The first move Sean Marks has to make is hire a head coach. Marks strikes me as one in favor of less flashy, more reasonable decisions, understanding that winning franchises are the result of many small decisions done right. This pretense will guide the words to follow.
First order of business for Marks is finding a head coach. Tony Brown has made a case for himself, upgrading the Nets offense from one of the worst in the league into the top 10 towards the end of the season (at the expense of the defense that went from mediocre to awful) but I suspect Marks will want to bring in his own guy. If this is the case,
Kenny Atkinson is certainly worth considering.
Earlier this season he was listed as a top head coaching prospect:
Kenny Atkinson, Atlanta Hawks assistant coach
The arrival of a new head coach often signals the exodus of the previous staff. But when Budenholzer was brought on in Atlanta in 2013, Ferry strongly recommended retaining Atkinson, his first hire. Budenholzer didn't need much persuading. Player development was Atkinson's strength and it was a priority in Atlanta. And feedback among the Hawks players was so overwhelmingly positive bringing Atkinson back was a no-brainer.
After four seasons under Mike D'Antoni in New York, Atkinson has flourished in Atlanta as far more than a player-development guy. He's earned a reputation as an affable teacher who is both cerebral and a high-level communicator. He thoroughly enjoys getting on the floor with a player and sees that individual development work as a collaboration between player and coach.
"He believes you can improve as a player, even at the highest level, and that there's always something you can add to your game," Hawks big man Al Horford says. "He's been here for three years with me, and he's challenged me. For instance, before he got here, I was pretty much a shooter on the pick-and-pop. I was never really driving. Kenny has challenged me to put the ball on the floor. It's something we've worked on together, and now it's something I feel comfortable doing."
After a nice college career as a point guard at Richmond, Atkinson had a long career in Europe, where he stayed to coach before heading to New York. He's worldly, with a curiosity for forward-thinking ideas, everything from injury prevention to analytics. He's someone who would look for new solutions as a head coach rather than insist he has every answer and rely on tired conventional wisdom.
Philadelphia general manager Sam Hinkie gave Atkinson a look in 2013, and there's a strong belief around the league that he's earned another series of interviews as one of the top assistant coaches currently on the market.
Now with that squared away, we can take a look at fixing the roster. Long story short, it isn't pretty but there were a few encouraging things about the Nets this season. Most of the big things we already knew, Brook is a beast, Thad is a good compliment, and the rest of the roster is a mess.
The Good: RHJ's defense is stellar and on par for a starting NBA wing, Killpatrick is a firecracker off the bench, & McCullough has shown flashes of basketball competency
The Bad: Jarrett Jack was our best PG
To put it bluntly, outside of Brook, Thad, RHJ, McCullough, and Killpatrick, the rest of the roster has got to go. However, Tony Brown's coaching revealed two intriguing things:
the Nets don't need a 10apg PG to produce a potent offense, Bojan Bogdanovic is a solid shooter. Those two points will be important later.
When it comes to the draft, Nets fans (me included) are left wishing and hoping something miraculous happens (like the Clippers finishing with a top 5 record so the Nets have a shot at a second round pick
). While there are a few non-lottery gems out there, Sabonis, Timothe Luwawu, & Bryce Johnson look extremely promising, I figure that fancy international scouting pedigree Marks has will yield some interesting moves. While I'd love to grab Sabonis if possible, the Nets' have a glaring need at the PG position...and Gary Payton Jr isn't gonna cut it. I'm sorry, if the Nets manage to buy their way into a decent second round pick, they need to focus on need first and potential second. And there's nobody who fills both quite like
George De Paula.
George De Paula PG
19 years old, Brazil
6' 6" 194lbs.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAszlxctuYc[/youtube]
George De Paula is pretty legit. He has the physical makeup of a Kawhi or Antentekoumpo length as a PG - 6'6", 7ft wingspan, and some impressive mits.
He has limitations, which are detailed
below, but his limitations - working on his shot, learning to use his length on defense - are things that will improve with age/experience. If the Nets plan to make the most out of its new D-League affiliate, De Paula deserves strong consideration from Marks.
There are several aspects of his game that he needs to continue to work on since he’s so early in his development. He is trying to become a better defender, which should come in time since his physical tools should make him a match-up nightmare for opposing point guards. He has also been working on his jump shot while at IMG, which is a huge part of his development. He can be inconsistent with his shot and, as he acknowledges, needs to overcome his nerves and improve his confidence.
“Everybody says that I’m not a shooter, but I think that I’m developing my shot,” he said. “Sometimes I’m nervous and will do air balls, but it’s a psychological process for me.”
The good news for de Paula is that most of his weaknesses are things that should improve as he continues to train and gain experience. As he tries to expand his game, he says he enjoys watching Deron Williams, Kyrie Irving and Mike Conley – three players he tries to take various things from.
“I like a lot of point guards,” De Paula said. “Deron Williams, because I have the same physical tools. I like the ball-handling of Kyrie Irving. I like Mike Conley because he’s a lefty point guard.”
When asked to sum himself up for people who may not know much about him, de Paula kept his answer simple and sweet.
“I’m a point guard, I’m 6′[6] and I like to play good basketball, like sharing the ball and making other people happy,” he said with a big smile.
De Paula may have to play in the NBA Development League for some time before he’s able to contribute on an NBA roster. But if he is able to continue his development and eventually reach his full potential, in a few years he may be making his teammates very happy and driving your favorite point guard crazy.
I'd also be interested to see if Marks would move Bojan to a team like Denver (who has 4 first round draft picks - more than any team would know what to do with) to try to go after another international stud in Sabonis of Luwawu. But, I'm not sure if Bojan would need to be packaged with someone like Thad to make it happen.
