One more day to impress for four Brooklyn Nets on the edge

The Nets practice Monday at 12:30. That's set, but with only hours to go before the 5 p.m. roster cutdown deadline, the roster for Opening Night Wednesday remains uncertain.The Nets have 13 players with guaranteed deals, but 17 players still in uniform.  Something has to give.

As Tim Bontemps reports, third string point guard Donald Sloan seems like a lock, but the other three players -- Dahntay Jones, Willie Reed and Justin Harper -- remain on the edge.

Of the three, Reed looked like the most likely to make the team until he tore the ulnar ligament in his thumb last week. He won't play for another five to seven weeks.  With Chris McCullough already out until at least January, and Andrea Bargnani just back to practicing full-time, the Nets' frontcourt rotation is thin.  The question is would the Nets eat Reed's $500,000 guarantee, sign Harper to a vets minimum deal --- and get within $1 million of the luxury tax threshold?

The 6'10" Harper, of course, was the surprise of the camp, the only Net to play in all six games, shooting 9-of-19 from three and averaging 9.0 and 4.4 in 19 minutes. Jones on the other hand is a Lionel Hollins favorite, a veteran presence looking at his 11th year in the NBA.  Hollins played him a lot in preseason, including one 38-minute stint that was the most Jones had played in pre-, regular or post-season play since 2009..

There's also another possibility, waiving everyone but Sloan, dropping the roster to 14 players, then checking the waiver wire for a last minute pick-up.  Right now, the biggest name out there --and a big-- is Perry Jones III, but other players could become available at 5 p.m. Stay tuned.

• Nets taking final roster trim to very last minute - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
• Eight NBA teams facing tough decisions as cutdown deadline looms - Marc Stein - ESPN