"It was time, Rafer Alston figured. Time to start piecing together the first unit. Time to strengthen the bench. Time to stop the losing.

So Alston figured it made no sense to wait any longer for Devin Harris' return to the starting unit. Alston proposed the idea to coach Lawrence Frank, who accepted and had Harris starting again after three games off the bench following a 10-game absence from a groin strain.

"I just took it upon myself to go to Coach and say, 'Get him back in the starting lineup,' " Alston said before the Nets lost to the Kings 109-96 last night. "Let's see if he can regain his rhythm, his confidence, that way as opposed to coming off the bench. For this team, we need him to get going."

Harris, who scored a game-high 25 points, said he likes the idea because "instead of trying to read the flow when I get in there, I get to set the pace myself."

And Frank was psyched by Alston's team-first spirit, "especially in a situation where you have a team that is struggling, for a guy to step up and give up his spot [is impressive]. . . . That's why I like this team so much.""