Despite an impressive victory against the Knicks Thursday night and one a week ago against the the Pacers, the New Jersey Nets have seen better days.  They have been slimping, accumilating a 4-6 record since All-Star break, with some attributing it to complacency, poor shooting or lack of defensive intensity.

However, Dave D'Alessandro writes in Thursday's Star Ledger, ?The problems around here are worse than you think.?  In D?Alessandro?s column he writes that a Nets insider was quoted as stating, "Let's put it this way?Jay just wishes that Byron would do more coaching than the other stuff he gets involved in. And that's a problem."  

He went on to say, "I used to think it's 80-20 that Jay would re-sign here. Now I think it's no better than 50-50."

As many know, the Nets chemistry has been far from great.  They have struggled at times in coming up with big defensive stops and executing plays down the stretch.  Sure players are the ones on the court who ultimately have to produce, but has coaching played a role in their sudden demise.  The Nets have seen losses to the Grizzlies, Magic (twice), Sixers, Wizards and Cavs.  

Yes, some of those losses have come against teams that have been playing better as of late, but losses to the Grizzlies and Cavs have many questioning the Nets present state.

After the Cavs game Tuesday night, Scott stated, ?I?m searching a little bit.?  

Interestingly enough, D?Allesandro writes how maybe fans have spotted the signs themselves. ?We've lost count of the number of times Kidd has glanced over to the bench in crunch time this month to see whether Scott wanted a specific play, only to have his coach turn his back on him.?  

Has Kidd been denied guidance from his coach?  Has Scott spent more time worrying about other teams players, most recently his quotes towards Spreewell, than worrying about his relationships with his own players? Or has the Nets found that internal turmoil which most great teams experience?

One thing is for sure, a sour relationship between coach and star player could lead to a very unhappy ending for the New Jersey Nets.