| Pistons And Brown On The Verge Of Exits: So What’s The Connection Authored by Louis Roxin - May 17, 2006 - 11:41 pm
With the reigning Eastern Conference champions having lost three in a row, now pushed to the verge of elimination, and Larry Brown on the verge of his second firing in as many years, two things seem as clear as ever: One, Larry Brown is a puzzling and polarizing personality but two, his coaching methods are ultimately beyond doubt.
The same Pistons club that Brown took to the championship and then within one game of defending their crown may soon find themselves bounced in the second round of the playoffs by a young and inexperienced Cavaliers team. So far, some observers cite one of the key differences as Flip Saunders’ failure to match the preparation and adjustments implemented by the opposing head coach, Mike Brown. One wonders whether the Knicks management, assuming they are paying some attention to NBA playoff results as they plan to oust their coach, might want to hold the phone. Might Knicks owner Jim Dolan want to re-consider what reportedly is his newfound conviction that Brown is not the right person to coach a basketball team to the top?
It may be easy to dismiss Brown for his oddities and dubious credentials as a team player, but much more difficult to do so on the grounds that he does not possess a superior basketball mind. The Knicks may find themselves in a greater corporate comfort zone with another man holding the reins, but they may not ever be able to match Brown’s propensity for turning clubs around. The question, in the end, is whether Brown is worth the trouble and can give the Knicks fans a team that is respectable and perhaps even fun to watch. Brown’s consistent pattern tells us that a poor first season is often followed by his teams playing sound basketball and competing at the very highest levels of the league. Isn’t this the only concern that Dolan and the MSG front office should have? Isn’t this the only reason they pursued Brown so vigorously and visibly in the first place one year ago?
Pistons owner Bill Davidson might be the next – but certainly not the first – owner to feel like he would not mind still having Brown around. Dolan could join him. |
