Friday, July 8, 2005 By AL IANNAZZONE STAFF WRITER EAST RUTHERFORD - Jason Kidd opened his home to Shareef Abdur-Rahim on Thursday night. The Nets hope to open Bruce Ratner's checkbook for the free-agent power forward very soon. Abdur-Rahim's two-day recruiting trip ended with dinner at Jason and Joumana Kidd's house with team officials. Abdur-Rahim returns to Atlanta today, knowing the Nets' $4.9 million midlevel exception is his if he wants it. "Now he will have to look at what all of his options are and decide what he wants to do," Nets president Rod Thorn said after Abdur-Rahim's afternoon tour of the team's practice facility. "We'll see what transpires." Time is ticking for the Nets, though. They don't want to lose out on other free-agent big men, such as Donyell Marshall or Stromile Swift, while Abdur-Rahim makes his decision. The Nets haven't given him a deadline to decide, but they eventually could. "From our perspective, we'd like to see what can be done as quickly as possible," Thorn said. "So in case it doesn't work out, other options aren't gone." Aaron Goodwin, Abdur-Rahim's agent, said it could be "a while" before his client decides. The Nets may not be able to wait too long. Their $4.9 million trade exception expires July 29, but Portland must agree to a sign-and-trade. Otherwise, the Nets must use the midlevel exception, the same as every team. Knowing that, Goodwin said Abdur-Rahim likely would visit Sacramento and Miami. Abdur-Rahim, who didn't speak to media at the practice site, also could take a trip to San Antonio, unless the Nets did enough to convince him to play for them. "I think the Nets are really showing Shareef that they're doing everything possible," Goodwin said. "But it's still early. "We're talking to other teams. If it seems like a good situation, there will be more visits. We can't do much but talk right now, so we might as well check everything out." The Nets took Abdur-Rahim and his wife Dee to the V Steakhouse in the Time Warner Building on Wednesday night. On Thursday, the Abdur-Rahims met with Ratner and Thorn, toured Bergen County in a limo to see potential homes and schools, and ate at the Kidds'. Abdur-Rahim has relationships with Lawrence Frank - he attended the coach's wedding - Kidd and Thorn. That could work in the Nets' favor. But if money is a factor, the most the Nets can give Abdur-Rahim is a five-year, $28 million deal. If Portland agrees to a sign-and-trade, he could get a five- or six-year deal worth between $29.6 million and $37.1 million. The Nets may not want to give him six years, though. Either way, Goodwin indicated a decision would not be made anytime soon. "Not for a while," Goodwin said. "It has nothing to do with the Nets. Unfortunately, all they're playing with is the trade exception, which really benefits Portland, and the mid-level exception. Every team has that." http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2JmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2NzIwNzk3 --

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