GM Vandeweghe to coach Nets rest of season
Published 10:29 am Tuesday, December 1, 2009
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New Jersey Nets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe will coach the team for the rest of the season.
The Nets announced Tuesday that Vandeweghe, who has never been a head coach, will take over the young, injury-depleted club on the verge of setting the NBA record for most losses to start the season.
“Because of his ability to work with young players, to get the best out of young players, he’s a natural for this job,” Nets president Rod Thorn said.
Vandeweghe will have somebody with head coaching experience to lean on, bringing in Del Harris as an assistant. The two worked together with the Dallas Mavericks, where Vandeweghe helped Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash develop into stars. Vandeweghe called Harris “one of the brightest guys in the game.”
The Nets fired Lawrence Frank, their coach for 6½ seasons, on Sunday morning. They lost to the Lakers under interim coach Tom Barrise on Sunday night, tying the 1988-89 Miami Heat and 1999 Los Angeles Clippers by dropping 17 consecutive games to open a season.
Barrise will coach again Wednesday against Dallas, when the Nets can set the record with an 18th straight loss. Vandeweghe will take over at practice Thursday.
The Nets traded Vince Carter to Orlando in June as they sought to open salary cap space for next summer’s star-studded free agent class. But all that salary cap room might not make any difference if free agents doubt New Jersey can compete for a championship anytime soon. Thorn acknowledged the Nets need to show signs that they’re not too far away from contending.
“We’re going to try to let everybody see we are capable of winning games, that we do have some very good pieces here that will be here for quite a while that would make it more attractive for potential free agents at the end of the year,” he said.
