The Nets second pick in the 2008 draft, Ryan Anderson will be thrown in the forward/center mix this season. But what should Nets fans expect from him on the court? In addition to discussing my own thoughts on the youngster in this post, I’ve also gotten a few scouting reports to see what everyone else thinks.

Enjoy!

Steve Lourie from AssociatedContent.com:

Ryan Anderson should be a good rebounder on the next level even though he’s not big. He’s a great passer for a big man. He can shoot really well and is deadly from the mid range area facing the basket. He’s not great with his back to the basket, turning around and shooting the jumper, but he can improve. He’s not a great natural athlete. He should be able to score fairly well in the NBA. Even though he is just 6-9, he has a Dirk Nowitski esque release point so his lack of height won’t hurt his shot.

They also say that if he develops the way he should, he’ll end up being a shorter Troy Murphy. If he doesn’t pan out, they see him as an Austin Croshere clone.

NBADraft.net:

NBA Comparison:Austin Croshere

Strengths: Prolific scorer with a wide array of offensive skills … A 6-10 forward with advanced inside/outside skills … Very effective facing the basket from 15-18 feet… Gets his shot off with ease with his height and quick release … Has tremendous range out past the college 3 point line and solid consistency … A tough match up on the college level with his ability to take bigs outside, and post up quicker forwards … A strong rebounder due to his length, toughness and positioning … Has an excellent feel for the game with solid passing ability and decision making … Has the ability to create offense for himself off the dribble … Uses spin moves and drop steps effectively … Never forces things, takes what the defense gives him … Dropped 15 pounds from his senior year in high school and has significantly improved upon his agility … Retains the toughness he developed playing center in high school … Gives great effort on both ends of the floor …

Jeff Fox on CollegeHoops.net:

Ryan Anderson has had a stellar collegiate career thus far but his game and body need more work for the NBA. Another year in college to work on his strength and defense would be his best bet, especially considering he isn’t a guaranteed first round pick at this point.

My thoughts:

While I love the comments from the first two sites and I believe that Anderson has the ability to be a good option off the bench, I totally agree with Fox in the fact that I think Anderson could fill out a little bit more. Right now, he’s rangy, which will help him move around and help on both ends of the court, but he lacks the size to survive the wear and tear of an NBA player that plays 20 plus minutes a game at this point. Nevertheless, I can’t say enough about his shooting ability and that is the reason why I think the Nets will let him get bumped around a bit in the early season. He’ll have some lessons to learn, but I think once his body catches up to his mind, he’ll eventually crack the starting lineup.

Photo by the University of California.

I keep hearing all this nonsense about Allan Houston joining the Nets lately.

First I saw something in the Star-Ledger, then I saw something on the Pennsylvania Sports Ticker and now today on Yahoo Sports.

While his chronic knees have probably healed up since he hasn’t played a game in three seasons, is he really worth a guaranteed contract?

I don’t think so.

Even if the Nets manage to sign him for a relatively safe sum, there are still several problems with the former Olympian’s game that need to be addressed however.

Always a defensive liability, even when healthy, Houston’s presence in the Nets lineup won’t be able to help them nearly as much as some hardcore fans think. I mean, it’s obvious that he may be able to provide solid secondary scoring and everyone knows that the Nets could use a guy with a good jumper off the bench since Mikki Moore is gone, but how many minutes is this guy going to be able to get with Vince Carter playing 38 minutes a game?

Not the toughest player on the court either, Houston isn’t going to slotted at small forward anytime soon, meaning that all of his minutes would have to be out of the shooting guard position.

Just because the guy has a name that people remember doesn’t mean that he’ll be able to help this team.

The area where the Nets needed the most help this offseason was getting bigger and by picking up Jamaal Magloire and getting Nenad Krstic back healthy, they’ve successfully done that. Add in a supporting role for guys like Josh Boone, Jason Collins and Sean Williams and it’s easy to see that the Nets will be better on defense and much more aggressive in the paint.

Williams may be more trouble than he’s worth however, failing numerous drug tests in College with barely any offensive game to speak of. However, he’s more athletic than Collins, who is a waste of space at this point in his career. If given a chance, Williams could develop a solid post game in a few years.

Now, notice how I didn’t mention Houston in the last few paragraphs?

Carter, Jefferson and Kidd will provide the Nets with plenty of offense and a 36-year old Houston isn’t really needed.

Stay at ESPN and continue to provide commentary my friend. Your knees feel better lately because you’ve been playing NBA Live for the past three years. Once you start running around again, you’ll have shin splints faster than Antoine Walker and you’ll become an even bigger problem on defense.

It doesn’t matter that you had a great workout last Tuesday workout at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan. A workout is a horse of another color compared to a real NBA game.

Your presence would be great for the fans, but how much  you could actually help the team in limited playing time remains to be scene in my mind.