There have been many rumors floating around East Rutherford, New Jersey about another Small Forward that likes to run and shoot, making his way to the Garden State. While this may sound very appealing to New Jersey Nets fans, it is not the answer to overtaking the NBA Finals bound Boston Celtics in the upcoming years. With the acquisitions from the Jason Kidd trade, the Nets have 2 first round picks, including a lottery pick, that they can use to start building for an immediate future. This roster does not lack in talent but it lacks in fundamental basketball, which as the San Antonio Spurs have shown us, wins Championships.

With 2 franchise point guards in Marcus Williams (who the Nets drafted in 2006), and Devin Harris, they have no need to think draft or free agency at this time. Vince Carter, the enigma that he has always been, is the starting shooting guard but with no real backup, he isn’t able to play 45 minutes a night like he used to. Also, as the years grow on him, so does his lax mindset and his willingness to settle for a fade-away jump shot. By trading for Carmelo Anthony, the Nets gain another jump shooter who doesn’t even know how to spell the word defense, which is not what they need to contend. In fact, they would be trading their only guard/forward who can play defense and attack the rim in Richard Jefferson. This is where the Nets should start rebuilding with at the 21st pick in this years draft.

Does the name Bill Walker ring a bell? As a freshman at Kansas State, Walker put up staggering numbers and would have been a lottery pick had he not injured his ACL. After an off-season of recovery, Walker had a solid season alongside top pick Michael Beasley and got stronger as the season went along. They say it takes 2 years for someone to fully recover from a torn ACL in one’s knee. If the Nets are smart, they will draft Walker who can bring them exactly what they love, exciting plays alongside Sean and Marcus Williams on the fast break, and the ability to finish at the hoop in traffic. With the possibilty of Jefferson being out of New Jersey, or should I say Brooklyn, in a few years, Walker is a perfect replacement and will be a fan favorite for years to come.

That brings me to the New Jersey Nets front court, which they have been trying to mold through the draft for years. It appears they found a winner in Sean Williams to be a big time defensive center who can sprinkle in a few dunks a night. Unfortunately, Nenad Kristic made limited strides in coming back from his own knee injury, and even before that, never had a true post game and was pretty soft inside. Josh Boone couldn’t hit a layup if the basket were the size of the Lincoln Tunnel. So who can the Nets draft to help fill this void? Kosta Koufos, a young center out of THE Ohio State University can be a more versatile and explosive Kristic to help run the offense alongside these gifted point guards. In his freshman year at Ohio State, Koufos showed off his numerous talents on the basketball court, hitting 3 pointers, faking out talented opposing centers such as Florida’s Marreese Seights, who is predicted to be a top 15 pick in this years draft.

As shown under the coaching of Thad Motta, Ohio State centers pride themselves on defense and offensive rebounding. Koufus is exactly what the Nets need, a front court presence who can hit the open jumper, but also pull off a drop step in the post and throw it down on the likes of Kendrick Perkins and Chris Bosh. As the teams in the Atlantic Division have shown against the Nets this year, they are a soft, lazy, and at times emotionless team that needs that spark to get them going at the end of games. Carmelo Anthony is not that guy and never will be. Bill Walker and Kosta Koufos may not be the most attractive names, but they are the players who will bring the Nets to that next level in the years to come and make Sean “Jay-Z” Carter, a very happy man.