Though Marcus Williams, the latest backup point guard to Jason Kidd, continues to impress and grow for the Nets, last year's version, Jeff McInnis, awaits a resolution to his situation.

"Jeff wants to play again and he doesn't understand to this day what happened," said McInnis' agent, Steve Kauffman. "Jeff got off to a slow start, he didn't shoot real well and got beat. But it was still early. I don't know why you would give a guy a second year and then not play him."

That is the course the Nets took. McInnis, who signed a two-year $7 million free-agent deal, fell from favor, got a second chance but injured his knee, underwent surgery, then never was heard from again as issues over his rehab arose.

There were preliminary talks with Denver, a possibility (now dead) of a deal with Miami involving Michael Doleac. Now there is nothing. Nets president Rod Thorn and GM Ed Stefanski acknowledge the situation is dormant. McInnis' trade value is virtually nil, and unless he agrees to a buyout, both sides seem content to let the matter run its course.

"Every team has their certain issues," Lawrence Frank said. "We go with the guys we have and we like the guys we have."