With New Jersey Nearing NBA Record 0-17, Nets Sack Coach Lawrence Frank

Yahoo’s super reporter Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the Nets have offered their coaching job to GM Kiki Vandeweghe and will likely bring aboard veteran Del Harris as his lead assistant.

Wojnarowski reports that Vandeweghe is currently milling the offer over and will only take the job if he’s joined by a veteran assistant coach (hence, Harris being included in the package deal). Wojnarowski also threw out P.J. Carlisemo’s name as someone who might be that veteran assistant.

Barrise has been a Nets assistant for four years, while Loyer, who Julian Garcia of the New York Daily News says we shouldn’t “rule out,” was just hired this year. My money is still on Vandeweghe, because he’ll likely come cheapest and won’t stick around past this season, but the New York Post quotes a team source that said Vandeweghe is not being considered.

The larger issue is whether anyone would really want this job for the long term. Ownership has clearly indicated that cutting costs and preserving cap space is the goal, not winning. That’s shown with the lack of talent the Nets possess and the lack of support the franchise receives from its fans and the local market. It was bad enough that, according to Berger, former Net Vince Carter, who was just traded to Orlando in a salary dump this summer, refused to comment when asked about the Nets’ issues.

Over at SB Nation’s Nuggets blog, Denver Stiffs, Andrew Feinstein offers a look at Nets GM Kiki Vandeweghe, who spent a number of years in Denver, as well. A closer look at the Nets show Vandeweghe pulling the strings the same way he did in Denver—content to lose, cut salary, and build through the draft. But in both cases, a talented young coach was a casualty of that strategy.

First it was Denver’s Jeff Bzdelik, and now, New Jersey’s Lawrence Frank:

Acoording to ESPN’s Mark Stein, the Nets have dismissed their head coach Lawrence Frank faster than anyone expected. With speculation mounting, it seems the media forced New Jersey’s hand, here—the Nets and President Rod Thorn had reportedly hoped to wait to make a move until after New Jersey returned from their West Coast road trip.

But again, after rumors concerning Frank’s imminent dismissal became more and more concrete in recent days—cresting with Sunday morning’s report from Yahoo! Sports—the Nets apparently felt they had to make a move immediately. So tonight, when the Nets attempt to avoid tying the Heat and Clippers for the worst start in history, they’ll do so without their head coach.

So it’s no surprise, then, that Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski has several sources suggesting that a dismissal for Frank is imminent, and could come as soon as Monday. From Yahoo:

Lawrence Frank is the longest tenured coach in the Eastern Conference, and indeed, thought to be one of the better basketball minds the league’s coaching ranks has to offer. He’ll likely work again. The reality is that in some cases, this is just the way the league works. It’s not a reflection on someone like Frank, but when things go bad, players tend to tune out the man in charge, and management tends to hold that person responsible.