Groovin' out to the new Radiohead CD, In Rainbows. They are selling it themselves at their Web site. You can pay whatever you want. Tried to get one, but the site was jammed up and I couldn't download it. I have since acquired one.

I've been thinking about the Nets lately. Not because Sean Williams was benched Friday night. But a friend of mine asked me who will make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. I was able to tick off Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Boston, Toronto without pause... And then I thought of New Jersey. It was purely an oversight. I like the Nets. And the question about their playoff chances prompted me to look a little closer at the team.

I never thought losing Mikki Moore was that big a deal. The Nets tried to sign him, but the two sides were not of the same mind when it came to Moore's market value. Congratulations to Mikki for getting the Kings to spend $18 million, but he's not the guy I'd be signing to improve my team's rebounding numbers (Sacto was last at 38.9 rpg last season). After Nenad Krstic's knee injury, the Nets played just two bigs (Moore and Jason Collins) consistently in the rotation, and the 7-footer Moore grabbed just 5.1 rebounds per game last season and finished behind Jason Kidd and Vince Carter. He's active and can block shots, but Moore can be pushed around defensively.

If New Jersey wanted to go deeper into the playoffs, they had to have a bigger presence in the front court, particularly at power forward. Not only a defensive presence, but also someone they can count on to score as well -- to balance out an offense that does most of its damage with perimeter players. Once the Jermaine O'Neal-to-Jersey notion became unlikely, the Nets had to go with the best available option on the free agent market, which turned out to be Jamaal Magloire. At this point, he doesn't appear to be the starter at power forward, but he could begin the season playing a lot of minutes at center. Krstic has been scrimmaging all week, but is still a bit tentative. He's hoping he can play in two or three preseason games, but admitted the knee wasn't 100 percent. Don't be surprised to see his minutes limited early on. That would mean more playing time for Magloire. But is he the best fit for the team. Absent a premier low-post scoring threat, Nets coach Lawrence Frank is implementing some motion-offense precepts into a system that will still feature getting the ball in the hands of Carter. That movement-oriented offense means Magloire can't just camp out on the blocks like he's used to doing. Magloire says he's lost 20 pounds and is more agile for the style of NBA game being played today. And he's not going to be asked to score a lot. Not with Carter, Kidd, Krstic and Richard Jefferson the first four options on offense. How he accepts his fate as an in-the-paint defensive beast with limited offensive opportunities while playing a style out of his comfort zone will dictate his playing time.

Did you check out Bostjan Nachbar's 35-point effort in the preseason opener on Friday? Granted, the Nets were resting their top four scorers, but I think Nachbar will have a big enough role this season to have some fantasy value. And there's
motivation because it's a contract year for Nachbar, who has been drawing raves from teammates for his play in training camp. He worked out hard over the summer and is reportedly in better shape than ever. He didn't play for Slovenia in EuroBasket 2007, so that he could work on his NBA game and it shows. He's coming off a year when he averaged a career-high 9.2 points on 45.7 percent shooting, including 42.3 percent from 3-point range. A lot of his playing time came while he replaced an injured Richard Jefferson, but with Jefferson healthy this year, Nachbar will still get minutes because
Eddie House no longer around. The loss of House means Nachbar becomes the team's best long-distance threat and second-unit scorer. He's pretty athletic and can run the court, if Frank is looking for movement on offense, and can play a couple of positions offensively. Looking further down the road, Nachbar could be a viable replacement to Jefferson at small forward, if the Nets eventually move him for a low-post scoring threat, like Indiana's O'Neal.

The Nets have been playing down Williams' tardiness for Friday's shootaround. Frank quipped, "If you're into excuses, it was a very viable excuse." Williams said he hit some traffic on the way to practice. Who hasn't pulled out the traffic excuse when late for an appointment? "Sean's a good kid," Frank said. "I know because of his past it may (look bad). Sean has been very, very good. Look, he's late. This is what we do. Guys are late and these are the rules of the team. In the NBA, people want to be treated
as professionals. Part of being professional is accountability. It's not a big deal. Here's the (punishment) and you move forward." The Nets are hoping that Williams, who blocked 75 shots in 15 games for Boston College last season, can help a club that was 27th in blocked shots, averaging just 3.3 blocks per game. He may not get a ton of playing time, but Williams can have some fantasy value in limited minutes for category-hunters looking to improve in blocks.