Kevin Durant passed Dale Ellis to set a franchise record for scoring in a season with 40 points on 13-of-22 shooting (2-of-4 from downtown, 12-of-12 from the foul line) to go with nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 116-108 win over the Wolves on Sunday.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Okalahoma City: Russell Westbrook had a career-high 16 assists on Sunday, and scored 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting to go with two rebounds and two steals in 32 minutes against the Wolves. He has been a bit all over the board recently, but keeping that in perspective his struggles have simply brought him back to the pack, and at the same time he has shown signs that he’s ready to be an elite PG once again.

Minnesota: Ryan Gomes hit four 3-point buckets on his way to 22 points on Sunday, finishing with a 7-of-13 mark from the field to go with three rebounds and no assists.

New Jersey: Devin Harris scored 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting (including a three) with three rebounds, three assists, and a steal in the New Jersey Nets’ loss to the Wizards on Sunday. He has been banged up and is a shutdown risk, as usual.. Brook Lopez also chipped in with 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting (10-of-11 from the foul line) with five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.

Toronto: Chris Bosh’s 42 points weren’t enough in the Toronto Raptors’ 113-112 loss to the Warriors on Sunday, as he hit 11-of-19 shots from the field (20-of-23 from the foul line) with 12 rebounds, no assists, five steals, and a block. The loss means that the Raptors are still fighting for their playoff lives

Oakland: Coach Don Nelson tied Lenny Wilkins for most career wins as a coach on Sunday, as Corey Maggette led the charge with 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting (including a three) with four rebounds, four assists, and a steal in 37 minutes.

Oakland: Stephen Curry neared a triple-double with 29 points on 10-of-23 shooting (including five threes) with eight rebounds, 12 assists, three steals, and two blocks against the Raptors on Sunday.

Thaddeus Young has a fractured right thumb and is out indefinitely. So much for Thadd just having a cracked thumbnail. His thumb will be placed in a removable cast and he’s been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Nets. The only good news is that the injury is to Young’s non-shooting hand, but there is no timetable for his return. This means Lou Williams’ spot in the starting five should be safe going forward.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Indiana: Danny Granger exited with under a minute remaining in Tuesday’s game after being elbowed in the face. Granger appeared woozy on his way to the locker room and didn’t return to the game. He scored 26 points with three 3-pointers, eight rebounds and five turnovers before leaving.

New Jersey: Nets big man Josh Boone swooped in for a season-high 20 rebounds in Tuesday’s game, adding 13 points on 5-of-7 FGs and 3-of-5 FTs. Clearly Boone was doing something right tonight, but the eventual return of Yi Jianlian is one reason for skepticism, as is Boone’s career 45% free throw shooting.

New Jersey: Terrence Williams made just 5-of-16 shots in Tuesday’s loss, but added 5-of-6 free throws to finish with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists.

San Antonio: Manu Ginobili led the San Antonio Spurs with 22 points on Tuesday, making 7-of-14 FGs, 2-of-5 threes, and 6-of-6 FTs. Manu played nearly 36 minutes after playing just 18 in an easy win on Saturday.

Miami: Michael Beasley returned from his bruised thigh on Tuesday with just six points on 3-of-10 shooting, five rebounds, and zero assists. The Miami Heat were dead in the water for most of this game (interrupted only by a brief, bench-led surge in the second half) and it’s hard how much of Beasley’s struggles were caused by his recent injury.

Atlanta: Playing SG on Tuesday, veteran Mike Bibby (back) had 10 points, two 3-pointers, three rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes.

Atlanta: Jamal Crawford made 11-of-18 field goals for 25 points on Tuesday, adding two 3-pointers, three rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes. It didn’t hurt that Joe Johnson was out, but when Crawford gets hot he tends to score 20+ regardless of the circumstances.

Charlotte: Stephen Jackson was very active with Gerald Wallace out on Tuesday — he piled up 20 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three steals, two blocks and six turnovers in over 47 minutes.

The Wolves have suspended Al Jefferson for two games following his recent arrest on suspicion of DWI. Maybe with Big Al out Kurt Rambis will give Kevin Love a full set of minutes, but we’re not holding our breath. Darko Milicic also stands to benefit and could get as much run as he can handle, which isn’t saying much since he’s getting winded by just 22-24 mpg. Regardless, he’s worth watching to see how this plays out.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Miami: Dwyane Wade (calf) was a surprise participant in Sunday’s 96-80 loss to the Orlando Magic, and scored 21 points on 6-of-17 shooting with five rebounds, five assists, and one steal.

Milwaukee: John Salmons went off for season-high 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting (including two 3-pointers) with eight rebounds, four assists, and one steal.

New Jersey: Yi Jianlian scored 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting with a career-high 19 rebounds to go with two assists and a steal on Sunday.

Washington: Andray Blatche exploded for a career-high 36 points on 17-of-31 shooting with 15 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks, and hit two key jumpers with under 44 seconds left in the Wizards’ 89-85 win over the New Jersey Nets on Sunday. We can’t say enough about Blatche, who is the undisputed No. 1 option offensively for the Wizards. Tonight, they were force-feeding him the ball to the point that he was getting tired as a result of it.

Cleveland: Shaquille O’Neal will have surgery on this right thumb in Baltimore on Monday, and a timetable for his return will be announced after that. Surgery usually means a 6-8 week timetable for recovery, which means the appropriate question is whether or not he’ll be able to return for the NBA playoffs.

Cleveland: According to sources close to Phil Jackson, LeBron James has expressed interest in joining the Los Angeles Lakers. “LeBron wants to win. He’s a smart guy, and Phil loves LeBron, absolutely loves him,” according to the report. Obviously, there is way too much involved with a situation like this for one blurb, but if the report holds water then look for this to become a big storyline in the upcoming days.

The Cavaliers have reportedly made “significant progress” in their pursuit of Antawn Jamison, offering Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jamario Moon and a No. 1 draft pick in exchange for Jamison and Mike James. It sounds like the Cavs are deciding between this proposal and a deal for Amare Stoudemire, but either way they seem set on acquiring a complementary PF. The activity by the Cleveland Cavaliers at this seasons trade deadline is a last ditched effort to sign James to a long term deal.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Houston: The Houston Knicks are reportedly close to a trade for Tracy McGrady, which would include Jared Jeffries, Larry Hughes and rookie Jordan Hill to the Rockets, along with a swap of 2011 first-round picks and New York’s 2012 first-round pick. The only outstanding issue appears to be the proper protection for the picks. If the Knicks’ want stringent protection the Rockets apparently also have a standing offer from the Bulls, though that sounds more like leverage than anything else.

