Nets on the brink of making (bad) history

SAN FRANCISCO -- Finding positives in the Nets' 2009-10 disaster might depend on point of view. For example, they have gotten themselves in the history books. True, the entry is under "Worst Start Ever" but at least they made a name for themselves. So what if it's bad? It's better than anonymity.

And tonight in Oakland against the 12-28 struggling (but not nearly as bad as they are) Warriors, the Nets hope to avert another piece of history. Never in the NBA have the Nets suffered three double-digit losing streaks in the same season.

But with runs of 18 and 10 under their belts and with nine straight losses on their current shoulders, this could bring a first. They did it in the ABA, never the NBA.

"Certainly they bother you," team president Rod Thorn said of the Nets' achieved and threatened inglorious marks on history, such as the 0-18 start and the challenge to history's worst record, 9-73.

"Nobody ever wants to have a record like this and losing on a regular basis, yeah, it bothers you. If you're a competitor at all, it has to bother you.

"You want to win games, you want to develop players, [but] I don't care how much better they're getting, it's not worthwhile to lose like this," added Thorn, noting the Nets continue on-going trade talks around the NBA with nothing close.

The Nets look around and see Brook Lopez, a budding All-Star. They spot a swift backcourt in Devin Harris and Courtney Lee. They see Keyon Dooling and Jarvis Hayes. And they wonder, how the heck are we this bad?

"I don't pay attention to that stuff. I'm involved in it and it [stinks], so I try not to pay attention," Lee said. "We're not the worst. Talent wise, I think we can compete with every team in the league. It's effort, knowing the right rotations and doing it."

Only wins can soothe the hurt. Lopez is having a year with All-Star numbers. Big whoop, he said.

"That was a personal goal of mine so achieving it would be nice," Lopez said. "But it's pretty tough to divert attention away from this."

Interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe agrees history has produced far worse teams, even if record disputes -- the Nets at the halfway mark are 3-38, on pace for six wins, bad even for Ivy League football. Vandeweghe notes Harris, Hayes and Dooling still are playing their way into shape. But he also accepts reality.

"On paper it certainly is not [the worst team ever]," Vandeweghe said. "Sometimes, it's difficult to search for positives. . . . The low-hanging fruit is the negative. Everyone can see that. But you also have to tell them, 'This is our record. This is the reality and we got ourselves here.' "

So how do they get out of this mess?

"Every day is a new day, every day is a chance to get better. That's the way you've got to approach it," Harris said. "It's tough to deal with on a daily basis. It is."