It seemed like a good idea at the time. The Nets, facing a season with as many as nine new players since the end of the last campaign -- with seven roster players having two years or less of experience -- decided to have some voluntary workouts.

Maybe the idea was planted by the brass, but however it came about, a couple of veterans placed calls and players gathered in early to mid-September for two different sessions. After the Olympics, even Yi Jianlian joined the gathering.

And now with improved conditioning, with a little better sense of familiarity, with a far better sense of camaraderie, the Nets see the good idea as a great idea.

"I totally am encouraged because first of all, a lot of guys came in early. And you never see that," said Bobby Simmons, bidding to be the starting small forward -- and probably the No. 3 scorer behind Vince Carter and Devin Harris. "I've never seen it. In eight years playing on teams, normally guys don't come in early. But all the young guys here, even the veterans, came in."

Carter, one of the organizers, saw it as a chance to for better conditioning. He saw it as a chance for the rookies -- there were three present -- to get an early taste. And Carter saw it as a chance for himself to start wearing the leader's mantle that naturally goes to him with Jason Kidd in Dallas and Richard Jefferson in Milwaukee. Only three Nets remain from last year's camp: Carter, Josh Boone and Sean Williams.

"Being that you have a new team, it can always put you a step behind as far as playing catch-up when you come to training camp," Carter said. "Guys have dedicated themselves to be ready to go from day one instead of us trying to learn each other.

"For me, I was important. I was here for both sessions. It was important to establish my dedication to the team. Let the new guys, especially the new vets, know that I want to win. Regardless of what's being said or what people think about us, I want to win."

And what's being said is the Nets will finish at or near the bottom of the East. They seem genuinely irked by the dire forecasts, and while trusting a new dribble-drive attack that coach Lawrence Frank is installing for offense, they believe the path to the playoffs is no secret.

"Defense," said Eduardo Najera, one of the new guys. "We're emphasizing it every day, and you can see the strides. We want that as our identity, especially now, because we're young and that's the one thing that you can do together as a team. We're aware of that. It's what we want to accomplish, to be known as a defensive team."

Devin Harris, the other "veteran" leader along with Carter (Harris is in his fifth season) also sees stopping the opposition as the key to the season.

"We finished last year with the up-and-down scoring," Harris said. "Where we have to be a lot better is defensively because I think that's what we've got to hang our hats on, defense."

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