When Yi Jianlian returned from injury four games ago, interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe said he would play Yi a few minutes, "not like 30 or anything." Yi played 30 minutes and scored 22 points.
Chris Douglas-Roberts came back from a three-game injury absence on Wednesday night and Vandeweghe said he didn't want to play him a lot of minutes. Douglas-Roberts played 37 minutes and scored 17 points in a 104-95 win over the Knicks.
Next up is Jarvis Hayes, who has been out since tearing his left hamstring on opening night.
"I talked to Kiki earlier in the week," Hayes said. "Maybe three-, four-minute spurts and just see how it goes. Obviously not 30, 40 minutes."
So pencil him in for 35 minutes against LeBron James and the Cavaliers today.
Getting Hayes back -- Josh Boone, who has been out for two games because of a sore left knee, also returns -- makes the Nets as whole as they have been all season. Hayes was the Nets' most reliable reserve last season and he gives them another perimeter threat to stretch the defense.
* Rafer Alston said that when he sat Wednesday night against the Knicks despite good health, it was the first time that happened in eight years. But Alston said he understood that Vandeweghe is searching for working combinations.
"I was OK. Kiki told me he was trying different lineups, wanted to give some guys more of an extended look, more minutes," Alston said. "With our record the way it is, I understand."
* Devin Harris on getting the team whole (they had 13 players in uniform against Knicks): "It was great. It lifts your spirits up when you have 13 bodies in uniform. We have all our weapons and guys are playing together. We rebounded and ran. Those are the things we can do, but we have to show it more than just a game here and there."
* Vandeweghe said he prefers a shorter rotation -- he used eight against the Knicks. But he stressed that it will depend on opponent and matchups.
"To me, the optimal thing is certainly a shorter rotation. Against different teams, you're going to play 10 guys, 11 guys. But your main guys, you like to keep on the floor and keep on the floor together," Vandeweghe said. "Especially for us, because they haven't been together much, so the longer they can get together quicker, the better off we'll be."
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