Want a bright side to the 2009-10 Nets season?

Their only national TV appearances are on NBA-TV, not TNT, ESPN or ABC. At least fewer people will see parts of what could be a calamitous season.

The schedule starts with the Nets playing so many games on the road that it could put them in a hole from which they'll never escape. Last year, the Nets were 15-26 on the road -- and that included losing 11 of their last 12 road games. With Vince Carter. Carter now resides in Orlando. Yup, it could be a long season real early for the Nets.

And Carter is among the first faces they'll see in their home opener, Friday, Oct. 30 when they face the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic. That's their lone home game among the first four. The Nets' season opens in Minnesota, comes home for Carter and Co. then goes to Washington and Charlotte.

Again, they are away from home on Thanksgiving -- but the NBA did grant them one break. The Nets are home for Christmas and New Year's as they have a season-high seven-game homestand, running from Dec. 19 to Jan. 5. But the Nets won't get too celebratory. The homestand contains the Lakers, Rockets and Cavs.

If the Nets can somehow stay in the hunt, the schedule takes a decidedly favorable turn after the All-Star break. Following a road game in Charlotte right after the break, the Nets play seven of eight games at home from Feb. 17 to Mar. 5. And they have another seven of eight at home from Mar. 20 to Apr. 3. Of course, the season could be moot by then.

Coach Lawrence Frank, though, remains the optimistic sort throughout all the dire projections.

"The key is all of our players putting forth great effort, making it about the team not the individual," Frank said. "We have high hopes and expectations. We're looking for a special season."