HOUSTON -- The Nets have two big issues right now: Deron Williams’ wrist and their defense. 

Williams’ wrist is a bigger concern.

The Nets’ new All-Star point guard has a strained right wrist that requires rest, and he hasn’t been able to get much. He played in the All-Star game and banged it. He played Friday in San Antonio and banged it, and it still bothered him in his second game as a Net last night.

But Williams still made plays for his teammates in a 123-108 shellacking by the Rockets. The Nets missed 60 percent of their shots and Williams still had 17 assists. Just like in his debut, he could have had more but the Nets sometimes can’t shoot straight.

“It’s going to continue to be sore,” Williams said. “I’ve got

The Nets don’t have to worry about any more losses. Everything from here on out, for the most part, will be Net gains.

One week has passed since the worst season in Nets’ history ended and already things are moving in a positive direction for the franchise.

Rod Thorn gave the strongest indication yet that he will return as Nets’ president during a conference call with reporters earlier this week. Mikhail Prokhorov needs to officially take over before anything is finalized or announced. And we’re getting closer to Prokhorov taking the reins, which is a critical moment for the Nets.

The last tenants remaining on the Brooklyn arena site have agreed to move by May 7 and two small businesses will vacate the area by June 30. No one wants to see anyone evicted and we

The Nets endured their worst season in franchise history so there was a shortage of memorable moments. Most of them were of the negative variety.

The Nets had an NBA-record 0-18 start, a coaching change and had four different people assume the head coaching duties for at least one game. A non-head coach did it for 63 games.

They had Tweets that upset team officials, an assistant coach leave because he said he was promised he would eventually be the head coach and players fighting to keep their sanity.

There was the first known professional athlete with the H1N1 virus, the fan-friendly CEO having a heated exchange with a fan wearing a paper bag over his head – in a team supplied free seat across from the Nets’ bench, no less – and the team closing out its time in the

The Nets season ended in fitting fashion. At least they had a night out on South Beach. At times, they played like they had a night out on South Beach.

This was a game you thought the Nets would win, especially since the Heat were without Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem and Jermaine O’Neal. But how many times have the Nets not taken advantage of a team without some of its top players? Whatever the number is, add one now.

The Nets should have avoided their 70th defeat. But they were down 13 at the start of the fourth quarter as they played like there was some good times on Ocean Ave or Collins. But hen the Nets put up a fight and made it interesting.

They didn't lose until double overtime, 94-86, and the game wasn't decided until Yakhouba Diawara banked in a three. The last time the

The Nets’ best game of the year came in the next-to-last game they will play at their home of 29 seasons. It's doubtful they will be able to top it in Monday’s Izod Center finale.

But it was riveting how the Nets played at the end after giving up a 12-point fourth-quarter lead with 7:40 left and 10-point cushion with 4:43 remaining in regulation.

None of that mattered after the Nets pulled out the 127-116 double-overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls, a game that featured some huge performances.

The biggest was by Terrence Williams. The rookie had his first career triple-double, finishing with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. The final assist came with 17.6 seconds left in the second OT.

Brook Lopez, whose dunk gave Williams the triple-double, was clutch. He dunked

MILWAUKEE – Mikhail Prokhorov has created a pretty big buzz and he’s not even the Nets’ owner yet. It has to make Nets’ fans, not to mention members of the organization, excited about what could be.

What could be is an environment similar to what Mark Cuban has created in Dallas, where players are taken care of in every way imaginable, given ridiculous amenities and winning is all that matters.

Ten straight years the Mavericks have made the playoffs, all under Cuban. The Nets are closing out their third straight season without postseason basketball.

They hope that streak is snapped by this time next season and it seems Prokhorov is going to do what he can to make sure it happens – and by what he can we mean spend some of his roughly $13.4 billion.

As everyone

The developmental year, as it had been called over and over by general manager/interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe, is seven games from being over and some development is needed still.

Some players did better than expected and others showed signs of improvement but then faded. In a lost season like this, all the players should have improved or least gotten the chance.

But this was a bizarre year in so many ways, and there were times young players weren’t getting the shot they should have. It was one of the many mistakes of this season.

Showed Improvement

Courtney Lee: Quietly, the second-year guard has had a solid season with his defense and shot-making ability. He can’t replace Vince Carter, but Lee’s work ethic and continually-improving play is a reason for optimism for

Devin Harris said no one was jumping through the roof because the Nets won 10 games. But had they not won their ninth or tenth there would have been guys feeling as low as the ground.

Maybe even lower.

Fortunately for the Nets’ players they don’t have to feel this and they can move on with their lives. They deserve that.

Overall, the players have been professional and handled this difficult situation as well as they possibly could, if not better.

If the Nets wouldn’t have won three of their last four games to avoid infamy it would have been partially the players’ faults, of course. But they also have been the recipients of some bad luck and some bad situations. Leave it to former Net Richard Jefferson to be the voice of reason.

“I think it’s been

The Nets were determined to make sure they wouldn’t own or share the worst record in NBA history. Their desire and belief paid off last night against an unlikely foe.

Most people penciled in this game against the Spurs as another Nets’ loss, meaning the Suns on Wednesday, or maybe the Hornets on Saturday, but more than likely the Wizards on Sunday, would be the game win No. 10 was reached.

But the Nets didn’t want to wait and put more pressure on themselves. They got the Spurs on a night they were ripe for the taking and played a terrific fourth quarter on both ends to nab a 90-84 victory that enabled the Nets to show their faces in public again.

No longer will the Nets be mentioned as the worst team in NBA history, although one of the worst, record-wise, will follow