NBA

No change in sight for banged-up, 4-46 Nets

If the Nets were a horse, they would be put out of their misery.

But no merciful veterinarian is available, so the 4-46 Nets plod on with little to no hope for this train wreck of a season. Attainable goals are getting the No. 1 pick for John Wall (even that’s a 1-in-4 shot) and trying to avoid the NBA’s worst record ever.

If there is change, it could come after the All-Star break. Team president Rod Thorn will meet with Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov and likely will learn his own fate. Prokhorov is expected to be approved as the Nets’ new owner next month.

Until Thorn knows about his situation, there’s not much he can do. Thorn, who previously said he had no plans for a coaching change, said yesterday he would “probably not” replace interim Kiki Vandeweghe, who has compiled a 4-28 record and this week lost assistant coach Del Harris.

Harris hired on as an assistant (for $200,000) with the chance, but no promise, of being head coach if the Nets turned it around. But there has been no turnaround, and when it was made clear to Harris, 72, he had no shot, he left.

Some have suggested Thorn has a “short list” of coaching candidates, but he emphatically denied that.

“Have I thought of some names? Of course,” said Thorn, who likely would present names to Prokhorov. “But I have discussed those names with no one. So for someone to say this guy is on the list or that guy is on the list, is wrong.”

Players are distraught, ticked off and some want to be anywhere but here. Thorn denied that he would release veterans, such as Bobby Simmons and Trenton Hassell, if unable to accommodate them with a trade. They could be bought out, but players rarely look to give up money.

“I’m very hopeful we can work something out,” said agent Mark Bartelstein, who represents both Simmons and Hassell. “Those guys deserve it and could help a playoff team. Rod and Kiki feel the same.”

Thorn said he doesn’t anticipate a trade. What about releasing players? “I just don’t see that at all,” Thorn said.

Interest in Nets players is lukewarm. Some teams, including Toronto, like Hassell. There is interest in Josh Boone, but he has fallen out of the rotation and off the radar and is a hard sell. Teams like Chris Douglas-Roberts for his minor salary ($736,000), but he would not bring back value — and the Nets like him, too.

“We’re not looking to trade Chris,” Thorn said. “He’s more guard than forward but through circumstance, has played forward and still had very good moments. I can understand why [teams] like him. He has talent and a small salary.”

Thorn declined to trade targets but one team official said don’t expect the Nets to be traders in the big man sweepstakes of potential free agents: “The Jazz are talking to a lot of teams about [Carlos] Boozer but we’re not one of them,” the official said.

In the latest loss, Saturday’s 99-92 defeat at Detroit that ended a seemingly “soft” seven-game part of the schedule when the Nets went 1-6, both Devin Harris (mild left shoulder sprain) and Jarvis Hayes (left shin bruise) were injured in a late game collision. X-rays were negative on both. Their status for tomorrow night at Cleveland was not known, but it’s not looking good.

“Jarvis, he could barely walk and Devin was sore,” Thorn said. “The X-rays said there was nothing [structurally] wrong but we’ll have to see.”

fred.kerber@nypost.com