Good riddance Larry Brown. Congratulations Detroit, you’re free of his ridiculous ways. Good luck New York…a lack of loyalty is what you'll get.
Brown is what many call (not me) one of the greatest basketball coaches in history. He’s already been inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame, and grabbed himself an Olympic gold medal as a player, bronze medal as a coach, and championships in the ABA, NBA and NCAA.
My biggest problem with him is how he handles his nomadic coaching career. Remember how many stops he’s had and how many times he has left teams out to dry to latch on somewhere else in hopes of more fortune. In late January this year he told reporters that being the head coach for the New York Knicks would be his “dream job.” C’mon Larry – are you kidding me? This isn’t a good Knicks team…this isn’t even an average Knicks team, they’re bad right now and no coach (even Phil Jackson) is going to make them a great team. They’ve got a lack of player personnel and because of bad money decisions in the recent past they’re very strapped with the salary cap. Sure, they’ll pay him $10-12 million a year like Phil Jackson but he won’t get that team to the playoffs in his first two years…maybe not even three years. And guess what, he’ll probably ask for a buyout or just flat out quit.
He reminds me of a man that wants to date every woman he meets…but once that thrill is gone and he starts to get comfortable he’s out the door ready for the next opportunity. He won his only NBA title in Detroit and went to his only two NBA Finals there – one would’ve have thought that with all of his horses returning next season that maybe Detroit was his “dream job.”
And to think that the Pistons came so close this postseason no thanks to him creating a stir about his possible departure and arrival in Cleveland. More times than not, Larry Brown is one big distraction.
Remember when he said the Pistons would be his last coaching stop. How can we forget it? He said it over and over again. With three years left on his five-year contract he is orchestrating yet another parting of ways.
I often complain about the lack of loyalty among professional athletes, guys who move across the country from their own home to take a contract that will pay them $5 million more over seven years. And it is a so-called ‘leader’ who is again backing out of another coaching commitment.
I don’t care what anybody says, I’ll remember him for his up-and-move career more than one
single NBA title. He asks his players to do what’s best for the team and he doesn’t follow the same mantra. He’s disloyal and I hope that the Knicks and every other team in the NBA stays away from him.
