Once upon time, the Nets wasted draft picks on stiffs like Yinka Dare. Players with modest talent such as Chris Morris had the gall to put in writing “trade me” on their sneakers. Players with more talent but not nearly as much as they thought, like Stephon Marbury, wrote “All Alone” on their ankle tape. And throughout all this, fans and New York media alike responded with Derrick Coleman-like enthusiasm: whoop-de-damn doo.
Then when the 1999-00 season, Rod Thorn took over a Nets team that desperately required someone together with his professionalism and player analysis skills. Rod Thorn’s initial major move was to pick Kenyon Martin as the quantity one choose within the draft. Whereas Martin suffered through an injury-plagued initial season, by his second season he was a serious defensive presence and a huge half of their running offense.
In 1984, Rod Thorn created what was clearly his best draft pick whereas GM of the Bulls, selecting Michael Jordan. But, in 2001, when having one full season to judge the Nets’ desires, Rod Thorn had what would need to be thought-about the best off-season of his career. The Nets written Eddie Griffin and then turned and dealt him for 3 picks that they changed into Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins, and Brandon Armstrong.
Richard Jefferson changed into one of the Nets’ brightest stars. A nice athlete who plays outstanding defense, Jefferson is additionally one among the league’s most efficient scorers, getting 19.5 points on fewer than 13 shots a night. Jason Collins doesn’t wow you if you observe the stat sheet, but he will so several very little things when he is on the court, he’s well respected by his teammates and thought of a winner throughout the league. Brandon Armstrong, a reported sharp-shooter who can’t shoot, offered less of an impact.
But it was Thorn’s trade that off-season that really turned things around. Thorn traded proficient however selfish potential superstar Stephon Marbury for an older Jason Kidd. Kidd instantly energized the franchise, guaranteeing a winning record the year he joined the franchise. Kenyon Martin, Kerry Kittles, and Keith Van Horn immediately improved their game and Jefferson and Collins’ NBA initiation couldn’t have gone smoother with Jason Kidd leading the charge. The reenergized franchise made it to the NBA Finals in both 2002 and 2003, ultimately losing to a lot of gifted Western Conference foes (Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs).
Thorn made a couple of errors along the means in his quest to find a actual center. He traded Keith Van Horn for a miscast Dikeme Mutombo, who never fit in with the Nets running style, and then signed Alonzo Mourning to a terrible four-year, 20-million-greenback contract only to determine him miss most of the season because of his kidney ailment. However, the Nets look like they need finally found their center in Nenad Krstic whom they drafted in 2002 and stashed in Europe for a couple of years to develop his game. Krstic has become an offensive force for the present Nets, averaging 13.five points per game on a better than fifty% FG percentage.
Thorn conjointly saved the Nets’ organization once they were in peril of sliding into the abyss. Faced with demands from ownership to cut prices, Thorn shipped off Kenyon Martin, Kerry Kittles, and Lucious Harris. Fans were outraged, but Denver is currently stuck with Martin’s bloated contract, and Kerry Kittles is semi-retired once enjoying solely 11 games last year. Thorn created the right alternative in Richard Jefferson over Kenyon Martin, and then made another great move by stealing Vince Carter from Toronto for the incredible bargain worth of Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, Alonzo Mourning (who refused to suit up for Toronto), and a couple of harmless draft picks.
The Nets start their series against the Miami Heat equipped with 3 superstars acquired by Thorn and a budding fourth in Krstic, additionally written by Thorn. Whereas you could quibble together with his bench choices that backfired this year (Mark Jackson and Jeff McInnis), the Nets are surely thrilled to own this Thorn on their side.
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