Thorn sees depth as a team strength Tuesday, October 30, 2007 BY DAVE D'ALESSANDRO Star-Ledger Staff The boss is not prone to bold statements. Nor is the boss inclined to voice his expectations, other than emphasizing that the division title is always Job 1. This is just his way. But Rod Thorn likes his team, and he admits that after watching it get through the preseason with only one major injury, he believes that it can do some damage. "I like our makeup," the Nets president said yesterday, while his team prepared for tomorrow's season opener against Chicago. "We've got more depth, and it's quality depth -- more than we've had the last few years. We're bigger and stronger and probably more athletic. "So I like our chances. You still have to stay healthy and play well, but our attitude going in is very good, very optimistic." It is the first team Thorn has put together in which every man could play a significant role over the next six months, from one through 13. He saw to that yesterday by trimming the edges and lopping off Bernard Robinson and Mile Ilic, shipping them to New Orleans with some cash for the already-retired David Wesley. In the process, he scaled the Nets' payroll back to $67.36 million -- which brings them back under the luxury tax threshold of $67.85 -- and created two roster vacancies that can be filled in later if need be. There are no immediate plans for the team to bring back Hassan Adams or re-invite the semi-retired Allan Houston, however. For now, Thorn will merely watch the waiver wire to see if something interesting emerges. "We're evaluating that, but there's a strong possibility that we'll do nothing," he said, noting that it's better to keep those spots open because "you never know who will become available at what time, and you never know what can happen with injuries." At the moment his team is enjoying relatively good health -- Marcus Williams is about three weeks away from practice after breaking his foot 27 days ago -- and the only problem is figuring out what to do with 13 guys, or formulating a rotation that doesn't lead to hurt feelings. That's Lawrence Frank's burden, and the coach ruminates on it daily. "Everyone wants to play, not everyone will play, no one will play the amount they want, some will play too few, some too many," Frank said yesterday. "So that's the sacrifices you make to be a part of the team that has aspirations." Thorn doesn't envy him. "With any group, you typically have five or six new guys, and chemistry is always a worry," he said. "And then you have to get people to accept their roles. But it's a good group of people -- they get along, they respect each other. That (conflict) isn't something you expect with a group like this." The Nets picked up the third-year options for Williams ($1.26M) and Josh Boone ($1.21M), who are entering their second seasons.... Richard Jefferson sat out the last eight minutes yesterday with a sore heel. 索隆的场面话 虽说是场面话,大家都爱听阿 XD -- ◢██◣ ◢◣ ◢◣ 　　　　 ◢████◣ █ ◥▌ ██◣ ██ 　　　　　　　◥◥◥　◥█ ◤□︵□▌ ██◤ ◢██ 小穿，你是好人 ˙ ˙ █ ◥||△◤ ◥█◣ ◥█◤ ◥◣﹀ ◥█ ◤.██.◤ ◥◤ ◢◤ ◥ ※ ◤ ◤ ███ --

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