Chicago: Derrick Rose went off for 29 points on 14-for-18 shooting in Tuesday’s win over the Knicks. Clearly, Rose’s hip/back issue did not bother him. He added six assists, three rebounds and a steal.

Phoenix: Jason Richardson exploded for 27 points on Tuesday, making 12-of-17 FGs (including 2-of-5 from downtown) in his highest-scoring game since early November. He also had six rebounds, two steals, two blocks and just one turnover.

Dallas: Butler started at SG in his Mavericks debut, posting 13 points on 4-of-16 shooting, with six rebounds, one steal, one block and four turnovers. He played 31 minutes.

Detroit: Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko scored 21 points vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves, one point shy of his season-high, making 9-of-13 FGs with one 3-pointer, three rebounds, two steals and zero turnovers. And he played just 21 minutes. Jerebko seems capable of averaging a double-double if he played enough, but he hasn’t cracked the 30-minute barrier in February.

New Jersey: Courtney Lee scored 21 points on Tuesday, leading the New Jersey Nets to a surprise road victory against the Bobcats. Lee was awful through most of January, but has quietly settled down in February. He made 7-of-11 FGs and 6-of-8 FTs in this game, adding one 3-pointer, five rebounds, three assists, one steal and just one turnover.

Jamal Crawford led the Hawks to a 100-91 win over the Boston Celtics on Friday, scoring 28 points on 9-of-16 shooting (3-of-7 from downtown, 7-of-7 from the foul line) with three rebounds, six assists and two steals in 39 minutes off the bench. Crawford will continue to score if given the opportunity.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Philadelphia: Allen Iverson turned back the clock Friday night, dueling with Kobe Bryant on his way to a season-high 23 points. AI also added two three’s, four assists, one steal and one block. He went shot-for-shot with Kobe during a memorable third quarter that brought back memories of the 2001 NBA Finals. All that said, we’d sell high on Iverson right now. He’s had 20+ points in two of his last three games and someone should be ready to bite on the name recognition.

Los Angeles: Kobe Bryant shook off a minor leg injury and scored 22 points in the second half of Friday’s win in Philadelphia. Kobe finished with 24 points, four rebounds, three steals, two blocks and three assists.

Portland: Coach Nate McMillan said that Brandon Roy (hamstring) is not expected to make his return on Monday. Roy will be re-evaluated on Monday and the Portland Trail Blazers are now hopeful that he gets back on the court by Feb. 3 or 4.

Denver: Carmelo Anthony (ankle) will not play Friday against the Thunder. Coach George Karl said that the ankle has worsened since playing in Houston on Wednesday, adding that the ankle had swollen up on the flight to Oklahoma City Thunder and that they’ll be taking a “wait and see process.”

Minnesota: Kevin Love will continue to come off the bench against the Clippers on Friday, with Ryan Hollins starting at center and Ryan Gomes at small forward.

New Jersey: Devin Harris (wrist) will not play against the Wizards on Friday. Harris is improving, but tonight will mark the third straight game he’s missed with this injury. We don’t have a timetable on his return but the New Jersey Nets will play it safe considering Harris is their best trade bait and their record is 4-40. Keyon Dooling gets another start.

Tim Duncan had 21 points, a career-high 27 rebounds (10 offensive), six assists and one block in Wednesday’s easy win over the Hawks. He dominated Al Horford (2-of-10, 4 & 9) tonight despite hitting just 5-of-20 shots. It was a strange night for Duncan, who had the biggest rebounding night of his 12-year career and hit 11-of-11 free throws. We don’t know why he would be on any fantasy benches, but hopefully he was in there for you tonight. Amazingly, Duncan has never lost to the Hawks when he has played in a game against them.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

San Antonio: Tony Parker suffered a left ankle sprain on Wednesday, which appeared to be of a severe nature. He has had problems with the same ankle in the past and while X-rays were negative, it does sound like he will probably miss some time with the injury. We should know more information on Thursday. Our guess is George Hill, who was already starting at shooting guard, will take over at point guard if Parker is out.

Chicago: Joakim Noah hit 6-of-10 shots for 13 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and two blocks in Wednesday’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s playing through a painful foot injury, but looked great tonight. Go ahead and keep him active. Derrick Rose added 26 points and seven assists in this one.

Cleveland: .J. Hickson got hot early and hit 8-of-10 shots for a career-high 23 points to go along with eight rebounds and a block in Wednesday’s easy win over the Wolves. We’ve seen Hickson do this before and it usually happens when he hits a bunch of shots early. He was scoreless in his last game, but had 11 points and 14 boards in the previous one.

New Jersey: Keyon Dooling started in place of injured Devin Harris and had 18 points, eight assists and two 3-pointers on 7-of-13 shooting as the New Jersey Nets beat the Clippers for their fourth win of the year on Wednesday.

New Jersey: Kris Humphries scored a career-high 25 points to go along with eight rebounds, a steal and a block, and hit 10-of-14 shots as the Nets won for the just the fourth time this season by beating the Los Angeles Clippers in Jersey. The Nets avoided the worst 44-game start in NBA history with the 103-87 win and you can bet Humps has probably earned more playing time after this effort. Brook Lopez added 19 points and nine rebounds in the win, helping the Nets snap an 11-game losing streak.

Milwaukee: Carlos Delfino left Wednesday’s game against the Sixers in the second half with an ankle sprain. We’re assuming this is an aggravation of the ankle Delfino rolled on Tuesday. He had just six points, five rebounds and no 3-pointers in 24 minutes before getting hurt.

Flip Saunders met with the grand jury regarding the Gilbert Arenas gun situation and has also banned gambling from the team plane. Flip met with them on Thursday, while several Wizards’ players were scheduled to meet with them on Friday.

