Vandeweghe takes over as coach of winless Nets

The Nets announced on Tuesday Vandeweghe will take over the club on Thursday morning.

New Jersey Nets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe will take over as coach of the winless NBA club, but not until after the team tries to avoid a humiliating place in league history.

The Nets announced on Tuesday Vandeweghe will take over the club on Thursday morning, hours after they host Dallas in hopes of trying to avoid an 18th consecutive loss, which would be an NBA record for losses to open a season.

The 51-year-old executive will replace Lawrence Frank, who was fired on Sunday after 6 1/2 seasons and 16 losses in a row to start the current season.

- Because of his ability to work with young players, to get the best out of young players, he's a natural for this job - Nets president Rod Thorn said.

Tom Barrise served as an interim coach on Sunday night when the Nets lost to the reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, matching the 1988-1989 Miami Heat and the 1999 Los Angeles Clippers for the worst start in NBA history at 0-17.

Barrise will guide the Nets again on Wednesday when they host Dallas and can secure sole possession of the dubious achievement.

Vandeweghe, who has never been a head coach, will have Del Harris as an assistant. Harris, who coached China's 2004 Olympic squad, worked with Vandeweghe on the staff in Dallas.

- He's one of the brightest guys in the game - Vandeweghe said.

The Nets were hoping to make a run at top free agents next summer, maybe even superstar NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James, after sending Vince Carter to Orlando and trimming salary cap space.

But the miserable start has to make free agents wonder about the chances the Nets can become a winner, much less a championship contender, any time soon.

- We're going to try to let everybody see we are capable of winning games, that we do have some very good pieces that will be here for quite a while that would make it more attractive for potential free agents - Thorn said.