta flops with young players. Like Wes said, he really didn't start playing until he was in 8th or 9th grade. So, it's kinda hard to believe, but he's still getting better. He's a long SF, extremely quick, a good rebounder, and deadly from the perimeter, don't even get me started on a fast break. I think if the Nets draft favors over Wes you'll see the same thing happen with them that happened when Detroit wasted their pick and skipped Carmelo. Honestly, Wes could probably be better than Carmelo. If Lebron came to Jersey, they would be absolutely deadly. Potentially Finals bound in a two or three years.

Main point: Favors was a good player, maybe great, but who knows how he'll fair in the NBA. Big guys get hurt alot. Look at Greg Oden. Cousins is fat and morre likely to get hurt as well. Plus, right now, NJ doesn't have a slashing John Wall guard to open things up or a good longball shooter. Things in the middle are gonna be tough.

Best case scenario.. Hope for the Sixers to take Cousins.. Draft Evan Turner, and then trade Yi to the Wolves, throw in CDR and some other draft pick for their 4th pick, and then draft Favors. If the Sixers take Turner, then take Wes Johnson and do what I said.

I won't be surprised if we trade down with Detroit to #7 and take Aminu. Detroit's dying for Cousins, and Aminu, who I think is going to be a very, very good pro, would give us someone who could fit at either forward spot, depending if we want to go big or small.

My question is what we might get back in that deal.

I say go for it.. Take Wes Johnson.. what do we have to lose? I personally would take Johnson, rather than Favors. Then sign Amare, Bosh, Boozer, or Lee. And we'll be set.

And lets not forget, the Sixers traded Dalembert, they might take Cousins or Favors, leaving us with EVAN TURNER! DON'T LOSE HOPE JUST YET!

If we do keep the pick, we sure as hell shouldn't draft Johnson... I want Favors a little more than Cousins, but I'd be okay with Cousins. Favors is going to complement nicely with Brook. He looks like a guy who is willing to do the scrappy work, not hog the spotlight. Even if it takes him a couple of years to develop, it would be worth it if he turned into Amare/Dwight. Know that you think about it, Dwight and Favors were about the same age when they got drafted, and Howard was just as raw if not rawer than Favors. Even though Dwight still has no post moves, he's the best big man in the NBA. I think Favors can get somewhere near that level with a lot of hard work, and all signs show he is a hard worker. O and by the way, Favors is 18, imagine he grows another inch or two. He can be a 7+ footer that runs like a gazelle and jump over everyone! Scary...

How about swinging a deal for Andre Igoudala, and then drafting Favors? With the cap space we have we could still pursue Amar'e, Bosh, Boozer, Lee etc, and still fill the SF need.

Decision decisions decisions.
There are a million scenarios, some good some bad.
Thorn will do the right thing.
Getting KLove would be great. He doesn't need the ball to affect the game. He rebounds well, he is a great passer, and can shoot very well from 20 feet. He played with one of the biggest ball hogs in Al Jeff.
This is gonna be fun!

Rod "Dolly Brunson" Thorn has tricked smarter and better men then Dave "lets draft a pg" Kahn or Ed "I'll screw up most of the nets draft picks" Stefanski. He's up to his usual tricks.

Wouldn't be the end of the world, but pretty disappointing. Hope they are trying to put one over on Dave Kahn.

This is all poker. Nets trade the #3 and #27 for the #4 and #23, take their guy (Favors or Cousins) and grab a guy like Dominique Jones as a backup (and possibly future starting) PG who wouldn't have been there for them at 27.

I think people should realize that just because someone is YOUNGER does not mean they will be better in the long run. Remember, it's by minutes and games, not by an age.

Nonetheless, I'm not as comfortable drafting WJ as I would be with Favors or DMC. Heck, I'd even take Greg Monroe before Wes Johnson due to need and fit.

A less athletic Stanley Robinson??? I don't know if the Nets should take him but Johnson isn't a less athletic any body. You've clearly never seen him play so here is a clip... http://www.youtube.com/user/vikesfootball33#p/u/4/...

NO, AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO DOES NOT WANT THIS GUY. SHEESH, trade down for Paul George if a swing man is what ya want, or Rudy Gay is out there. But, this is obviously a bluff, so in Rod I trust.

As I was writing about Wes Johnson and Chris Bosh I starting thinking...

What if, just what if, Wes Johnson is picked and instead of becoming the next Michael Jordan (obviously a joke) he is the Nets version of Scottie Pippen, adding to the Nets pitch at getting Lebron to come here. I am being serious.

I know I know my heads in the clouds, bla bla bla, but seriously, if anyone in this draft was considered Scotty to LBJ it would be Wes Johnson right?

Who knows, maybe Rod Thorn is thinking of all these scenarios and is on to something... Or maybe not. Only time will tell :)

@Sam

I was at first totally on the same page with you. But then I started thinking. My problem with your comparisons are that Lopez and DCousins would both be a lot slower than Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Pau Gasol, or Kevin Garnet (bigs that have helped win championships in recent history). That said I do think it could work but its not ideal.

