By FRED KERBER
Vince Carter says he is playing after sitting one game with a strained right elbow.
“I heal like a young guy, so I know I’ll be back,” said Carter who shot at the morning workout with a white elastic bandage covering his right arm. “I’ve always healed rather quickly. Once it’s in my mind.”
Package and market that and he’ll never need another contract again.
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Carter’s shooting wasn’t the only area of interest this morning. Yi Jianlian is shooting more, doing more maneuvers each day. He insists he’ll be back “after the All-Star break” but it would be nice to be a little more definitive. March is after the All-Star break. So is November. So is 2015.
“He is doing far more active shooting drills and making really good progress,” said GM Kiki Vandeweghe who has been working daily with Yi. “When is he back? I can’t say because it just take time for the bone to heal. But I would expect he’ll have a heavier work load next week.”
Yi is due for another exam at the end of the week. And from all accounts, there is a chance – just a chance – he might even be practicing with the team when they head to Houston and Dallas after the All-Star break.”
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Several Nets expressed surprise about the whole Alex Rodriguez situation. One good thing: doubtful steroid abuse will hit the NBA.
“We have so many drugs tests, I don’t see how it could,” said Josh Boone.
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There is all the usual talk going on but the Nets are nowhere close to doing anything before the trading deadline nine days from now.
They are getting a lot of calls, they are making a lot of calls but – at least from the Nets’ point – there are not real specific targets yet.
“I’m talking to everybody just as a matter of course,” Vandeweghe said. “But we’re not close to anything.”
But is the groundwork laid for anything to come off so we all get surprised at the deadline on the 9th when we hear the Nets were involved in a 9-team 52-player blockbuster?
“Every trade is different. Some you work on seemingly forever, others come together very quickly,” said Vandeweghe. “Right now, we’re trying to talk and assess where everybody is.”
Translation, nothing is imminent.
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While the Nets may have the pieces necessary to discuss the possibility of Amare Stoudemire beyond where it has been discussed, league sources, including rival execs, say three possible landing spots are Detroit, Chicago and Golden State.
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He began the season as the starting center and saw his life change when he came down on Roy Hibbert’s ankle Nov. 12. By the time Josh Boone returned, Brook Lopez had his starting job.
“It’s been a transition that’s still going on,” Boone acknowledged. “It’s tough going from knowing you’re going to play 25, 26 minutes to wondering if you’re going to get in in a half. That’s just the way this league is…Now I’m in a position where if I get 9 or 10 minutes, I’m going to do whatever I can in those 9 or 10 minutes.”
Boone has remained a faithful supporter and teacher for Lopez. And he refuses to think “what if?” Lopez’ ascension might not have come as soon as it did – but it would have come.
“I realize what’s going on,” Boone said. “I realize they’re developing Brook and he’s doing a great job. I can’t complain. We’re winning games.
“The (ankle injury) happened. I can’t go back and pick up my foot and not come down on Roy Hibbert’s foot. That’s a fact of life. So I try to help Brook anyway I can. I’m one of his biggest supporters and I’m going to continue to be.”
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So will the Nets be in the playoffs?
“Definitely.”
That was Carter’s response.
“I felt that way on Day 1,” he said, noting he hasn’t backed off.
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Brook Lopez goes back against his idol Tim Duncan, again, is a couple hours. Duncan went 30-and-15 on Lopez’ head in San Antonio. Lopez managed 15-and-8. Lopez was more concerned with defensive adjustments for tonight.
“Roy (assistant coach Rogers) and I were just watching a lot of film,” Lopez said, “and we’d like to make him post up a bit further, set the confrontation a bit further outside the key and just try to disrupt him more I guess when he has the ball and he’s face up. Try to disrupt his jump shot as much as possible.”
Duncan had really nice things to say about Lopez after the first meeting. The Nets rookie figured the Hall of Fame-bound Duncan was softening him up.
“Yeah, make it easy before going in for the kill.”
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Useless fact of the day: In the early 1920’s a man named Earle Dickson was frustrated by his accident-prone wife who seemed to have a real skill for accidentally cutting herself in the kitchen. Dickson had an idea. He applied a small patch of gauge to some tape and when his wife next cut herself, he applied the gauze and tape to the wound. Dickson’s employer heard about the bandage. The company already was in the business of making gauze and tape. The company was Johnson and Johnson and within a few years, they were marketing Band-Aids.