The New Jersey Nets have also banned gambling on the plane and our guess is the NBA will come out and officially do the same for all teams at some point. A day after Arenas’ indefinite suspension, anything pertaining to Arenas has been removed from the Verizon Center in Washington. It appears that Arenas will never play for the Wizards again, and he will have to re-build his image with another team.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Orlando: Orlando Magic G Vince Carter left Friday’s game after spraining his left shoulder while fighting through a screen against the Wizards. He was in tremendous pain on the floor and went directly to the locker room, although he did not require a wheel chair for his shoulder injury. J.J. Redick and Mickael Pietrus should absorb most of his minutes while Carter is recovering.

Philadelphia: Allen Iverson hit 7-of-13 shots for a season-high 22 points to go along with two rebounds, four assists, a steal and a 3-pointer in Friday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors, but the good news ends there. Iverson was hit in the left knee tonight, aggravating a previous injury, and is not traveling with the team to Detroit for Saturday’s game.

Washington: Randy Foye started at point guard for the Wizards on Friday, finishing with 20 points, four rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two 3-pointers in a win over the Magic. He hit just 5-of-17 shots and left the game to get stitches in his mouth, but looks like the starting point guard for the Wizards for the foreseeable future.

Washington: Mike Miller returned from a 21-game absence with a calf injury Friday and started, scoring six points in 39 minutes. He also had six rebounds, six assists and a 3-pointer, which is a pretty encouraging line for his first game since November.

Oklahoma City: Kevin Durant missed Friday’s practice because of his right ankle, which he evidently sprained Monday against the Bulls.

Detroit: Rodney Stuckey (knee) will be in the Pistons’ lineup when they face the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday. Stuckey left Wednesday’s game after landing awkwardly on his knee, but he practiced Friday and coach John Kuester said he liked what he saw from his durable guard.

Kevin Garnett (thigh) went through a full shootaround on Wednesday, but the Celtics may opt to hold him out of games on Wednesday and Saturday. The Boston Celtics are reporting that Garnett’s current trouble is related to his bruised thigh, which got kicked in Monday’s game against the Warriors.

The good news is that this sounds precautionary and the Celtics see an opportunity to get Garnett a week of rest with only two games scheduled in the next seven days. In the long run we remain concerned about KG holding up, especially considering his injury plagued 2009 season, but it looks like the thigh isn’t a major issue.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

New Jersey: Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger reports that Chris Douglas-Roberts (ankle) has been cleared to return to action on Wednesday. CDR tweeted earlier that he’d be back in action, but it’s good to see the official news coming from a New Jersey Nets beat reporter. It should be safe to activate him in daily leagues, though it’s possible he’ll be rusty in his first game since Dec. 19.

Los Angeles: Lakers G Kobe Bryant’s offensive tear continued on Tuesday, as he scored a season-high 44 points (13-of-27 FGs, 16-of-16 FTs) against the Warriors. He added four rebounds and 11 assists, with just one turnover. Kobe came into this game 0.1 ppg behind Carmelo Anthony for the league lead in scoring, and will be #1 after this gem. This was the 103rd game in his career that he’s scored at least 40 points.

Los Angeles: As expected, Ron Artest did not play in Tuesday’s game vs. the Warriors. He is hoping to return against Sacramento on Friday. “He’ll get a workout in [Wednesday],” said Phil Jackson. “The big danger is obviously elevating heart rate and blood pressure in this type of situation, so that’s going to be something that we monitor.” When Artest returns to the lineup, expect reduced minutes.

Washington: The Wizards allowed the Thunder to score 110 points on 54% shooting, coach Flip Saunders hinted that a lineup change could be imminent. “Spots will be open. If guys don’t like it, that’s fine,” said Saunders. “Guys want to come out of the zone [defense] and play man-to-man, but they can’t guard anybody. The Wizards have been on of the biggest disappointment thus far in 2010.

New Orleans: David West scored a career-high 44 points vs. the Houston  Rockets on Tuesday — he made 18-of-30 FGs, 2-of-4 three-pointers, and 6-of-8 FTs. West even pitched in 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals, but New Orleans couldn’t pull out the victory and dropped to 13-16 on the season.

Blazers G Rudy Fernandez will miss 4-to-6 weeks after undergoing a microdiscectomy Tuesday to relieve leg pain caused by a nerve root in lower back. “He can get going right away on conditioning… He can swim, it’s more the impact of running and jumping [that might take longer],” Dr. Rich Edelson of Sports Medicine Oregon said Tuesday. Martell Webster, Andre Miller and Jarryd Bayless should pick up extra minutes in Fernandez’s absence, although Miller isn’t willing to play small forward.

Denver: Kenyon Martin will not play Tuesday against the Charlotte Bobcats because of a dislocated pinkie finger.

Toronto: Jose Calderon (hip) will not play Tuesday against the Timberwolves. Calderon went through shootaround and sounded like he might play, but a hip flexor injury flared up after practice and the Toronto Raptors decided to have him sit. Coach Jay Triano said Jarrett Jack will start in Calderon’s place.

Oakland: Warriors F Anthony Randolph flew to Arkansas to deal with a family emergency instead of New York for Wednesday’s game against the Nets. The team said that it hopes Randolph will be back with the team in the “next couple of days,” leaving his availability for Wednesday in doubt.

Indiana: Danny Granger will miss four-to-six weeks with torn plantar fascia in his right foot.

New Jersey: In addition to drawing the ire of the New Jersey Nets‘ braintrust with his recent posts on Twitter, Terrence Williams appears to be at odds with some of his teammates. Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger reports that at Tuesday’s shootaround, Williams “seemed more isolated than ever before.” And teammate Rafer Alston added, “Every day he comes in, he just looks like he’s in a funk and he looks like he’s just not there. I asked him yesterday on the bus how he’s doing, and he just had nothing to say. He had this blank look on his face, like he’s just confused.”

Chicago: K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune Tyrus Thomas’ broken forearm is not yet ready to absorb contact. This Friday will mark five weeks that Thomas has been sidelined, and though no return date has been set, it looks like fantasy owners will need to be patient for at least another week or two. Taj Gibson will continue to get the majority of minutes at PF in Thomas’ absence.

Dallas: Mavs GM Donnie Nelson says that Tim Thomas’ alleged involvement in a brawl at Denny’s early Wednesday morning is being “overblown.”
“What I can tell you is that Tim was not involved,” he said. “He’s 30 years old with a wife and kids. When the situation started to escalate, he left the property immediately. Certainly we’re working with authorities and our security folks to get to the bottom of it. But this is something that’s way, way, way overblown.” It is possible that media reports have overstated Thomas’ involvement in the incident, and we’ll continue to track this story as more developments surface.

