YES Network.com

ATLANTA –- The Nets opened their three-game road trip here, but there really was no evidence that they showed up in Atlanta.

They trailed by double-figures for the final 42:32 in a 119-89 shellacking against the Hawks.

With the game over in the first period, the entertainment came from watching the “Kiss Cam” attraction where they scour the arena and get fans to smooch on the jumbo screen, and a feature about what the Hawks bought when they first started making NBA money.

Al Horford talked about the houses he bought, other players talked about their tricked out rides and former Net Jason Collins said he bought a bed. And then they had Collins’ likeness jumping on a bed.

Good stuff above the floor, but everything on the court was tough to watch from a Nets’

Trading season opened for the Nets on Tuesday night. They were minor, but represented their first roster moves they made since drafting Terrence Williams on June 25, 2009.

It may only be the beginning of a busy six-plus weeks for Nets’ management.

The Nets are in search of young players on good deals, expiring contracts and draft picks. They acquired all three last night before another embarrassing loss, this time a 98-76 blowout against Milwaukee, ending their seven-game homestand with a 1-6 mark.

Chris Quinn, a never-used point guard in Miami, was acquired along with a 2012 second-round pick and cash for a 2010 second-rounder that will never leave the Nets' hands. It’s protected 31-50 and the way things are going the Nets will own the No. 31 pick.

Before that was finalized

This streak started innocently, unlike some of the Nets’ streaks this season, and it's still going.

The start of the Nets’ record-setting losing streak to open the season was like a hammer crashing as they blew a 19-point third-quarter cushion and lost at the buzzer in Minnesota.

This latest streak started after another hammer came down when the Nets wasted a double-digit second-half lead despite out-rebounding the board-effective Bucks. That was the last time the Nets won the battle of the glass.

One game later, the Nets played the Knicks in Devin Harris’ return from a groin injury. The winning was supposed to start. Instead, the Nets lost again and New York held a slight edge in rebounds.

It was loss No. 13 in a row and also the first of now 21 consecutive games

When LeBron James rattled off the good, young players the Nets have he mentioned every starter but one -- Yi Jianlian. It wasn’t surprising.

James hasn’t seen the best of Yi. The previous four games, his first four since returning from a seven-week absence, Yi averaged 22.5 points and opened up some eyes with his aggressiveness. But he went back to being jump-shot happy against the Cavaliers on Saturday and shot 2-for-13.

So when James omitted Yi he probably was going on the games he played against Yi or his reputation, which is of someone who is inconsistent or lacks aggressiveness or can be taken out of games mentally.

Yi deserves a little more time, especially under this coaching regime, which will allow him to play through his mistakes, before he is judged. Kiki Vandeweghe

Fans filled the arena early to see LeBron James warm up just before noon and didn’t leave until they got enough of the man who would be King.

It helped that the Nets hung with the Cavaliers enough that James had to play until there was just over one minute remaining.

The Nets lost again, 94-86, but played hard and tough against the Eastern Conference’s top team and reigning MVP.

At this point, that’s the best the Nets, as an organization can hope for because a blowout loss wouldn’t help in their summer pursuit of James.

Everyone knows James is the person the Nets cleared all the salary for this summer. The popular opinion is James and no other marquee free agent would consider the Nets because of the awful season they’re having.

But it might count for

The calendar turns to a New Year and a new decade at midnight. Before it does, here's a look at the some of the biggest stories in chronological order of the Nets' most successful yet most frustrating decade.

Stories of the decade

2000 Nets Win No. 1 pick: The franchise changed with this move. Rod Thorn may not have left the league office if not for the Nets winning the Lottery and a chance to draft Kenyon Martin. Former Georgetown guard Michael Jackson might have been the prez.

2001 Nets trade for Jason Kidd: The biggest moment in the Nets’ NBA history was when Thorn and GM Ed Stefanski acquired Kidd, who had worn out his welcome in Phoenix. The deal, that included Stephon Marbury going to the Suns, also put Thorn on the map as one of the league’s best executives. Kidd’s

The Nets showed some of the things they promised before the season began in last night's 104-95 win over the Knicks.

They played defense, scored in transition, had energy for 48 minutes, outworked and outhustled their opponent. It also helped that they had their starting five playing together for the first time since Oct. 30.

Maybe this is the start of something. It definitely was the end of a couple of things: their 10-game losing streak and their 2009 schedule. It was a crazy year and decade for them.

Top 10 Stories of the Year

0-18: The record-setting start could stand for a long time, but it was an imperfect storm – a bad offseason trade, rash of injuries, swine flu and two buzzer-beating losses - that led to the imperfect start.

Vince Carter traded: You knew it was

The situations are similar. The Oklahoma City Thunder were about to be sold, about to be moved and dumped players and salaries and tried to build through the draft, trades and free agency.

Sound familiar?

Now, they have had some major growing pains, but look at where they are now. In Kevin Durant’s third NBA season the Thunder have an opportunity to make the playoffs in the tougher Western Conference.

It helps, of course, when you have a player of Durant’s stature and talent. You can tell he wants to be great. He’s worked at getting bigger and stronger. He’s playing better defense, rebounding the ball better and making his teammates around him better.

Just a year ago, the Thunder were 3-28 after 31 games. The 2-29 Nets are just one game worse. Today, the Thunder

The Nets returned to their old ways on Monday night, and by that we don’t a few years ago when they would win games.

After two games in which they fought hard, and battled both the T-Wolves and Rockets to the final seconds, the Nets let Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder run away with a 105-89 victory. The operative word is run.

Like the old days –- two weeks ago -– when the opposition made their run the Nets didn’t have a response and the game got away quickly.

"I don't know whether we ran out of gas or they turned it up," coach Kiki Vandweghe said. "We’ve got to find a way to push through that last 12-15 minutes when they make runs."

It was a little of both.

The Thunder, behind a season-high tying 40 points from Durant, turned up their game.