Getting To Know Lawrence Frank

Posted by Brian Robb on Oct 19, 2010 101732 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2010%2F10%2F19%2Fgetting-to-know-lawrence-frank%2FGetting+To+Know+Lawrence+Frank2010-10-19+11%3A56%3A05Brian+Robbhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D10173

With Coach Doc Rivers missing practice yesterday, the media got it’s first real crack at getting to know new lead assistant Lawrence Frank. The result? A plethora of features on the former New Jersey Net Head Coach. Paul Flannery of WEEI though provides the pick of the letter in a must-read piece.

“Let’s get this out of the way right from the start: Lawrence Frank is not Tom Thibodeau. For one thing, the still boyish-looking Frank comes to the Celtics with the words “head coach” already on his resume after a mostly successful run over parts of seven seasons with New Jersey.

Where Thibodeau was the defensive guru, Frank is more of an all-around aide to head coach Doc Rivers. There’s also the matter of personality. “I’m not a doctor,” Frank said after helping conduct practice Monday while Rivers recuperates from throat surgery. “I look like one, but I’m not one.”

The punch line, of course, is that Frank bears a resemblance to Doogie Howser, a joke made often at his expense by Charles Barkley.

Rivers’ absence allowed Frank to hold court with reporters for the first time in camp, and while he tried several variations on “it’s not about me” to various questions, it seemed like the perfect time to get to know him a little better. What stands out about Frank is his self-deprecating sense of humor, and a quick, Jersey-guy wit. In that, he seems a bit more down to earth than the monastic, hard-driving image Thibodeau presented.

“A little more normal,” Paul Pierce joked. “I’m not taking anything from Thibs. Thibs is one of the better assistant coaches I ever played for. He helped me get better 10 years into the game. You don’t really see that a lot. Frank, he’s a little looser, a little more laid back. He’s going to joke with you a little bit more. That’s the biggest difference. At the end of the day, he’s going to get his work done and the players will respect him.’”

A couple more interesting quotes from Pierce comparing Frank and Thibs:

These come courtesy of Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald:

“You know, they’re all going to bring what they bring to the game,” Pierce said of the change on the bench. “Obviously, (Thibodeau, now the head coach in Chicago) is a great coach in his own right, and so is Lawrence Frank. You know, he’s done some things in this league that have been great. He’s been a head coach, he’s been an assistant coach, so he understands his role. But we’re not going to get into comparisons. That’s just like us saying, ‘How are we going to compare Shaq to Rasheed (Wallace)?’ We’re just filling in the pieces. Lawrence’s credibility and his respect around here is great with the guys.

“I’m not taking anything from Thibs. Thibs is one of the great assistant coaches I’ve ever played for. You know, he’s helped me get better (and I am) 10 years into the game. You don’t really see that a lot. But Frank’s a little more loose, a little more laid back. He’s going to joke with you a little more. I think that’s the biggest difference. At the end of the day, he’s going to get his work done and people will respect him.”

A looser guy with this veteran squad appears to be exactly what they need to play off of Doc Rivers and help the team handle the grind of a 82 game season. Very encouraging to see the Captain speak so glowingly about the new guy even before the season starts.