by FRED KERBER , The New York Post

"It's definitely tough. Those were two of the top guys who made the transition easier for me," Lopez said yesterday. "It's definitely going to be difficult without them. We still got a strong group and loads of good friends."

And, of course, the Nets still have Lopez.

So when the Nets try to overcome the loss of Carter's near 21-points a game, they'll look to the trade's return, young, speedy wing Courtney Lee and two veterans, point guard Rafer Alston and forward/center Tony Battie, plus versatile draft pick Terrence Williams. But they'll also look to Lopez, who averaged 13.0 points as a rookie. True, it might be a bit harder as Carter and all the requisite double (sometimes triple) teams he drew are gone. Lopez now will draw much of that attention.

"It'll definitely be an adjustment. I just trust my teammates around me. Somebody is going to be open," Lopez said. "I see a bit more freedom, but it comes with a price. That's those double teams."

Lopez, running a Basketball camp at Hoop Heaven in Whippany, N.J., this week, worked out yesterday with teammates Yi Jianlian and Sean Williams at the Nets facility. Lopez stressed Yi looked "more polished," bulkier.

"Yi's been playing a lot stronger. Looks like he's polished up a lot of stuff," Lopez said, impressed by a lot of his post moves. "He did a lot of one-on-one in the post. He was making some great moves, kind of caught me by surprise."

The Nets like their youth, athleticism and potential with Williams, Lee and whippet-quick Devin Harris. Team president Rod Thorn included Yi in that athletic group yesterday and, with the free agent talking phase starting tomorrow (signings begin July 8), he believes help is coming. But not right away.

"We'd like to wait until the dust settles, then see what's there," Thorn said.

In a buyer's market, the Nets might snag a bargain. They're not looking for the big bucks free agent. They liked their scorecard from last year when they got Jarvis Hayes (whose second year option at $2.06 million was exercised yesterday), Eduardo Najera and Keyon Dooling (sign and trade) for reasonable prices. And they plan on $27 million for free agents in 2010 when, Thorn said: "We would be in position to sign two max-out players."

The Nets seek another four. Some of the names they could scan include Chris Wilcox, Melvin Ely, Mikki Moore and Joe Smith, all unrestricted, and restricted Channing Frye.

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