With the 11th pick... Blair or Clark?

ecuhus1981 · Post #1 » by **ecuhus1981** » Sat Jun 6, 2009 6:24 am

The question is almost existential in nature. As a Nets fan, these two fine prospects seem to embody what we love, hate, covet, fear, and most of all, wish we had on our team.

Earl Clark, native of Plainfield, NJ, is a smooth new-school prototypical SF/PF, with top-notch athleticism and "measurables" (6'10 in shoes, 7'2" wingspan). On top of that, his skill set is breath-taking; he can pass, drive, shoot and run the floor like a guard, and post up, rebound and finish like a bigman. So, why isn't he a top-3 pick, you say? Well, without belaboring the point, he is wildly inconsistent. He could be better than Lamar Odom if he stays hungry, but the list of ueber-talented underwhelming combo forwards from the Garden State is a bit off-putting (Tim Thomas, Charlie Villanueva, Al Harrington etc.). Is he going to make a difference in the W-L column, or forever tease us with "upside"? Will he blend in with passive, reserved guys like Brook, Yi and Devin, or be the vocal leader and sparkplug that we need?

DeJuan Blair, on the other hand, is a very consistent, "man's man" type of performer on the low block. He would bring a toughness that this team lacks, and his off-the-charts offensive rebounding ability props up one of Brook's biggest shortcomings. Speaking of shortcomings, there is a downside to the Pittsburgh, PA native, and it's WAY down. Namely, 6 feet, 6 and a half inches, his height in shoes. To be fair, he also sports a condor-like 7'2" wingspan, which will help snag boards and finish over much taller defenders. It's not going to be easy, though, and it could be argued that although undersized bigmen are making a resurgence (Maxiell, Powe, Millsap, Bass etc), the game as a whole is moving away from Blair's rugged style. Whereas Earl could fit seamlessly into our dribble-drive system, many half-court-oriented accommodations would have to be made to maximize DeJuan's talent. He doesn't have a mid-range J either right now; this would mean Lopez and Blair would both need to be down low at times (I don't want Brook to become Ilgauskas!), clogging the driving lanes for Vince and Devin.

I know the draft isn't as simple as "pick between two players". After all, a player pegged as a top-5 lock could fall our way (e.g. Brook), and there is a chance that either or both of theseguys are gone by the time we pick at 11. But barring any unforeseen draft-day antics, these two seem best equipped among guys that should be on the board to serve our needs now and in the future. So,...

Which would YOU choose? Why?

BTW, here is Chad Ford's breakdown

vincecarter4pres · Post #2 » by **vincecarter4pres** » Sat Jun 6, 2009 6:38 am

I go Earl Clark all day, but I have been a little down on him all season.
He doesn't have a killer instinctand he isn't much of a leader. He tends to blend in a lot and fade into obscurity for chunks of games, although his defense and rebounding usually doesn't suffer, so that is a major positive.
He doesn't have much post game to speak of and his shot selection can be Artestesque at times, but he operates great from the top of the key with the ball in his hands, a very nice contrast to Brook's mainly low post, and pick and roll game.
Clark seems to be most effective with the ball, having the offense run through him, which is a positive if he's leading the 2nd unit, maybe he comes off the bench or stays in the longest when everyone else takes a breather. The downfall is it seems like most important parts of our roster now consists of these type of players.
And then there is that big fear of a lack of heart and killer instinct. Terrence Williams was the leader of that team, no doubt about it.
I am torn between Clark and James Johnson, although Clark is a power forward who can play small forward, IMO and Johnson is a small forward that can play power forward.

I am sticking to my guns though. We will be involved in at least one draft day trade that moves us up to snag either Harden or Jordan Hill.
That actually leads in to my latest trade idea...

amk482 · Post #3 » by **amk482** » Sat Jun 6, 2009 11:28 am

clark w/o hesitation

mack69 · Post #4 » by **mack69** » Sat Jun 6, 2009 12:43 pm

Clark no doubt it. if you want a Blair type you can get Maxiel from Detroit.

