00:00Which players that are still dancing or packed it up and are on their way home from the NCAA tournament
00:07should the Nets target in the lottery?
00:09There are a couple players that are actually playing in this weekend, Sweet 16 and Elite 8.
00:13So let's talk about the future of the Brooklyn Nets with our Nets beat writer for the post, Brian Lewis.
00:21Got you the smile this morning. I wish we could be talking about the Nets playoff chances and all,
00:26but it's like talking about Jets and Giants football in October. We got to look ahead to the draft.
00:32So I got a couple names for you and I would like to see what you think in terms of
00:38what the Nets could do.
00:39Could these kids be game changers, culture, guys that could come in and reset the culture of the Nets?
00:47So rank these three names and you tell us who you think will be the best fit.
00:52A.J. DeBonsa from BYU, Cameron Boozer from Duke, and Darren Peterson.
00:58Any of these guys you think the Nets could target?
01:02Listen, I think if the Nets were fortunate enough to get any of those three, I think they would consider
01:11this a success, right?
01:13All of those guys, I think, have a chance. And I'm not saying this is me.
01:17I'm saying this from people that are either executives in the league or scouts that know far more than I
01:24do.
01:25They all think that these three are all franchise changing type of talents.
01:31That's why so many people are tanking and throwing games.
01:34So any of those guys would change the Nets because, frankly, when you look at the Nets roster, it is
01:42so threadbare, right?
01:44And so talent starved. Any of those three guys would change the Nets.
01:49Now, if you're asking me who's probably the most seamless fit for the Nets roster today, that's probably Boozer.
02:00Because power forward has been a problem for them pretty much since Kevin Durant left.
02:07So has rebounding. So has physical toughness.
02:13He provides all of those things.
02:16As a stretch for, as a rebounder, I mean, he's a perfect fit for them, and he's a perfect culture
02:22fit.
02:23He's everything that they say they are about.
02:27But, listen, if they get the number one pick, or even if they're the number two pick, and A.J.
02:33is sitting there, I think that's a home run.
02:36I think A.J. is the kind of guy who can lead the league in scoring someday.
02:43Yeah, you know, his defense is not spectacular.
02:47I'll grant you that.
02:48But he has the physical traits to be able to defend.
02:51And he apparently is a solid worker.
02:55So I think he can be taught to defend.
02:57I think either of those guys is a home run.
03:01Yeah, I think it's pretty interesting that you left off Darren Peterson off the list.
03:05But one thing you said about Boozer and A.J. was the culture.
03:10These guys are culture fits.
03:11I don't think that Brooklyn, whether it's the fan base or the front office, could want a guy that kind
03:18of pulls himself out of games and has a history of load management and why he's only in college.
03:24So, yeah, I think he's a great talent.
03:26But out of the two names that you just mentioned, I think those two guys will come in and step
03:32in right away and be rookie leaders.
03:34I think this team is going to need a rookie leader next year.
03:37Next three on the list, Brian, we've got Darius Akuf Jr. from Arkansas, Kingston Flemings from Houston.
03:44And this guy, he's been rising on a lot of boards.
03:47A lot of people talking about him.
03:49Keaton Wagler out of Illinois.
03:51Any of these guys could be a day one fit for the Brooklyn Nets.
03:56Okay.
03:57I want to be clear, I don't, I think so much of Peterson is going to be reliant upon the
04:05medicals and you're not going to get those medicals until May.
04:08So, it's probably premature for me to even be speculating on him because you don't know what those are going
04:14to look like.
04:15As far as that next trio, right, I think Darius Akuf is a supremely gifted offensive player.
04:24I think he has so far been a very poor defensive player, right?
04:32And the league has pretty much been fading these smaller heliocentric point guards.
04:39That doesn't mean that I don't think he's going to be good.
04:42I think he's probably going to score a lot of points and hand out a lot of assists and have
04:46a bunch of highlights.
04:48But, if you're asking me to pick, to me, once you get past the big three, and I'm going to
04:56put Caleb Wilson in his own category, right, I think Kingston Flemings is probably the most complete two-way player,
05:06right?
05:07And the Nets have had a short supply of two-way players.
