? Jim Mancari, SNYNets.com

The Nets received a ton of praise after their opening night victory against the Raptors, but the team has been derided since then, and deservedly so.

? Jim Mancari, SNYNets.com

The 235-pound rebounding machine has been a major part of the Nets? offense the past two seasons, and he?ll once again be counted on this season to produce.

Now that the Nets have relocated to Brooklyn, it's easy to forget that this team was New Jersey's team for many, many years.

Budd Mishkin of NY1 sat down with former Nets General Manager and St. John's University coach, Lou Carnesecca and took a stroll down memory lane...

Here's video of free agent point guard Steve Nash saying he will consider the Knicks and the Nets among his new landing spots.

Toronto, Miami, Dallas, and the Lakers are also possibilities for the 38-year-old two-time NBA MVP.

They currently own only the No. 57 pick in the second round and failed to land a lottery pick in the recent NBA Draft Lottery.

"We are preparing like we are still going to be in the first round," Johnson told ESPN's Andy Katz at the Chicago Pre-Draft Combine. "We have an unlimited amount of resources within the rules, so you never know. We probably could get into the first round, end of the first round.

"I am hoping for more sparks, a few verbal, some buildup," Stern said Wednesday at the NBA Draft Lottery. "We are going to have two spectacular new buildings in New York City and we are going to have two very aggressively managed teams."

While the Knicks have a trio of stars in Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler, plus international sensation Jeremy Lin,?to play in the renovated Madison Square Garden, it remains unclear just who will be on the Nets roster at the Barclays Center.

Special to ZAGSBLOG

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. --?Like all NBA executives, Nets GM Billy King is a busy man these days.

Special to ZAGSBLOG

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. --?Hilton Armstrong may have 277 NBA games under his belt, but none have come recently.

The younger Hansbrough is one of 21 free agents working out this week for the Nets, but he is the only former Big East Player of the Year in the group.

"It's almost like my second go-round so I'm actually healthy," the 6-foot-3 shooting guard told SNY.tv Tuesday, hours before his older brother, Tyler, and the Pacers lost to the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal.

Instead, the Queens native went undrafted and ended up playing in Israel, far from home and the bright lights of the NBA.

Still, the 6-foot-6 former Queens Holy Cross star says he doesn't regret leaving school early.

NBA bust.

The No. 3 pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, Morrison was out of the NBA last season and playing for Turkish club Besiktas Milangaz, the same team Nets point guard Deron Williams briefly played for before returning to the NBA after the lockout.

"Yes, Mr. King," Williams said with a smile as he left the gym.

Williams is expected to opt out of his contract with the Nets by July 1 but attended the team's workout for college players on Saturday wearing Brooklyn Nets gear and was back here Monday sitting next to King watching a group of 21 players that included Adam Morrison, the No. 3 pick in the 2006 NBA Draft.

From the perspective of a college basketball writer (and fan) it's fascinating to recall that John Calipari, Larry Brown?and Rollie Massimino (almost) all coached the Nets.

All three men have also won NCAA championships, while the Nets still seek their first NBA title.

New Jersey also waived forward Stephen Graham.

"We're happy for DeShawn," Bartelstein said. "He's a great fit for them.

NEW YORK -- Knicks fans gave?Kris Humphries?more love than?Kim Kardashian.

And?Carmelo Anthony?feels they did the right thing.

The 6-foot-5 Brooks was drafted by Boston with the 25th pick in the first round?of the 2011 NBA Draft and then traded to New Jersey in exchange for the rights to the 27^th?pick, JuJuan Johnson, and the Nets? 2014 second round pick on June 23, 2011.

As a senior at Providence College, Brooks was named Third Team AP All-America and was a finalist for the John Wooden Award. He was also a First Team All-Big East selection and scored a Big East record 52 points vs. No. 9 Notre Dame, converting a league-record 20 field goals. Brooks averaged 24.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks in 32 games for the Friars.

He had taken a piece of paper, written "Brooks" on it in black marker and covered up the "Yi" on the back of ?his No. 9 Nets jersey.

Yi Jianlian is with the Washington Wizards and is no longer wearing No. 9 for the Nets. Brooks is.

Yet on Monday they were teammates at a Nets workout.

"We had the opportunity to be on the same team today and it was kind of fun because we're the only two guys from the Big East here," said Hardy, a 6-foot-2 guard from St. John's who lost the player of the year award to Notre Dame's Hansbrough. "We kind of used that to our advantage. We played in the best conference in America."

"But when you're little, you know, sometimes you would fall asleep and stuff," Mustapha, a 6-foot-3 guard out of the University of Virginia, recalled Monday after working out for the Nets.

