It's increasingly evident that the Nets want to start Lopez if not on Day 1 then soon after. And they REALLY want to start Yi. It's no accident that the first thing you see when you enter the Nets' practice facility (and team HQ) are the framed jerseys of Carter, Harris and Yi.
I went back and took a look at Kiki's statements to ESPN the night of the draft and to YES the day of the rookie press conference...what he had to say about big men and shooting. It was meant to justify the trade for Yi, the drafting of Anderson and to a lesser extent the drafting of Lopez (who he noted is a better outside shooter than people think). But it could also have been a warning to Boone and Williams...start practicing those jump shots.
"If you look statistically at what is extremely valuable, bigs who can shoot from the outside and stretch the defense have really become a big part of our game. The NBA has changed in recent history and if you can get big players who can shoot from the outside, they're extremely effective."
The Nets have two very tall big men who have real offensive potential. Lopez and Yi could both be listed at 7' 1". They have been measured officially at 6' 11.25" in bare feet and 7 '0.5" in sneakers. (Kerber has also suggested, by the way, that Anderson may not be finished growing...remember he turned 20 in May.)
If you're going to attract any of the big free agents in 2010, you would like to point to two developing 7-foot 22-year-olds. And to me, making sure those two guys have every opportunity to develop is far, far more important than clearing cap space.