05:13They've had guys that can defend and are not a threat offensively.
05:17They have guys that can score and get buckets that have problems defending.
05:22They need more two-way players, and Kingston Flemings is probably the best two-way player of that group.
05:31Last but not least, we have Caleb Wilson out of UNC.
05:35He didn't play in the tournament due to injuries, and there are a lot of people that are saying that
05:40that's what got head coach Hubert Davis fired.
05:43But that's another story for another day.
05:45Does it make sense?
05:47Does Caleb Wilson to the Nets make sense?
05:49Could he be a potential target?
05:52I think Caleb makes a lot of sense.
05:54I mean, again, it depends on where you are drafting.
05:57You know, if you're drafting one, it's probably not likely.
06:02But, again, what we're talking about is they have had a lack of long athletic forwards.
06:15It's been an issue for them for a while.
06:18And Caleb isn't just a plus athlete.
06:21I mean, he is an elite athlete.
06:25His body control, his finishing around the rim, I mean, it's spectacular.
06:31Now, again, we're going to have to see him shoot and be able to contribute when it's not a dunk.
06:40He's a great dunker, but when he's not dunking, what does that look like?
06:44But, again, if the Nets are, say, fourth, I don't see how he wouldn't be your pick if you're drafting
06:52fourth.
06:52He might be your pick if you're drafting third.
06:55You know, it's possible.
06:57So, I think, listen, I think where the Nets are sitting, and I know Net fans are not going to
07:04want to hear this, even though they've managed to pull up to second in the lottery standings, right, their most
07:12likely draft spot is still overwhelmingly fifth.
07:15I think they would have a 27.8% chance of drafting fifth.
07:20They would have a 20% chance of drafting sixth, right?
07:25If you end up with Caleb, numerically, that's still a success, man.
07:33Lastly, B. Lou, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver came out and kind of talked about how the league was going to
07:40crack down on tanking.
07:42This is something that I've spoke with you before on what the league could do, but do you feel as
07:49though that needed, Adam Silver needed to come out and say that for the fan base to get behind what
07:55the league is trying to do to crack down on this tanking problem?
08:03I mean, listen, man, he can say what he wants, and I don't doubt that his intentions are good, and
08:12I'm sure he does want to clamp down on tanking.
08:15I don't know that you're going to eliminate it because the way the NBA is structured now, teams are incentivized,
08:28bad teams are incentivized to lose.
08:32As long as they're incentivized to lose, there will be tanking.
08:36Now, I would say this, not all drafts are created equal, right?
08:40The 24 draft and the 27 draft are nowhere near as good as the 25 draft or the 26 draft,
08:49right?
08:49So I don't doubt that there will be measures passed, and I don't doubt that there will be fewer teams
08:56tanking next year than there are currently.
09:01Now, part of that largely is because the players that are available in the 27 draft are nowhere near as
09:09good.
09:09So my suspicion is that we will see fewer teams tanking, and there will be victory laps jogged and bows
09:22taken about how we have fixed tanking.
09:26The tanking is going to fix itself because people are not going to be willing to burn their rosters to
09:31the ground and tank to get lesser players because you're still going to have to pay the number one pick
09:37the same amount of money.
09:38He's just going to be a lesser player.
09:40You're going to have to pay the number four pick the same amount of money, even though he's going to
09:44be a lesser player, right?
09:46So there just won't be as many teams tanking.
09:49And then they'll think that they've fixed the problem.
09:52But if you get a generational draft in 2029, my suspicion is all of a sudden teams will find themselves
09:59tanking again, the bad teams.
10:01So I don't doubt that he views it as a problem.
10:04I don't doubt it.
10:06And I don't doubt that he genuinely wants to fix it.
10:09And I don't doubt that there are a number of owners or governors, right, that will vote and try to
10:18take measures to slow this.
10:20I'm just cynical that you will see an end to tanking or a glaring change until you take away the
10:31incentive to lose.
10:33Very interesting.
10:34Well, it's something that everyone's going to be talking about.
10:37Brian Lewis, appreciate you hopping on with us today, sir.
10:41Oh, thanks for having me.
10:41I appreciate it.
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