ORLANDO, Fla. — Gerald Green is taking nothing for granted this time.
When he came into the league out of high school, he thought he knew everything when he really knew nothing. But after trades and releases, bouncing around, he thinks he has found a home with the Nets.
And though there is talk of Green being signed for next season, he just wants to make it through to the end of this campaign. His second and final 10-day deal expires Sunday.
“Honestly, I haven’t really spoken with my agent yet,” Green said, who scored 14 points, all in the first half, to lead the Nets, who lost 86-70 to the Magic Friday night. “Right now, we’re talking about just signing me for the end of this year. I think they were talking about things for next year, but right now it’s just this year.
“So we talked about it and we haven’t really closed anything yet, but they’re talking about having me here for the rest of the year, maybe next year.”
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Gerald Wallace not only will make his debut for the Nets Saturday nigh, but he’s going to start according to coach Avery Johnson, who sees a chance for the Nets to make some noise in their hoped-for but possibly unrealistic playoff run.
“Brook Lopez is our center. We’re trying to get him healthy right now,” Johnson said. “Kris Humphries is our power forward. Gerald Wallace will be starting for us at small forward tomorrow night, and MarShon Brooks and Deron [Williams] will be in the backcourt. So that’s all we’re focused on right now.”
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Deron Williams sat a fourth straight game with a sore right calf. Plus, Jordan Farmar was in the infirmary with a sore right groin, meaning Sundiata Gaines started at point in the 19th different starting lineup of the season. When Wallace starts tonight, that will make 20.
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The game was a statistical nightmare for the Nets, who equaled their season low in points. Consider, the starting backcourt of Gaines (2-of-13) and Brooks (1-of-11) was a dreadful 3-of-24 (.125). Johan Petro led in minutes (31:47), and he actually outrebounded Dwight Howard, 7-6.
The most numbing number of all? The Nets starters had seven points in the first half.
“It was tough,” Johnson said. “Our starters had, I think, seven points at the half? I don’t think I’ve seen that in a long time — if ever.”
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Hey Nets fans: there’s hope. Howard, who has been led by agent Dan Fegan (and all accounts said Fegan wanted him in Brooklyn), has not changed representation. Asked if Fegan were still his agent, Howard replied, “Yes, he’s still my agent. … What’s that got do with the game?”
Someone said he was “just curious” and Howard claimed, “Just curious? Huh. You know what happened to the cat who was curious?”
And Howard, very softly, said “No,” when asked if it were strange to play the Nets first after his self-inflicted ordeal.
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Green said he thinks having Wallace and Deron Williams back together tonight could make all the difference.
“D-Will is the best point guard in the league,” Green said. “He’s unbelievable. We definitely miss him as far as getting the team going. He does a great job of getting the team channeled. He does a great job of making sure everybody is in the right spot, where we go offensively and defensively. He’s our leader, our captain.
“He’s the engine to our car, and Gerald Wallace he might be the battery.”
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Johnson said the game changed at the start of the third quarter. After being down 10 at halftime, the Magic added five points in less than a minute.
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Anthony Morrow went to the locker room late after getting hit in the mouth — again. He has four temporary teeth after losing four earlier and then having his original temporaries knocked out.
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The Nets received a nice effort from 10-day contract guy Jerry Smith, who was brought up from Springfield Thursday. Smith and coach Avery Johnson agreed the familiarity from Springfield using similar sets and terminology helped.
“I was very comfortable,” said Smith, who claimed his goal was “play hard. Play hard and leave it on the floor.”
“Coach made it really easy for me. He gave me some sets to run. In Springfield, we run the same sets they do, so it wasn’t that hard for me to jump in the mix. I had fun.”
“That’s the whole idea with this experiment — having a D-League team that runs most of our offense [with] basically, the same defensive terminology,” Johnson said
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DeShawn Stevenson on losing starter’s job to Wallace: “At the end of the day, I just want to win and I think Gerald will help us. D-Will obviously will help us. So it’s an addition. Whenever my name is called, I’m going out there to be a pro. … It’s a good pickup. At the end of the day, it’s basketball, and we’re trying to win. He’s a great player and it’s going to cut into my minutes, but I’m a pro.”
fred.kerber@nypost.com