Billy King learned a lesson from his first NBA general manager job in Philadelphia. It's a lesson that is clear when you review the transactions he's made with the Nets.

"After 10 1/2 years in Philadelphia, the one thing was, I always felt like I did my job there," King told Rod Boone, "and at the end, I was just trying to keep my job. Once you start trying to keep your job and not do it, it's not going to work."

So in building the Nets in anticipation of their move to Brooklyn, King has been aggressive, trading assets for Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace and Joe Johnson. As a result, King draws praise from Donnie Walsh in Indiana to King's old coach, Mike Krzyzewski.

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