May 17, 2006 -- Angry agent Joe Glass claimed the Knicks will have to fire recuperating Larry Brown if they don't want him to coach next season because he will not accept a buyout.
As reported in yesterday's Post, owner James Dolan is seeking to buy out Brown for $25 million of the nearly $40 million he's due on his contract's remaining four years.

"There's been no discussion of a buyout and there won't be a discussion of a buyout," Glass told The Post yesterday. "We're not going to accept a settlement. He's coaching the Knicks or they're firing him - one way or another. There's not going to be a $25 million buyout.

"He wants to coach this team," Glass added.

Brown has told confidants he believes he will get fired, according to ESPN, as he has not heard directly from a club official in three weeks.

The Post has learned Brown's wife, Shelly, told a confidant last night she believes it's "50-50" her husband will return, and she is feeling a lot of deja vu from the Detroit saga that ended with Pistons owner Bill Davidson getting Brown out.

A source close to the family said the Browns are most worried the Knicks have not formally squashed reports.



"They were the last to know that Davidson wanted to fire him when everybody else seemed to know (last July)," the source said. "They have no idea what's going on."

Glass said nobody has contacted them about a buyout.

Thomas is in Hilton Head, S.C., meeting with his college scouts, and Brown still plans to show up Monday at the team's Westchester facility to conduct the first pre-draft workouts with prospects.

Though an NBA source said there's no timetable to resolve Brown's future, it will be awkward for Brown to run those drills with the noose hovering above his head.

A source close to Brown said the Knicks coach was "blindsided" by Peter Vecsey's front-page Post story Sunday that owner Dolan was considering buying out the coach and having Isiah Thomas take over the reins.

The source said Brown was returning Sunday from a Manhattan hospital with Shelly when they heard about the Post's front page. Brown had successful bladder surgery last Friday.

Glass said Monday that Thomas told him in a phone call the newspaper reports have "no validity."

Glass was furious the media continued to speculate that Brown is finished. In fact, Glass blamed The Post yesterday for Brown's Detroit departure, citing its "dream job" story.

"You want to know the truth," Glass said. "The truth is when Bill Davidson decided to fire Larry, he said one of the main reasons was he read a story in the paper by Marc Berman that the Knicks were his dream job. That was one of the main reasons he wanted him out of there." (That Post story included Brown saying he was rooting for Herb Williams to keep the job.)

Dolan, Brown and Glass appear headed to an imminent face-to-face showdown, but league sources do not believe Brown can say anything to save his job, even though his bladder issue is cleared up.

"There's no way I can determine someone's future action," Glass said of Dolan. "I only have to go by what they tell me. My job is to protect Larry Brown and his interests. Can I predict what course of action they'll take? No. But I'm very, very tired of all the conjecture."

Dolan reportedly believes buying out Brown is more economical than agreeing to the trades Brown has suggested that would add significantly to the Knicks' payroll and luxury-tax payment. Kenyon Martin's $70 million contract alone would be triple Brown's cost (with luxury tax). The Knicks dread bringing back Brown with roughly the same roster that finished 23-59 this past season.

http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/66138.htm

[Edited by - pharzeone on 05-17-2006 08:41 AM]

Dolan reportedly believes buying out Brown is more economical than agreeing to the trades Brown has suggested that would add significantly to the Knicks' payroll and luxury-tax payment. Kenyon Martin's $70 million contract alone would be triple Brown's cost (with luxury tax). The Knicks dread bringing back Brown with roughly the same roster that finished 23-59 this past season.

I think this is the biggest problem right there. If Brown recants to Dolan about the need to make such huge trades, this isn't even a issue. I wonder if that's what Brown wants to talk to Dolan and Thomas about.

Posted by VDesai:

He'll accept a buyout. Think about it...he won't get the 10 mil a year on the open market that the Knicks gave him. 7-8 a mil year? He'll get that easily. That mean's he'll only need to get 3-4 year contract + a 25 mil buyout to start making profit on this. By threatening to not take the buyout and daring them to fire him, he'll get the Knicks to sweeten the buyout. He's milking this for as much cash as he can get.

Does anyone believe that Knicks are really the only team he wants to coach for the remainder of his career?

Hmmm.. with Brown you never know. I thought he would take retirement over coaching another team. He seems sincere that he doesn't want to leave here after a season like this. It is a stain on his resume no doubt, it would be the only team he leaves that never got better under him or made the playoffs in his career. I think Brown did a horrible job with his bosses. He hasn't learned tact yet which surprised me because he said that was something he learned after the Detroit fiasco. Maybe Brown is naive and doesn't understand the complexity in making trades and what impacts it has. Apparently per this article he wants Martin, I guess for Francis (a player he also wanted about 2 months ago). I guess the Knicks get hit twice for both K-Mart and Francis luxury tax penalities.

