Jason Kidd, still recovering from an injured left knee, is feeling good about the prospect about suiting up as early as the middle of next month.  Kidd?s return will not come soon enough as Nets are already battered up.  Center Alonzo Mourning is suffering from torn tendons in his right pinkie finger and Mr. Kidd?s backup, Zoran Planinic, has an injured right knee.

"A rough date would be somewhere hopefully in December," said Kidd, who will step up his rehab this week to five days from four. "But you never know. As a team, we are trying to push the knee and see how the knee responds."

Planinic is putting up career highs, averaging 16 points and 9 rebounds.  Without even knowing it, Mr. Planinic injured his right knee in a recent game.  "He didn't realize it during the game, but then late [Saturday] night he felt discomfort and some swelling," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said.  

Coach Lawrence Frank had five simple words to describe the Nets situation, "We're banged up right now.?