The Nets announced Sunday that Yi Jianlian suffered an upper lip laceration on Saturday that required 50 stitches to close. This puts the breaks on the Yi Jianlian show for at least one more week. He will be re-evaluated next Monday, so it appears we’ll be getting geared up for his return prior to Week Nine. Can it get any worse for the 1-19 Nets?

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Indiana: Pacers F Danny Granger left the arena in a walking boot on Saturday night and will have an MRI to determine the severity of his heel injury. “We won’t know more until he gets an MRI when we get back to Indianapolis,” coach Jim O’Brien said. The Pacers are off until Wednesday and play three games in Week 7. Granger might be healthy enough to play in all three, but is probably too risky to start unless we get the MRI results on Monday afternoon.

New York: Despite missing Saturday’s practice, Danilo Gallinari is expected to play through a sore forearm on Sunday, according to the New York Times. We’re not convinced Gallo’s a great play today, but you might as well throw him out there if he’s going to play. Our guess is that he’s a game-time decision, dependent on how he’s feeling in pre-game warmups.

Philadelphia: Coach Eddie Jordan said that he “anticipates” putting Allen Iverson in the starting lineup against the Denver Nuggets on Monday. This isn’t a huge surprise, but it’s nice to get some confirmation heading into the Sixers’ three-game week.

Philadelphia: Andre Iguodala (ankle) missed practice Sunday, and is a game-time decision for Monday’s game against the Nuggets.

Portland: Greg Oden underwent successful surgery on his fractured left patella and, as expected, will miss the rest of the year according to a statement released by the Portland Trail Blazers. Joel Przybilla should step in and become the starting center, and now there is a greater urgency for the Blazers to move Andre Miller in order to shore up their frontcourt. Oden’s absence may actually help the offense, allowing Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge more space to operate with.

Detroit: Pistons G Ben Gordon played just 11 minutes on his sprained ankle, managing just five points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal on Sunday. Gordon has said he wouldn’t be playing unless the team needed him, but hobbling through 11 minutes can’t be helping the team that much, and it’s certainly not helping his fantasy owners. He should be benched until he gets a clean bill of health, or turns in a game with significant minutes

Monta Ellis set a season-high in scoring for the second straight night on Wednesday, scoring 42-points on 16-of-25 shooting with four rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block. The 42 points also tied a career-high for Ellis. Just a day after playing all 48 minutes, Ellis went for 44 minutes tonight and there’s no reason to think he won’t keep it up with the Warriors so short-handed. Is Ellis still on the trading block?

Elsewhere around the NBA:

New Jersey: Brook Lopez had 32 points, 14 rebounds, a steal and two blocks on 13-of-25 shooting as the New Jersey Nets lost by 10 to the Blazers to run their record to 0-15. They’re two losses from starting out 0-17 to match the 1988-89 Heat for the worst start in NBA history.

New Jersey: Devin Harris hit just 2-of-6 shots for six points, three assists and two steals as the Nets lost again on Wednesday. He’s clearly not at 100 percent but is at least playing through his groin injury.

Indiana: Pacers beat reporter Mike Wells reports that Danny Granger will not play on Wednesday due to a sprained left MCL.

Portland: Blazers C Greg Oden had 18 points, eight boards, a steal and four more blocks in Wednesday’s win over the Nets. Oden is having a good year and is starting to pay dividends as the No. 1 overall pick. If the Portland Trail Blazers are going to advance in the playoffs, he will need to play well and stay healthy.

Houston: Rockets F/C Carl Landry hit 9-of-11 shots and had a team-high 24 points to go along with six boards in Wednesday’s loss. Landry is quietly having a good year.

Dallas Mavericks: Jason Terry hit 10-of-11 shots and all four of his 3-point attempts on his way to 27 points and a season-high 10 assists on Wednesday. Look for Terry to win the fifth man of the year award.

Dallas: Jason Kidd had nine points and seven assists to pass Mark Jackson for No. 2 on the all-time assists list with 10,337. He still has a long way to go to catch John Stockton at 15,806, but this is quite a milestone for Kidd

Dallas: Shawn Marion had 12 points, three boards and one assist in 31 minutes after missing a few games with an ankle injury. He’ll be better on most nights, but the time off with the injury obviously negatively impacted him tonight.

It turns out that former NBA player Jayson Williams will not be in a New Jersey courtroom on Friday. State Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman delayed a hearing in Somerville in which Williams was expected to plead guilty, indefinitely. A person with direct Knowledge of the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of a gag order imposed by Coleman, told The Associated Press that the delay was partly because of travel problems Williams experienced getting to New Jersey from his home in South Carolina.

Several sources have reported that Williams will plead guilty to an assault charge that would carry a minimum 18-month sentence because a gun was involved. Williams was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter in 2004 but convicted of covering up the shooting at his central New Jersey mansion. The jury deadlocked on a reckless manslaughter count and as a result, Williams has been awaiting a second trial for reckless manslaughter, which carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.

Williams has been free on bail since the Feb. 14, 2002, shooting of Costas “Gus” Christofi. He paid more than $2 million in 2003 to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Christofi’s family. At the 2004 trial, witnesses testified that Williams, who had been drinking, was showing off a shotgun in his bedroom when he snapped it shut and it fired, hitting Christofi in the chest and killing him. They also said Williams put the gun in the dead man’s hands and told them to lie about what happened.

Years of legal sparring followed the trial and came to a head this fall when current and former prosecutors were forced to testify about a former investigator’s use of a racial slur to describe Williams. The slur was made in a law enforcement meeting before the trial but was not divulged to defense attorneys for more than three years after, leading to defense claims that racism had tainted the investigation. But Coleman denied Williams’ lawyers request to throw the case out because of prosecutorial misconduct and racial bias.

The 41-year-old Williams played nine seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets before a leg injury forced him to retire in 2000. He attempted a short-lived comeback in the minor league Continental Basketball Association in 2005.

Only nine games into the season, the New Orleans Hornets have fired head coach Byron Scott. The move will be formally announced at a news conference Thursday afternoon. “Our expectations are high. Our sense of urgency is high. Our patience is low and we hope that translates into results quickly,” GM Jeff Bower explained.

