Everyone seems to be waiting for Nets' President Rod Thorn to lose patience and make a deal like the five-for-one swap he pulled off for Vince Carter in 2004 or the lopsided one he made for Jason Kidd three years earlier.

"Those don't come around every day," Thorn said. "We're like a lot of other teams. We're seeing what's out there, but right now we're not close to doing anything."

A few bad losses won't get a knee-jerk reaction from Thorn. He said the Nets are playing better, having won three of four games before they closed out 2007 against the Bucks on Saturday night. But it would be surprising if the Feb. 21 trade deadline passed without Thorn doing something.

"That's very hard to say," Thorn said when asked if he expects this nucleus to remain together all season. "You never know something like that."