In March of 2008, the New Jersey Nets were in a terrific position. They had Vince Carter, one of the league's elite guards. They had Richard Jefferson, one of the best young players in the league. They also had Devin Harris, a soon-to-be NBA All Star. Who would think that 20 months later, after playing sixteen games in the 2009-2010 season, the Nets would not have a single win? In the last year, they got rid of Carter and Jefferson, and this season, Devin Harris is battling injuries. Clearly the 0-16 Nets (who will tie the record for the most consecutive losses to start the season unless they beat the Lakers, tonight) needed to make a change, and it started with the guy on the sideline. The longest tenured coach in the Eastern Conference, Lawrence Frank, was fired today by the only winless team in the league.
Frank seemed to be the coach the Nets were going to use in their rebuilding process, a team that is in desperate need of one of the superstars in the incredible group of players who will be free agents after this season. Frank led the Nets to the playoffs in his first four seasons as coach but missed the playoffs the next two, winning just 34 games each year. His success has gradually decreased, and finally, losing sixteen games in a row was enough for Nets organization. The interim coach is Tom Barrise, and at the moment, they just need to win a game. There is probably no team in the league that wants the season to be over more than the Nets do. With Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and many others in the last year of their contracts, the NBA is sure to have some big changes.
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