On Media Day just three weeks ago, the Nets trotted out their very expensive group of five players for a group photo. They posed, they laughed. They were sold to everybody as Brooklyn’s Five, a package deal, assembled to fit the protoypical NBA puzzle.

But already, a piece is interchangeable.

Avery Johnson said Monday he can foresee himself adjusting the lineup based on matchups, adding that he won’t sacrifice the first minutes of the game for the sake of continuity. Although the coach didn’t go over specific permutations, the odd man out of the lineup would certainly be power forward Kris Humphries, who struggles defensively against quick, hybrid forwards.

Johnson may be faced with this conundrum on opening night, Nov. 1, against the Knicks. With Amar’e Stoudemire sitting because of a ruptured cyst, the Knicks have discussed using a smaller lineup while shifting Carmelo Anthony to power forward.

“At the end of the day everyone wants to play a ton of minutes, everyone wants to be a starter and do all these things,” said Humphries, who averaged career highs last season in points (13.8) and rebounds (11). “But the coach makes decisions.”

via Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News