NET NOTES
CHARLOTTE – To some, this is the time of year to start panicking so as to avoid the last-minute Christmas rush. The Nets insist, though, that it’s just too early to make all-encompassing judgments, maybe even too early to make deals.
“We want to see how it goes,” said GM Ed Stefanski. “If you wanted to make changes, it’s not like you can just go out and push a button and everything changes, so as things progress during the season, hopefully we turn this around and play better. But we have to play better defense.”
Stefanski repeatedly stressed that 16 games into the season – despite the Nets’ disappointing 7-9 record – is just too early to start reaching for the panic button. “We’re getting good looks at the basket,” he said. “I don’t think that’s an issue.”
The Dec. 15 date is approaching, though; that’s when teams can begin trading free agents signed in the summer. So guys who looked good in August but now resemble an albatross could be moved. That doesn’t mean the Nets will be able to bring somebody aboard.
“It definitely loosens up. How much, for us, will be the interesting question. It may not loosen up at all,” Stefanski said of the marketplace. “It will depend on how other teams are playing, too. Who knows what’s going to happen?”
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Vince Carter hasn’t heard any news about his knee. And no news was good news.
Carter, who twisted his knee Saturday night and underwent a precautionary MRI, practiced yesterday and insisted the knee was sound. The Nets said the MRI was negative, and Carter said he’d asked to be notified only if a problem existed. He heard nothing.
“I’m fine,” said Carter, who expects to play against the Bobcats here tonight. “I just play through it, don’t even think about it. I was able to have a better practice than I thought I would . . . I’m still getting treatment, but I’m fine.”
The Nets should get a look tonight at two guys they’ve coveted: Sean May, the forward out of North Carolina they had hoped to draft, and Melvin Ely, the guy they’ve desired through a trade but for whom they have refused to yield a first round pick.