Good for him, why should he accept the buyout? Isiah sucks and refuses to get any defensive players on this team he sould be the 1 to go. After having season tickets for 11 years last year was the 1st year i refused to get them. This year will make it 2 years in a row. They keep calling me to try and renew and I tell them not until Isiah is gone. Instead I will take a 2 week vacation and enjoy myself.

this notion that Brown wants or is pining for KMart is idiotic. Because LB paid him some compliment in 2002? Please. If Karl hates KMart you can pretty much assume Brown wont want him either, as those two are NC alum sweethearts

Posted by Pharzeone:

Posted by FireIsiah:

Good for him, why should he accept the buyout? Isiah sucks and refuses to get any defensive players on this team he sould be the 1 to go. After having season tickets for 11 years last year was the 1st year i refused to get them. This year will make it 2 years in a row. They keep calling me to try and renew and I tell them not until Isiah is gone. Instead I will take a 2 week vacation and enjoy myself.

The problem with that is that if he went to both Dolan and Thomas and asked for Francis, then 2 months wants to trade for K-Mart. What's going on? He can't be serious there. This only shows me that as bad as Thomas is as GM, Brown would be a 100 times worst.

btw, enjoy your vacation.

I agree with you but this was a match made in hell. I do not see where Isiah has improved this team. We got more atletic he would say, but i would say where is a Center, Rebounder, Defensive Specialist, Outside shooter who doesnt shoot 38% from the field? Plus he added payroll every year.

Posted by Pharzeone:

Posted by fishmike:

this notion that Brown wants or is pining for KMart is idiotic. Because LB paid him some compliment in 2002? Please. If Karl hates KMart you can pretty much assume Brown wont want him either, as those two are NC alum sweethearts

I don't know what to believe no more. I mean you have a GM and coach who claim they are working together. You have a GM who tells the press that he will get players that the coach wants, you a coach tell a player he is the final say on player personnel decisions, you have Peter V now changing his story saying that Thomas told Brown to support the trades for PR reasons, you have Berman and O'Connor saying it all Brown and now you have Berman reporting that it is Brown who wants K-Mart to keep him happy. I give up and no longer care about who is in charge. Just make sure that you atleast pick up a Williams, Lowry, Sene, Roby and some other nice younger players in the draft.

It's really confusing who did what when, I also heard yesterday on Mike and the Mad Dog that Brown takes a hit for Francis and JRose...So who really knows...

Posted by Pharzeone:

Posted by holfresh:

Posted by Pharzeone:

Posted by fishmike:

this notion that Brown wants or is pining for KMart is idiotic. Because LB paid him some compliment in 2002? Please. If Karl hates KMart you can pretty much assume Brown wont want him either, as those two are NC alum sweethearts

I don't know what to believe no more. I mean you have a GM and coach who claim they are working together. You have a GM who tells the press that he will get players that the coach wants, you a coach tell a player he is the final say on player personnel decisions, you have Peter V now changing his story saying that Thomas told Brown to support the trades for PR reasons, you have Berman and O'Connor saying it all Brown and now you have Berman reporting that it is Brown who wants K-Mart to keep him happy. I give up and no longer care about who is in charge. Just make sure that you atleast pick up a Williams, Lowry, Sene, Roby and some other nice younger players in the draft.

It's really confusing who did what when, I also heard yesterday on Mike and the Mad Dog that Brown takes a hit for Francis and JRose...So who really knows...

Yeah, I saw that too (on vacation). They were laughing at Peter V article, I would think atleast Mike knows something about the situation. That's why I said I had little doubt that Brown requested Francis and now to request to trade the guy for K-Mart as part of an ultimatium. One thing goes to show you that someone in the front office must have ran through the numbers for Brown proposed trades.

In all seriousness, If the reports are true about the players Brown wanted, given the Knicks' salary cap situation, the Knicks would have been in some serious shet when brown left here...At least there is light at the end of the tunnel in 2009...But think about having KMart and Ratliff to pay all well as the other freeloaders on this team...When Brown hits the door this organization would have been in shambles, if it's not already...

Ratliff's contract expires in 2 years.



NY already has 65 million committed to that season not counting whatever figure Curry checks in at or the team options for Frye Nate and Lee.


Isiah ****ed the salary cap long ago. Adding Theo like adding Francis would've done nothing to harm it more


[Edited by - McK1 on 05-17-2006 09:55 AM]

Thomas is in Hilton Head, S.C., meeting with his college scouts, and Brown still plans to show up Monday at the team's Westchester facility to conduct the first pre-draft workouts with prospects.

This would be the perfect time to fire him, sort of like that time they fired Don Chaney when he arrived on game night expecting to coach. Wasn't that hilarious?

Posted by BasketballJones:

Thomas is in Hilton Head, S.C., meeting with his college scouts, and Brown still plans to show up Monday at the team's Westchester facility to conduct the first pre-draft workouts with prospects.

This would be the perfect time to fire him, sort of like that time they fired Don Chaney when he arrived on game night expecting to coach. Wasn't that hilarious?

Yeah, I would pay the courtside type sticker price to see him wheeled in on a gurney as him and Joe Glass do the dance of wringing as much money as they can from Dolan's hands...





[Edited by - holfresh on 05-17-2006 10:11 AM]