Jason Kidd: Nets were too 'vanilla' last season

Jason Kidd sounded more like a Ben & Jerry's taste-tester than the Brooklyn Nets new head coach on Tuesday.

The first year coach set a goal yesterday to change the Nets' identity, from the bland tasting squad which fell flat last last season to a more flavorful blend of competitors.  Kidd understands that GM Billy King did most of the prep work already — acquiring the necessary ingredients to make a champion — on draft night with a blockbuster trade.

"I think the identity," Kidd said at the PNY Center. "It was just vanilla [last season] and I think you guys can see after the trade with [Kevin] Garnett and [Paul] Pierce that it's kind of changed. So, I think we're doing the right thing with changing the identity. It was just there was no flavor and no identity. So with that trade, that changes the whole game."

Kidd is confident, but nervous.

"I think I've always been nervous before every game," he said. "You ask any trainer, I've always taken Pepto just to settle my nerves, because basketball's always been something that you can never control. It's something that you just don't know how it's going to turn out, but once the ball is up in the air, your nerves tend to go away, you just respond and react.

"And so I am nervous, but the nice thing is that we do have some talented players who know how to play, who want to be coached and it's exciting. I think it's an exciting nervousness and I'm very excited about this opportunity."

The arrival of Garnett and Pierce, paired with other new additions like Jason Terry and Andrei Kirilenko, gives the Nets one of the NBA's top starting fives to go along with quality depth. As they get set to start training camp at Duke in six days, Kidd said one of his most pressing challenges is figuring out the different floor combinations he's hoping to use because the Nets easily can go two deep at every position.

He also has to concoct a plan for Garnett, whom Kidd previously said he wouldn't play in the second ends of back-to-backs, believing it's the best way to preserve the 37-year-old's legs and body so he'll be fresh and available for the postseason. Garnett rejected the idea.

Get more Pepto. Sounds like there's already too many cooks in Kidd's kitchen.

Deron Williams was already unfit at Olympics, claims Jerry Colangelo

There is a lot of speculation about Deron Williams' weight gain and subsequent inferior play — since he reportedly aggravated an ankle injury during the the 2012 Olympics — but USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo claims the Brooklyn Nets point guard was already out of shape before he played in the London Games.

The Nets maintain that their $100 million star's sub-par season is from being worn down from continuous play over the past two years — and led to PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections in both ankles this week — but Colangelo said Williams is just out of shape.

"Deron Williams, for the Olympics was not in the best of shape," Colangelo told The New York Daily News on Friday. "He was a little overweight, and I told him that at the time."

Through 50 games this season, Williams has struggled with injuries to his shoulder, wrist, thigh and ankles.  He will miss his first All-Star Game in three years after failing to put up the numbers he has in recent years.

While a lot of people blamed the additional weight for Williams apparent lack of quickness this season, Nets general manager Billy King said the point guard was only one pound heavier than what he weighed when he was acquired in a trade with Utah in 2011.  King blames Williams' physical breakdowns on the non-stop schedule over the course of 2012 and not his player's conditioning.

Colangelo disagreed by citing other Olympic competitors — like LeBron James and Kevin Durant — who are enjoying injury-free, MVP-caliber seasons.

"If you look at the track record of all the players who participated with us, how they came into their next seasons and had outstanding years,” Colangelo said. “So there are injuries that have taken place that have nothing to do with participating with us. If anything, they’re in better shape and they’re better prepared going into training camp with their teams."

It's still not clear when Williams aggravated his ankle injury at the Olympics, after averaging nine points and 4.6 assists while shooting 39%.

"He's a heck of a player, great guy, made a real contribution to USA Basketball," said Colangelo about Williams. "And if he decides that he can't participate because of his own health conditions, I've got a list a mile long of people who want to play.

"We take care of our players," he added.  "Nobody is going to get hurt because they play for USA basketball. Just the opposite."

Deron Williams: No more frustration in Nets locker room

It looks like every act, show and performer out on the road these days will be making at least one stop at Brooklyn's new Barclays Center.  But if it were up to Brooklyn Nets star Deron Williams, the circus won't be one of them —  at least not in his Nets locker room.

Williams said he was frustrated at all of the losing he endured with the former New Jersey Nets during the 2011-12 season but really angered him was all the clowning around by a lot of his teammates after a loss.

The All-Star point guard said the locker room would turn into a comedy club after double-digit losses and — although he sometimes joined in the jocularity even as the losses mounted — it was eating him up.

"It was hard.  I've never been in that position before," Williams told reporters Tuesday following the Nets first day of training camp.  "So at times, I've shown frustration , but I think anybody would have.  I think no matter who it is, if you were there every day and you saw what was going on in the locker room you'd be pissed off too sometimes.  You're getting your asses kicked and then you're in the locker room laughing about the game afterwards .

"I don't think that stuff is funny.  That's what we had to deal with last year.  But I don't think we're going to deal with it this year, because we're just talking to the guys, that's not what we're about.  we're talking about not losing two games in a row. We were just trying to fight to win two games in a row last year."

Williams didn't make excuses for the Nets 22-44 record last season but could have pointed to the Nets injury-depleted roster, his contract talks and the Dwight Howard trade talks.

Asked about the the differences this year's squad will bring— only six players remain from last year's roster — Williams was optimistic.

"It's night and day, last year to this year, what we have in training camp," he said.

Williams re-signed with the Nets  — signing a five-year, $98 million contract — mainly because Nets GM Billy King wasn't reluctant to bring in some new players including All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson.

A new arena, a new team name,  a new leadership role and no clown cars pulling into the Nets locker room.  All things Williams can put in front of himself this season.

"I look forward to being that guy that everybody looks upon when things get tight, when things get close," he said.  "I like those moments."