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James Dolan: "It was a mistake to hire Larry Brown." |
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HoopsHype.com Columns 76ers
still not full of Nelson
Nelson, who hails from nearby Chester, Pennsylvania, was the epitome of the Philadelphia point guard – fearless, intelligent and supremely confident. The 5-foot-11 Nelson led Saint Joseph's to college basketball's first undefeated regular season (27-0) since 1991 and kept winning big even after the 30-2 season, sweeping honors such as the John Wooden and Naismith awards. He finished as the school's all-time leader in points (2,094), assists (713) and steals (256). As a senior he averaged 20.6 points and 5.3 assists. Nelson had his number 14 retired and many have hailed him the best-ever in the tradition-rich Philadelphia Big 5. The Sixers will select ninth in the June 24th NBA draft, but apparently new coach Jim O'Brien has little sentiment for a local hero. Questioned the day before the draft lottery about Nelson, O'Brien was forthcoming in his assessment of the Hawks' point guard. "I would not necessarily have Jameer in the Top 10 in the lottery," O'Brien said. "If I had to make the call, which I'm not making the call, I don't think that scenario (drafting Nelson) would happen." Keep in mind that O'Brien might be a newcomer to the 76ers, but he certainly knows about Saint Joseph's and Nelson. O'Brien is a 1974 Saint Joseph's University graduate, but refuses to allow emotion to get in the way as he tries to reconstruct what is considered an aging 76er team. Two nights later at the NBA draft lottery, 76ers president and general manager Billy King went on his best damage control mission. "He (O'Brien) did say later that he is not making the final decision," King said. "We will evaluate everybody and then make a decision." King insists that the organization has an open mind about Nelson and every other prospective prospect. "A lot of times you have an opinion and then you work a player out and the opinion changes," King said. That means that if Nelson wows the Sixers brass during his individual workout, he might be considered. Still, none of this is a ringing endorsement for Nelson. In assessing a team's
needs and desires for the draft, one major fact has to be considered.
Many of the teams that are questioned are more adept at throwing smokescreens
than executing the pick-and-roll. That means that It appears as if O'Brien isn't sinister enough to pull this off. He is a straight shooter who has little time for theatrics. It's likely he was telling the truth and that he doesn't consider Nelson the savior that some local Philadelphia writers have painted. The big question is why? For one, the Sixers have a competent point guard in Eric Snow, but one who has begun to show some hints of erosion. The 31-year-old Snow played in all 82 games for the second consecutive year, but he appeared to be beaten down by the team's losing. Snow averaged 10.3 points, 6.9 assists and 2.28 turnovers, which are serviceable numbers. He remains an accomplished defender, although not quite as strong as a few years ago. It's no secret he was on the trade block and could surface there again. The Sixers could use
an upgrade at point guard, but they need even more help in the frontcourt,
where they were undersized, slow and often injured. Still, a quality point
guard doesn't come along often and if Nelson is as Then again, maybe he has some warts in his game, some which were exposed in the NCAA Tournament. For instance in his final game, that heartbreaking loss to Oklahoma State, Nelson scored 17 points, but shot just 6-for-18 from the field. He did have eight assists, no turnovers and four steals, but appeared to be taken out of his offensive game, but the physical Cowboys. If Oklahoma State can push Nelson around, what are teams like the New Jersey Nets going to do? Remember, there are no St. Bonaventures and Fordhams in the NBA. Every game, even if it's against the Los Angeles Clippers, can be a struggle for a rookie – especially one who doesn't have great size and just moderate quickness. His outside shooting, while improved, is still considered questionable, even by NBA standards, which aren't that high when it comes to the perimeter game. Nelson applied for the draft after his junior year, but made the right decision to return as a senior when it wasn't assured that he would be a first-round pick. Now he could be in the lottery, but that isn't guaranteed either. If Nelson played his college basketball in Wisconsin, there would be no debate about whether the Sixers should take him. Since he has become a local icon, it changes things drastically. Still, it basically comes down to the fact that the Sixers – at least O'Brien – don't think he's good enough. No matter what King says, he won't draft a player who his coach has downgraded. There remain two other possibilities. Nelson may be gone by the time the Sixers select at No. 9 and King, who is always trigger happy to make a deal, may trade the pick. There are plenty of good arguments to take Nelson and just as many not to select him. It says here that O'Brien is right. While Nelson may reach stardom, from this vantage point, he appears to be more of a solid NBA backup. And the Sixers need much more than that to move their way up the Eastern Conference ladder back toward the road to respectability. Marc Narducci covers the NBA for the Philadelphia Inquirer and is a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com Tell us what you think about this column. E-mail us at HoopsHype@HoopsHype.com _____________________ |
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