Preludepunk27 · Post #5 » by **Preludepunk27** » Sat Jun 6, 2009 1:15 pm

If it came down to those 2 being the only guys on the board available at 11, I'll break my TV if Earl's name isn't called. That is the easiest call since Brook falling to us last year.

ecuhus1981 · Post #6 » by **ecuhus1981** » Sat Jun 6, 2009 3:36 pm

Wow, I'm a Clark guy, too, but I'm surprised at the unanimity.

brook_11 · Post #7 » by **brook_11** » Sat Jun 6, 2009 9:11 pm

I do like Blair, but I think i would go with Clark. I think Clark will be a better player in the future and he can contribute kind of right away.Ive heard he had Shawn Marion potential, but he lacked a heart. Plus, Clark can be a very good defender in sometime.

S.I.C. GM · Post #8 » by **S.I.C. GM** » Mon Jun 8, 2009 9:00 pm

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Ree ... -Two-3251/

-Jordan Hill potentially slipping into the bottom of the top-10 or even possibly slightly beyond. The talk is that the Washington Wizards’ 5th pick could very well end up being claimed by Stephen Curry (whether for them or another team trading up), and that since Minnesota, Golden State, New York and maybe even Toronto appear to be looking at other positional needs, Hill could be on the short end of the stick come draft night.

lurkingobeiscity · Post #9 » by **lurkingobeiscity** » Mon Jun 8, 2009 10:39 pm

I just don't see how Hill gets past MIL(though I won't rule out Hammond doing something idiotic). We'd have to trade up a few to get him and with the 8th and 9th spots being division rivals we'd likely have to talk to Golden State. Would they take their future 1st back in a trade down to 11?

vincecarter4pres · Post #10 » by **vincecarter4pres** » Tue Jun 9, 2009 1:12 am

lurkingobeiscity wrote:I just don't see how Hill gets past MIL(though I won't rule out Hammond doing something idiotic). We'd have to trade up a few to get him and with the 8th and 9th spots being division rivals we'd likely have to talk to Golden State. Would they take their future 1st back in a trade down to 11?

Well, their fans seem to think something like their future pick and the 11th, maybe Sean Williams as well, would get the 7th pick if the guy they want is still there at 11.
The guys their front office is most interested in are rumored to be Jrue Holiday, Terrence Williams, Brandon Jennings, Tyreke Evans and Flynn. I have also heard DeRozan and even Earl Clark thrown around. All those guys seem to have a good possibility to slip to 11 and I guess we will find out a little closer to the draft which ones they like the best out of that group.

That future pick is a lot more valuable then I used to assume for 2 reasons, so I think it would be easy to convince them to make the trade unless they were really attached to a guy that probably won't make it to 11, but it available at 7.
1st, it isn't as heavily protected as it seemed and is highly likely to eventually be a 1st rounder.
2nd, because we still own the rights and because of the length of the protection, it prohibits them from making a trade involving a future 1st round pick with any other team because the NBA doesn't allow teams to trade 1st round picks in consecutive years.

Rockice_8 · Post #11 » by **Rockice_8** » Tue Jun 9, 2009 12:12 pm

I thought at first the decision was going to be tougher then I expected, but there are rumors coming out about Blair's knee. If they are true this is a no brainer.

Preludepunk27 · Post #12 » by **Preludepunk27** » Tue Jun 9, 2009 1:13 pm

Haha granted I don't want Blair but we also passed on another guy we were concerned about their knee...and he was the Most Improved Player of the Year this season. I wanted Granger pretty hardcore. Oh well, if we only had to choose between Blair or Clark, it was an easy pick before Blair's possible knee issue.

ecuhus1981 · Post #13 » by **ecuhus1981** » Tue Jun 9, 2009 1:36 pm

I would even take Clark above Jordan Hill (but not James Harden, if he fell to us).

As for Granger, I wanted him REALLY bad on draft night as well. I have a bad feeling DeJuan is going to be a stud, but his height, his unpolished offensive game and now his red flagged knees make the decision easy for me.

