The New Jersey Nets have not only matched the current winless record in the NBA going 0-17, they just moved Kiki Vandeweghe to their head coach position for the rest of the regular season.
According to Yahoo! Sports who had first reported that Vandeweghe was leaning toward accepting the position, the GM’s coaching staff would include Del Harris who has held some key head coaching and assistant positions in the NBA.
With Vandeweghe accepting the position, as he replaces Lawrence Frank, who was fired before the Nets matched the worst start in NBA history, having Harris on the bench would only help the former NBA player who is taking his first head coaching position, it might get the Nets to play better basketball as they team looks lifeless and without confidence.
Though Vandeweghe has no head coaching experience, he has served as an assistant for the Dallas Mavericks and will likely make his head coaching debut with New Jersey on Friday against the Charlotte Bobcats. Interim coach Tom Barrise will be on the bench when the Nets could possibly set the record for the worst start against the Mavericks at home.
The deal between both Vandeweghe and Harris to co-coach the team will not be finalized until Tuesday. Harris is no stranger to the role he is about to embark on in New Jersey. Last season, when the Chicago Bulls hired first-year head coach Vinny Del Negro, Harris was the assistant, but obviously due to his experienced helped make Del Negro’s transition a lot more comfortable as he grew confident on the job.
The relationship between both Harris and Vandeweghe is not new. Both men had worked together on Don Nelson’s coaching staff in Dallas and are close friends.
Vandeweghe moved up to the front office in Dallas afterwards and the Denver Nuggets hired him as their general manager in 2001. By 2006, he was no longer with Denver, but joined ESPN’s NBA coverage as an analyst for one season. Later in 2007, Nets President Rod Thorn hired Vandeweghe as his special assistant and when Ed Stefanski took the GM position with the Philadelphia 76ers, Vandeweghe moved to the GM position for the Nets.
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