Everyone in the NBA knew going into the season that the Nets were in the middle of a rebuilding scheme and weren’t expected to be much more than cellar-dwellers.
However at times, they actually looked like a playoff team and one that had a ton of potential.
Not many teams are in a situation to have two All-Stars while being under .500 and the Nets were pretty damn close to achieving that. As well, they had a host of talented youngsters that appeared to be turning the corner as well.
Now, despite the fact that the team should be happy with what they’ve gotten out of Brook Lopez this season and the flashes of brilliance from the rest of their babies, the Nets again, for the second season in a row will most likely be on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in.
17 losses in their last 23 games will do that sort of thing.
Now, a bigger dilemma than missing the playoffs is presented.
Is Nets head coach Laurence Frank to partially blame? Or is he rewarded for taking a team full of kids and dealing with injuries to his key players and making them at the very least, respectable.
“After the season, all of us get graded and rated,” Thorn said. “All of us. We look at everything at the end of the year.”
Heh, that doesn’t sound very good if you’re Frank.
The team too doesn’t know what to make of the speculation as well.
“It’s things we can’t control. The things we can control are on the floor,” Devin Harris told the AP. “Our effort, the things we do on the floor. And that’s the things we have to focus on. We can’t worry about that. It’s not a decision we make.”
Simply put, Frank was brought in to provide energy and get the team back the finals after Byron Scott could not.
Over the past few seasons, that situation, for a variety of reasons, has not changed.
Will Frank have to pay, with his job, at the end of the season?
“Rod, to me, is the premier executive in sports because he’s very honest,” Frank told Yahoo Sports. “I’ll take Rod Thorn any day of the week, not because he’s supported me, but because he’s always been honest with me. Everyone gets evaluated every year so this is no different than in the past. I don’t need a vote of confidence. What we need to do is play as hard as we can, compete and try to win as many games as possible. Then when the season is over then we’re all evaluated.”