Why Lawrence Frank Could Be Our Next Head Coach

Lawrence Frank has yet to coach a single game for the Celtics, but as far as I'm concerned he's the number one choice to eventually replace Doc Rivers whenever he choses to take that long awaited sabbatical from coaching.  I can pretty much summarize the reason why in one word: Rondo.

I fully admit that I'm getting ahead of myself here a bit.  We still have the upcoming season to play out.  Then there's next year (if it isn't locked out).  Doc might just stick around as long as KG does.  Frank doesn't need to worry about filling Doc's Docksiders until he can prove he can fill Thibbodeau's Oxfords.

But allow me to pull out the remote control.  I'll fast forward a bit to the post-big-3 era.  Pierce is still hanging around, but the team is now Rondo's.  He's entering his prime and has a taste for winning that isn't going to sit well with a "rebuilding" effort.

Now let me rewind a bit for perspective.  At every level, from high school, to college, to the pros, and perhaps to Team USA, Rondo has had trouble seeing eye to eye with his coaches at first.  He's a strong willed, stubborn, and exceptionally bright young man.  He does not accept a "I know better because I'm the coach" attitude (no matter who the coach is).  He will, however, accept what the coach says after he's proven it to him (or at least explained it in such a way that makes sense to Rajon).  That kind of relationship takes time to foster.

Frank has head coaching experience and he's a dedicated, hard working guy.  There are a lot of reasons why he would be a good head coaching candidate on his own right.  He's also in the family now and he'll have a chance to get to know everyone and see what works and what doesn't work.  He would be wise to pay special attention to Doc's dealings with Rajon.

If the Celtics organization intends to hit the ground running in the Rondo-era, they would be wise to build that relationship between Frank and Rondo now and let Frank slide over to the head coach chair whenever Doc is done.  It could save everyone a lot of time and effort in the long haul.