[情報] Frank ready for new season
Nets' wins leader had his contract extended this summer
By Al Iannazzone / Special to YESNetwork.com
Lawrence Frank's off-season is winding down, one that has been longer than he
had hoped. But it gave the Nets coach more time to prepare for the 2007-08
season and suffice it to say he's ready.
"Oh, we're looking forward to it," Frank said. "Hey, let's go."
When this conversation was had, it was three weeks before the official start
of training camp, not long after Frank returned from seeing a private workout
with Allan Houston. The coach saw enough to inform management that they
should take a shot at the onetime Knicks' guard. Houston is said to be
considering his options at this time.
But it's all part of the off-season for Frank, the Nets' NBA wins' leader
whose contract was extended this summer. Aside from some family trips, Frank
worked on ways to improve the team from outside or within.
Frank was involved in the recruiting of James Posey, who nearly signed with
the Nets before spurning them for more green and Celtic green. Frank has
watched tape of every Nets' game last season as well as those of other teams.
He has no qualms admitting he'll steal ideas or plays from anyone.
"That's the nature of it," Frank said. "As Coach Knight told me a long time
ago, 'There's only one guy who's ever invented anything and that's Mr.
Naismith.'
"I may watch end-of-game execution, what they do in the last six minutes of
games, what they do off of missed baskets versus made baskets, see how they
adjust their defense. You're constantly trying to learn and evaluate."
Frank also performed clinics, where he talked to other coaches and exchanges
ideas. But his prep is not just relegated to the NBA or sports. He's spoken
to college coaches, international coaches, leaders in business and sports
psychologists.
This is all prompted by having the season end before the calendar turns to
June for the fourth straight year, which doesn't sit well with Frank.
"You watch the teams playing and you wish you were still part of the process,
but you're not," Frank said. "So it just kind of fuels your fire more to
figure out things you can do better and differently in order to be one of the
last teams standing."
"The bottom line is if you always do what you've done you're always going to
get what you got. So we all have to do the ordinary things better and we all
have to be willing to adapt to different things. And it all starts with me."
Frank's players have put in the time, too.
Jason Kidd has been a fixture at the practice facility when he wasn't with
team USA, golfing or vacationing. Vince Carter has been in and out of New
Jersey. Richard Jefferson worked out in Vegas and has been in East Rutherford
recently. And everyone has raved about what Bostjan Nachbar, Antoine Wright
and Marcus Williams have done.
Right now, most of the young guys - Wright, Marcus Williams, Sean Williams -
are in working on individual stuff, playing pick up games with Malik Allen,
Robert Hite and some training camp invitees such as Mateen Cleaves, Rod
Benson and Eddie Gill.
In less than three weeks, camp will begin and everyone will be there,
listening to Frank and his staff preaching some of the old, but adding some
new.
"We do some different things so everyone starts on equal ground," Frank said.
"We may put in some new stuff to start camp so everyone is on equal footing.
It's not veteran guys saying, 'Oh we know this,' and they subconsciously get
to a lower gear.
"Yet we have guys who are winners and winners understand that training camp
is the breeding ground and the building blocks to developing a highly
competitive team."
The changes you can expect will be on offense, where Frank promises the Nets
will be more motioned oriented. Of course, he also wants to see more of a
level of commitment on defense, which the Nets didn't show until the latter
stages of last season.
"When we defended well -- look at the playoffs -- we put ourselves in
position to win virtually every game we played," Frank said. "So to me it's
common sense."
"[Offensively], Vince obviously is a special player. But at the same time we
want to spread the burden around. With us being more movement oriented, it
gives us more balance and it's a little bit less predictable."
Frank is sitting in his office, ready to finish his next project when the
call ends. Whether it's tweaking the playbook, meeting with his staff or
going over some of the offensive defensive sets, the coach, known for his
preparation, is just about done with his.
Training camp is less than three weeks away and Frank doesn't want a fifth
straight May exit from the postseason. Frank will be ready. He would be if
camp started today.
Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.).
http://0rz.tw/b7347
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