With an 18-25 record so far this season, the New Jersey Nets have melted down and now find themselves outside the playoff picture, desperately trying to find a way to put things back together. Only in the Eastern Conference in the NBA would this team be only a half game out of a playoff spot and luckily that’s where they are.

With the bench and supporting cast not being able to help out Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson on a consistent basis, the Nets have given up a ton of points as of late and lack a post presence that can get them the rebounds in the defensive end that they need to get them going in the right direction on the court. With players like Antoine Wright[who has been fighting injuries and inconsistency all season] Marcus Williams, Sean Williams and Josh Boone, not being ready yet for full-time duty, Jamaal Magloire not getting any playing time and Jason Collins playing his way out of the league, this team has some serious problems that need to be addressed.

They’re still without Nenad Krstic, who if healthy, could change things a bit for them, but is far from the savior this team needs right now. Nothing short of a clone of Drazen Petrovic circa 1992 and a trade for a legitimate center can save this team now.

In the midst of this eight-game losing streak though, coach Lawrence Frank doesn’t think he’s in fear of losing his job. Instead, he says he feels “embarrassed” and knows his players feel the same way too.

“The only thing I’m worried about is 18-23,” he told the New York Daily News a few games ago. “Everyone to a man is extremely embarrassed about the way we’re playing. … We’re embarrassed. The way we’re representing ourselves, and more importantly, the way we’re representing ourselves as a team, is not acceptable.”

I believe the word you guys are looking for right now is DUH.

The only question is what exactly can the Nets do in order to change things?

For one, there’s been a rumor over the past few days that the Bulls want Bostjan Nachbar, Antoine Wright, Marcus Williams and Jamaal Magloire to the Bulls for Andres Nocioni and Thabo Sefolosha. If they can find a way to get Nachbar out of that deal and give them something else or even a third or fourth round pick, make that deal in a heartbeat. Then next season, you go out and draft yourself another point guard to be Kidd’s understudy [if he’s around as well]. Nocioni has been getting better every year he’s been in this league and Sefolosha projects to be a solid role player. His versatility also makes him a solid option off the bench.

Granted, this move wouldn’t be a huge one as far as turning the Nets into a NBA finals caliber team again, but it would be a step in the right direction. If Krstic comes back healthy and they have Nocioni scoring 15 points a game and Nachbar off the bench, this team will have plenty of scoring and options off the bench.

At this point, it’s probably just a pipe dream, but it’s interesting to imagine at this point in the season.