Alan Anderson, who is known league-wide as a very rugged defender, role player, 3-point and steals specialist is expected to decline his player option and opt out of his $1.7 million contract this summer to become an unrestricted free agent this off-season. Where he lands, nobody knows, but it certainly will be interesting to see the outcome of his decision this summer. The Nets hold his Early Bird rights, permitting them to re-sign him at up to nearly $6 million a year.
Anderson played in 74 games (19 starts) for Brooklyn this past season with averages of 7.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game and a career-high 23.6 minutes. In six post-season games, Anderson has posted fairly respectable averages of 11.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, while shooting a team-best .610 from the field and .625 from three-point range.
Today, Alan Anderson also went through successful arthroscopic surgery to remove bone spurs from his left ankle. The procedure was performed by Nets’ foot and ankle specialist Dr. Martin O’Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Anderson is expected to resume basketball-related activities in July.
I strongly feel that Alan Anderson is going to be a very useful reserve on a playoff team, even with his streaky scoring he still manages to make up for it with above-average defense. If he chooses to stay, Anderson could have a very important role for the Nets next season if Deron Williams or Joe Johnson are no longer in Brooklyn. Having a player like Alan Anderson is definitely a low-risk, high-value acquisition for any NBA team.
