When you follow a team day-in and day-out, you grow a pseudo-relationship with each of the key players, good or bad. It’s tough to watch Boki Nochbar and Marcus Williams walk away, especially for these two reasons: (1) the Nets are better off with Boki than Najera, and (2) Marcu has a chance to be a special player.

No time to play Monday Morning Quarterback, I give my take on Marcus and Boki in the latest NJNetscast. My thoughts on them as players, did the Nets make the right move, and where they are heading. Take a listen. Send in your thoughts about this duo, hosts@njnetscast.com.

All that, a check on the Rocky Mountain Revue Summer League, Keyon Dooling, and spin around the NBA:

NJNetscast #53

Monday the Nets officially acquired combo guard Keyon Dooling in a sign and trade with Orlando after days of speculation. 16 players under contract, 15 roster spots, you do the math - Thorn is not done. Check out the latest podcast, as I dive into Dooling and more:

• Keyon Dooling Officially a Net
• Clarifying my Stance on the Najera and Hayes Signings
• Nets Ready Infantry for Rocky Mountain Revue in Utah
• Roy Rogers Coming to A Bench Near You
• Nenad, Marcus, Sean: Coming or Going?
• Spin Around the NBA Hot Stove

Netscast #52 - 7/20/2008

You laughed, you cried, you agonized - the schintillating games and storylines of the 2008 Orlando Summer League. Alright, it’s not exactly the playoffs. In fact, it’s not much more than an inter-squad practice, a more organized extension of the pre-draft camps, with structed 5-on-5 games, and a few veterans mixed in.

For now, summer league is our only evaluation tool for progress. Early indications, Brook Lopez can play center in this league, Sean Williams still can’t play in this league. Lopez displayed adeptness in the post scoring almost 20 points a game, more importantly improving each day. Williams showed no ability in the post, picking up right where he left off last season. The Stanford rookie even recored more blocked shots than Williams in slightly more minutes.

The team posted a 4-1 record, which means…well, NOTHING. When players can record 8 fouls and keep playing, you can throw the proverbial record books out. However, this week did confirm my beliefs that Lopez and CDR will both make contributions as rookies. CDR more so than Anderson, even though the Nets selected the Pac-10 leading score 19 picks ahead of CDR - and don’t think he’ll forget that. I envision Lopez finding his way into the starting lineup at some point in the first half of the year. He’s simply better than Josh Boone. CDR will crack the Top 8 for this team, unless they decide to play these veteran free-agent signings by virtue of experience.

If you’re scoring at home, here are the Nets final stats:
Nets 2008 Summer League Stats

Drop your comments on the summer performance here. More on the free agent signings later. But here’s a hint - I have a strong opinion on it. Stay tuned.

1) Sean Williams MUST Dominate – No if’s, and’s, or but’s, the only Net from last season’s regular rotation needs to assert himself. Williams will match-up against a host of rookies and players that will never see an NBA roster, he needs to be the best player on both ends of the floor. Taking plays off and not hustling are inexcusable. With experience under his belt, Williams is viewed as a leader for this Summer League team, and must do so by example.

At a skill level, Williams has an opportunity to show his offensive repertoire. Last season he displayed flashes of a foul line jumper and a jump hook. Now is the time to refine it, and show he is capable of more than highlight reel dunks. On defense, we know he can jump through the roof to block shots. The question remains if he can stay out of foul trouble, and actually play solid man-to-man defense rather than trying to block every shot in sight. If he keeps finding himself out of position, Lawrence Frank may need a visit to Hair Club for Men when he gets back to Jersey.

2) Rookies Ready to Contribute – Alright, they have only been pros for about two weeks, it takes time to assimilate to everything. Summer Leagues do not make or break careers, in fact they mean very little in the bigger scope of things. However, Lopez, Anderson, and CDR will all have a chance to prove to Frank that they can step in and contribute. They can earn a lot of equity with the coach with solid efforts here.

And that’s where it starts – Effort. The first thing coach will look for is consistent effort and hard-nose, tough defense. If any of them can prove that, it will earn playing time. Otherwise, Lopez will get a chance to prove he can score with his back to the basket and generally be a presence inside. Joakim Noah and Aaron Gray are the only other NBA-caliber center/7-footers in Orlando. Can Anderson fill shooting gap for the Nets, and can CDR slash his way to enough scoring to become VC’s backup.

