With futility mark in sight, Nets' rivals feel the pressure

Seven questions for the next seven days:

Whoever thought that New Jersey Nets games would be fraught with such tension? Now that the perfectly imperfect start has reached a record-tying 0-17, the question is which team will suffer the indignity of becoming the Nets' first victim.

Now that Lawrence Frank has been removed from the Nets' bench and interim boss Tom Barrise is already 0-1, the remaining unknown is whether Christmas or win No. 1 will arrive sooner?

Next in line for the woeful Nets: Dallas on Wednesday night, in what would be the record-breaker, followed by Charlotte on Friday night, both at home in Jersey. You know that in locker rooms all around the league, they're watching scoreboards and checking TV highlights to see who will stub their toes.

This must be what it's like to be a member of the bomb squad when they tell you to go in there and take the lid off that innocent-looking package.

The Mavericks, based on their record, would seem unlikely candidates to fall to the Nets. Except there is that the matter of that 111-103 flameout on their own home court against a Golden State team that used only six players.

Meanwhile the Bobcats are only 1-7 on the road this season.

Tick! Tick! Tick!

It's going to happen to somebody, because the Nets can't lose them all. Can they?

The only thing blazing in Portland these days is the confusion and discontent on the bench and in the locker room. After taking an embarrassing whipping at home by the Memphis Grizzlies, the Trail Blazers flopped badly in Utah.

It seems Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge are having a tough time adjusting to the emergence of Greg Oden in the middle. Free-agent acquisition Andre Miller doesn't know what to think after playing just over six minutes against the Jazz.

There are plenty of folks saying that it's still early in the season. But it's wise to note that of the Blazers' 12 wins, nine were against teams with losing records, including three over the 2-15 Timberwolves.

This is the time to straighten things out with a light week of two home games against Miami and Houston preceding a four-game road trip through the Eastern Conference.

With the Thanksgiving leftovers finished, the Christmas season blasts into full swing. Can't somebody find room under their tree for Allen Iverson?

While it may sound sensible at first blush for a team that is sinking fast in the standings and ranks almost at the bottom in attendance, even The Answer's old friends in Philadelphia might be having second thoughts on reuniting. How does he fit with the development of a young backcourt when Louis Williams returns from injury in eight weeks?

People around Iverson keep saying he'd be willing to come off the bench for a real championship contender. But which contender is ready to open the door and let him in?

It's one thing for the Toronto Raptors to be underperforming in the fight for wins and losses in the standings. It's quite another not to stand up in defense of a teammate.

When Chris Bosh took a hard blow from Paul Pierce on a dunk and was spread out on the floor in pain, very few of his teammates bothered to rush in to check on him or leap to his defense.

"I think if I were Chris, I'd confront my teammates," said Raptors coach Jay Triano.

Especially if they have any desire for the free-agent-to-be to stay in Toronto beyond this season. There's nothing like hitting the road for bonding. The Raptors get a three-game road trip to Atlanta, Washington and Chicago.

You have to think the Minnesota Timberwolves sat down at their Thanksgiving dinner and bowed their heads to the east. If it weren't for the winless Nets, the Wolves would have been in the crosshairs of every late-night comedian while toting their own 15-game losing streak.

Unlike New Jersey, the Wolves claim to have a firm plan for going forward. Next summer, they could have more than $20 million to spend in the free-agent market and three first-round draft choices.

That's fine, as long as they don't take three point guards.

The Wolves, who chalked up win No. 2 Sunday against the Nuggets in Denver, can make it two in a row Wednesday at home against Memphis. The last time they won back-to-back was April 7-8 over the L.A. Clippers and Golden State.

Scott Brooks certainly had his work cut out for him when he took over as coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder last November. The team sank to 3-29 before finally showing results in the win column after the turn of the New Year.

Now Oklahoma City is 9-8 with a grueling schedule that already has included nine road games in all four time zones and three sets of back-to-backs.

They won't play another road game now until Dec. 11 after waiting for Philadelphia, Boston and Golden State at the Ford Center.

Admittedly, it's a much rarer feat for a rookie to achieve. But when Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings dropped in 55 points against Golden State it was practically heralded by trumpets blaring.

On the other hand, Denver's Carmelo Anthony hit up the New York Knicks for 50 and it was regarded as just another day at the office. That's how high Anthony has taken his game this season.

If there was an MVP award for the first full calendar month of the season, Anthony has as strong a case as anyone.

Fran Blinebury has covered the NBA since 1977. You can e-mail him here.

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