Surveying the Nets' Coaching Options

Lawrence Frank has been dismissed, and the Nets have no coach ... and, as of the publication of this post, not even an interim coach. Assistant coach Tom Barrise took the hot seat for Sunday's trampling in Los Angeles, but the team has yet to name the longtime Net the full-time coach for the balance of the season. That hesitation -- plus Rod Thorn's statement that he'll interview all Nets assistants and possibly others -- has the rumor mill churning.

Who are those names? And who might be best prepared for the regrettable job at hand? We survey the field, after the jump.

Tom Barrise, Nets assistant. Like Frank, Barrise is a coaching lifer. He joined the Nets coaching staff when Frank ascended to Byron Scott's spot some six years ago. Prior to that, Barrise had spent eight seasons as the team's advance scout. For those unfamiliar with the life of an advance scout, let me assure you that it is as unglamorous and under-appreciated as any job in the league. And Barrise did it for eight years. For the Nets. That alone should give him 65 games in charge, if only for some karmic reward. Before coming to the Nets, Barrise was the head coach at Division III Ramapo College in Mahwah, N.J.

John Loyer, Nets assistant. Unlike Barrise, Loyer is new to the Nets, having been brought in as a replacement of sorts for Frank's former lead assistant, ex-Magic coach Brian Hill, who joined John Kuester's staff in Detroit. Loyer has a great reputation around the league and served as Maurice Cheeks's right-hand man in both Portland and Philadelphia. If Thorn wants to clean departure from Frank's regime, Loyer would be the top choice from this staff.

Doug Overton and Roy Rogers, Nets assistants. Overton and Rogers, both with little NBA coaching experience, would seem to be highly unlikely choices to replace Frank. If Nets management wants someone already on the payroll, Barrise and Loyer are better choices. If management prefers an outsider, Overton and Rogers are disqualified. Based on those terms, it seems extremely unlikely that either will be considered seriously for the interim job.

Kiki Vandeweghe, Nets general manager. There are conflicting reports as to whether Vandeweghe is or is not interested in taking the reins. Vandeweghe, who has never coached at any level, traveled with the team on its futile four-game Western road trip, with rumors suggesting he was watching the personnel to get a head start on making adjustments from the bench. But today a spate of denials from (one would suppose) Kiki's camp suggest he's not a willing candidate. So we'll see. While Vandeweghe isn't a coach by trade, he's an incredibly enthusiastic fellowand if there's anything you need at 0-17, it's an injection of enthusiasm.

Del Harris, retired NBA head coach. Harris has a certain level of appeal, and the New York Post's Fred Kerber floated the veteran coach Monday morning. Harris has had a stellar NBA career. As a head coach, he tallied just one season with fewer than 40 wins. He has also been a top assistant on some great teams (including the near-champion Mavericks earlier this decade). One last candle on the cake: he has coached the Chinese national basketball team (and is perhaps that team's most popular coach in recent memory). The Nets feature China's Frank Stallone, one Yi Jianlian.

Assuming Thorn makes the decision, I'd put my money on Barrise. Given that the entire staff will be canned at season's end, consider this a sadistic version of a gold watch.