Isiah Thomas announced his starting lineup two hours before the preseason opener and there were no surprises. Thomas cautioned it could change by the real opening night in Memphis on Nov. 1, but not if they all play to their potential.

Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis manned the backcourt vs. the Nets, while Jared Jeffries started at small forward, Channing Frye at power forward and Eddy Curry at center. It was a unit often seen by reporters during scrimmages.

Through the first 12 days, Thomas did not provide his preseason openingnight lineup and said it will change tonight in Philly. But it seemed very clear this is what he would like in Memphis, like for the whole season.

“I need to keep a blank canvas so I can see what I see and not what I want to see,” Thomas said.

“Every player will have an opportunity to be a starter but just because you’re a starter, doesn’t mean you’re the best player either.” Thomas said he needs Jeffries at the “3” for defense – the biggest trouble spot last season when they started seven different guys. Jeffries defended LeBron James in the firstround playoff series last April between Washington and Cleveland.

Thomas said Jeffries will guard the more explosive player on the perimeter.

“You got to be able to guard people at the 2 and 3,” Thomas said. “Jeffries’ has length and quickness to guard the LeBron-type player. The 3 is the hot spot of the league. You need an athletic player there.” Thomas always felt former coach Larry Brown should have kept Frye as a starter after his big first two months and his demotion for Antonio Davis zapped the rookie of his confidence and he had a poor finish.

As far as the MarburyFrancis starting backcourt, Thomas said, “They’re great players. No reason for me not to think that I shouldn’t be able to get them back to the level they once were. They haven’t had significant injuries.

Nobody’s coming off anything.” Still, Thomas cautioned that he will experiment across the six preseason games, and it’s a good bet reserve Jamal Crawford will finish games because of his clutch late-game shot making.

“When you’re trying to put all the pieces together and want to see who plays well together, you don’t want predisposed ideas who you think will play well together,” Thomas said. “There definitely will be a different starting lineup (tonight). It’s exhibition season, and you want to try a lot of different combinations.”

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Thomas has rarely praised or criticized anyone during camp, so it raised eyebrows when he went out of his way to declare Quentin Richardson as having a bang-up camp.

Perhaps Thomas was trying to boost Richardson’s trade value when he said, “Quentin Richardson has been spectacular, really, really good. He’s the Quentin Richardson we thought we were getting when we traded for him.” Portland had summer talks with the Knicks about Richardson, offering Darius Miles, and Blazers top pro scout John Gabriel was on hand last night.

Denver is also in the market for a shooting guard . . . Jerome James (plantar fasciitis) has been told he’s a week away from returning.

He’s been riding the bicycle resolutely to keep in shape. “I feel like Lance Armstrong, I should get a yellow jersey,” James said.