Nets May Draft Martin And Trade Van Horn

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

Of course, the trading of Van Horn part is where the Celtics come in...

Nets a winner in lottery 
Monday, May 22, 2000


By JOHN BRENNAN
Staff Writer

Move over or move on, Keith Van Horn.

By the time the Nets come back to earth following their stunning
ascension Sunday to the No. 1 spot in the NBA draft lottery, that may be
the reality the team must face before the June 28 draft. 

Why?

Because Kenyon Martin of Cincinnati seems like such a perfect fit at
power forward in so many ways.

The Nets' interior defense was terrible last season. As a collegian,
Martin was an outstanding defender.

The Nets desperately need someone with a post game. Martin already has
some of the tools, along with a world of potential.

The Nets could use another shot-blocker. Again, Martin, 6 feet 9 and 230
pounds, fits the bill.

Van Horn could be a very effective power forward on the right team. He's
one of the league's most consistent scorers, he has become a decent
rebounder, and he's only 24 years old.

But the Nets are a team that centers on Stephon Marbury and has plenty
of effective three-point shooters. They can't score, especially in the
clutch, because it's too easy for teams to ignore the middle and focus
on everyone else.

Conversely, the only worries the opposition has had in driving the
middle is in whether 7-1 Jim McIlvaine might block a shot. But McIlvaine
spends most of the game on the bench with foul trouble, and he has zero
offensive game. Van Horn can score, but he's still a below-average
defender.

Nets principal owner Lewis Katz doesn't claim to be a basketball expert,
but he knew enough to say in the wake of his team's lottery victory:
"Clearly, a big man is a priority. Clearly, we need an inside presence."


The Nets could draft a center such as 7-0 Chris Mihm of Texas or 7-1
Joel Przybilla of Minnesota. But both are likely, at least early in
their careers, to be too similar to McIlvaine, Jamie Feick, or Evan
Eschmeyer. Throw in the possible return of Jayson Williams next season
from his numerous injuries, and the Nets can get by at center.


What they need more than a center is a power forward such as Martin.
Iowa State power forward Marcus Fizer also will merit consideration, but
there's a consensus that Martin has even more tools than the talented
Fizer.

Know this, too: Martin has been held in high esteem throughout the Nets'
organization for months, while reviews on Mihm have been mixed.

So what to do with Van Horn?

We've been touting a move of Van Horn to small forward for at least a
year, and this piece of luck -- the Nets had only a 4.4 percent chance
of getting the No. 1 pick -- just might prod the Nets into doing just
that.

The Nets have been hesitant to move Van Horn for this reason: Van Horn
would be out-quicked by most small forwards, and getting beaten so
obviously on the open floor would be a severe blow to Van Horn's
considerable pride. Still, it would also create problems for opponents,
trying to stop Van Horn with smaller players.

So whoever the Nets hire as their director of basketball operations in
the next two weeks ought to consider trying to persuade the 6-10 Van
Horn to go along with the move that could create an intriguing tandem of
Martin and Van Horn.

There's another way to go, of course -- and frankly, the Nets would be
fools not to consider it: trading Van Horn to help their roster
elsewhere.

Starting small forward Kendall Gill is a free agent who might not be
re-signed, so dealing Van Horn to make room for Martin might require
getting a small forward in return.

Here's one idea the Nets no doubt have at least started to dream about:
Shareef Abdur-Rahim, an All-Star-level player who never makes it to the
All-Star game because the Vancouver Grizzlies are so awful.

Abdur-Rahim is a true small forward at 6-9, who also fits beautifully
into the Nets' lineup, with an all-around offensive game that would
become even more effective with Marbury at the controls. Abdur-Rahim was
close to recently fired general manager Stu Jackson, and it wouldn't
surprise anybody in Vancouver if Abdur-Rahim makes his displeasure known
to the new regime.

It was only a few years ago that the Nets expected to build a team
around Van Horn.

But that philosophy has been changing over the past year. And with
Sunday's jackpot, Van Horn's NBA future may have changed forever.



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