Lawrence Frank faced the Nets for the first time as an opposing head coach last night.
But after all of the changes the franchise has gone through the past two seasons, including moving from the Meadowlands to Newark and the massive turnover of the roster, there was little left for him to recognize on the court.
“I love New Jersey,” said Frank before his Pistons’ 99-96 loss to the Nets last night at the Prudential Center. “New Jersey is always home to me. I’m obviously very happy in Detroit, but my family still lives here, so there’s a lot of great memories.
“[But] never really in this building, and it’s a little bit different because even though it’s two years removed, there’s only one active player — Brook Lopez — and he’s hurt. But there’s a lot of great people in the organization. … So it’s always great to see them, and Jersey, obviously, will always be a special place in my heart.”
Frank had one of the most successful runs of any coach in Nets history, with his 225 wins good for second all-time in franchise history, before he was fired in 2009 after an injury-riddled Nets roster began the season 0-16. But after working as an assistant for Doc Rivers in Boston last season, Frank has had a rough start in his first season with the Pistons.
Last night’s game was the third in three nights for the Pistons, including a 113-86 drubbing to the Knicks on Tuesday. Detroit, which is 4-20 this season, has lost seven straight.
“These are interesting and great times, from a team standpoint,” Frank said. “When you’re going through some stuff, this is where you really have to stay true to who you are. This is where you see a trust, belief system, coaching, playing. … I’ve always embraced these times. We’ll move forward, [and] we’ll continue to get better at what we do.”
* Before the game, coach Avery Johnson said DeShawn Stevenson, who missed the last two games with a sore right knee, will remain out of the lineup for at least the next two weeks.
* After Anthony Morrow sat out with a sprained left ankle, Shelden Williams became the lone Net to play in all of the team’s 23 games this season.