Why the Nets are set at PF/C in the future.

There is absolutely no doubt the Nets have their minds set on winning an NBA Championship sometime within the next two seasons. With all the acquisitions made this offseason, it's pretty hard to say they wouldn't be. They have brought in players such as, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry, Kevin Garnett, Andrei Kirilenko, Shaun Livingston, and Alan Anderson. All these players were acquired via free agency. However, one player who I did not mention above was Mason Plumlee. Plumlee, the first round pick, 23rd overall selection for the Nets is 6'10 PF/C coming out of Duke. Now, don't think I am knocking Garnett and Pierce as the biggest transactions this offseason because they definitely were. That being said, when one hears about the Garnett and Pierce acquisitions, you'll tend to think more in the present state of time rather than the future. This leads to the point of this post. The Nets are set at the Power Forward/Center in the future with Mason Plumlee. With the current state of the team, there isn't really an available spot for him, but in my opinion, this is the best case scenario for Plumlee.

As a first year Center, this is the year that Plumlee would be best utilized as a 5-10 minute guy coming off the bench. The reason behind this is due to the fact that Plumlee is still new to the game at the NBA level. With all the talent in front of him like Kevin Garnett, Brook Lopez, Reggie Evans, and Andray Blatche, Mason Plumlee is in the perfect position to simply learn the game from great players. He will have a year to learn what gameplan the Nets decide to deploy on a nightly basis. Reggie Evans will teach Plumlee how to play physical and grabs rebounds, Garnett will teach him how to be an anchor defensively, Brook will teach him how to continue to develop his offensive game both in the post and down low.

Many people believe that in order for a rookie to develop, he needs to be put out there from the beginning, but I'm here to say no to that. The process that Plumlee is in is quite similar to the college process. Let me clarify. A student goes to college ultimately to obtain a degree and get a job in the field they chose to study. The student doesn't go straight into the job because they have no experience or knowledge to begin with. Henceforth, the student goes to college and obtains the knowledge and experience needed to go into the job, making them a better candidate for a job than the candidate who goes with no knowledge or experience. That being said, let's translate this scenario into Mason Plumlee's case. Plumlee is in the "college/internship phase"(ironic in this all since he graduated college already) because he is going to be learning and studying the game as well as being mentored by great players above him. He will definitely earn some playing time here and there as the Nets attempt to maintain their older players well-rested. Also, let's not forget that Plumlee was coached by a mentor and probably one of the best coaches of all-time in Coach K. at Duke. Sooner or later, the time will come where Garnett, Lopez, Blatche, and Evans' time comes to an end, and Plumle's time will arrive. He will be put to the test to put everything he has learned to the test on the plateau where it matters the most, an NBA court.

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