Report: Nets to dismiss coach Frank

[justdonating]

As if we didn't see this coming......

The New Jersey Nets, mired in a historic 16-loss slide to start their season, will fire coach Lawrence Frank early this week, Yahoo! Sports has reported.

The Nets face the Lakers in Los Angeles on Sunday night in a bid to avoid matching the NBA record for losses to start a season.

The Nets will deliver the news to Frank, the longest tenured coach in the Eastern Conference, at some point when the team returns to New Jersey, the report said, citing multiple unnamed sources.

Frank, whose Nets helped him set a record by winning 13 straight games to start his stint with the team, is in the final year of his contract that pays him $4 million this season.

Frank hasn't caught a break in his fifth full season as coach.

During the streak, the defeats have included four losses of three points or less.

But the Nets haven't kept themselves in too many other games while averaging an NBA-low 85.6 points and shooting a league-worst 40.3 percent from the field. Ten of their losses have come by double digits, including each game during this four-game Western road trip.

With a loss to the Lakers, New Jersey would join the 1988-89 Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers during the lockout-shortened 1999 season as the only teams to start 0-17.

To avoid reaching that point, New Jersey will first need a better performance than they delivered in Friday night's 109-96 defeat to Sacramento, while matching the franchise's longest losing streak.

The Nets have also dropped 16 straight road games dating to March 18, when they beat the Knicks 115-89.

New Jersey has also lost 27 of 35 all-time road games against Los Angeles. Its loss at the Staples Center last season followed a 102-100 win there on Nov. 25, 2007.

Information from STATS LLC was used in this report.

[Immanuel Kant]

Too bad......not his fault he has little to work with. I'd hire him in a second. I think he's one of the best 2nd half adjustment guys in the league.

[Dr. Jack]

I agree. Blaming wrong guy here. The guy can coach but he's coaching. High school team

[justdonating]

With the exception of Devin Harris and a work-in-progress Brook Lopez, the Nets have nothing. Frank is a good coach, but someone has to take the blame for the horrible start. With new ownership on the way, I guess its a fresh start so to speak. Considering what they have to pay Frank, might as well keep him until the end of the season....IMO..