No help on the way for Nets

EAST RUTHERFORD – Nets coach Kiki Vandeweghe isn’t having an easy time getting his current roster to win games, and the only help on the way is injured players returning.

Vandeweghe’s other title is general manager, and he continues to make and field calls to see if anything can be done to better the situation for the Nets as they take a 2-29 record and 10-game losing streak into tonight’s game against the Knicks.
But the Nets aren’t close to doing anything and won’t make a move that hurts their salary-cap flexibility this summer or cuts into playing time for guys Vandeweghe is trying to develop: Brook Lopez, Yi Jianlian and Courtney Lee.
"My primary focus is now on the court," Vandeweghe said after practice Tuesday. "I do try on a regular basis to keep in touch with teams and try and see if we can improve our team.
"If we can improve it without impacting next year, you always try and do that. To me if we can add assets going forward, that’s important. We’re not looking to bring in veterans to take the time of young players. To bring in somebody here to take Brook’s minutes, or Devin [Harris’] minutes, Yi’s minutes or Courtney’s minutes – we’re not looking to do that. If we can augment, we’ll augment."
The conundrum the Nets and many teams face is they want to hold on to their young, inexpensive talent. If they make any deals, they don’t want to take back salaries that extend beyond this season.
At this point, the Nets will have the most money – roughly $25 million depending on the cap figure — to use on a 2010 free agent class that features LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amar’e Stoudemire, Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson.
"We fought hard and obviously sacrificed a lot to maintain the cap space," Vandeweghe said. "Right now it would be silly to do anything to turn back that [plan]."
The Nets have no untouchables other than Lopez and maybe Harris. For the time being, those two, Yi, Lee and Chris Douglas-Roberts are going to play the bulk of the minutes so the Nets can see what they have for the future.
Rookie Terrence Williams likely will be in that mix, although the Nets have concerns about his maturity.
They are the players drawing the most interest, according to league sources, but the Nets won’t part with them unless the deal makes absolute sense.
They would rather move other pieces that don’t fit in their future plans, but the interest is low, and when you’re 27 games under .500 after 31 games, your players don’t have much value.
In the meantime, the Nets can take solace in knowing that Douglas-Roberts may return from an ankle injury tonight and Jarvis Hayes could come back from a torn hamstring as early as Saturday.