Former Chicago Bull head coach Bill Cartwright was hired Friday to become an assistant for the New Jersey Nets.  

"Bill brings a wealth of NBA experience to our coaching staff," said Nets CEO Rod Thorn.

Cartwright, a University of San Francisco product, had a very solid NBA career, playing for the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls, where he wone three championships.

Lawrence Frank became the youngest coach in the NBA last season and promptly won 13 straight games.

Now Frank faces a bigger challenge this season because the Nets' roster has been dramatically re-shaped, and, most people think, substantially weakened.

Gone are Kenyon Martin, Kerry Kittles and Rodney Rogers, and the team's first-round draft pick.  Jason Kidd has voiced concern and the possibility that he may want to continue his career in a different situation.

"Hey, look, we all recognize the accomplishments and significance of Kenyon, Kerry and Rodney," Frank said. "But change is part of life. The worst thing we can do as coaches and players is saying what could have been, what would have been. Look, we're not playing the victim."

Nets' CEO Rod Thorn traveled to Athens to lock up Richard Jefferson's new multi-year contract.

On the eve of his first game as a member of the U.S. Olympic team, Jefferson officially signed a six-year, $76 million extension.

"Richard's work ethic over the past three years has produced a significant development in his basketball performance," Thorn said in a statement. "The Nets management feels very strongly that Richard will continue this upward progression and be a cornerstone of this franchise, and we are very pleased that he will continue his basketball career past his current contract with the New Jersey Nets."

Jefferson averaged 18.5 points per game along with 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.1 steals last season, his finest in the league.  He also finished among the league leaders in field goal percentage (49.8 percent) and minutes per game (38.2).

Jefferson's contract does not take effect until 2005-2006.  The Nets were more reluctant to add a big contract for Kenyon Martin, since it would have impacted team finances immediately.

New Jersey Nets signed FA G Ron Mercer to a 2 year contract worth over $3 million. Mercer seemed pleased to be with New Jersey: "I'm definitely glad to have this opportunity to come here and play hard and do the things this team needs me to do. I'm ready to start immediately, ready to play right now."

After being contacted by five or six different teams, Mercer named coach Lawrence Frank as the deciding factor. "He tried to recruit me while I was in high school. He was a funny, good guy, just like he is now. He hasn't changed at all. He still looks the same. That's one guy that I trusted over the years."

Ron Mercer was drafted as 6th overall pick of the 1997 NBA Draft by Boston, but unexpectedly became a journeyman, having played for Denver, Orlando, Chicago, Indiana, and San Antonio since.

Due to delays administering the 6-7 swingman?s physical, the signing of Ron Mercer, which was supposed to take place yesterday, is set to occur today.

Mercer is the expected replacement to Kerry Kittles who was traded to the Clippers two weeks ago.

The NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale of the New Jersey Nets to an ownership group led by Bruce C. Ratner.

The developer plans to move the team to Brooklyn.

"What was only an idea less than a year ago is quickly becoming a reality," Ratner said in a released statement.

Ratner and his group will pay an estimated $300 million to buy the team and intend to build a 19,000-seat arena that will be part of a $2.5 billion office, residential and shopping complex in New York.

The arena is estimated to be ready for the 2007-2008 season.  The entire project is expected to take 10 years to complete.  It faces opposition from area residents who might be displaced by the new construction.

"We're very thankful to Commissioner David Stern and the NBA's Board of Governors," Ratner said. "We are humbled by this vote and excited about the prospects of putting together a team that all Nets fans in the Metropolitan area can be proud of."

The borough of Brooklyhn has not had a major sports franchise since 1957, when the Dodgers left for Los Angeles.

The approval comes amid a turbulent off-season for the Nets, in which apparent cost-cutting directives from Ratner led to the sign-and-trade of Kenyon Martin and the subsequent, public display of concern from Jason Kidd.  Kerry Kittles' sizable contract was also shipped away.

The NBA's governors also unanimously approved the sale of a minority interest in the Golden State Warriors to a Silicon Valley investor group.

He says it will take a miracle, the miracle being that he gets his doctors blessing to play again.  Given that, Alonzo Mourning says he might comeback, but only to a title contender.

Mourning has been weakened from a three-year battle with kidney disease ? focal segmental glomerulosclerosis ? and anemia, he played in a dozen games with the Nets before he could play no more.  The Nets signed Mourning to a 4-year contract worth $5.5-million guaranteed.

The Nets' new ownership will go to the bank to keep one of the organization's stars.  

No, not Kenyon Martin or Richard Jefferson, but CEO Rod Thorn.

According to reports and sources inside the Nets, Thorn will get an offer in the range of $15 million over three years to stay in the Meadowlands and continue to head up the Nets' basketball operations.

Thorn is considered "likely to sign" the extension.  

Why would he after the troubling off-season?

"He's 62 years old, and how many jobs come your way at 62?" one executive close to Thorn said. "And he still thinks he can fix it."

The rest of the article gives a thorough summary of the parameters of the Nets off-season, and Thorn's efforts to continue to build the team into a winner with Jason Kidd as the cornerstone.

Eric Williams has been a resident of New Jersey for a long time.  And he doesn't feel the Nets have fallen as an Eastern Conference power.

Williams officially became a Net yesterday and promptly declared the team a contender for the Eastern Conference championship.  

Then he took a shot at Kenyon Martin.

Williams said that "[Kidd] made Kenyon Martin a great player."

"Jason's a player who makes everyone around him better," said Williams, who signed a three-year, $12 million deal with a player option for the third year. "He's got the ball 99 percent of the time. No mistake about it, Kenyon's a great young talent, but at the same time Jason is one of the top point guards in the league. You put him on any team, they will improve. As long as Jason Kidd goes . . ."

"Universally, it was a great decision on and off the court," said Williams. "Playing nine years, it was time to go home."

The Nets appear to be close to signing Ron Mercer.

The sale of the New Jersey Nets to Bruce Ratner, the wealthy Brooklyn developer is expected to be approved early next week.

"The sub-committee of owners unanimously agreed to recommend approval of the sale to the full Board of Governors," league spokesman Tim Frank said. "The necessary paperwork has been forwarded and the approval is expected to be completed by the middle of next week."

With a Brooklyn owner in place, will the rumors of moving to Brooklyn be fulfilled?