New Jersey Nets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe is set to become the team's coach for the rest of the season.

He doesn't have to worry about being on the bench for a potential record-setting loss, though.

Vandeweghe won't coach his first game with the team until Friday, a person with knowledge of the team's plans told The Associated Press yesterday. The person requested anonymity because the Nets don't plan to announce their plans until a press conference this morning.

Tom Barrise, who led the team Sunday night after Lawrence Frank was fired, will coach again tomorrow against Dallas, when the Nets can set an NBA record with an 18th straight loss to begin a season.

Former NBA head coach Del Harris will join the Nets as Vandeweghe's assistant. The pair previously worked together in Dallas.

The Nets fired Frank, their coach for 6 1/2 seasons, on Sunday morning. They lost to the Lakers under Barrise, tying the 1988-89 Miami Heat and 1999 Los Angeles Clippers by losing 17 consecutive games to open a season.

They interviewed candidates yesterday and decided to go with Vandeweghe, who previously worked as an assistant with the Mavericks but has never been a head coach.

Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov has a deal to buy 80 percent of the team, a sale that could be approved by NBA owners by the end of next month. If it goes through, he could decide to bring in his own basketball people.

So Vandeweghe's future with the team is uncertain no matter how he fares as coach.

ELSEWHERE

76ers: Allen Iverson and Philadelphia have met to discuss a possible return to the team. Team president Ed Stefanski said in a statement that both parties remain noncommittal about a final decision after a nearly two-hour meeting yesterday in Dallas. Iverson, 10-time All-Star, was recently waived by Memphis.

Bulls: Chicago guard Kirk Hinrich will be out one to two weeks with a sprained left thumb, an injury he sustained during a practice last week while the team was on a West Coast road trip.

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS

Mavericks 104, 76ers 102: Jason Terry made a 17-footer with 1.4 seconds left, Dirk Nowitzki had 28 points and host Dallas handed Philadelphia its seventh straight loss. Jason Kidd chipped in with a season-high 22 points and 11 assists.

Bucks 99, Bulls 97: Andrew Bogut returned with 22 points, 15 rebounds, and two big blocks in the closing minutes to rally host Milwaukee over Chicago. The Bulls' Brad Miller missed a shot at the buzzer that would've tied it. Bogut missed time with a left leg injury.

Jazz 120, Grizzlies 93: Carlos Boozer had 24 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists, and host Utah won its third straight game. The Jazz scored their most points this season and beat the Grizzlies for the 10th straight time.

Warriors 126, Pacers 107: Monta Ellis scored a career-high 45 points and Anthony Morrow added 18 for host Golden State. Ellis went 15 of 27 from the floor, made 14 of 16 free throws and added five rebounds.