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New Jersey Nets guard Devin Harris, left, confers with coach Lawrence Frank during a break in the action against the Denver Nuggets.Frank was fired on Sunday after an 0-16 start. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
After starting the season 0-16, the axe inevitably fell on New Jersey Nets head coach Lawrence Frank.
The team fired him on Sunday, just hours before they tied the NBA futility record with an 0-17 start (’89 Heat, ‘99 Clippers) under interim coach Tom Barrise.
Good coach, bad luck, worse team. That locker room has to be a dreadful place to be right now, as the Nets continue to fight hard every night, and can’t seem to get over the hump.
Things could be looking up, however, as the Nets cross the Hudson to face the similarly-lowly Knicks on Saturday. If there’s any team that is rife for playing down to the competition and blowing a winnable home game, it’s New York.
Also, now is the time to trade for Devin Harris in your fantasy league! Finally healthy, he’ll go off in the next few weeks as the team tries to play a more aggressive, uptempo style.
Speaking of the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony joined “not-so-exclusive” company by dropping a career-high 50 points on them on Saturday. Of the last 10 players to score 50-plus points in a game, the Knicks have surrendered four of them (including Kobe’s 61 and LeBron’s 52 in consecutive games in February). Ouch, babe. Even a smidgen of defense from Mike D’Antoni’s squad would go a long way.
See Carmelo’s explosion here…
Play of the Night
Fifty points, it wasn’t, but Anthony did take home play of the night honors on Sunday with this ridiculous circus shot against Minnesota. It was all for nothing, however, as the Timberwolves beat Denver 106-100 to snap its 15-game losing streak.
Eric Yates is SDNN deputy managing editor. E-mail: eric.yates(at)sdnn.com or follow him on Twitter: @eyates12.
Tags: 0-17, Carmelo Anthony, denver nuggets, devin harris, lawrence frank, mike d'antoni, new jersey nets, new york knicks, SDNN
