Everybody has names, but no one has the name, the player at the top of the Nets list. A lot of pundits, beat reporters and draftniks think it's Justin Harper or Nolan Smith. Chad Ford hasn't relented in his belief that it's Reggie Jackson of Boston College through three mock drafts. And there's always someone no one's thought of.
So what did happen over the last decade inside the Nets' War Room on past June nights? We try to pull together all the things that went right--and went wrong--in the Rod Thorn era. Now, it's on to the Billy King and Bobby Marks Era
Avery Johnson, talking with reporters at Tuesday night's Brooklyn Cyclones game, said the the Nets are "going to get our guy"and that team ownership and management are in "constant communication" with Deron Williams on a variety of issues, including the draft.
SB Nation, NetsDaily's parent organization, is running a mock draft Wednesday in which bloggers play the role of GM and take who they think is the player best suited to their team's needs. And in the SB Nation 2011 NBA Mock Draft, the New Jersey Nets, represented by SB Nation's NetsDaily, selects Marquette forward Jimmy Butler.
The names keep getting shuffled. Iman Shumpert of Georgia Tech (who last year Nets officials were blaming for Derrick Favors' lack of development) is one who the Nets might trade up to get.. Justin Harper and Nolan Smith are the most mentioned, along with Josh Selby and JaJuan Johnson.
Nolan Smith of Duke and Corey Stokes of Villanova (and Bayonne) are among the players whose agents have told them to watch what the Nets do on Thursday night. Both said Tuesday the Nets have expressed some level of interest in them.
This will be, of course, Billy King's first draft as Nets GM, so we thought we'd review his past performance in Philadelphia and examine as well how the Nets situation, including Mikhail Prokhorov's wealth and desire to win, might change things from what went on in the past...hopefully for the better.
Finally, some clarity in the mock drafts...and his name is Nolan Smith. In the latest mocks from Draft Express, NBADraft.net and Sports Illustrated, the Nets wind up with Smith, the 6'4" point guard from Duke. In both Draft Express and NBADraft, the Nets take Smith at #36 while in Sports Illustrated, he goes at #27.
Josh Smith is done with the Atlanta Hawks and both sides are looking for a new place for J-Smoove to call home. Although talks appear to be at an early stage, Smith reportedly told the Hawks that the Nets, Rockets, Celtics and Magic are his preferred destinations. "The relationship has run its course," said one source.
Add another name to those who the Nets are interested in at #27: Jimmy Butler, Marquette's 6'7" swingman, Jimmy Butler. A fast riser on draft boards over the past month, Butler has gained the interest of a number of teams at the bottom of the first round, writes Marc J. Spears on Tuesday.
