By Brian
Ault
Sunday, June 16th, 2002
The Finals are over. New Jersey provided zero challenge to the Big
Man known simply as Shaq. And with all embarrassing losses, come the
questions. Will Jason Kidd bail the Garden State for the Lone Star
State? Will Kenyon Martin start reeling out more games like he did
Wednesday night, throwing down 33 points and grabbing 12 rebounds? Do they
have any chance of getting back to the Finals or was it a fluke?
The draft may provide the answers to these questions. Last year's Eastern
Conference champion, the Sixers, didn't have much of an immediate
draft impact in taking Samuel Dalembert, Damone Brown, and
Alvin Jones. The Nets though have a different situation being only
the 18th pick in the draft while the Sixers had the 27th pick. Here's some
suggestions for Jersey's front office to chew on, if they haven't already:
Juan Dixon, Sr., G, Maryland:
He has an unbelievably high upside as a superstar. In the NCAA tournament,
he showed leadership that New Jersey severely lacked throughout the series
with exception to Kidd and Martin at times. He can lower the load off of
Kidd and provide a one-two punch that won't make Keith Van Horn a
must-hit game after game. He could score 13 points and the Nets could still
win with him. If Dixon isn't taken or is passed on, there's another option
...
Anthony Grundy, Sr., G, North Carolina St.:
While the basketball world focused on Jay Williams, Dixon, and Lonnie
Baxter last year, Grundy silently became one of the better guards in
the entire Atlantic Coast Conference. He has a nice perimeter package and
is lights-out as a free throw shooter. For his collegiate career, he averaged
nearly 77% from the line. It may not look impressive to some, but looking
at what happened to them at the line, I'd think somebody within the Nets
would be drooling over a prospect who might still be available in the second
round if they decide to go elsewhere.
Dan Gadzuric, Sr., C, UCLA:
Don't really need much of an intro on this. Centers for the Nets in the Finals
resembled baby lambs being fed to the slaughter. Jason Collins, Todd
MacCulloch, and Aaron Williams (a.k.a. "The Lambs") combined for
47 fouls and a microscopic point average. What did that equal? Shaq averaging
over 30 points a game in all four games. The Nets need someone like Gadzuric
who can smash the brains out of the nearest big man and still average
double-digits in points.
Sleeper: Predrag Savovic, Sr., PF, Hawaii:
Not that many people know who Savovic is. Who should, though? He's a great
player in a conference that doesn't have that much big name talent to its
credential. He is an unbelievable talent that I think can be a worthy combination
along with Keith Van Horn and/or Kerry Kittles. He has the ability
to score 20 a night and also be the interior forward presence that they do
not have right now.
Back
to NBA
Back to
Home