GM Jeff Bower will take over as the head coach of the Hornets. Bower is a one-time Hornets assistant, but has never been a head coach in the NBA. Former head coach Tim Floyd will also rejoin the Hornets as Bower’s top assistant.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Minnesota: Al Jefferson will miss the Timberwolves’ next two games because of an illness in his family.
Jefferson has been somewhat inconsistent this season while recovering from February’s knee surgery, but is still averaging 15.1 points and 6.1 rebounds, and his absence is a big blow to fantasy owners. Jefferson is expected to be back with the team for next Wednesday’s game against the Rockets.

New York: Rookie PG Toney Douglas has averaged 22 points over his last two games and could be on the verge of replacing Chris Duhon at point guard. With the New York Knicks season basically over, why not give the rookie a chance to impress?

Oakland: Head coach Don Nelson said Stephen Jackson was limited to just 18 minutes on Wednesday due to a back or hip injury, although Jackson disagrees. “I’m fine,” Jackson said. “I’ve got a scratch. That’s all it is. My back is not sore at all.” Nelson and Jackson’s relationship has been damaged beyond repair, and Jackson is still not happy. “Regardless of where I’m at, I want to play. I have no control over that, but I want to play.” Nelson said the team is trying to trade Jackson. “He asked to be traded, and we’d like to trade him. That’s if we can.” No trade appears to be imminent.

New Jersey: New Jersey Nets G Chris Douglas-Roberts returned to practice Thursday after missing eight days with the swine flu. CDR said he wants to play, but would not commit to being ready for Friday’s game against the Magic. Stay tuned for updates leading up to Friday’s game
.
Orlando: Ryan Anderson said his ankle is feeling better, but is unlikely to play in Friday’s game against the Nets. He expects to return Monday against the Bobcats. “I was hoping to play tomorrow … but it’s looking great for Monday instead,” Anderson said after practice Thursday. Rashard Lewis is also expected to return to the Magic lineup Monday, causing any fantasy value Anderson might have carried to diminish

ESPN’s Mark Jackson reported Wednesday that Phil Jackson was kidding when he said that Paul Gasol could be out until Christmas. Jackson also said that Pau is day-to-day, but won’t play Thursday. That’s all well and good, but the reports we’ve seen indicate that Gasol is not likely to play for the next two weeks.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Cleveland: Cleveland Cavaliers SF LeBron James says he will no longer discuss the summer of 2010 and his pending free agency. Apparently the “do you want to play with Dwyane Wade in Miami?” questions pushed him over the edge. “I think I owe it to my teammates, I owe it to myself,” he said. “It’s just getting old. I’m focusing on this season.”

Cleveland: Cavs G Delonte West will not play on Wednesday and is on the inactive list.
He apparently missed a team flight on Tuesday, which probably has a lot to do with his absence tonight. West is going to probably be more of a headache than he’s worth to fantasy owners this season.

Detroit: Detroit Pistons PF Charlie Villanueva scored a season-high 30 to go along with two 3-pointers, four rebounds, two steals and a block. Villanueva hit 13-of-17 shots and outscored the Bobcats 18-12 in the second quarter. He’s averaging 19 ppg over his last six and is starting to get comfortable with his new team.

Portland: A healthy Blazers C Greg Oden had 18 points, 11 rebounds, a steal and a block on 8-of-10 shooting in a dominant win over the Timberwolves. Oden played just three quarters and dominated Al Jefferson, who is obviously far from full strength after knee surgery. Jefferson had just 14 points and six rebounds against Oden, and is averaging just six boards per game.

New Jersey: Nets C Brook Lopez had 23 points, 14 boards, a steal and a block in another loss on Wednesday. The New Jersey Nets have yet to win a game, but Lopez is an early season bright spot on what appears to be a bad team.

San Antonio: As expected, Spurs PF Tim Duncan and PG Tony Parker are not playing for the Spurs on Wednesday due to ankle injuries. DeJuan Blair and George Hill are starting in their place. Both Duncan and Parker did come out and loosen up before the game and are possibilities to play on Saturday. We’re guessing both could have played tonight, but Gregg Popovich is going to save them as much as he can for the playoffs.

Los Angelas: Los Angelas Lakers C Andrew Bynum will play Thursday and will not be on a minutes count.
He could play as many as 35 against the Suns, and the Lakers have to hope he stays healthy now that Pau Gasol is out indefinitely with a hamstring injury.

2008-09 NBA Team Preview – New Jersey Nets

2008 Record: 34-48
Division Finish: 4th – Atlantic
2008 Playoffs: Missed the playoffs.

Head Coach: Lawrence Frank
Season: Going into sixth season
Record At New Jersey: 191-177
Career Record: Same

Offseason Acquisitions:
Yi Jianlian, F, 8.6 ppg., 5.2, rpg. – Traded from Milwaukee Bucks
Bobby Simmons, F, 7.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg.- Traded from Milwaukee Bucks
Kenyon Dooling, G, 8.1 ppg, 1.8, apg. – Traded from the Orlando Magic
Jarvis Hayes, G, 6-8, 6.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg. – Signed from Detroit Pistons
Eduardo Najera, F, 5.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg – Signed from Denver Nuggets
Julius Hodge, G, – Signed from Australia
Eddie Gill, G, – Signed as free agent.

Offseason Losses:
Richard Jefferson, F, 22.2 ppg.,4.2 rpg.  – Traded to Milwaukee Bucks
Marcus Williams, G, 5.9 ppg., 2.6 apg. – Traded to Golden State Warriors
DeSagna Diop, C, 2.5 ppg., 4.5 rpg. – Signed with the Dallas Mavericks
Bostjan Nachbar, F, 9.8 ppg., 3.5 rpg. – Signed with Russian league
Nenad Krstic, F-C, 6.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg. – Signed with Russian league.

Offseason Transactions:
None

Rookies:
Brook Lopez, C, 7-0, 19.3 ppg., 8.2 rpg., Stanford
Ryan Anderson, F, 6-10, 21.1 ppg., 9.9 rpg., Cal
Chris Douglas-Roberts, F, 6-7, 18.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg., Memphis
Brian Hamilton, G, 10.8 ppg, 5.6, Signed from Developmental League

The Skinny:
If you fell asleep and missed the entire 2007-08 NBA season you would probably have no idea who the New Jersey Nets are this year. Frankly even the most die-hard Nets fan may have a problem recognizing their own team.

