SACRAMENTO – If it gets much worse, and watching these guys you know that somehow it can, the Nets must do something on the trade front.
Ideally, they want to wait and see what they are with the return of Nenad Krstic. Team president Rod Thorn sees nothing imminent, despite talks with virtually everybody. Thorn sees what everyone sees, but he is not about to deal just for the sake of change.
“You never know when something is going to come up that you feel can help you. Sometimes it comes when you’re playing well, sometimes when you’re not playing as well,” said Thorn. “We’re always open to something we feel might help us.
“I don’t see anything on the horizon right now, but we’re always open.”
Thorn has preached patience, but, asked if he is a patient man, flatly said “no,” but . . .
“You have to be realistic,” he said. “And I think most times, I’m realistic. Even with what has transpired, we’re percentage points out of the playoffs, and I keep thinking we’re going to start playing better and we’ll make a nice run.”
Maybe that comes with Krstic, who was shut down after 12 games. Now, he nears a return. He played one-on-one with Bostjan Nachbar on Monday, a huge step.
“He looked good,” Nachbar said, “but I killed him.”
The Nets need Krstic to be the same player he was before the injury.
“I feel good,” said Krstic. “I don’t feel any pressure (to start a turnaround). I want to be back. I want to be normal again, play basketball first, enjoy playing basketball again. That’s my first goal. If I’m back I’m sure I’m going to help. To be like before the injury, that’s my goal right now.”
If he is, he would make a big difference. He suspects it, won’t say it.
“I don’t want to be arrogant,” Krstic said, “(but) I think I would help.”
But the Nets don’t want to get their hopes too high.
“He’s not even on the map right now so you can’t look at that,” Jason Kidd said.
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Lawrence Frank said Antoine Wright is one of the team’s best perimeter defenders: “Outside of Kidd . . . he’s second best.”