--With their 98-91 defeat to the Knicks on Saturday, the Nets became the ninth NBA team to start a season with as many as 13 losses and the first since the Grizzlies in 2002-03. The record for the most defeats to start a season is 17, jointly held by the Heat of 1988-89 and the Clippers on 1998-99. Theoretically, the Nets could tie the record on their upcoming trip, then break it in their first game back home on Dec. 2. "At this point, we can't even look that far ahead," center Brook Lopez said after the defeat to the Knicks. "We just really wanted to pick up one (win), and we didn't do that." --The Nets are trying to get whole again, but it is a slow and arduous task. Devin Harris returned Saturday after missing 10 games with a strained groin, but the Nets still are missing six players, including two starters, forward Yi Jianlian and guard Courtney Lee. Also among the missing is Jarvis Hayes, who was the Nets' best bench player last season.
And while the immediate future still looks grim, Harris provides an element of hope.
"He played well, really well. He got us moving on offense, got us going up and down the floor, he was finding the corner man a lot," teammate Josh Boone offered about Harris. "He's always been a good passer, always a good feel for where everybody on the court is."
But the Nets are not expecting too much too soon.
"For the time he's missed, I thought he gave great effort and made some great hustle plays. He gave us a paint attacker," said coach Lawrence Frank. "It's going to take a couple of weeks for him to get his conditioning, and we're going to have to play him in short stretches, but I thought he did a very good job."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "This is my first time ever being in a position like this. It's brand new to me. ... It definitely weighs on you." -- F/G Chris Douglas-Roberts, on the Nets' 0-13 start.
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