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According to Stefan Bondy of the Daily News, it's expected that Deron Williams will return to the starting lineup sooner than later. Williams didn't practice on Wednesday, as a rest day, but head coach Jason Kidd did say that he's trying to work Williams back into the starting lineup, even as the second unit, led by Williams, has thrived of late.
Williams has come off the bench in five games since returning from treatments to his ankles, averaging 11.2 points and 8.2 assists with the Nets going 4-1.
"The second group has been great. We’ll continue to look at it," Kidd said. "But at some point we’ll have to get him back with that first group."
When Williams returns to the lineup, he’ll likely replace Alan Anderson to give the Nets a Williams-Shaun Livingston backcourt.
Also of note, the Nets re-watched the final two minutes of Monday's loss to the Raptors, in which Williams had a costly turnover in the final seconds of the game, which led to the Nets losing to Toronto on a last-second shot by Patrick Patterson.
"Looking back, I shouldn’t have throw it to that end of the floor (near Brooklyn’s basket)," Williams said. "If we threw it on the other end, we’d still have time to set up. Kyle Lowry and Terrence Ross, they stopped guarding me and starting guarding everyone on the floor, so I could’ve maybe thrown it off one of their legs (because they weren’t looking at me). Looking back, there’s always something you would do after the fact. But a lot of the passes were risky, maybe one I could’ve thrown to (Kevin Garnett) that would’ve been high. There’s definitely things I could’ve done looking back."
The Nets play Friday night against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. There is no word yet on whether Williams will be in the starting lineup for that game.
- Nets practice notes: Deron Williams, returning soon to starting lineup, learning from late-game meltdown - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
- No timetable for Deron Williams' return to Nets starting lineup - Stephen Haymes - Newsday
- Nets: Matter of time before Deron’s back with the first team - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
- Nets forced to watch video of collapse vs. Raptors - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
- D-Will nearing return to starting lineup - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- Starting Five: If D-Will starts, who sits? - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- Andrei Kirilenko a key for Brooklyn Nets - Tom Lafe - Brooklyn Paper
- Nets draw up plans for Super Bowl Sunday - Andy Vasquez - The Record
- Shrugging off pressure and paydays, Nets and Kidd find success - Sean Deveney - The Sporting News
- No Award Will Mask Brooklyn Nets’ Shortcomings At Head Coach - Steven Lichtenstein - WFAN
