The Nets’ long road trip ends Saturday in Denver against someone they would love to add to their roster.

Anyone who says it’s just another game against Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets isn’t being completely honest.

Just like Anthony’s game against the Knicks Monday wasn’t just another game. Just like when Jason Kidd played against Dallas less than a week before he was traded to the Mavericks wasn’t just another game.

The lasting memories of that game were Kidd was in a great mood beforehand – maybe he knew something – Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and then-Nets GM Kiki Vandeweghe had a lengthy conversation under the basket in full view of the media.

Sure other things came up like health, welfare and their families, but Kidd was discussed

CLEVELAND – The way the Nets beat Cleveland Wednesday night was how they envisioned winning games only with Brook Lopez playing the role of Kris Humphries.

The Nets got an All-Star type of performance from Devin Harris, who played as if he wasn’t going to let them lose. They got hot shooting from Anthony Morrow and big plays from backup guard Jordan Farmar.

Derrick Favors made an impact with his rebounding and defense. And the Nets got dominant play inside in the form of a 13-point, 18-rebound, two-block performance, but it wasn’t from Lopez.

It was Humphries, who played just seven minutes two games ago and eight minutes Tuesday, who was on the court for 40 minutes and helped lead the Nets to a much-needed 95-87 victory over the Cavaliers to snap a five-game losing

LeBron James played the role of the villain today in his first game at Prudential Center since deciding he was taking his talents to South Beach.

The boos were heard early and often during the Heat’s 101-78 dismantling of the Nets.

James knows he’s going to be booed in most cities, but our guess here is Cleveland, New York and New Jersey will be the ones he hears it the loudest. They’re the three places that either feel the most abandoned (Cleveland), slighted (Cleveland) or just disappointed (all three) that they don’t have a franchise player wearing a No. 6 jersey.

“There’s never a time where we can’t be motivated going into any arena,” James said. “We know we’re going to get booed most of the night. It almost seems like we’ve

As Rodney Stuckey’s three-pointer from the right corner missed at the buzzer, the fans inside Prudential Center cheered loudly, wildly and made the Nets feel like although this is a temporary home they are glad to have them.

But the Nets gave the 15,178 fans every reason to cheer because they played hard, put forth the kind of effort you expect from a young team, an Avery Johnson coached team and one that wants to prove this is nothing like last season.

The Nets pulled out a 101-98 win in their opener, first-ever regular-season NBA game in Prudential Center and the first game with Johnson on the bench and new owner Mikhail Prokhorov in the stands.

The only way this night would have been better for the Nets would have been if LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony was the starting small

Out with the old and in with the new has been the Nets' mantra since last season’s 12-70 debacle ended – and who could blame them.

They have 11 new players. They’re playing in their new building and have a new coach. The Nets would like to add some more new as in a new franchise player - Carmelo Anthony.

For now they’re focused on the new season, starting Wednesday at Prudential Center against the Pistons and with new owner Mikhail Prokhorov in the house.

Team Strengths
Man in the middle: Brook Lopez is expected to be “The Man” this season. On most nights, they will have an advantage at center, one they will exploit as Avery Johnson plans to go to Lopez early and often inside. Lopez will demand double-teams and draw fouls and could get the Nets in the

Lawrence Frank still is helping the Nets.

Replacing Doc Rivers on the Celtics’ bench last night because of a throat procedure, Frank guided Boston to a 107-92 victory over his old team in the Nets’ preseason finale. It matched Frank’s win total with the Nets last preseason and through the first 16 games before his dismissal.

Frank played Boston’s main guys relatively regular minutes and they put on a clinic against the Nets that undoubtedly will be shown to them during a film session with coach Avery Johnson. You know: things to do (Boston) and things not to do (Nets).

We’re not suggesting Frank, the Nets' all-time NBA leader in coaching victories, did it for New Jersey. It probably was Doc’s orders, but the Nets should be appreciative.

The third

The Nets’ next-to-last preseason game didn’t result in a win, but it felt like one because of the play of the bench.

These games are meaningless for the standings so guys are not going to be broken up if they lose. But coach Avery Johnson was upbeat and the Nets’ locker room was filled with laughter and good feelings despite a 117-111 loss to the Knicks last night at the Garden.

The defense was pretty bad as you could imagine from allowing 117 to the Knicks and 39 to Amar’e Stoudemire, and the Nets’ offense looked a little like it did in China with a glut of turnovers, quick shots and bad shots.

But the Nets’ offense came to life in the second half, thanks to the bench, which combined for 66 points. In China, other than Terrence Williams, the Nets

The Nets have two preseason games, likely two walk-throughs and four practices to prepare for next Wednesday’s regular-season opener against the Pistons.

So little time and so much to do.

Looking at the five preseason games that we’ve seen to this point there are plenty of holes that need fixing, which was to be expected with all the new faces, lack of familiarity and an around-the-world trip that interfered with their schedule.

That’s why you can’t get too high or to low during the preseason, which continues tomorrow at the Knicks.

Nets coach Avery Johnson and members of the Nets’ basketball department know that. No one was expecting a 35-to-45 win team as constituted, but many fans expected more at this point and from comments and tweets we see they’re

The Nets’ long and winding road trip ended this morning as they arrived from China while most of us were sleeping.

When asked tomorrow, they will talk about how great the trip was, how they saw so many great things in Russia and China, met the owner, had great experiences, bonded, all that good stuff. But none of the good things really will be about basketball.

It was a bad trip from that standpoint. But the two 10-point losses to the much-better Rockets should also act as an eye opener in terms of how much work the Nets have to do to get ready for the Oct. 27 opener against the Pistons.

What the Nets showed in China is that they can be a two-to-three man team, and none of those men is named LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh.

The Nets are a new team, with plenty of new faces,