EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -New Jersey Nets president Rod Thorn cackled when asked who the team intended to take with the 10th pick in the NBA draft.
“It depends on who’s there. Tell me who’s going to be there,” a smiling Thorn said.
After missing the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons, Thorn will be under a little pressure on Thursday night when the Nets begin the process of restocking with three picks in the draft. They also have the 21st overall, acquired in the Jason Kidd deal with Dallas, and the 40th, which will be taken in the second round.
The Nets need a big man and a shooting guard, in that order, although Thorn admits the guard may be taken ahead of the big guy if a better guard is available at No. 10.
“In most drafts usually there are two or three players that most people look on as great players,” Thorn said. “But in this draft, there are a lot of good players and some are going to go on and become real good players – not great players but real good players. That’s the beauty of this draft, trying to pick out the guys who are going to be good players and the guys who are going to be real good.”
Guard Derrick Rose of Memphis and forward Michael Beasley of Kansas State seemingly are the two top players in this draft, although Miami is considering taking guard O.J. Mayo with the second pick if the Chicago Bulls take Rose with the top pick.
If the Nets get lucky, Stanford center Brook Lopez will be available at No. 10. The problem is, several teams are interested in the 7-footer who averaged 19.3 points and 8.2 rebounds.
“I don’t really know,” Lopez said Wednesday at a pre-draft availability. “I finished up my workouts, so it’s really out of my hands now. So, we’ll see. Hopefully it ends up going well.”
The Nets also like Lopez’s twin brother, Robin. He does not score as much as Brook, but he is quicker and a better defensive player, Thorn said.
Two other big men who might be available at No. 10 are West Virginia forward Joe Alexander and Danilo Gallinari, who averaged 17.5 points and 5.2 rebounds playing in Italy this past season.
Gallinari worked out with the Nets and had what he described as a good conversation with them.
He said playing with them “is an option that could happen, but until tomorrow night I don’t know.”
Alexander averaged 16.9 points last season with the Mountaineers.
“Alexander is a great athlete,” Thorn said. “I don’t know there is a better athlete in the draft. He’s fast and tough.”
Guards Eric Gordon of Indiana, Russell Westbrook of UCLA and Jerryd Bayless of Arizona did not work out for the Nets, so they would have to rely on their college body of work in evaluating them.
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