--Lawrence Frank ascended to the head coaching spot in January 2004. Still only 38, Frank is fifth in seniority among NBA head coaches, trailing only Jerry Sloan, Gregg Popovich, Eddie Jordan and Mike Dunleavy.
--The video made the rounds on the Internet and became a YouTube staple. There was Devin Harris being schooled on a British playground -- the guy actually bounced the ball between Harris' legs and went in for a lay-up. Harris was hustled, he said, and got into the matchup through false pretenses. "When I first went out there, they told me one of the Special Olympic kids wanted to play me one-on-one," Harris explained. "So I went down there, shot jumpshots or whatever. So he hit the first shot, and I was like, 'Okay, he has a little talent.' Then he just whipped out the other thing. I was kind of confused at that point with all these dribbling moves and before I knew, he threw it through my legs and laid it up. At that point it was time to go. So they had fun with it, they got me pretty good. I didn't expect it to be that popular, but it is what it is."
--When you list the Nets' key reserves, the list seems to go on and on and on and on and...
There's a reason. With so much youth, with so much athleticism, coach Lawrence Frank is seriously considering a two-platoon approach, employing a pressing, trapping unit, much like Hubie Brown did with Memphis and years ago with the Knicks. So the Nets might go 10 or 11 deep.
"Most teams are eight or nine. I sometimes refer to the Memphis team under Hubie Brown, where they played 10. I don't want to limit it," Frank said. "I wouldn't be opposed to 10 guys, if that's what made sense ... Potentially, that's why we laid the foundation for it. We're introducing concepts, trying to take advantage of different talents and players together, potentially doing things full court. But we're in the infancy stages with that."
MAIN REASON NETS CAN WIN: They have depth, although much of it unproven. They have athleticism. There is a nice blend of young and veteran and they'll need the vets to really show the way while the kids develop.
MAIN REASON NETS CAN LOSE: They are a Vince Carter injury away from disaster. Plus, if Devin Harris does not take the next step and Yi Jianlian does not progress, it could be ugly. The Nets built a most formidable bench but unfortunately a lot of it will start. The East has improved and the Nets are looking at 12 division games alone against Boston, Philadelphia and Toronto.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Nobody believes in us but us." -- G Vince Carter, stressing the low expectations from outsiders that surround the team.
