Nets Are Scorching

@Dennis Velasco

Question their fandom or loyalty? Never, and I don't believe I did.

I remember that draft and about seven before it. I agree that the Nets shouldn't have duplicated positions, but Kenny Anderson was HARD to pass up... local kid, high school phenom, had tons of potential, and he averaged 25.6 points a game at G-Tech as a sophomore after dropping 20.9 his freshman year! His ceiling was WAY higher than Mookie's as Mark mentioned. And, yes, I actually watched Mookie and Stacey King play at Oklahoma.

Also, while I'm honestly not offended, you are acting a bit smug now, sir! CALL THE BLOG POLICE! But, seriously, "you kids today" and "a little Nets history for you guys" comes off as you being high and mighty. I'm old enough to remember why the Nets drafted Pearl Washington, let alone Kenny Anderson. The NBA Draft obviously isn't an exact science and it's all about taking a shot.

I knew that Fitch preferred Billy Owens and I understood why... he and DC were former teammates at Syracuse and Owens game was ridiculously versatile... he seemed to be able to do anything and everything. As a freshman at Cuse, people were saying he had more talent than Coleman.

Anyway, I applaud your fandom, experience, and loyalty... but you're not the only Nets fan around here and you shouldn't dilute or call into question Mark or Devin's Nets fandom, experience, and loyalty.

@llemon Here's a tip from our Commenting Constitution:

"Limit the use of the word “you” in your posts. “You’re an idiot if you think LeBron will be traded. Cleveland values him too much…” should be just “Cleveland values LeBron too much to trade him.”"

Again, llemon, no issue with your dissenting voice. The comments section is your area to voice your opinion, and you're always free to disagree. But please do so in a respectful manner.

Also, please read the CC before commenting again.

Thanks
-DK

@llemon

And a little Nets history lesson for you guys.

The Nets choice wasn't between Kenny and Deke, it was between Kenny and Billy Owens, another stiff.

Ah, the bad old days. Better or worse than the bad new days?

Was saying that my thinking Nets should have drafted Deke 20-20 hindsight respectful? How old were you and Mark when that draft occured?

I liked Mookie, could see he had potential, and drafting Kenny was not only a waste of a draft pick, but deprived the Nets of a young, defensive minded Center. Defense wins.

Of course, the Nets FO figured Nets were set at Center for years to come with Bowie?Dudley.

You guys need to do a little more research on the Nets. You really don't know much about Nets History.

You kids today, I'll tell you. Pearl Washington a Top 44 All-Time Net? Would you call that 20/20 no-sight?

@llemon
Hey, llemon. Love dissenting opinions on this site, appreciate your voice. Always good to have open discussion. But cool it off a bit. As it says in our commenting constitution, "No personal attacks on commenters or the bloggers here," and your last sentence crosses the line beyond discussion.

If you'd like to continue this, please do so respectfully.

Thanks
-DK

@Mark Ginocchio

You are quite free to believe that, and you are quite wrong.

What was Kenny's ceiling? The same as Pearl Washington's?

Defense wins in this league. That was NEVER part of Kenny's game.

Strength wins in this league. Also not a part of Kenny's agenda.

And you already stated that his outside game was suspect. Turned out so was his inside game.

Nets picked Kenny over Deke (DPOY a few times, I believe) and Mookie, who was alredy better than Kenny could ever hope to be on defense, and Mookie was also the stronger and also the better offensive player.

Kenny Anderson, Franchise Destroyer.

Although you and the Nets FO at the time didn't see it when it was happening, I knew it immediately.

What does that say about your knowledge of the game as opposed to mine?

@llemon

It's the exact team that I grew up watching. Plenty of experience. In hindsight, Blaylock was the better player, but Anderson had the potential to be that much better and I think was worth attempting to build around. It didn't work. That happens sometimes.The guy played like an all-star his first full season and was an all-star his second. Blaylock never had the ceiling Anderson did. You can hold it against the player for being a bust, but I'm not going to sit here and indict the organization and pretend like I knew all along that Anderson would never remove the chip off his shoulder and actually work to improve as a player. The NBA is full of egomaniacs who eventually see the light and learn to play ball, but its also littered with Kenny Anderson's who never will. And Mutombo was and will always be a one dimensional player. The Nets would have inevitably run into teams with better centers like the Knicks or the Cavs, or with better scorers like the Bulls or the Pacers. They would have never won squat with Blaylock and Mutombo but I contend they could have won something with Coleman and Anderson. The tragedy is that they didn't, not that they tried to do it around them.

Mark Ginocchio :@llemon

As it’s been the 5 or 6 other times you’ve made this comment during this series, this continues to be the most blatant 20-20 hindsight comment I’ve ever seen about the Nets. And honestly, since when did Mutombo and Blaylock become these folk heroes where Nets fan are wondering shoulda couldas here. This ain’t exactly picking Bowie instead of Jordan. The fact is, if the Nets kept Blaylock or Mutombo, Coleman still would’ve been a prick, Petro would have died, Daly would have walked out and the team still probably would have imploded around the mid-90s.

Let's start with the fact that Mookie was actually a better OFFENSIvE PG than Kenny. Now I hope you will admit that Mookie was at least 6x the defensive PG than Kenny was.

Now, in addition to having the superior PG on both ends of the floor in Mookie, Nets also have the bonus of having Deke (without Byron as his coach) at the Center position, with Bowie and Dudley as his backups.

Coleman was a product of Willis' pussi-ism, as Daly REALLY wanted to discipline Coleman.

And my question to you, naturally, is did you watch (and suffer through) that particular team
play together?

And my next question is do you believe Kenny A was a better NBA PG than Mookie Blaylock?

Nah, I don't take it personal. I've been told I should be fired, I've had my life threatened, told that someone's two-year-old sister writes better than me, etc. Ha! In any case, his jumper was his MAIN flaw... I think I said "main." I'm a little biased because I've played against him and saw first-hand how absolutely dominating he could be. And he did this at the CHSAA when it was STACKED back in the mid-to-late 1980s.

I do agree that drafting Kenny didn't make sense tho. It was the same as David Kahn drafting point guards... okay, maybe not THAT bad. But, I remember at the time thinking that they should have gotten a big or a three to complement DC and Mookie. Ah, well... we weren't able to draft for the Nets, right?

@llemon

As it's been the 5 or 6 other times you've made this comment during this series, this continues to be the most blatant 20-20 hindsight comment I've ever seen about the Nets. And honestly, since when did Mutombo and Blaylock become these folk heroes where Nets fan are wondering shoulda couldas here. This ain't exactly picking Bowie instead of Jordan. The fact is, if the Nets kept Blaylock or Mutombo, Coleman still would've been a prick, Petro would have died, Daly would have walked out and the team still probably would have imploded around the mid-90s.

Oh, Kenny. The Franchise ruiner. The draft pick that cost the Nets both Deke and Mookie, two vastly superior players to Kenny.

Spotty jumper his only flaw???? How about his total inability to play defense, his absolute absence of strength, and his inability to finish at the rim (Per Shot-Wise, he was second only to Pearl Washington, who also somehow made your top 44, at getting his shot blocked at the rim, as I saw it).

Drafting Kenny set Nets back 10 years.

And PLEASE don't take this as a personal attack on you.

I am just expressing my feelings (and frustrations) as 42-year-long Nets' fan.