LOS ANGELES – The expected axe fell one day sooner. The Nets fired coach Lawrence Frank Sunday afternoon.
Team president Rod Thorn, who did not accompany the team on this West Coast trip that concludes tonight against the Lakers, informed Frank after reports of the impending move became public. When the Nets began their trip, Frank’s status was virtually sealed and it increasingly became a matter of when, not if.
Assistant coach Tom Barrise assumed the head coaching job for Sunday night. Thorn will meet with organization members tomorrow to determine the interim. The Nets are looking to avoid the infamy of tying the worst start in NBA history, 0-17, Sunday night.
GM Kiki Vandeweghe prominently has been mentioned as a replacement, but one team source strongly denied the possibility. John Loyer, in his first season as Nets assistant but 10th overall in the NBA – he did nine years with the Sixers and Blazers – is a possibility along with other assistants Doug Overton, Roy Rogers and Barrise.
But Thorn said he will be meeting with candidates from outside the organization. A source from an opposing team said that former Rockets, Bucks and Lakers head coach Del Harris is one option.
The team made the inevitable a reality with a statement Sunday afternoon.
“I want to thank Lawrence for his more than a decade of service to the Nets, first as an assistant coach and then as the head coach for the past six and a half seasons,” Thorn said in the statement. “Lawrence always approached every day with a passion for his craft that was infectious, and his dedication to the game as well as his work ethic are to be both admired and appreciated. I wish he and his family only the best of good fortune in the future.”
Thorn was scheduled to meet Monday with current owner Bruce Ratner to discuss the firing but moved up his decision after news of the imminent dismissal got out.
“I think out of respect for Lawrence, he decided not to let it linger,” one team source said of the firing. “Once it got out there, it was unfair to Lawrence.”
Also, another source suggested that the organization did not want Frank to suffer the 17th straight defeat and have sole possession of the franchise record losing streak while tying the NBA’s worst start.
Frank replaced Byron Scott in January, 2004 and compiled a 225-241, including this season’s dismal 0-16 start. His playoff record was 18-20. He is the organization’s all-time leader in coaching victories. He began his tenure with 13 straight wins and leaves it with 16 straight losses.
Frank was preparing for the Lakers game when he received the official word.