Nets vets should set up more group workouts

After the Nets brought in draft pickups MarShon Brooks, Jordan Williams and Bogan Bogdanovic to meet the local media Monday, they promptly sent the ones that will be with them next season to California to work out.

This made perfect sense because of the labor situation. If there is a lockout -- as expected -- starting Friday there can be no contact between the players and the teams.

So Brooks and Williams flew to meet coach Avery Johnson and general manager Billy King at P3 in Santa Barbara for some training until they can’t talk to him anymore.

Brooks and Williams were given what the Nets want them to do this summer, what workouts, what things they need to improve on –- basically everything they should do to make sure they’re ready when the work stoppage ends and/or training camp begins.

The Nets can’t afford anyone, let alone rookies, to use camp to let them get ready for the NBA season. King said he thought about holding a rookie-free agent camp before July 1, but thought P3 was a better alternative.

“I thought this would be better than bringing them in just to play basketball for a couple days,” he said. “I think for them it’s going to be more getting a foundation of lifting and testing and seeing where they are strength wise.

“They train. They test them, [strengthen] different parts of the muscles. Give them a plan. Map it out for them for the summer. It’s more weight and training.”

P3, which stands for Peak Performance Project, is a place the Utah Jazz had used. King heard about it and when Deron Williams mentioned it, the Nets GM looked into it and decided it would be good for his players to attend.

That’s why earlier this month Williams helped organize a group workout where every Net under contract went to P3 to train. This is something that needs to happen again if there is a long lockout.

It would be wise for someone –- Williams or Anthony Morrow or Jordan Farmar -– to try and organize such meetings this summer. It would be good for the Nets if it were Brook Lopez stepping up and showing some leadership and putting something together. That definitely would be a big step for him.

It’s difficult to get everyone together, but it can be done.