For years guard Jason Kidd and forward Richard Jefferson were the faces of the franchise. But for the first time in seven seasons both of those players have a new address. Kidd was traded to the Dallas Mavericks about halfway through the season and Jefferson was moved to the Milwaukee Bucks during the offseason.

During the last couple season when the NBA trade deadline came around Kidd was always one of the players you heard mentioned. With the tread on the tires wearing thin and his scoring production starting to slip – not to mention all the off the court problems he brings – Kidd was shipped to Dallas, the team that originally drafted him.

Jefferson being sent to the Bucks was more of a surprising move. One reason may be his health over the last few years. Jefferson has only played two full seasons in the last four years. Seeing how it seems to be an every-other-year thing for Jefferson, maybe the team thought it was time to move him.

I would have thought the Nets could have gotten more for him than they did. He averaged a career-high 22.6 points per game last season – a product of Kidd being gone and New Jersey not having another scorer besides Vince Carter – and what they got in return was two players who combined don’t have Jefferson’s numbers. They picked up forwards Yi Jianlian, 8.6 ppg., and Bobby Simmons, 7.6 ppg. Not the best trade in the world.

The biggest problem I find with New Jersey is who in the world is going to score for them? Yes Carter will get his points, but his production actually slipped last year by four points per game. That was with Jefferson for the whole season and Kidd for the first part. What is he going to do now that he is the lone star on the team? He will need to score at least 30 a night, but that is not in him and he teams will really concentrate their defense on stopping him.

After Carter, the next best returning scorers on the team is point guard Devin Harris, who averaged 15.4 ppg. and 6.5 assists per game. If you think there is a significant drop off between Carter and Harris you should see the fall after Harris. New Jersey only has four of its top nine scorers back from last year’s team that ranked 25th in the league at 95.8 points per night. Yikes!

There are three players battling for the starting center position. Second-year man Josh Boone scored 8.2 ppg. and grabbed 7.3 rpg. as a reserve. The Nets picked up Yi Jianlian from Milwaukee and he comes in averaging 8.6 ppg. and 5.2 rpg. With mediocre talent in the middle, the starting job could easily go to the team’s first round draft pick, Brook Lopez from Stanford. He scored 19.3 ppg. and grabbed 8.2 rpg. for the Cardinal last season.

Another young player the team will be called upon to have more of a roll in the offense is power forward Sean Williams. In his rookie season he started 29 games, scoring 5.6 ppg. and grabbing 4.4 rpg. Just like center spot, this could be wide open because of the team’s youth. Rookie Ryan Anderson from Cal averaged 21.1 ppg. and 9.9 rpg. If Williams does not show vast improvement I could see the Nets going with Anderson or don’t be surprised if they play Lopez at the four and Jianlian/Boone at center.

Your guess is as good as mine as to who will be the Nets starting small forward when the season opens. By default the starting job goes to Bobby Simmons, but he was less than spectacular at 7.6 ppg. and 3.2 rpg. for the Bucks last season. Rookie Chris Douglas-Roberts may have a shot. He put up 18.1 ppg. and 4.1 rpg. in getting Memphis to the national championship game. Simmons has not panned out that well so why not give Douglas-Roberts a shot.

Prediction:
It is going to be another season without a playoff appearance for the Nets. I think that since they are so young that they will struggle to score points consistently. They were mediocre on offense with Jefferson and I do not see anyone filling his scoring role.

If nothing else the team may show signs of improvement down the road. With the exception of Carter and Harris, I think the other three positions on the floor are up for grabs. What you hope for in that case is for the competition to make everyone better. No one is going to be able to rest on their laurels so they are going to have to produce every night.

The entire frontcourt is going to be a battle. If Boone cannot get it done, then Lopez or Jianlian being ready to step in and take his place. The same goes for Williams in the power forward and Simmons at the small forward.

There are just too many holes on this team for them to really be a playoff team and that is saying a lot in the weak East. I think their backcourt is manageable – for now, Carter is not getting any younger – but something has to be done about the frontcourt. They really did not get much of anything for their two big trades. Who knows what general manager Rod Thorn was doing. I know you’re not going to get much for Kidd, but there should have been a market for Jefferson.

What the Nets’ biggest problem is that they lack any real talent. After Carter I am not sure that anyone of these players would be starting on 95 percent of the NBA rosters. This could be a decent team for a few years down the line, but for the immediate future they should be scouring the college and international ranks for a top big man because they are going to have a lottery pick in 2009.

2008-09 NBA Team Preview – Orlando Magic

2008 Record: 52-30
Division Finish: 1st – Southeast
2008 Playoffs: Lost, 4-1, to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals

Head Coach: Stan Van Gundy
Season: Going into second season
Record At Orlando: 52-30
Career Record: 163-103

Offseason Acquisitions:
Signed Mike Wilks, G, 2.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg, Free Agent
Signed Jeremy Richardson, F, 1.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg, Atlanta Hawks
Signed Dwayne Jones, C, 1.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, Cleveland Cavaliers
Signed Anthony Johnson, G, 5.6 ppg, 3.8 apg, Sacramento Kings
Signed Mickael Pietrus G-F, 7.2, ppg, 3.7 rpg, Golden State Warriors

Offseason Transactions:
Excersiced option on guard JJ Redick through 2009-10
Resigned center Adonal Foyle

Offseason Losses:
James Augustine, F, 1.6 ppg., 1.2, rpg, Waived
Carlos Arroyo, G, 6.9 ppg., 3.5, apg, Free Agent
Kenyon Dooling, G, 8.1 ppg, 1.8, apg, Traded to the New Jersey Nets
Maurice Williams, G-F, 9.3 ppg, 3.1 ppg., Signed with Atlanta Hawks
Pat Garrity, F, 2.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg., Retired
Bo Outlaw, F, 2.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg. , Wavied

Rookies:
Courtney Lee, G, 20.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg., Western Kentucky

The Skinny:
Outside of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, no player in the NBA may be more exciting than Orlando’s Dwight Howard. I haven’t watched the Slam Dunk competition in I don’t know how many years, but I was tuned into last year’s competition based solely on the performance of Howard. He did some amazing things with the ball and along with James could be the new face of the NBA.

