It can't be a good thing for Thorn's job security

That is down from its previous estimate of a profit of 11billion yen to 15 billion yen and compares with a mean forecastof 9 billion yen in profit in a poll of 11 analysts by ReutersEstimates. Shares of Aeon lost 42 percent in the year to Tuesday,underperforming a 36 percent decline in the benchmark Nikkeiaverage .N225. (Reporting by Taiga Uranaka; Editing by Edwina Gibbs) Stocks. Nets basketball boss Rod Thorn fired Lawrence Frank as the coach yesterday morning prior to their game against the Lakers. It was long-time coming, and it was an easy move for Thorn to make.Frank lasted longer than he deserved. He should have been fired couple of years ago when the team underachieved by not playing defense and losing games to inferior teams they had no business losing to. So let's save that sympathy about him being fired despite having nothing to work with.In the NBA, no coach survives a winless start after sixteen or seventeen games, especially when it's hard to go through that type of stretch in a league that features a plethora of talent.The Teaneck native will manage to earn another head coaching job one day because he posted some playoff appearances on his resume and earned respect from his players, so he will be fine.Frank's firing is nothing more than Thorn trying to save his own job by holding out hope that Kiki Vandeweghe will develop his players better and win games in the process after hiring him this afternoon to be the coach for the rest of this season.This is a lost cause for David Stern's former deputy.Nets new owner Mikhail Prokhorov barely knows Thorn to the point that he has never met the guy.

It can't be a good thing for Thorn's job security.The firing of the head coach is only the beginning for this franchise. With Prokhorov waiting for his sale to be approved, expect more moves to be made like a new guy running thebasketball operations.It's been rumored that the Russian billionaire wants his own guys in Russia to run this franchise, and that's his right as the owner of this team. When an owner buys a franchise for the money he paid for, there's no need for him to be loyal to guys that worked for a long time as cruel as it sounds.Changes can be good sometimes, and now is the right time. As great as Thorn and Kiki Vandeweghe has done in rebuilding this team, this franchise might be better off with an international guy that has new ideas.The NBA features guys playing from overseas, and it's important the coaches relate to those type of guys so it makes sense for the new owner to go to that direction.

It's also a safe bet the new owner wants to draft guys from Russia, which is why it's good to hire his people from there.The franchise peaked under the Thornadministration, and it's hard to believe it will get any better.With this team on its way to Brooklyn, it's imperative that the Nets become a playoff team when they play in their new arena so it's smart to make this move when it happens.The last thing the team needs is a new arena with empty seats. Not a lot of change at the top but there is some movement after about number 13. Clemson 4Others receiving votes - Arizona 2, Utah 1, Rutgers 1Falling out - Utah, Ole MissFalling in - WVU, Nebraska This article is also featured on The College Football Guys . Las Vegas Sands Corp. to Present at the Citi Global Entertainment, Media &Telecommunications ConferenceLAS VEGAS, Jan 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS)will make a company presentation, Wednesday, January 7, 2009, at the CitiGlobal Entertainment, Media & Telecommunications Conference in Phoenix,Arizona.William P. Eastern Time).The presentation will also be simultaneously webcast over the internet.