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Nets' selection surprises no one
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New Jersey Nets did their homework before draft night. While they knew they'd be taking a chance on the leg of Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin, the Nets were convinced by what they saw on film. The videotape showed a tenacious power forward in the middle, a defensive presence, a shot blocker and young man ready to dominate inside. The X-rays, bone scans and CAT-scans showed the other crucial piece the Nets needed to see from the Cincinnati power forward: The right leg he sustained in the Conference USA tournament was healing. Combined, that was all the Nets needed to take Martin with the first pick in the NBA Draft on Wednesday night. As soon as commissioner David Stern opened the draft at about 7:30 p.m. EDT, Nets president Rod Thorn was on the telephone to the team's representative in Minneapolis telling him to write down Martin's name. "It was difficult, with the difficulty having to do with the injury," Thorn said. "We had to make sure that that was not going to be a chronic problem. Once we did, we came to the conclusion that Kenyon was the right pick for us." Martin, 6-foot-9 and 230 pounds, was the consensus choice for the No. 1 pick most of the season. However, that opinion got a little shaky after he broke his leg and sustained ligament damage to his ankle. The Nets didn't make up their minds until team doctors examined him last week. Thorn would not say when he decided to take Martin, but new coach Byron Scott knew when he left the Nets' headquarters at midnight on Tuesday that Martin would be the man. "He's a guy we won't have to baby and get him ready in two or three years," said Scott, who was introduced as the Nets coach Tuesday. "He's been there for four years of college. This guy is a man, and we're just going to throw him in the fire and go along with him." Thorn said the Nets entertained trade talks for weeks, but none were seriously considered Wednesday. He added that they also considered taking high school phenom Darius Miles, but went with Martin. "He is a player we feel still has a ways to go to realize his full potential," Thorn said. "If you look at our team, we were one of the worst teams in the league defensively and one of the worst rebounding-wise. Kenyon Martin can give us a lot of those." With the retirement of Jayson Williams earlier Wednesday, the Nets are expecting Martin to step right into the starting lineup. Surprisingly, Scott said Martin is expected to be the small forward, with Keith Van Horn playing the power forward. "You don't replace a Jayson Williams, the intangibles, the affinity he had with the fans, the way the fans reacted to him, the rebounding he gave," Thorn said. "We're just sad Jayson is no longer with us." Martin, who had tears in his eyes after being taken, didn't know if the Nets were going to take him. "It's big; it's like a sigh of relief for me," Martin said in a telephone interview. "I feel like I'm getting a new life." Point guard Stephon Marbury said Martin is only going to improve as a pro. "I think he is the best guy in the draft," Marbury said. "He's very mobile, quick on his feet and can block shots. I think there is more to come with him. We haven't seen the things he can do on the basketball court. The NBA is one-on-one, and you can really show your skills when you are on the court." Martin averaged 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.45 blocks last season when he swept national college player of the year honors. The Nets used their second-round pick, the 36th overall, to take Soumaila Samake, a 7-foot-2 center from Mali. He played professionally in Slovenia two years ago and spent this past season with Cincinnati of the International Basketball League, averaging 9.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. "We feel we helped ourselves in two areas, defensively and rebounding," Scott said, noting that Samake will be a project who at least will give the Nets a presence inside.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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