Jason Kidd has voiced some concern with the prospects of the Nets and also has a budding relationship with LeBron James, begging the question of whether or not the two could eventually team up.

"I always keep in touch with LeBron," said Kidd, who became friends with James while they played for USA Basketball last summer in Las Vegas. "I think the sky's the limit for him. We hung out a lot this summer in Vegas, and I appreciate the work ethic, that he doesn't just rely on his talent and that he wants to get as much information as possible. Me being on another team, I don't mind cheering for somebody because I want him to be the best that he can be"

Kidd admits that he and James daydream about contending for championships together in Cleveland. "There's a little talk," Kidd said. "But I told him, 'What-ifs can get you in trouble. You go out there and do your thing, and if I don't get to play with you until this summer [at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing], then that's the way it's meant to be. But the big thing is for you to go out there and lead your team.' And that's what he's doing."

Kidd told SI.com Tuesday that he has no plans to publicly force a trade -- an attempt that failed three years ago. So long as he keeps playing at a high level, Kidd is convinced he'll wind up playing for a contender, whether in New Jersey or elsewhere.

"In this business; it always works out somehow, some way," he said. "And if you start to manage stuff, it tends to go the opposite way and it doesn't help you. I've been there, done that."

"So you just play it out. This is my job. That's what you have to do. You learn from what you've gone through early on in your career, and you tend not to make that same kind of mistake."

Hours before the Nets began their four-game West Coast road trip last Monday, Jason Kidd essentially called his teammates a bunch of quitters, saying that over the first three weeks of the season, the Nets had made a habit of "letting go of the rope" whenever times got tough.

He also said the team had a "glass jaw" and that he felt there was "no light at the end of the tunnel."

Kidd's harsh assessment gave some the impression that he eventually would ask to be traded if the Nets didn't turn things around.

But by the time the final game of the trip ended late Sunday night, Kidd was everything a captain is supposed to be.

Several teammates credited Kidd with jump-starting the team, which had lost five straight going into the first game of the Western swing in Utah.

"Every time the captain speaks up, and the guys know about it, it's like a wakeup call for you," said Bostjan Nachbar. "It was for me. And since then, everyone has stepped up."

Since Kidd's comments, the Nets have won three straight to reach .500 (7-7). Mentally, they are in a much different state than they were one week ago.

"I feel lost," said the Nets' Nenad Krstic. "Confused. I don't know really what to do right now to get really back."

Krstic has done a poor impression of the player who shot over 50 percent in his first two-plus seasons. With his conditioning lagging, his reaction time increasing, his numbers plunging, Krstic said he realizes he has a long way to go following surgery for a torn left ACL.

"I really am not helping the team at all. They can do without me so maybe it's just better to shut down and work out and get ready in a couple weeks, maybe more," Krstic said. "I don't know how long it's going to take."

Coach Lawrence Frank has tried bringing Krstic along slowly. He's tried the work-him-hard way. Neither has worked. But they're going back to intensive work. Which means Krstic likely will play even less in the short term.

"Right now we're going to give him very intense workouts, individual workouts, to build up his cardio and game rhythm. Then we'll give him a taste during games, see if he's going well, let him in. If he's not going well we'll get him out," Frank said. "Hopefully, over the course of the next couple weeks due to these workouts, he'll be able to pick up a little steam."

Jason Kidd said he wants to stay put.

After Kidd vented his frustration Monday about the awful state of the Nets, a logical conclusion was that he wanted out. He insisted yesterday in the day that's not the case. And then he showed last night what he is all about with another triple-double - his third this season, 90th of his career.

"I'm happy in New Jersey, happy being a Net," Kidd said. "Nobody has asked for any trades or anything."

Jason Kidd's not going public with any trade demands, but he'll likely push harder for a deal before the February deadline than he did last season, when Rod Thorn would have shipped him into Kobe Bryant's backcourt if only the Lakers were willing to send back Andrew Bynum.

Vince Carter practiced Tuesday for the first time since spraining his right ankle on Nov.10, and there's a good chance he will be on the court when the Nets play the Trail Blazers in Portland on Wednesday.

Carter has missed the Nets' last five games - all losses - after rolling his ankle when he landed on Paul Pierce's foot after a dunk in a game against the Celtics almost two weeks ago.

The Nets, who have lost six straight games after matching a franchise record with a 4-1 start, need Carter desperately. They are averaging a league-worst 84.7 points per game and have been held to 75 or fewer points four times, three times since their All-Star shooting guard was injured.

If you think the Nets have problems now, consider the damage if Jason Kidd becomes disgruntled. For now, he's tired of the Nets re-running another slow start and sees little hope on the horizon.

After avoiding the media following two weekend defeats, Kidd held little back yesterday, claiming this year's team is quick to yield and can't really take a punch.

"The jaw has softened," he said.

Kidd pointed no fingers but said all are responsible for the team's disappointing 4-7 start.

"We're so quick to bail in the sense of mentally letting go of the rope," said Kidd. "We wouldn't let go of the rope [in the past], but this year we're letting go. When we go down eight, nine, we can't make a shot or something happens, and all of a sudden it goes to 20."

"It's always been that way. Yeah, after the first three years, the jaw has softened," Kidd said. "We're trying to find out who we are. You don't know who you are by now, you could be in trouble."

Vince Carter might be back tomorrow from his sprained right ankle absence, the New York Post is reporting.

"I think he'll play, either Wednesday or Friday, if he doesn't have any setback. He's getting better," said team President Rod Thorn. "He's doing better."

The New Jersey Nets have signed free agent guard Eddie Gill, Nets President Rod Thorn announced Friday.  Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.

Gill, a member of the Nets? 2007 training camp roster, appeared in four games during the preseason, including two starts, and averaged 4.3 points, 3.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds.  He was waived by the Nets on October 25, 2007 and was then selected Number One overall in the 2007 NBA Development League Draft by the Colorado 14ers.

Not even three weeks into his first season in the NBA, Nets' forward Sean Williams has opened eyes throughout the organization and could be rewarded with his first start when the Orlando Magic visit the Meadowlands on Friday.

Lawrence Frank did not rule out that possibility yesterday when asked about speculation regarding Williams replacing the struggling Nenad Krstic in the starting lineup. The possibility seems real since Krstic is still trying to work his way back from surgery to his left knee that kept him sidelined for most of last season. In Wednesday night's game at Boston, Krstic scored two points and was benched in the second half.

Meanwhile, the 6-10 Williams has taken off. In five games, the Boston College product has averaged 7.2points and 2.4 blocks in just over 16minutes a night. His 12 blocks are six more than the next-closest Net - Vince Carter - and equal the total of four other big men on the team.

"Rookies are a bonus," Jason Kidd said. "But right now he's a big bonus."