Louis Farrakhan, the longtime leader of the Nation of Islam and Mustapha's grandfather, has been linked to the assassination of Malcolm X and to numerous antisemitic comments, yet his grandson wants to emphasize the older man's positive values.

"It's a little scary going back but that's where I'm from so I just can't not go back," he said last week after a workout with the Nets. "My mom's there. I got a lot of family, so I try to stay away from it but when I gotta see my moms, I gotta go back to the same place."

Hazell's memories of the Carver Houses on E. 104th St. in Harlem include a potentially fatal event from which he was lucky to escape.

In fact, before Thursday the two local players hadn't even participated in a single NBA draft workout.

"People here probably don't know my name today in the beginning of the workout," the 6-foot-7 Mitchell said after he, Bishop and former Seton Hall standout Jeremy Hazell worked out for the Nets. "Hopefully at the end they kind of said, 'Who was that kid?'"

The surgery, performed by hand specialist Dr. Andrew Weiland and Nets team orthopedic Dr. Riley Williams III, involved the removal of loose bodies (three bony fragments) and scar tissue from William?s right wrist.

?The bony fragments and scar tissue taken from Deron?s wrist today were interfering with this ability to flex his wrist,? said Dr. Williams. ?We expect a full recovery and a return to basketball-related activities in approximately 6-8 weeks.?

Jay-Z appeared in the Wildcats locker room and met with potential lottery picks Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones, as well as Darius Miller and Josh Harrellson.

Jay-Z is a part owner of the Nets, who play at The Rock.

But Carmelo Anthony believes Williams' presence in New Jersey will heat up the cross-river rivalry down the road.

When asked about the Nets' new billboard promoting Williams in Times Square, Anthony said, "I'm happy for him. I haven't seen it but I'm happy for him. He's gonna be in New York, too, so you're going to be seeing a lot more of that, the competition thing.

Battle of the Boroughs: Dolan vs. Prokhorov fight! from The Basketball Jones on Vimeo.

Highly entertaining stuff here from The Basketball Jones on Knicks owner Jim Dolan battling Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov for the services of Carmelo Anthony.

"If he doesn't sign, he ain't coming," a league source said Friday.

The source added: "The whole [Nets] crew is out there [at All-Star weekend in Los Angeles]. I think they want to get this done and I?think Denver wants to get it done."

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov made the stunning announcement Wednesday that the team has pulled out of the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes, potentially opening up room for the Knicks to land the Denver Nuggets star.

"I'm not happy with the way ... this deal has gone until now," Prokhorov said. "It has taken too long. It has been played out in public and it certainly has taken a toll on the players and I believe that it has cost us several games. I think management did a great job, but there comes a time when the price is simply too expensive. I'm instructing our team to walk away from the deal.

"Look, you never know," Walsh said on the eve of LeBron's return to New York for the first time since his "Decision" to play with the Miami Heat. "I didn't know. There were a lot of teams that wanted all these guys, and all the teams would've been happy if they got him. They could only choose one."

Four days after the LeBron meeting but before his July 8 announcement, Amar'e Stoudemire committed to the Knicks and announced to the world, "The Knicks are back."

"Oh yeah, I think I could if I had to, yeah," Walsh said Thursday after practice. "Yes, I do."

Walsh made it clear that the addition of a first-round pick wouldn't be with the aim of landing any specific superstar, but reiterated that he could make it happen.

By dealing Terrence Williams to the Houston Rockets in a three-team trade that netted the Nets two additional first-round draft picks, New Jersey now has still more to offer the Denver Nuggets in a trade.

The Nets will receive the Rockets' first-round draft pick in 2012 (lottery protected), the Los Angeles Lakers' first-round pick in 2011 (protected 1-18) and the expiring $5.475 million contract of Lakers shooting guard Sasha Vujacic (who is engaged to tennis star Maria Sharapova).

Johnson, the Nets head coach, recently helped demote 2009 first-round NBA Draft pick Terrence Williams to the Springfield Armor of the D-League and thinks it's a good place for young players to evolve.

"If a guy is going to play 6 or 8 minutes a game, why not?" Johnson said Tuesday before the Knicks beat the Nets, 111-100, at Madison Square Garden. "I think it's a great tool, sometimes even if it's just for a week."

Williams and Pittman join Cole Aldrich, Patrick Patterson, Gani Lawal, Solomon Alabi, Christian Eyenga and Ed Davis among NBA players on assignment this season.

That makes eight all together and is well ahead of the pace for last year, when the eighth player wasn't assigned until Dec. 15. A year ago, 24 players were assigned 42 total times.