Preludepunk27 · Post #14 » by **Preludepunk27** » Tue Jun 9, 2009 1:59 pm

Honestly, if Blair was like 6'8 or 6'9" he's probably be a top 5 pick easy even with the knee concerns in my opinion. He's big and physical, but any athletic PF that is like 6'10" or taller is going to eat him alive. I still think Blair will be an efficient player...but by that I really mean "an efficient role player." I could see him (barring injury) being in this league 10-12 years and having a Corliss Williamson type career. I don't mean in their skill set, but as a solid 6 man for years who has the ability to step into the starting rotation when asked.

Clark in my eyes has the change to be a stud starter. Hell I could see him be our starting 4 by the all-star break.

vincecarter4pres · Post #15 » by **vincecarter4pres** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:20 am

ecuhus1981 wrote:I would even take Clark above Jordan Hill (but not James Harden, if he fell to us).

Hell to the no.

BTW, anyone here some of these draft combine interviews? Clark sounds confident, but he also sounds like a guy I used to buy pep from on Fairmount. You would think 3 years at college might educate you a little.

superLuigi21 · Post #16 » by **superLuigi21** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 4:03 am

w/the way rashard lewis is playing in the finals, i would LOVE to have earl clark on the nets. similar styles and body types, and what clark lacks in 3 pt range and accuracy he makes up for w/playmaking ability... great compliment to brook

ecuhus1981 · Post #17 » by **ecuhus1981** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 5:02 am

I envision a lineup like this:

Harris, Carter, Hayes, Anderson, Lopez
Dooling, Roberts, Clark, Jianlian, Boone
Simmons, Williams

Earl could cover the 3 or 4, but we'd need him more for SF right now (which should be better for his longterm development). He and Yi should be used together in lineups; they balance out each others' strengths and weaknesses nicely.

By midseason, I think both Clark and Jianlian will have earned the right to start. Hayes and Ryan are better served coming off the bench anyway, IMO, but will probably more ready to start than Earl and Yi in training camp.

S.I.C. GM · Post #18 » by **S.I.C. GM** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:02 pm

superLuigi21 wrote:w/the way rashard lewis is playing in the finals, i would LOVE to have earl clark on the nets. similar styles and body types, and what clark lacks in 3 pt range and accuracy he makes up for w/playmaking ability... great compliment to brook

You cant compare ORL to the Nets here.

Howard's rebounding and Defense makes up for the other 2Fs. Lopez isnt the same type of player. We need a hard nose PF to help with the rebounding and defense.

The other reason why this works is because of the 3 pt range. Opposing teams have to double down on Howard which leaves an ORL shooter open. You need the range and accuracy especially if F'en FRANK changes the offense towards Lopez.

vincecarter4pres · Post #19 » by **vincecarter4pres** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:46 pm

I actually see Ryan Anderson as a similar player to Lewis. Less athletic, but a better rebounder.
I feel his basement is like Donyell Marshall but I think he lands right in between like Rodney Rogers.

superLuigi21 · Post #20 » by **superLuigi21** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:08 pm

S.I.C. GM wrote:
superLuigi21 wrote:w/the way rashard lewis is playing in the finals, i would LOVE to have earl clark on the nets. similar styles and body types, and what clark lacks in 3 pt range and accuracy he makes up for w/playmaking ability... great compliment to brook

You cant compare ORL to the Nets here.

Howard's rebounding and Defense makes up for the other 2Fs. Lopez isnt the same type of player. We need a hard nose PF to help with the rebounding and defense.

The other reason why this works is because of the 3 pt range. Opposing teams have to double down on Howard which leaves an ORL shooter open. You need the range and accuracy especially if F'en FRANK changes the offense towards Lopez.

I never compared the teams, just the players. i agree that we need to upgrade our 3 pt shooting but thats not the point. earl clark has a chance to be special, if he's available i hope we jump all over him. and i remember brook getting double teamed a lot last year (when he actually got a touch in the post), he really needs to work on his double team awareness much like dwight needs to.

Which One?