A short stint as the right-hand man to Doc Rivers with the Boston Celtics seemed to do the trick for former New Jersey Nets head coach Lawrence Frank. After spending just one season with the Celtics, Frank was hired as the new head coach of the Detroit Pistons.
Frank -- with a record of 225-241 as Nets head coach -- will receive a three-year deal with a team option for a fourth. Among the candidates he beat out for the job were Pistons great Bill Laimbeer and former New York Knicks star Patrick Ewing.
After he resurfaced with the Celtics in 2010-11 to replace Tom Thibodeau, Frank's name quickly started to circulate as a potential future head coach in the league (again). The success of Boston last season notwithstanding, Frank doesn't exactly bring with him an impressive resume.
Frank took over a Nets team that Byron Scott took to back-to-back NBA Finals and failed to get New Jersey out of the Conference Semifinals his first four seasons in charge. Things quickly went downhill as the Nets went from contender to rebuilding team on the outside looking in. Frank was fired after starting the the 2009-10 season 0-16, setting the franchise up for a lowly 12 win season.
For his part, Frank didn't wait for a tailor made situation like the one he had with the Nets for his next gig. He'll be taking over a controversy-riddled team that only won 30 games last season.
If he can turn around the Pistons, Frank will finally prove he can build something on his own.