The Lil' Engine That Can

What Lawrence Frank is doing at the moment deserves major props from this corner.

Playing without two of his starters, Nenad Krystic (C) and Richard Jefferson (SF), for significant stretches of this season - due to major surgery - Lil' Frank has still managed to keep the Nets afloat and in the thick of the race for a play-off spot in the Eastern Conference. After finding themselves well below the .500 mark, NJ (22-23) has now battled back to the point where they are poised to re-take the lead, outright, in the Atlantic Division (they are currently tied for 1st with Toronto) with a hodge-podge line-up of veteran castaways (Mikki Moore and Eddie House), NBA neophytes (Antoine Wright, Marcus Williams, Josh Boone and Hassan Adams). serviceable role players (Jason Collins, Cliff Robinson and Bostjan Nachbar) and two firmly established NBA studs (Jason Kidd and Vince Carter). No easy feat by any means!

Making this an even more amazing achievement is the fact that, at the same time, J-Kidd is also in the midst of a well-publicized and very messy divorce proceeding; and Vinsanity, in the final year of his long term contract, is being shopped around the league (by GM Rod Thorn), in an effort to avoid getting nothing in return for him should the Immature One decide to skip town and follow the sun (to either Orlando or Charlotte) at season's end, as an unrestricted FA.

If Frank can somehow continue to maintain this current pace, which has seen the Nets win 9 of their last 14 games (.643) - including (i) 9 match-ups against teams at or better than .500 and (ii) 10 games on the road - he gets my vote right now for the Eastern Conference's Coach-Of-The-Year. The Lil' General knows how to keep his stars happy, his role players motivated, his troops in every ball game, and ... most important of all ... his nose to the grindstone!

It's a pleasure to watch him work.