NJ Nets: Workouts, workouts everywhere

Former Syracuse guard Jonny Flynn could be a target for the Nets in the NBA Draft later this month.

If by some strange harmonic convergence you keep track of this stuff, the Nets are holding three days of workouts starting next Friday -- but it's mostly for the second-tier guys, the kids who will land in the bottom half of the first round.

Or so we thought: "There are some guys, two or three, whom we may consider that will be in this first group," Rod Thorn said the other day.Then comes the second round of workouts -- from June 16 to 19 -- and those will more likely include the guy the Nets are likely to draft, such as Johnson, Clark, Williams, Flynn, Jennings, Blair or even Hansborough.

Thorn won't talk about his short list at No. 11, but we're told it's in the "seven or eight" range by others.

As for getting lucky: "It's still up in the air what the others are going to do," Thorn said. "You may have to prepare yourself for a guy you expected to be in the top five to fall to 11."

By that, we assume he means Harden, DeRozan or Evans - a number of reports have them slipping, if only because not everybody needs a shooting guard.

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A number of you are still talking about Carlos Boozer, a development that inspires this response from the rest of us, along with some people in the organization: Huh?

We haven't talked to Rob Pelinka about this - he wouldn't talk on the record about it anyway -- but let's look at it pragmatically:

His client will make $12.6M next year if he doesn't opt out. Where else will he get that $12.6?

We assume Pelinka floated this in case he needs a Plan B if the Detroit connection doesn't happen for them. And he undoubtedly has heard what we're hearing: The Pistons are now giving as much (if not more) consideration to Paul Millsap, to the tune of $8-9M per year, which is an ample jump from the $797K he was paid last season.

And if Detroit has cooled on Boozer, he's going to have to scramble to find anything like the 5/60M he's looking for - or thinks he deserves.

Can't see it.

Not in Jersey, perhaps not anywhere.

We asked Thorn point-blank whether he's spoken to his good friend Kevin O'Connor in Utah lately (yes, he understood we were hinting about sign-and-trade scenarios), and his reply was a terse, "nope, not a single conversation."

That doesn't mean a move for Boozer wouldn't benefit the Nets. You accelerate the rebuild by a year, and solidify the weakest position. And he's obviously comfortable in Jersey - he has a home here, if only to be close to the health care specialists that his son (he had a bone marrow transplant a year ago for sickle cell) requires.

But you also have to wonder how this guy will play with a new contract, since he's never been dependable in the past - he's missed 33 percent of the games (134 of 410) in the last five years, fercryinoutloud - and he plays the kind of defense that gets coaches fired. Moreover, it's hard to ignore the fact that Gasol destroyed him in the last two postseasons.

Or that Utah would love for him to walk away now, so they can pay Millsap.

No, the Jazz don't want any part of Vince Carter.

So the only deal to be made is Bobby Simmons' expiring deal, plus two young bigs (Yi/Ryan) and at least one first-round pick.

Maybe Utah thinks about that, but we doubt it.

And maybe the Nets consider, if only to avoid the 2010 rat race.

But it's a long-shot at best, perpetuated by a very nervous agent who suddenly sees his market drying up.

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Speaking of agents: You've already heard about Dan Fegan issuing his Ricky Rubio warning. If the Spanish teen doesn't like his top 5 landing spot, he's staying home. Paying $6 million for the privilege of landing in Tennessee or Oklahoma isn't worth it, the story goes.

But we've heard this proviso from a few GMs in the last week: If Rubio gets a guarantee that he'll land in New York, he'll grab it with both hands even if the Knicks (picking 8th) don't have to move into the top 5 to get him.

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Anybody want to meet Devo?

Devin Harris is going to be at the grand opening of a Dunkin' Donuts in Hackensack tomorrow (Sat.) at 10:30. The DD is located on 240 S. Summit Ave. If you forget the address, just look at the billboard on Rt. 17 North with Devo's beaming visage.

It's a busy week for the Devo PR Tour: On Monday, he'll be up in Bristol hanging out with the ESPN crew, stopping in on various shows and taking part in podcasts and such. His first stop will be on something called ESPN Rise at 10:40.

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