The Nets had enough.

Wanting to know whether Denver was in or out, Nets general manager Billy King put a Tuesday deadline on the Nuggets and then pulled out of the four-team deal for Carmelo Anthony when they couldn't commit.

The deal as it was initially constructed is off, but that doesn't mean the Nets can't acquire Anthony at a later time.

It made sense for King to go this route and it was surprising it took him long to apply pressure on the Nuggets. They have handled this poorly from the beginning.

NBA sources believe the Nuggets leaked the deal before it was completed and then have been the ones holding it up. The Nets have to move forward and put back the pieces, especially where Devin Harris and Derrick Favors are concerned.

Making matters worse, the rest of the NBA, and particularly the teams involved in the original proposed blockbuster trade, have caught up to the Nets. They’re all in training camp now. They all want to move on, too.

This is what Denver wanted. The Nuggets figured if they got Anthony into camp they could work on getting him to stay in Denver.

What was being offered Denver for Anthony gave the Nuggets the most return, especially since the Bulls wouldn’t part with Joakim Noah.

Now, if the Nuggets choose to trade Anthony a new deal will have to be put together because of how angry and frustrated the teams in the talks are, including the Nets.

They hoped it would have been consummated at this point so they wouldn’t have to answer questions about players they were about to trade. This doesn't mean the Nets won't get involved again if Denver decides to deal Anthony, but their offer could be much less.

Still, it’s hard to foresee the Nuggets getting a better offer than Favors, the third overall pick that Denver is said to be high on, the Nets’ 2011 first-round choice and a protected 2012 selection that the Nets acquired from Golden State. The Nuggets also were to receive Andrei Kirilenko from Utah.

They’re basically getting three relatively high draft picks and a still effective player on an expiring contract for a malcontent.

Think back to what the Nets received for Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter and they were happy in New Jersey and wanted to stay.

We’re not suggesting Jefferson or Carter at this stage of his career are as good as Anthony. But Jefferson helped the Nets to two NBA Finals and four Atlantic Division titles and Carter helped them reach three playoffs and ranks as one of the best players in the team’s NBA history.

Yet for Jefferson, the Nets got Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons from Milwaukee. For Carter, the Nets got Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie and zero draft picks from Orlando. Instead, the Nets had to include their first-rounder from the year before, Ryan Anderson, to complete the Carter trade. .

Sure those deals put the Nets in position to make runs at LeBron James and now at Anthony. But in both cases the Nets gave up more than they received and we stress got no draft picks back.

The Nuggets were in the driver’s seat, but now have upset the teams involved with their reluctance to make a move. It’s possible they could get something different in return now if they do move Anthony and if teams want to deal with Denver.

The Nets waited long enough.

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Coach’s Corner

“On opening night, Devin Harris will be our starting point guard. Brook Lopez will be our starting center. The rest of it we’re trying to figure out. I have to make a decision on whether I want to start Favors or bring him off the bench.
“We’re just going forward with this team. This is what we got. If Billy calls me and tells me something I’ll have to make whatever adjustments I have to make. Right now I’m zoned in on this team. You saw our effort here at the end of practice. It doesn’t look like a distracted team. I’m out here sweating harder than James Brown.

- Avery Johnson on the state of the trade

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Follow me on Twitter: @Al_Iannazzone

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Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.)