Avery Johnson has said he doesn't think the Nets are championship contenders and although Deron Williams didn't use the word Monday, he left only a little doubt about what HE thinks the Nets are capable of.

"People sleep on us and we’ll let them do that. That’s fine," Williams said. "We have no excuses. I think everybody’s at the point in their career where they want to win. There’s no hidden agendas, there’s no contract issues. Pretty much everybody’s locked in and ready to focus on basketball."

D-Will also said he'd be interested in playing for Team USA both at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Madrid and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero. He noted that when Jason Kidd won his second gold, he was 36. Only a handful of players have won Olympic gold, a World Cup ... and an NBA ring.

Meanwhile in Dallas, Williams' hometown, Mark Cuban continued to claim that signing Williams would have hurt his team's chances at building a contender. "would have made it work with Deron," said Cuban. "But I think it’s better for our team the way it turned out.’’

• Nets All-Star Deron Williams says he’s open to playing in 2014 World Cup - AP
• Mark Cuban defiant on Deron Williams front, “shocked” at how successful the summer was - Eddie Sefko - Dallas Morning News