Brooklyn Nets general manager Billy King says he made the ultimate decision to re-assign Lawrence Frank after an early-season quarrel with head coach Jason Kidd, reports A.J. Perez of NJ.com. Hired during the offseason to be a mentor to Kidd in his first year as a coach, Frank quickly found himself away from the team, filing daily reports "from afar."
Nets GM Billy King takes responsibility for Lawrence Frank’s re-assignment
King says he had to “make a decision” with the team’s season in the balance.
USA TODAY Sports
When the team first announced Frank’s new role in early December, many believed Kidd was behind the decision given reports of conflict between the two coaches. However, King says he was the one to banish Frank, in order “to back Kidd and calm the locker room.”
Faced with an important decision to make, King chose to double down on his inexperienced head coach and hope it would right the ship.
“[Frank] does his report -- I got it this morning -- and he’s helping from afar. But I believe in Jason and so to give him the ability to be successful, we had to make that decision.”
The Nets were 5-12 at the time of the move, and would finish December sitting at 10-21 following back-to-back losses to Indiana and San Antonio. However, the new year brought Brooklyn outs of its slump, and the team posted a 34-17 record over the final three-plus months of the season.
Now in the playoffs as the No. 6 seed, the Nets are tied with the Toronto Raptors at one game apiece entering Game 3 on Friday. Unless Charlotte, Memphis or Atlanta manages a major upset, Kidd could be the only first-year coach to reach the second round should Brooklyn pull it out.
See More:
