Boone 'Bounding Ahead in Class of 2006

Funny how things work out.

In the days leading up to Draft Night 2006, the Nets were desperately trying to pry the #10 pick away from the Seattle Sonics. They were willing to trade both their first round picks at #22 and #23 so they could pick Hilton Armstrong, the 6'11" center of the Connecticut Huskies or Mouhamed Saer Sene, the 7'0" shot-blocker from Senegal.

The Sonics thought about it, according to a new book, "Tip-off" by Filip Bondy. But Seattle feared a player they really wanted, Shannon Brown, wouldn't be around that late...he was taken at #25 by the Cleveland Cavaliers. So the deal didn't get made. Sene went to Seattle at #10, Armstrong to New Orleans at #12.

Although not a great big man draft, it was a draft with some promising power forwards and centers: Andrea Bargnani, Tyrus Thomas, LaMarcus Aldridge, Shelden Williams and Cedric Simmons along with the aforementioned Armstrong and Sene. And by the end of the night, 24 of them had been chosen, including three of the top four selections in the first round.

The Nets had to go with Josh Boone at #23, after failing to make a deal to move up and after taking his UConn teammate, Marcus Williams, one pick earlier.

Good thing.

Over the past two months--even since Lawrence Frank gave him significant minutes, Boone has been the leading rebounder among the 2006 big men and the third leading scorer, behind Aldridge and Craig Smith of Minnesota.

Overall, since December 1, Boone has averaged 10.1 points and 8.7 rebounds, going for 8.5 points and 7.5 in December and averaging a double-double, 11.4 and 10.1, so far in January. In fact, January will be the second consecutive month that he has been statistically the best rebounder in the 2006 draft class.

Sene, who is currently playing in D-League, averaged 2.0 and 0.7 in December and has yet to play in the NBA this month...and won't. Armstrong is at 2.5 and 2.0 for for the two months, with his numbers dropping from 2.7 and 2.2 in December to 1.7 and 1.7 in January.

Of the three big men taken at the top of the draft, only Aldridge is playing up to expectations, but his rebounding numbers the past two months--5.9 and 7.8--are below Boone's. And Paul Millsaps, the Jazz steal at #47, is averaging fewer points and rebounds than the Nets' power forward.

A lot of Nets' fans were willing to give up on Boone in 2007, after he came back slowly from shoulder surgery last season and knee surgery this season. The Wudda Shudda Cudda gang complained about how the Nets missed out on Millsaps or Smith or fan favorite, Alexander Johnson by taking Boone. They should have been more patient.

Here are the numbers for the 2006 Draft Class' big men, by draft position. The numbers are their scoring and rebounding stats for December and January. (Four big men who were drafted in 2006 are still overseas.)

Andrea Bargnani - #1 - Toronto Raptors
December: 5.3 - 2.1
January: 8.0 - 3.4

LaMarcus Aldridge - #2 - Portland Trailblazers
December: 16.9 - 5.9
January: 15.3 - 7.8

Tyrus Thomas - #4 - Chicago Bulls
December: 5.3 - 3.6
January: 3.5 - 3.3

Shelden Williams - #5 - Atlanta Hawks
December: 4.9 - 4.1
January: 0.4 - 1.7

Patrick O'Bryant - #9 - Golden State Warriors
December: 3.0 - 1.0
January: 1.0 - 1.0

Mouhamed Saer Sene - #10 - Seattle Supersonics
December: 2.0 - 0.7
January: 0.0 - 0.0

Hilton Armstrong - #12 - New Orleans Hornets
December: 2.7 - 2.2
January: 1.7 - 1.7

Cedric Simmons - #15 - New Orleans Hornets
December: 0.0 - 0.0
January: 0.0 - 0.0

Oleksiy Pecherov - #18 - Washington Wizards
December: 0.0 - 0.0
January: 4.0 - 1.6

Josh Boone - #23 - New Jersey Nets
December: 8.5 - 7.3
January: 11.4 - 10.1

Solomon Jones - #33 - Atlanta Hawks
December: 0.8 - 1.2
January: 1.6 - 3.0

Paul Davis - #34 - Los Angeles Clippers
December: 0.0 - 0.0
January: injured

Craig Smith - #36 - Minnesota Timberwolves
December: 13.2 - 5.3
January: 8.1 - 4.9

Kosta Perovic - #38 - Golden State Warriors
December: 0.0 - 0.0
January: 4.0 - 2.0

James Augustine - #41 - Orlando Magic
December: 1.6 - 0.9
January: 1.0 - 0.8

Alexander Johnson - #45 - Miami Heat
December: 4.7 - 3.0
January: 2.5 - 2.1

Paul Millsap - #47 - Utah Jazz
December: 9.4 - 5.8
January: 7.8 - 5.2

Leon Powe - #49 - Boston Celtics
December: 3.0 - 1.6
January: 4.6 - 2.2

Ryan Hollins - #50 - Charlotte Bobcats
December: 2.8 - 2.0
January: 1.1 - 1.3

Cheick Samb - #51 - Detroit Pistons
December: 0.0 - 0.0
January: 0.0 - 0.0