ABSTRACT:

There was, essentially, no hope. The outlook was grim, dire, virtually impossible. Now, there is a legitimate chance to get a deal done.

What is all this, more lockout stuff? The only thing missing is deputy commissioner Russ Granik’s prediction of an abrupt end to humanity and the planet as we know it. Well, while it sounds similar, this hope evolves around the Nets’ chances of re-signing reserve point guard Sherman Douglas.

“It (the new deal) gives the Nets a shot. They didn’t have one before,” Douglas’ agent, Eric Fleisher, admitted yesterday. “There are a lot of gray areas in the deal, so I can’t go into specifics.”