Prior to Howard’s arrival in O-Town the team was struggling. They finished seventh in the Atlantic division and as a result were able to take Howard with the No. 1 pick. Within three years he had the team back in the playoffs despite a sub-.500 record which just goes to show that the East is a very weak conference.

Last season the Magic won the Southeast Division with a 52-30 record and won their first playoff series since the 1995-96 campaign as they beat Toronto, 4-1, in the first round. Their record was their best since that 95-96 campaign when they lost to the Bulls in the conference finals and was 31 wins better than the year before Howard was drafted. They were subsequently tossed from the playoffs by Detroit, 4-1.

Despite not being the prototypical NBA center that you normally think of at only 265 pounds on a 6-foot-11 frame, Howard is one of the best in the league. He averaged 20.7 points per game and 14.2 rebounds per game. He led the NBA with 69 double doubles and his 14.2 rpg. was a full rebound better than the next closest player (Marcus Camby).

As good as Howard is, he obviously can’t do it all by himself. He’s got a pair of really good supporting cast members in guard Hedo Turkoglu and forward Rashard Lewis. Turkoglu was second on the team at 19.5 ppg while grabbing 5.7 rpg. and handing out 5.0 assists per game. Lewis was just a shade back at 18.2 ppg., 4.2 rpg. and 5.4 apg. Also doing a solid job was point guard Jameer Nelson as he produced 10.9 ppg. and handed out 5.6 apg.

The problem with the Magic isn’t a lack of production at the offensive end of the court, it’s at the defensive end, particularly during the playoffs. Orlando ranked sixth in the NBA last year at 104.4 ppg. and were pretty decent at 99.0 ppg. on defense, which surprisingly ranked 11th.

However, as anyone will tell you defense is what wins you championships. If you don’t believe me, the top three defensive teams in the NBA – Detroit (90.1 ppg.), Boston (90.3 ppg.) and San Antonio (90.6 ppg.) – all made the conference finals. The Phoenix Suns have been mentioned a lot the last few years as a potential champion, but their model of all-out offense has yet to come to fruition. Twice the Suns got to the Western Finals, only to be beaten 4-1 by San Antonio and 4-2 by Dallas. Last year they dropped another 4-1 series to the Spurs.

When going up against a great defensive team like the Pistons in the playoffs, Orlando scored a mere 91.6 ppg. This shows the flaws in the idea of just trying to outscore opponents and not putting much stock in playing defense. Nine times out of 10 the better defensive team will win. Also, because Orlando had to work harder to score, they didn’t have the energy to play the necessary defense – not that they do anyways – but Detroit was only 0.5 ppg. under its regular season average of 90.7 ppg.

The playoffs is all about who can stick to their game plan and go about business as usual. Unless you’ve got a serious injury, the playoffs is not the time to have to change approach. Detroit was able to follow its game plan better than Orlando and the Pistons were the one who were able advance.

Between Howard and Lewis the Magic seem to have the defensive end pretty well covered. Where they are struggling on defense is the back court. Richard Hamilton scored more than 30 against Orlando in the final two playoff games and Chauncey Billups tossed in 28 in game two.

Prediction:
Orlando is a pretty solid team, but they need to get Howard more help. San Antonio and Detroit have five great players on the floor while the Lakers have a super star and a great player in Pau Gasol to help out Bryant. While Lewis, Turkoglu and Nelson are all pretty solid, they’re not great. The Magic must make a decision to either get one big gun, kind of like a Scotty Pippen, or build up the four other guys to be pretty good.

They lost Maurice Wiliams, who averaged 9.3 ppg., to Atlanta and replaced him with Mickael Pietrus from Golden State and his 7.2 ppg. Shooting guard JJ Reddick was one of the best college players of all time, but he has been a dud as a pro. Maybe he’ll get better or maybe he’s just going to be another in a long string of Duke players that are great in college but a flop in the league. If he could ever rise to anything close to the level that he had in Durham he could be that great No. 2 guy.

Rookie guard CourtneyLee has some potential to be a good player. He scored 20.4 ppg. at Western Kentucky, which is a pretty solid program that you’ve probably never heard much about. Lee is a good start, but he’s not going to be enough. Orlando should have another good record so they’re not going to have a draft spot where they can really get an impact player. To move up to the Detroit, Boston and Clevelands of the world they’ll have to make a trade or sign a big free agent.

There might not be a worse division in the NBA than the Southeast so unless Howard gets hurt the Magic should have no problems winning the division again this year. Orlando should win a first round series again, but that’s as far as they are going to get. Unless Stan Van Gundy can get the Magic to play better defense in crunch time they’ll be watching the conference semifinals from home.

2008 Record: 59-23
Division Finish: 1st – Central
2008 Playoffs: Lost, 4-2, to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals

Head Coach: Michael Curry
Season: First Season

Offseason Acquisitions:
Kwame Brown, C, 6-11, 5.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, Signed from Memphis Grizzles

Offseason Transactions:
Resigned forward Walter Herrman

Offseason Losses:
Jarvis Hayes, F, 6-8, 6.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, Signed with New Jersey Nets
Juan Dixon, G, 6-3, 6.5 ppg, 1.6, rpg, Signed with Washington Wizards

Rookies:
Walter Sharpe, F, 6-9, Alabama-Birmingham

The Skinny:
Teams have come and gone over the last six years in the Eastern Conference, but one constant has been the Detroit Pistons. With their core still in tact from last year’s conference finals there is no reason to believe that the team won’t be back in the Eastern Finals or beyond once again this year.

With a 59-23 record the Pistons had the second-best record in the NBA last season. The only team with a better mark was the Boston Celtics. A big reason for the two best records coming out of the same conference is that the East is pretty week. The number of really good teams in the East you can count with your ears and nose. There are only a handful of decent teams and then there are the dregs of the league.

The West is completely different. You’ve got a bunch of really good teams with no one really head and shoulders better than another. Few would have expected the Lakers to make the Finals, but really there is so much talent in the conference that who ever is hot in the West can make a run. The talent in the East is not that good. Even a really hot team will struggle to beat one of the top dogs.

