Originally posted by BlueSeats:
But if you think Brown came with reasonable intentions and that something went south thereafter, that is the conversation to which I engage. What were the dynamics within the organization which fractured the sense of team so badly. It surely included Brown, but it wasn't limited to him. To focus so much collective angst solely against Brown is self deceiving IMO.
I agree that everything wrong with the Knicks cannot be placed on Brown's head. My personal frustration with Brown is that I think he really breached his obligations to the organization.
You may not like IT and may think he is the absolute worse GM in the league (which I don't agree), but I don't think anyone can say that IT has not made his moves with the intent of making the Knicks a better team. He might have made some bad moves, but you at least felt that IT was trying. In contrast, Brown is a MUCH better coach that he showed last year. I honestly believe that he came in here with good intentions, saw that these players could not play the way he wanted them to play, particularly on defense, and set out to force changes. I am not saying he did it with a malicious intent. He certainly could have believed that his actions, in the longrun, would work out for the Knicks benefit. The problem I have is that Brown is/was the coach. The coach is paid to get the most out of the players on the roster, no matter who those players are. Brown failed to do that.
If Brown had a problem with certain players, then sit those players and communicate to them clearly why they are sitting. If Brown needed new players, then go to IT and ask for new players and let IT work it out, but with the understanding that it is IT's job to make the final decision on who is going to be on the roster. If Brown was not happy with what IT was doing and did not think that IT would get him the players he needed to succeed, then he should have quit and walked away from the situation (and by saying this, I am not suggesting Brown was right or wrong with his evaluation of the players). But the one thing Brown could not do is the one thing that IMO he did, which was to f--k up the season in an attempt to force the issue. He should have simply done his best to teach these guys and create as much stability and cohesiveness as possible. If it didn't work, it didn't work, but at least, we would have all felt that he gave everything he could to build as strong a team as possible. Instead, we are left with the clear impression that Brown did not like his players and was doing his best to get them moved off the roster as opposed to working on building a team. That is why I put most of the blame for last season on Brown's head.
I, however, agree that we do have problems beyond Brown that need to be resolved, and there is a serious question whether these players will ever come together as a playoff-caliber team. Is Marbury a player that can lead? Can this team play defense? Will the players accept their roles? Will Curry ever reach his potential? These are but a few of the questions that thankfully (or maybe I should say hopefully) will be answered in the next few months.
-TheGame
