Andrei Kirilenko is expected to receive significant minutes defending LeBron James in games between the Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat this season.

Still, Kirilenko cited two other players -- Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant -- as tougher players for him to defend.

Kirilenko did not mean it as a slight to James, pointing to the reigning MVP's passing ability.

With the Boston Celtics as the leading candidate to acquire his rights, Romero Osby is finalizing a deal to sign in the NBA D-League, league sources told RealGM.

Osby was a final cut of the Orlando Magic, who selected the rugged, active forward with the No. 51 pick in the NBA draft. Since Osby’s release in training camp, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Brooklyn Nets have also expressed interest in him, sources said.

Fort Wayne currently owns rights to Osby, but the Celtics’ D-League affiliate – the Maine Red Claws – is working to acquire the 23-year-old. The Celtics have one roster spot open and could call up Osby at a point that is flexible on the team’s salary situation.

Osby averaged 16 points and seven rebounds last season at the University of Oklahoma. He was part of the Magic’s summer league team and became one of the last rookie signings to officially join his drafted organization.

In seven preseason games for the Magic, Osby averaged 5.7 points and four rebounds in 15.4 minutes a game.

The Brooklyn Nets have requested waivers on guard Jorge Gutierrez and forwards Chris Johnson and Adonis Thomas.

Gutierrez, who was signed to the training camp roster on September 30, appeared in five preseason games, averaging 1.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

Johnson, who was also signed to the training camp roster on September 30, played in seven preseason games, averaging 5.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.

Thomas, who was signed to the training camp roster on October 18, did not appear in any preseason games for the Nets.

Jason Kidd retired from the NBA after the New York Knicks were eliminated from the playoffs last season and then quickly was hired as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.

"it's been a great transformation from player to coach," said Kidd.

Kidd appears to be taking a CEO approach to the job, similar to Larry Bird's tenure as head coach of the Indiana Pacers.

"You know, I have a great staff around me," said Kidd. "Lawrence Frank, [John] Welch, Joe Prunty, Roy Rogers. Guys that have been coaching and understand what it takes to coach. But the understanding to be able to draw up a play with five seconds [left]. I understand that I haven't gotten there yet. But I continue to practice with the board. But these guys have done it. So for me, it's to go in, talk to the guys, tell them what I see, what they've done right and wrong, and if there's an offensive play that I can call that they already know, then go with it. But I've always asked, 'do we need to draw it up?' So L Frank or Welch are there to draw up the play if they need to see it.

Barclays Center had an operating income of $26 million in its first year.

The parent company of the building's arena operating company projected $76 million in income.

The shortfall was attributed to marketing, customer service and fees to secure top acts.

Jason Kidd confirmed Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett will miss the Brooklyn Nets' preseason game against the Celtics in Boston on Wednesday.

Pierce and Garnett were traded by the Celtics to the Nets in the offseason.

The two former Celtics led Boston to the 2008 NBA championship and were widely believed to skip their return games in the exhibition season.

The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward Adonis Thomas to the training camp roster.

Thomas, a 6’7” forward out of the University of Memphis, went undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft. He was signed to the Atlanta Hawks’ training camp roster on Sept. 30, where he appeared in one game before being waived on Oct. 14. Thomas averaged 11.7 points and 4.5 rebounds for Memphis during the 2012-13 season.

With words from LeBron James about the exit of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from the Boston Celtics still ringing in their ears, Pierce delivered a shoulder block to James on a breakaway in the first quarter of Thursday's game between the Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat. Garnett also landed a soft blow on James' head.

"That's going to be our identity," Pierce said. "That's a message to the league."

Pierce and Garnett didn't understand the criticism from James, who was trying to stick up for the criticism Ray Allen received when he left the Celtics to sign with the Heat in 2012.

"Tell LeBron to worry about Miami," Garnett said after the game. "He has nothing to do with Celtic business."

The Brooklyn Nets have requested waivers on forward Gary Forbes.

Forbes, who was signed to the training camp roster on September 30, appeared in four preseason games, averaging 6.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.

The Nets roster now stands at 17 players.

Rod Thorn traded Stephon Marbury for Jason Kidd in 2001, which was a riskier move at the time for the Brooklyn Nets than it is now remembered.

Marbury was one of the NBA's best young point point guards, while Kidd was already midway through his career.

“Marbury at the time, was a tremendous talent,” Thorn said earlier this week. “The jury was out on who got the better of the deal prior to the players playing. People saying why would [the Nets] take a 28-year-old guy and give up a 22-year-old guy, why would they do that? 

“Here is a guy who has his whole future ahead of him, he’s already an All-Star, he is a New York product, why would they do that? A lot of people felt that.” 

Marbury was an All-Star in 2001.

“Our feeling was after our first year was we had some talent on the team but we lacked defense, rebounding and chemistry,” Thorn explained of his thinking. “We didn’t share the ball real well with each other, defensively, we just weren’t very good at all and rebounding-wise we were below average.” 

The Nets doubled their win total during Kidd's first season.

“Jason was what put it all together,” Thorn said.