Sean Marks sees 10-day contracts as way to evaluate talent

The Nets reportedly like what they see from Sean Kilpatrick, the 6'4" shooting guard they brought up on a 10-day contract from the D-League this week.  After the Lakers game, where he recorded eight points on 3-of-8 shooting, Tony Brown credited "the Kilpatrick kid" with "energy" during his time on the court.

Kilpatrick has six more days on his 10-day. The Nets can then extend him another 10 days before having to make a decision on whether to keep him for the last month of the season. If they really like him, they can sign him to a two-year deal --this year and next-- with a team option and maybe a guarantee. It gives the Nets some flexibility, the player a chance to prove himself in camp and if he succeeds, the Nets would have his Early Bird Rights a year from July.  Win-win.

Expect more of the same in the coming days.  Buried in his interview with the Post two day ago, Sean Marks told Brian Lewis that he anticipates using the 10-day as an evaluation tool, now that he has two roster openings, the Joe Johnson and Andrea Bargnani slots (The saved money also permits him to make commitments without having to worry about the luxury tax threshold. A 10-day contract for a young player costs the Nets about $50,000.)

"I’d like to find somebody who can develop through the summer and into next year," Marks said. "We plan on using 10-days to find those guys."

Specifically, Marks said he'd move to fill the other roster spot soon.  And he noted it's all part of his strategy to get around the loss of Nets draft picks.

"We’ll look at many different avenues as to how to build a team. It can’t just be sit around and wait until we have a first-round pick. We’ll have to be strategic and systematic. … We’ll obviously look in Europe, the free-agent route, player development will be a big key.’’

Who's out there ... and might be willing to take a chance with the Nets for 10 days?  There's Ray McCallum, who Marks worked with in San Antonio, Tony Wroten, who hasn't gotten any offers since being released by the 76ers as well as two top D-League prospects, Russ Smith and Tim Frazier. One thing they all have in common? They're all point guards.