Todd MacCulloch heard the praise from Jason Kidd, who called him "the best center I've ever player with." MacCulloch was impressed.

"I didn't believe it, actually," the Nets center said before scoring 14 points in last night's 100-84 preseason wipeout of the Knicks here. "I thought he was joking. It's probably one of the biggest compliments I've ever been paid. He has a lot of time to change his mind."

MacCulloch is a master of self-deprecating humor, and when he hears such praise from Kidd, he turns the juice a little higher. MacCulloch came to the Nets after a potential-laced backup role in Philadelphia and received a six-year, $34 million free agent deal in the off-season. Immediately, there was pressure to prove his worth.