Two teams have been as consistent as it comes. One is San Antonio and the other is the Pistons. They have seen very little turnover in their roster during the last six years and as a result they’ve been able to rule a mediocre Eastern Conference.

Five key players have been with the team for at least four years. Guards Richard “Rip” Hamilton and Chauncey Billups along with forward Tayshaun Prince have all been with the team for six years. Center Rasheed Wallace has been there five years and forward Antonio McDyess has been there the last four.

That’s a great group of talented players that have been with each other for a while now. They know how to anticipate everyone’s moves and they all know how to win it all as members of the Pistons’ 2004 World Championship team.

No team may have more of its team returning from last year than the Pistons. Detroit brings back its top seven scorers from last year’s squad that was on the doorstep of the NBA Finals. The starting five averaged 69.0 points per game last season and accounted for 386 starts out of a possible 410.

The biggest problem the Pistons have is their frontcourt. Not since the days of the Bad Boys has Detroit been big on the inside. Even when they had Ben Wallace they still weren’t dominant. Wallace was a tremendous rebounder, but he wasn’t much of a threat on offense. Rasheed Wallace has the size of a center, but the skills of a power forward and presents such a tough match-up at the offensive end of the floor, but just the opposite of Wallace he’s not much on defense.

In an effort to strengthen the inside, during the offseason the Pistons acquired the services of center Kwame Brown from the Memphis Grizzles. After averaging 5.7 ppg. and 5.7 rpg., Brown was shipped to Memphis as part of the Pau Gaol deal. They also drafted 6-9 forward Walter Sharpe from Alabama-Birmingham who was averaging 14.2 ppg. and 6.8 rpg. before he was declared academically ineligible for the spring semester. Second-year center Cheikh Samb from Senegal could pay benefits down the line. He’s 7-foot-1 and is pretty solid at 245.

Unlike some teams, the Pistons appear to be ahead of the curve when it comes time to replace their vets. General Manager Joe Dumars knows that Billups and Hamilton aren’t getting any younger, that’s why they drafted guard Arron Afflalo and Will Bynum. Both are pretty good college players and if they listen to what the vets have to say they could step in and keep the train rolling.

Prediction
Even though Detroit has much talent back across the board, the one big intangible is its new coach. With only one year of experience as an assistant, Michael Curry was handed the keys to the Pistons after Flip Saunders was fired.

Curry has long had the respect of Dumars when he was signed to a 10-day contract with the team a few years back. Now the question is will he have the respect of his players. At 39-years old he’s only about four years older that Wallace and McDyess.

With such a veteran team this maybe the perfect situation for Curry. Billups and Hamilton can pretty much run the team from the floor so all Curry really needs to be able to do is manage all the egos in the locker room. As a former member of the Players’ Association he knows how to deal with a lot of egos so he may be the perfect man for the job.

I think this will be the year that the Pistons get back to the NBA Finals. As good as Boston is, I think the Pistons will figure them out. I also think that Detroit is much deeper than the Celtics are and the combination of those two factors will give them the edge of Boston come playoff time.

Before he got traded to Memphis, Brown was finally starting to develop into a good role player on the inside. It also helped that it was able to get out of Los Angeles because he was starting to get into trouble off the court there. This could be a second life for him in Detroit. Sharpe and Samb could also give some help on the inside.

This could be their last hurrah, but I think the Pistons will win it all this year. No one in the East besides Boston will give them a run and I don’t think Boston has it this year. The West is better from top to bottom, but they’ll beat themselves up and only San Antonio is as good as Detroit 1-5 with any sort of bench.

The New Jersey Nets began their existence in the American Basketball Association (ABA) as the New Jersey Americans. They only spent one season (1967-68) under that name before becoming the New York Nets. The Nets moved to New Jersey in 1977, after they joined the NBA as part of the merger.

The Nets now play their home games at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, but they are slated to move to Brooklyn, New York, in 2011.

The Nets’ head coach is Lawrence Frank. Rap mogul Jay-Z is a member of the ownership group.

Early Years

As the New Jersey Americans, the team failed to make the playoffs. However, they began making the ABA playoffs by their second season as the New York Nets. Led by Rick Barry, they made it to the ABA Finals in 1972, but lost.

In 1973, the Nets acquired forward Julius Erving from the Virginia Squires. Erving, nicknamed “Dr. J,” was a high-flying, above-the-rim basketball artist who helped the Nets win games and gave the team — and the league — a certain cache. The NBA had more teams, and more money, but the ABA had “The Doctor.”

Erving led the Nets to two ABA titles in three years, including the last title in the history of the defunct league.

NBA Finals Appearances

While the Nets made three ABA Finals appearances, winning the title twice, they are still looking for their first NBA title. The closest they have come are the two Finals appearances they made in 2002 and 2003.

In 2001, the Nets traded point guard Stephon Marbury to the Phoenix Suns for Jason Kidd. Kidd, a perennial league leader in assists and one of the league’s best defensive point guards, immediately changed the team chemistry. The Nets finished 52-30 and beat Indiana, Charlotte (Hornets, not Bobcats) and Boston en route to the Finals, where they faced the L.A. Lakers. They were no match for Shaq, Kobe and company, however, and were swept in four games.

The Kidd-led Nets proved the 2001-02 season was no fluke, winning 49 games the following season and getting to the Finals again, this time facing the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs beat the Nets, four games to two.

Since 2003, the Nets have yet to get past the Eastern Conference semifinals.

2007-08 Season

The most significant thing to happen to the Nets in 2007-08 was the trading of Jason Kidd to the team that drafted him, the Dallas Mavericks. In return, the Nets got speedy point guard Devin Harris, gaining youth and quickness but giving away rebounding, passing, and savvy veteran leadership. The team went 34-48, failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001 (the season before the Kidd acquisition).

2008-09 Outlook

The Nets will begin 2008-09 with a wholly different look from the start of last season. Harris replaces the departed Kidd. Richard Jefferson was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for Yi Jianlian. The Nets picked Stanford big man Brook Lopez with the 10th pick in the 2008 draft, and drafted Memphis shooting guard Chris Douglas-Roberts in the second round. Lawrence Frank will have to get these players on the same page in a hurry if the Nets wish to leave the state of New Jersey on a winning note.

Greatest Players

Nate Archibald, Rick Barry, Derrick Coleman, Julius Erving, Jason Kidd, Buck Williams