By FRED KERBER
Posted: 3:15 am
June 30, 2008
Richard Jefferson has checked in with the Nets. He is not amused.
Jefferson, traded to Milwaukee for promising 7-footer Yi Jianlian and veteran Bobby Simmons, responded via text message to Nets team president Rod Thorn.
"He didn't seem very happy," said Thorn, who emphasized yesterday he had not yet spoken to Jefferson. "I spoke to his agent, I called him, texted him. I like Richard. He was here for a long time and I'm sure he still expected to be here. Unless you are the one pushing for it, it's always difficult when you are traded. You are going to a new place, have new teammates. It's hard at first."
Thorn has other work looming as the free agency period starts tomorrow. Teams have a two-week courtship period before they can start signing players.
"We'll be active, but I don't know what we're going to do right away. Our first priority is see where our own free agents are," GM Kiki Vandeweghe said, referring to the Nets' trio of restricted free agent Nenad Krstic and two unrestricteds, center DeSagana Diop and forward Bostjan Nachbar.
Keeping all three could be tough and the Nets fortified themselves, somewhat, against potential losses through the draft, where they grabbed a center (Brook Lopez), a shooting power forward (Ryan Anderson) and a wing (Chris Douglas-Roberts). That could alter their free agent plan.
"Probably some," said Thorn, who acknowledged the Nets still "definitely need a wing shooter type of guy."
The Nets remain adamant they want their own guys back, including Krstic, despite the presence of another perimeter four in Yi, whom Vandeweghe worked out last year.
"He was much bigger than I thought, had a great frame, was very athletic. He picked up on things very quickly and could really shoot. Those things stood out right away. And you could tell he was a very hard worker," Vandeweghe said.
