Two summers the Nets gambled that Kenyon Martin would not receive a maximum offer from any other club.

"In retrospect, I must admit, I did not think he would get a max-out contract in August of 2003. We offered him $66 million at that point, which was about 20 million less than a max-out deal. He was adamant that he wanted a max-out or he wasn't going to take anything," said Thorn, whose new multi-year extension, pegged at five years and more than $20 million, was announced yesterday. "Give him credit, he was right. Not one team, but two teams offered it to him."

Denver creatively structured its offer to handcuff the Nets by the luxury tax and did a wonderful selling job on Martin, who ultimately received a seven-year, $90 million contract he signed with the Nets before being traded. By the time the Nets had agreed to match, the "small window" to re-sign the power forward slammed shut. So now Thorn, 63, aims to return the Nets to the contender status they enjoyed the past three seasons.

As for Jason Kidd, one of his most pressing issues on the immediate Nets' horizon, Thorn was diplomatic. Thorn predicted Kidd would return to the court for basketball work by "the first of the month" but said a play-date is guesswork.

"He made it known to you guys that he would like to be with a team he considers to be a championship-type," Thorn said. "He realizes that in order to enhance his value, he needs to play and show people he can still be Jason Kidd. [If he asks to be traded] I'll tell him exactly what I tell any player: 'If we can make a deal that makes sense for us, then we'll look at it. If it doesn't make sense for us, then we don't do it.'"