Draft Day 2008: Nets Go Big
Lopez, Anderson by Draft; Yi by Trade Highlights Big Day for Nets
Posted by Matthew McQueeny
June 26, 2008

East Rutherford, N.J. - The Nets certainly had a full 2008 NBA Draft day. The acquisition of 20-year old Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons for Richard Jefferson earlier in the day was only the precursor to a draft plate that had them holding three picks: #10, #21, and #40.

And, as was started with the deal for the seven-footer Yi, going big was the trend of the night. With their first two picks, they added two Pac-10 20-points-a-game big men – in Brook Lopez and Ryan Anderson – before finishing out the night by surprisingly grabbing Memphis winger Chris Douglas-Roberts, who dropped into the second round.

With the 10th spot and their first pick they chose Lopez, a sophomore center from Stanford who was a third team Associated Press and NABC All-America. Brook, whose twin brother Robin – also from Stanford - was chosen 15th by the Phoenix Suns, averaged 19.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks last season for the Cardinals. He is a seven-footer with a good post game and soft shooting touch. Lopez was also First Team All-PAC-10 and earned league All-Defensive Team honors in his sophomore season.

“(I’m) just really excited,” said Lopez.

“I wish I had a basketball right now; I wish I could get out there and start working out. I’m really excited to play.”

The Nets were surprised, but extremely happy that the true and talented center fell to their position.

“We were surprised, very surprised,” said General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe. “A lot of people had him going number four and he was mentioned in a lot of places.”

“I think that we got a good big man. Traditionally we at the Nets have been a very good perimeter team. We suffered a little bit with lack of low post scoring last year, lack of interior defense - with probably not a true center. And Brook Lopez is a true center and I think he’s going to be very, very effective at that position. Like all young players, there’s going to be a learning curve. And center is an extremely difficult position to learn in the NBA. But I think we got a good one.”

At number 21, the Nets took Anderson, a 6-10 forward out of California who led the PAC-10 in scoring (21.1 points) and ranked third in rebounding (9.9 rebounds). The 20-year old, who comes into the NBA after his sophomore season, can score in a variety of ways. He earned First Team All-Pac-10 honors and was a finalist for the Wooden Award.

“Again (like Lopez, Anderson is) a 20-point a night scorer, somebody who can really stretch the defense, shoots very well, a very good all-around player,” said Vandeweghe.

“(He) rebounds, passes, a little bit more athletic than you might think; and I think that he can come in and add some minutes up front for us and it was really something that we needed. We had a lack of big people last year and I think that really hurt us. And we really tried to address some of those needs in this draft.”

On paper, with the addition of two seven-footers, in Yi and Lopez, and the 6-10 Anderson, the Nets have definitely bulked up on the front line.

With their final pick at #40, the Nets grabbed – or should we say stole – Chris Douglas-Roberts, a player who some mock drafts had them taking with their number 21 pick. He was a Consensus First Team All-American in his junior year, one in which he averaged 18.1 points and 4.1 rebounds and was a major force on a team that went all the way to the NCAA Championship Game. He also adds the potential of some balance, as a 6-7 swing man, on a day that the Nets attained so many bigs.