Source: In the 'Zzone
By Al Iannazzone 

Today's practice was long over. Coach Lawrence Frank already did his session with us and even stuck around a little while longer to shoot the breeze as Jamaal Magloire worked on his shooting.

Frank left and I was sitting there with a couple of Nets' employees both named Matt - I won't put their last names because they want me to - and Magloire was still shooting.

Say this for the Nets' new big man - he works hard.

After the Knicks' game the other night he was in the locker room, riding the exercise bike with sweat pouring off his body. I was told one of the coaches was looking for him the other day and couldn't find him. Magloire finally was seen in the sauna - riding the bike.

His workout finally ended today and Magloire came over and apologized for making us wait. So not only does he work hard, but he's a nice guy. Word is he got there earlier than 9:15 for a practice that started at 11 a.m. He practiced, lifted, came out and did some footwork drills around cones, went back in and lifted some more and was still shooting at about 2:25 p.m.

"I realize that the only way you get better is putting in the work," Magloire said. "There are always things you could be doing to get better."

Like free-throw shooting - perhaps?

Remember, Magloire was 2-for-10 Friday against the Knicks. Shooting coach Bob Thate was talking to him after the game and sure enough Magloire was shooting with Thate as we waited patiently this afternoon.

A little while earlier, we peppered Frank with questions about Magloire and what he brings to the Nets and whether he could take the starting center job away from Jason Collins.

"Is this the anti-Collins campaign?" Frank said. "You’re sent out by that group? We haven’t publicly disclosed our starting lineup, but the thing is, can Jamaal be a starter? Sure he can be a starter. So you have to keep an open mind. And it’s a long season. So if he doesn’t start at the start of the season that doesn't mean he can’t start [eventually].

"To me the positive is, everybody likes to start, but what guys care about is hopefully winning No. 1, and their contribution to winning."

Read into this any way you like, but I believe eventually Magloire will be the starting big man. Either way, he's going to play more than Collins because he gives the Nets something they haven't had in the Jason Kidd era.

"He gives us a dimension that’s a little bit different," Frank said. "[He's a] rugged old-school center who can get your team into the penalty early and have a physical presence around the basket."

Magloire wants to start, but believes he'll help the team in whatever role he has.

"I think we’re dangerous because we have balance," Magloire said. "We have [Nenad] Krstic and myself that can score and you have the two wings [Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson] and Kidd. I think we’re as good as any other team out there."