The New Jersey Nets? Vince Carter and the Sacramento Kings? Brad Miller today were named the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, January 24 through Sunday, January 30.

Carter led his team to a 3-1 week, averaging 25.0 points on .494 shooting, 7.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds. He led the Nets to their first winning Western Conference trip since the 1997-98 season, beating Golden State, Los Angeles Lakers and Utah. Carter notched a season-high 10 assists in a 99-82 win over Utah on January 29.

Miller helped the Kings to a 3-1 week by averaging 24.0 points on .683 shooting (3rd in the league), 12.0 rebounds (6th in the league) and 3.8 assists. He scored a season-high 31 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds against New Jersey on January 25.

The New York Post is reporting that after talking with family and advisors, veteran center Elden Campbell will report and will be playing for the New Jersey Nets.  Campbell, who the Nets claimed off waivers after the ex-Piston was waived by the Utah Jazz following a trade for Carlos Arroyo from the Motor City, spoke with Nets president Rod Thorn yesterday and is expected tomorrow.

"That's good news," said Thorn, who described Campbell's attitude as "good" about reporting. "He said he still wanted to play and he was looking forward to coming in and helping anyway he could."

Campbell had hinted about retiring ? in which case he would have lost $2.2 million. Thorn did not present a selling job, but just laid out the situation.

"The only thing I said was obviously our team was starting to play better and we have a need. With his size and low post presence and his physicalness, he's a player if he's ready to go could certainly help us," Thorn said, stressing "we're three games out of first . . . and we're trying to do everything we can to win as many games as we can and we think he can help us."

Campbell had hoped to return to the Pistons, and the Pistons reportedly wanted the big man back.

"Elden is a very professional guy. As to how good he'll play and how we use him is up to Lawrence [Frank], but I'm sure he'll try as hard as he can and do everything he can to help us," Thorn said. "It's hard to find quality big guys. Elden has been doing it throughout his career. He's a very good low post player, has good size and has always been good in the locker room."

Jason Kidd and Vince Carter have expressed their support about acquiring Campbell.

The New Jersey Nets stymied the rival Detroit Pistons' hopes of re-signing the recently traded Elden Campbell by claiming the 7'0" center off waivers from the Utah Jazz late Friday.

"Campbell's the best big [man] available, so I feel he can come in, play minutes for us and help us. We're not going to punt the season and give up," Nets chief executive Rod Thorn said. "We still have a very good opportunity in our division. We've got a couple of top-flight players here and we feel he can be an asset to us."

Campbell was hoping to clear waivers so that he could return to the Pistons, much the same way Lindsey Hunter did last season after being traded to the Boston Celtics in the deal that netted Detroit Rasheed Wallace. Thorn, who had to use a $5 million exception for the right to claim Campbell off waivers, will speak with him on the phone Saturday morning and try to convince him to prolong his career. If he doesn't, the Nets would lose the $5 million regardless.

"I don't have any indication one way or the other right now, but I assume that he will join the team," Thorn said. "As far as I'm concerned, he's property of the Nets. Obviously, he has the prerogative of retiring, but we're going to have a conversation with him and see what transpires. I don't think he wants to retire."

The Nets lost one big man, Jason Collins who sat with a strained right hamstring that will undergo an MRI today. But they could be adding another, Elden Campbell, a 7-0, 280-pounder who was waived yesterday by Utah.

"He is a guy that we have to seriously look at," said GM Ed Stefanski.

"We're going to talk about him over the next couple days and see if we might want to do something beforehand or if we want to do something at all," said team president Rod Thorn.

Campbell was acquired by the Jazz from Detroit this week in a deal involving Carlos Arroyo.

According to Dave D'Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger, Nets GM Rod Thorn has tried spreading the message to his peers when it comes to star point guard Jason Kidd: No more calls.

Jason Kidd is a member of the Nets, he will remain such for the foreseeable future, and even if you offer something that blows us away, even if it has hurricane-type force, be prepared for us to hang up the phone, writes D'Alessandro.

