--Nets team president Rod Thorn is back on the job after undergoing a second knee replacement surgery -- this time it was the right knee -- in 3 1/2 years. Thorn also revealed that during the procedure, he suffered an erratic heartbeat, but he had already been on a heart medication.
"Since I had my first arrhythmia 3 1/2 years ago, I've taken a medication since then. So I still take a medication for it," Thorn said. "I'm ready now. I'm ready to go. Knee replacement, this is a tough operation. What happened with (the left) one is once I started getting better I got better very quickly, which is what's happening with this one, too." --The offense being employed by Lawrence Frank is a carbon copy of the dribble-drive attack used by John Calipari of Memphis, who coincidentally is a former Nets head coach. Any surprise that Chris Douglas-Roberts, who played for Calipari at Memphis, has fit right in?
"I'm loving it," Douglas-Roberts said. "The offense is exactly the same, and that makes the transition so much easier. It's pretty much the dribble-drive offense, but it's more European than a standard motion offense. European in terms of spacing, it's not traditional at all."
--You might not be able to get credit for a mortgage or a new car. But you can get it for Nets season tickets.
The Nets have launched a buy-now, pay-later season ticket program. They're offering 1,300 seats -- at $440 -- in the upper bowl that fans can pay for after the holidays. Citing similar programs by retailers, Nets CEO Brett Yormark said fans "can also receive that type of offer from the Nets" as a way of fighting the tight economic times.
--Injuries already have surfaced, but none are considered serious. The Nets, because they are headed to Europe, were permitted to start camp earlier than most teams. So while the majority of teams were just hitting the court, the Nets already had men in the infirmary.
F Yi Jianlian and G Keyon Dooling both suffered mild left ankle sprains and were labeled out seven to 10 days at the start of camp. F Eduardo Najera suffered a sprained left wrist on camp's fifth day and was day-to-day. (X-rays and an MRI showed no major damage.) F Stromile Swift and F Jarvis Hayes banged left knees and were slowed the first week.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I don't think there's been a year here since my second year that we weren't expected to make the playoffs, if not have a really good team. I would think this year most would say we are probably not a playoff team. We still think we can (make it)." -- Team president Rod Thorn.
