Deron Williams is doing everything he can to put the Nets and their general manager Billy King at ease. But Williams also is letting King know he’s on the clock.

Williams met with beat reporters at a SoHo restaurant not long after he went on WFAN and declared, “My plan is to stay.” Williams said similar things to the writers after lunch.

His plan is to opt out after the season, but stay with the organization. He said he had a “strong feeling” that he would re-sign with the Nets next summer. But King has roughly eight months to turn a team that won 24 games last season into a championship contender.

The best way to leap tall buildings in a single bound is by acquiring Superman.

It’s not Dwight Howard or bust, but if King can make a deal with Orlando

After the Nets brought in draft pickups MarShon Brooks, Jordan Williams and Bogan Bogdanovic to meet the local media Monday, they promptly sent the ones that will be with them next season to California to work out.

This made perfect sense because of the labor situation. If there is a lockout -- as expected -- starting Friday there can be no contact between the players and the teams.

So Brooks and Williams flew to meet coach Avery Johnson and general manager Billy King at P3 in Santa Barbara for some training until they can’t talk to him anymore.

Brooks and Williams were given what the Nets want them to do this summer, what workouts, what things they need to improve on –- basically everything they should do to make sure they’re ready when the work stoppage ends and/or

TORONTO – For all of you suffering Nets’ fans, keep telling yourselves there are only two games remaining.

A season that opened with anticipation – a new owner, home arena, coach, general manager and essentially a new roster – and started with some promise as the Nets won their first two games, is ending miserably.

The Nets have doubled their win total from last season, but they lost for the 13th time in 15 games, dropping a 99-92 decision to Toronto in a battle of attrition Sunday.

When the game started, the Nets had 10 healthy bodies, but lost backup point guard Ben Uzoh in the fourth period with a bruised right knee and then newly signed guard Mario West to a separated shoulder. The Nets already are without point guards Deron Williams and Sundiata Gaines.

PHILADELPHIA – The Nets are limping toward the end of the season in more ways than one.

With seven games left, the Nets hope to win again. Hope is the operative word. It’s not going to happen unless the Nets change the way they approach these games.

Keeping with their recent trend of allowing teams to put them away early, the Nets were demolished 115-90 by the Sixers last night. It was one of their worst performances of the season, which is something we feel we’ve been saying plenty of lately.

“We looked tired,” coach Avery Johnson said. “Our legs looked tired. Mentally we looked tired. Very seldom have we had that quit spirit like we had tonight.”

Johnson said he could tell at shootaround the Nets didn’t have the right focus or mind frame

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Through all the losses, through all the rumors, through all the injuries and trades, there has been one constant for the Nets: Avery Johnson.

In his first year as head coach, Johnson has been what the Nets have needed: a leader, a voice and someone who holds everyone accountable.

Johnson was the spokesperson during all the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors and the one keeping his team focused on the games and playing as hard as possible. It wasn’t always easy with guys drifting, looking over their shoulders, wondering whether they would soon be on an airplane to Denver or some other NBA city. But Johnson never stopped doing his job, never stopped trying to remain positive and keep his players committed.

If you want to nitpick, you can question some

NEWARK – The Nets ran out of luck on St. Patrick’s Day. The team wearing Shamrock Green took it from them.

Even if the Bulls were wearing their normal road colors they probably would have made the necessary plays down the stretch, the ones the Nets didn’t. Chicago was the aggressor and in control most of the time and when it came to crunch time you expected Derrick Rose to show why he’s the leading candidate for MVP.

He did and the Bulls showed why they’re the East’s top team right now in an 84-73 victory that halted the Nets’ five-game winning streak.

You expected it to happen at some point. The Nets were the better executing team down the stretch in the previous five games. But after erasing a 14-point lead and putting themselves in position

Brook Lopez didn’t remember the last time the Nets won three straight games, which isn’t surprising. Most players don’t recall numbers like that.

But if anyone should have remembered it was Lopez. He’s the only player left from the franchise’s last three-game winning streak, which came during his rookie season in late January/early February 2009.

The Nets matched that elusive feat last night with a Lopez-led 94-90 victory over the Golden State Warriors at The Rock that was impressive for many reasons.

* They did it without their new All-Star point guard Deron Williams. He was back in Dallas to be with his wife Amy, who gave birth to their fourth child, Desmond, yesterday.

* Lopez was dominant, scoring 26 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He scored the last

Following their successful trip to London, the Nets hope to continue this season -– and recent stretch -- of firsts when they return to playing basketball in North America tomorrow.

With Golden State visiting the Prudential Center, the Nets will try to register their first three-game winning streak in more than two years. Their last three-game win streak came when Brook Lopez was a rookie, Devin Harris was an All-Star and Vince Carter’s presence and passing made both players better.

In Deron Williams, the Nets have that kind of player every game now. Well, almost every game.

For the next two games, Williams is NWT –- Not With Team.

This has nothing to do with his strained right wrist. Williams played nearly 88 minutes in the Nets’ two wins in London last week.

Aside from concussions suffered by Anthony Morrow and Damion James, the Nets' London trip couldn’t have gone better for the team, unless they managed to get a commitment from Deron Williams that he will stay with the organization past next season.

Overall, though, it was win-win-win for the Nets. They won both games against the Raptors and probably won over some fans in the United Kingdom. The Brits had to be impressed with Williams, of course, but also with Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries and the passion with which a 17-win team played with during the NBA’s first ever regular-season foray into Europe.

In Saturday’s 137-136 triple-overtime thriller, the Nets showed tremendous mental toughness and resilience to come back, lose leads, claw back and do whatever needed