DENVER ? A person with knowledge of the discussions says a four-way deal that would have sent Nuggets All-Star Carmelo Anthony to New Jersey is "dead."

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the trade.

Murphy played his high school ball at the Delbarton School in Morristown, N.J.

As part of the transaction, the Rockets acquire Nets guard Courtney Lee and send Trevor Ariza to New Orleans, with Indiana acquiring Darren Collison and James Posey from the Hornets.

The Rockets and Nets will tip off on Oct. 13 in Beijing at the 17,012-seat Wukesong Arena, and will meet again on Oct. 16 at the 17,773-seat Guangzhou International Sports Arena. This will be the third consecutive year the NBA will play a game at the state-of-the-art Wukesong Arena, home to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

?This event will give our great fans in China an authentic NBA experience with two live games in state-of-the-art arenas,? said NBA China CEO Tim Chen. ??We will work closely with the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), the local basketball associations, and all of our partners in China to create events and basketball development programs that will reach fans well beyond the games.?

The Nets have named Billy King as the team?s new general manager and will introduce him to the media at a Thursday press conference.

King succeeds Rod Thorn, who is stepping down as the team?s president after 10 years.? Terms of King?s contract were not released.

But New Jersey did add somebody with not one, but two world championship rings.

The Nets announced Sunday that they had signed free agent guard Jordan Farmar. He will reportedly earn $12 million over three years.

One option was a max contract for five years and $95 million that would allow the Knicks to sign one other max-contract guy, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson or Amar'e Stoudemire.

The second option was a five-year deal starting at $11.5 million annually that would give the Knicks flexibility to sign two other big-time free agents, presumably Johnson and Stoudemire. Those players would have to agree to take $5 million less annually under such an agreement.

The Knicks forward will meet with Miami, Chicago, Minnesota and New Jersey.

"Those are the only four meetings we have right now, Mark Bartelstein, Lee's agent, said Thursday by phone.

But with the news that president Rod Thorn will step down after July 8, will the uncertainty surrounding the franchise discourage James from coming to Newark and Brooklyn?

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and minority owner Jay-Z will be the first to meet with James in Ohio sometime after midnight Thursday, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN The Magazine.

Andy Rautins grew up in Jamesville, N.Y. as a fan of the Patrick Ewing/John Starks Knicks.

Now the former Syracuse standout has joined that same franchise after being selected 38th in Thursday's NBA Draft. The Knicks, who did not own a first-round selection, took Stanford forward Landry Fields with the No. 39 pick.

NEW YORK -- Derrick Favors had no idea whether the Nets would select him until NBA Commissioner David Stern called his name with the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft.

The Nets considered Favors and Syracuse small forward Wesley Johnson until draft day, and then finally pulled the trigger on the 6-foot-10, 245-pound Favors out of Georgia Tech.

"It?s fair to say its [Derrick] Favors or [Wesley] Johnson," the source said.

The 6-10 Favors had long been the favorite because he plays power forward and the Nets need one, but the 6-7 Johnson, a small forward out of Syracuse, performed well in his workout.

"Yes," the source said.

Asked if it was definite, the source said, "Nothing is certain."

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Wearing a gray Knicks warmup jersey and his "Born Ready" tattoo on his right arm, Lance Stephenson pronounced himself ready to play in the NBA.

"That name is the definition of me. I'm 'Born Ready' for any competition, anything on the next-level stage, or any stage. So I like that name and I'm going to live up to it," the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Stephenson said Saturday after working out at the Knicks' Westchester campus.

Yes, those were PSAL high school titles at Lincoln High School, but there is no denying Stephenson's comfort factor in the World's Most Famous Arena.

The Brooklyn native nicknamed "Born Ready" could end up playing professionally in the Garden if things fall a certain way.

The Sixers were expected to take Ohio State guard Evan Turner with the No. 2 pick in Thursday?s NBA Draft, but now may opt to go big to replace the 6-foot-11 Dalembert, who starred at Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick High School.

?I don?t? know if they changed their draft strategy,? Wallace Prather, the agent for Georgia Tech power forward Derrick Favors (pictured), said in a phone interview. ?It definitely widens the realm of possibility.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ? There is just a week to go before the NBA Draft and things are getting serious for the Nets.

With new coach Avery Johnson watching workouts, the team with the No. 3 pick in the draft is looking at some heavy hitters over these last few days.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ? Avery Johnson can now lay claim to having worked for two billionaire NBA owners.

Mark Cuban was an outspoken, heavily involved owner who eventually fired Johnson after three-plus seasons in Dallas.