@forum

What if the Nets feel that Chris Bosh is definitely coming to our team? Wouldn't a Chris Bosh/Brook Lopez tandem be better than any bigman this draft could offer?

Thinking along those lines, the Nets wouldn't want to draft a player like Cousins who would need a lot of minutes. Instead, they would want one of three things: a player more ready (Wes Johnson), or a player that can slowly develop on the bench (hello!! Derrick Favors!!), or trade the pick.

Trading the pick might be what the Nets are really up to. Minnesota as I mentioned earlier are likely trade partners.

So this news is somewhat surprising (in a good way) when considering all the ramifications.
The nets can either keep the pick (Wes Johnson) and try their hand at landing Chris Bosh or trade this pick to Minnesota and try to acquire more assets (and also try to get Chris Bosh). Either way its good news.

The only way this news could be bad is if the Wolves (or someone else that would want Wes Johnson) don't do business with the Nets (ie. the wolves magically trade injured Jefferson and his contract to Philadelphia for Turner... not happening) and the Nets are stuck with Wes Johnson... Wait, i'm not finished... They are stuck with Wes Johnson AND we cannot secure Chris Bosh (or Amare...or, eh Boozer). This would be the worst case scenario. And this is a very viable reality.

Why not trade down to the 5 and take Greg Monroe? He seems like an alternative. I think we should still take Favors because he is a PF and last time I checked we have none. Yes, still get a PF in the off season, but still hold on to Favors.

I am all for getting DCousins. But if we can somehow also get Kevin Love or Ricky Rubio, by trading #3 and Courtney or Yi Jianlian for Wolves #4 then I say do it.

We keep calling Brook Lopez a poor man's Tim Duncan, and Tim Duncan played with David Robinson, who was an agile 7 footer, and they won a championship.

You need big men (more than 1) to win a championship, if you want proof look at the best teams this year and look at the talent they have at center and power forward.

If it doesn't work out, either Lopez or Cousins is an insane trading chip which would make most teams consider giving up their star player.

i think truth is right. can we get kevin love and th #4 for the #3 and yi or somebody?

Jim, as a 18-year-old, Favors averaged 12.4 pts on 61% shooting. As a 20-year-old, Wes Johnson averaged 12.4 pts on 39% shooting (33% on threes). Of course Wes is going to contribute more on day 1 - he's 4 years older.

Having to wait a year or two for Favors isn't the end of the world. It sure beats always going for the older "sure" thing. That kind of thinking led to a lot of people favoring Okafor over Dwight Howard, and Channing Frye over Andrew Bynum.

Make fun of potential if you want, but smart GM's never ignore it, esp at the top of the draft.

I like Johnson but agree we have too many wing players. This could be a sign that we are shipping some of those wing players out in the offseason. It has been reported Courtney Lee and Devin don't get along, so maybe someone else is moving.

Wesley Johnson is like a less athletic Stanley Robinson but with a jump shot. Stanley Robinson, I mean Wesley Johnson, is good but the Nets really should explore trading this pick instead. I would package this #3 pick and the warriors future first round pick for the rights to Ricky Rubio and call it a day.

Minnesota WOULD do this. They want Rubio to come over there but they know deep down that he won't--he will just wait it out another two years and become a free agent and sign in NY/NJ or elsewhere.

Drafting Johnson is the smart move.

This guy is the best outside shooter in the draft and is NBA ready right from day one!

I love the way people get excite about projects or athletes and that great word potential. Those guys get people fired!

Derrick Favors - no low post game at all and teams are realizing this at the workouts. He will need years to just develop any offensive game. He averaged 12 points last year with his body - that says it all.

Demarcus Cousins - lets see - fat, lazy, curses at coach - are you kidding - and hasn't gotten his first big fat payceck!

Draft Wesley Johnson!

My guess is that it's all a smoke screen to get Minnesota to give up more in a trade for the 3...

Maybe Thorn is thinking he will be the next Michael Jordan....

No way Nets are drafting Johnson unless they trade him right after drafting him. But it would be pretty funny for all us Nets fans who have been on the Cousins, Favors band wagons. "All off next stop" LMAO

I posted this on Twr, but I'll post it here as well:

Wesley Johnson is 1 year and 3 months OLDER than K Durant, and 4 years 5 days older than D Favors.

It's great in theory to say that you'll get a PF in free agency and all will be right with the world. But there's only one FA PF worth a max contract, and Amare is more likely to go to Miami than NJ. And if you don't get him, you added a solid role player in Wes instead of a potential-to-be-a-superstar in Favors.

Plus, it's not like Favors is all potential and no production. He's top-5 in Hollinger's Draft Rater, and was a terrific rebounder, shotblocker and defender last year. In the ACC. At age 18!