3) Where is Cinderella? – Each year at least one unknown player emerges that impresses a team enough to receive roster consideration. This year more than most, the Nets need help off the bench, especially at guard and small forward. Julius Hodge, the local product, tasted life in the NBA briefly before an overseas journey. Rumor has it the Nets like what they see, and would consider him. Hodge now has a chance to prove it on the court. One desirable attribute he possesses is the versatility to play the point and off guard. A few other names to keep an eye on Will Conroy, Jaycee Carroll, and Jamar Butler – a trio of guards that play a position of need.

If Yi was not enough, the first Japanese player to don an NBA uniform is on the Nets roster: Yuta Tubase. The Nets are taking it international, following the league trend.

Rod Thorn and Kiki Vandeweghe promised off-season changes. On Thursday they delivered, first completing a trade to send Richard Jefferson, the last link to the back-to-back Eastern Conference championship teams, to Milwaukee for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons, then drafting three players in last nights draft that could contribute immediately.

The Nets made the decision to rebuild with the February Jason Kidd trade, making one of last night’s draft picks possible. Completing the long rumored Jefferson deal continues the break up of the previous Nets core, leaving only Vince Carter, who may or may not be dealt. RJ had his best scoring season last year, however his rebounding and assists dropped, while his defense suffered. Questions even arose about his committment to the team. I once touted RJ as the next captain after Kidd, a player who gave his all, and didn’t complain about losing, took the blame, and faced the media - unlike Kidd. Yet, this trade makes perfect sense. The NEts may not have received equal player value in Yi and Simmons. More important, they shed the Jefferson’s long term contract in exchange for Simmons’, which expires after 2010, lowering the New Jersey’s salary committments by $15 million in prepartion for the summer of Lebron. Even if Lebron is a pipe dream, Bosh, Wade, Amare, and company are not bad potential consolation prizes.

On the court, Yi, last year’s sixth pick in the draft, is a 7-footer with upside. The 20-year-old averaged 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in Milwaukee last season, but garnered comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki because of his face-up and perimeter offensive game for a big guy. Simmons is a formed Most Improved Player that has never lived up to his contract. The 6′6″ swingman was included purely for salary reasons, and if he never contributes on the court, he still brings tremendous value in the form of that expiring contract.

Later in the day, Thorn and Vandeweghe receive a gift from the nine teams that selected ahead of them, in the form of a 7-foot center from Stanford. In the past few weeks, Mock Drafts slotted Brook Lopez as high as third to Minnesota. A few surprises early on, notably Seattle opting for Westbrook at four and Charlotte going for Augustin at nine, left Lopez on the board for New Jersey at ten. As Jay Bilas put it, he didn’t grade well in some of the workouts because he was slow running around the cones and completing other drills. Bilas continued, if you’re picking a 4×100 relay team I would not take Lopez, but for 5-on-5 basketball he’s a good pick. Bilas always provides great analysis, and his commentary appropriately trashed the workouts impact on a player’s selection.

Lopez can score with his back to the basket - an area the Nets desperately needed help with. He averaged 19.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks, in the tough Pac-10 conference as a sopohmore at Stanford. The 20-year-old fills a major need, has the potential to become a legit NBA center, and should compete for the starting center spot right off the bat. A potential steal at number ten.

Later in the first round, New Jersey used the pick acquired in the Jason Kidd trade to take a forward from Kidd’s alma mater, University of California-Berkeley - Ryan Anderson. Another scoring big man, at 6′10″, Anderson has more of a face-up, outside shooting offensive game that mimics Yi. He quietly led the Pac-10 in scoring last season with 21.1 points per game. Anderon’s a skilled scorer, who many saw as a sleeper in the draft. In a matter of hours, the Nets got younger and bigger - acquiring two 7-footers and 6′10″ player all 20-years old.

The Nets yielded another heist in the second round, grabbing Chris Douglas-Roberts with the 40th pick. CDR was an option at #21, so to have him fall into their lap seventeen picks later was a surprise, and completed a solid draft for New Jersey. The 6′6″ swingman provides more help on the perimeter, and can add much needed scoring off the bench.

Thorn and Vandeweghe made lots of headway in the rebuilding project Thursday, yet they are far from done. As currently constituted the average team age is slightly over 24 years old, closer to some college teams than NBA teams. Expect the Nets to exchange some youngsters for veteran role players to help compete this season, and nurture the youngsters. Thursday was a leap in the right direction. Jefferson had to go, he ran his course ith this team, and his contract was out of line. Lopez has a chance to be a legit center, a gaping hole in recent years, and almost a necessity to compete in the league. Yi has upside. Anderson and CDR should both develop into serviceable pros, one may even become a major contributor. With a few moves, the Nets can compete for the playoffs in the East next season. The plan appears to be improve every year, and yield a big free agent in 2010 that elevates the team to championship contention. So far, so good.