NET NOTES

WILKES BARRE, Pa. – With Knick Tim Thomas re-launching his now-tired act of verbal Net abuse, the Nets came here last night expecting one thing in terms of revenge.

Nothing.

“I guarantee you we’ll see a whole lot of nothing,” Richard Jefferson said before the Nets and Knicks began their preseason schedules. “I’m almost 100 percent guaranteeing. I’ll say 99 percent because there are referees and people are looking for something, so every little thing might get escalated.”

Thomas still talks revenge for a Jason Collins flagrant foul that knocked him from the playoffs last April. Thomas insinuated Collins was a “coward.” Collins declined comment.

“Everyone has the right to say what they want,” said Net coach Lawrence Frank. “I know Jason Collins obviously is not a coward. Seen the play live, seen the play on tape. That was a basketball play.”

*

Nets’ initial starting lineup had backcourt of Zoran Planinic and Ron Mercer, with Richard Jefferson, Brian Scalabrine and Jason Collins up front. Expect different look tomorrow in Albany against Boston.

“At the point, two and four positions, we’re going to rotate different guys throughout the preseason,” Frank said. …

Initial cuts could come today, but Frank seemed reluctant. “I’m real sensitive to that, being as that’s all I heard [as a player],” Frank said. “I was like on a Hollywood movie crew. They just told me, ‘Cut, cut, cut’ as a player so I’d like to give these guys every opportunity.”