Report: Rift Between Nets' Kidd And Frank Led To Epic Blow-Up

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Just how bad is the relationship between Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd and top assistant Lawrence Frank?

Real bad. Like epically bad.

The disappointing Nets shook up their coaching staff last Tuesday, reassigning Frank to a non-bench role. But we're learning now that the rift runs much deeper than first thought.

Kidd said Frank, who is the franchise's all-time wins leader with 225, would no longer be at practices or games, and that he would instead be writing daily reports. He said the two had "different philosophies."

"This is a decision that I had to make and I made it and we move on," Kidd said.

But according to David Aldridge of NBA.com the two have a lot more than philosophical differences. It's obvious they could no longer co-exist in the same room, as evidenced by the following blow-up reported by Aldridge:

Kidd tried, gradually at first, to start putting his own imprint on the team. He would be, a member of the organization said last week, direct and honest with players in film sessions, going over things one-on-one with players -- "that's a bad shot, and here's why. That's losing basketball, and here's why," the source said. He tried to point out that he did know a couple of things about defense based on his career as a player (whether he specifically mentioned his four first-team all-NBA defensive team selections is unknown), and that he had ideas that were different from Frank's.

But Frank "wouldn't stop talking," the second coaching source countered.

And several outlets have reported Frank was angered that Kidd chose assistant Joe Prunty instead of him to coach the team in his absence while Kidd served his DUI suspension at the start of the regular season.

The denouement came in the now well-reported blowup Kidd had with Frank, where Kidd, according to a source, told Frank: "Sit the (bleep) down! I'm the coach of this (13-letter word) team! When you're on the bench, don't (bleeping) move!"

The Nets, despite their big offseason trade with Boston that brought Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn to play alongside Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson, are a stunning 6-14. If there is a silver lining, it's that the Atlantic Division is abysmal. The Nets trail the first-place Celtics by just three games.

And Brooklyn can cut that deficit further when it plays Boston on Tuesday night at Barclays Center.

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