According to the Associated Press, Nets Center Nenad Krstic is still a ways away from being the same player that averaged 16 points a game last season.

Going down with an injury last season, Krstic played in only 26 games last season and is looking to get back on the court and help the Nets rebound after a mediocre season.

However, in an article published on October 11, AP’s Tom Canavan goes into how Krstic fired an air-ball in practice and Nets coach Lawrence Frank was busy making excuses for him.

If you’re a Nets fan, this isn’t great news.

Making things even worse is that towards the end of the article, Richard Jefferson goes on to say, “It might be 25 games before he is his normal self and even then he might have his ups and downs. It might not be until after the All-Star break that he is the consistent player that we are accustomed to.”

Considering that they lost Mikki Moore this offseason, the Nets better hope that Jamaal Magloire can relive his glory days from 2004, when he averaged 11.4 points and nine rebounds a game. However, with Jason Collins nursing a sore hip for the past week, Magloire may be getting more minutes at power forward then at center. While many thought that Magloire would be getting plenty of minutes as the team’s backup center, he may have to take over at PF until Collins is healthy.

From my point of view, I’d rather have Magloire at PF than Collins, just because he’s a better rebounder, a better shooter and can get around the court better than Collins can. However, with Krstic and Collins not at 100 percent, Magloire is going to have to do whatever he can to help the Nets, in what even position they put him in.

Trouble for Williams?

According to The Record, Sean Williams was 15 minutes late for practice last week and as a result, was benched in what was supposed to be his preseason debut. With Collins injured and Krstic taking it slow, Williams and guys like Josh Boone could really take advantage of added playing time. They just have to do the right thing on and off the court.

Showing up 15 minutes late to practice in what is supposed to be your first appearance with a team that drafted you in the first round, Williams hasn’t exactly started his Nets career on the right foot.