"We put it out there that we're not interested in trading him," Thorn said yesterday. "We made that clear. Until we say that we are (interested), I don't expect any more (calls). Yeah, you might get calls from time to time, but I don't foresee getting anything that I would even consider."

Brian Scalabrine was given a rare start on Wednesday night in Oakland and responded by scoring a career-high 29 points.  He also grabbed 10 rebounds, as the Nets pounded the Warriors 113-99.

``That was probably the first time in the NBA that I've ever been in a zone where I felt like everything I put up was going in,'' the fourth-year pro said. ``If you just get going like that, the basket gets really big.''

The majority of Scalabrine's points came against the overmatched Mike Dunleavy.

``I was joking with Jason after the game, because we might have to call him (Scalavbrine) Wally Pipp,'' New Jersey coach Lawrence Frank said. ``His first-quarter energy really set the tone. He was all over the place.''

It was no secret that New Jersey were trying to come up with a deal to acquire Jimmy Jackson from the New Orleans Hornets, but luckily for Rod Thorn and the Nets they failed.

According to Dave D'Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger, Jackson didn't rule out the possibility yesterday he might have alienated everyone in New Jersey just like he did in New Orleans by refusing to report after being traded.  Jackson, now with the Phoenix Suns, wanted to play for a contender after the Houston Rockets traded him on December 26.

Jackson didn't specifically say he wouldn't have reported to the Nets had they been able to trade for him. But the swingman did say that at the age of 34, he would have had to give a move to the Meadowlands some thought.

"Indications were that (the Nets) were really pushing strong," Jackson said last night before making his debut with the Suns. "And I guess if I really wanted to push the situation, I could have.

"But I still wanted to see my options. With the injuries that happened to New Jersey with Richard Jefferson, and with the trades, they are kind of rebuilding their situation. Almost similar to New Orleans -- not in that same respect, but trying to get back above .500. For me, it is a question of, 'At this point in my career, where would you be most satisfied and happy with?' I think I deserve that, and I took a hit, but I felt it was something I needed to do."

And no, Jackson added, he wasn't hesitant because Alonzo Mourning -- one of his best friends -- was in his ear for six days last week, when the two worked out in Miami.

"Not at all," he said. "Remember, I played in New Jersey. When I played there with Coach (John) Calipari, I had one of my best times there even though the team was struggling. That is Alonzo's opinion about what happened to him in New Jersey.

"It is not like I am saying I don't want to go to New Orleans, but I will go to another team that is struggling. The (goal) was to get to a team that was winning."

The Nets announced that they signed guard Billy Thomas to a 10-day contract on Thursday.

Thomas appeared in seven games with the Washington Wizards, averaging 4.1 points this season.

New Jersey Nets forward Richard Jefferson had surgery on Thursday to repair a ruptured ligament in his left wrist.  The Nets expect the injury to keep him out for the rest of the season.

Jefferson, the Nets' leading scorer and rebounder before he was hurt in a game Dec. 27 involving a questionable play by Chauncey Billups of the Pistons.  He will be in a cast for at least two months and then will need another two months of rehabilitation.

Jefferson was averaging 22.2 points and 7.3 rebounds through 33 games this season.

The New Jersey Nets have just named former NASCAR executive Bret Yormark as the president and chief executive officer of their parent company.

Yormark will lead the business and marketing operations of Nets Sports & Entertainment, LLC, including corporate sponsorships, marketing partnerships and ticket sales. Yormark also will be responsible for developing the business and strategic marketing for a new arena planned for Brooklyn.

"Brett is one of the most hardworking, creative and successful marketing executives in all of sports," said Bruce Ratner, the Nets' principal owner. "The impact he had on building the NASCAR brand is simply remarkable. He is an inspiring leader who thrives in challenging and competitive environments."

Yormark was the one who closed a $750 million deal with Nextel Communications and hence creating the NASCAR Nextel Cup.  The deal was the largest sponsorship deal in sports history.