Could Lawrence Frank be the answer to Tom Thibodeau's departure?

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers and GM Danny Ainge met with former New Jersey Nets coach Lawrence Frank today at the Orlando summer league. Frank is a possible replacement of Tom Thibodeaux as the Celtics top assistant coach, according to Dave D’Allessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger.

There were some rumbles down in Orlando the last few days that Lawrence Frank was on his way down to speak with Doc Rivers, who is looking for a No. 1 guy.

Broken record alert: There’s no better choice.

D’Allessandro’s sources were spot-on because as I type this post, Lawrence Frank is sitting with both Rivers and Ainge at the Celtics summer league game in Orlando.

Frank would be a very suitable replacement of Thibodeau. He took the Nets to the playoffs four times in his six seasons with the Nets and has a respectable 225-241 record as a head coach.

After Nets coach Byron Scott was fired because of his deteriorating relationship with star guard Jason Kidd, Frank took over as head coach on January 27, 2004 and immediately reeled off 13 straight victories, the most consecutive wins by an NBA head coach to start his career. Frank has a reputation–like Thibodeau–as a defensive-minded coach. Thibodeau left the Celtics this summer to become the head coach of the Chicago Bulls.