| What Is Larry Brown Doing? Authored by Tommie De Riemaecker/Off The High Glass - February 1, 2005 - 10:58 pm
By the age of 64, Larry Brown should have known better. But either his wandering mindset or the New York Post writers got to him, and in black and white Jan. 29 for all to see, Brown declared the New York Knicks his “dream job.”
The Pistons prepared to face the Knicks at the Palace that evening, and although Detroit prevailed in blowout fashion, 91-61, Brown ducked out the backdoor after the game, leaving assistant coach Gar Heard to handle the press conference. To be fair, Brown was nursing a $35,000 fine from the league for criticizing the officiating during Detroit’s 86-83 loss Jan. 24 at Minnesota. But it left many to wonder if Brown was also nursing the pain from criticism he was reneging on his commitment to the Pistons.
“I've dreamed about it a number of times," Brown told the New York Post of the Knicks’ top job in a phone interview Jan. 28. "Growing up there, being a Knick fan, of course it was my dream. And I've been passed over a few times. I'm an East Coast person. Red Holzman was my hero growing up. But I'm here. These people [in Detroit] have been wonderful to me. I want to do my job here and move on. I don't look at myself at coaching much longer."
He did try to deflate the statement at the end, but in the New York media, the damage had already been done. And the Pistons were peeved. All-star center Ben Wallace scoffed at a reporter who quoted Brown as saying the team wasn’t giving enough effort on the floor; Wallace blamed Brown for overworking the team in practice. According to the Detroit media, President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars was said to be seething behind closed doors at Brown’s flirtation with rival executive Isiah Thomas.
Although Brown hushed up after the initial Post interview, his brother Herb Brown, the top assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks, added this caveat: "We've dreamed about it," Herb Brown said about his brother coaching the Knicks with him as his top aide. "Everybody would like to coach their hometown team, but I don't want to talk for Larry. He's a New Yorker. For me, it's the greatest city in the world, and if I could finish my career there, it would be a terrific thing."
Larry Brown’s assertion after moving on from each of his seven pro coaching jobs was that he had turned a losing team into a winning one, and although he had done so, nobody there appreciated him. That’s not the case in Detroit – he’s got a five year, $25 million contract and an NBA title after the first year. Dumars cleared out a successful coaching staff as soon as Brown was available. He’s definitely appreciated. But it’s clear the toll of the Olympic debacle and the Pacers/Pistons brawl have made him wonder if he’s meant to always be the guy who builds up a bad team, not the caretaker of a champion – either Olympic or NBA. If that’s the case, Brown may appreciate the chuckers in New York, the insane payroll for little result and the massive egos in the media, on the roster and in the front office.
But flirting with the idea is like cheating on a girlfriend. Even if one isn’t doing anything physically – in this case, actually taking the practice floor with the Knicks – there’s an emotional aspect to cheating, and that's what Brown is doing. Most private businesses wouldn’t like it if their top managers were openly debating the merits of other positions with rival companies. It kills employee morale. And if that’s a move Brown wants to make, then Detroit is better off without him. Dumars, as evident by his gutsy list of transactions since taking the helm, is not afraid to make a drastic move. It’s unlikely to come during the season now that Brown has attempted to quell the flames, but don’t be surprised if Brown is on a different sideline next year and the Pistons have a few draft picks in their pocket as compensation.
|
