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Killa4luv
Posts: 27769
Alba Posts: 51
Joined: 6/23/2002
Member: #261
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Knicks play waiting game
So what should the Knicks do while waiting to find out if Brown will be available to coach them?
The best thing would be to continue moving forward as if incumbent Herb Williams will remain in the position next season. They can't afford to repeat the experience of the Cavaliers, who spent two months in vain waiting for Brown to arrive as their team president, because the Knicks need to assume that Brown won't be coming to New York. Williams has been making an effort toward moving forward by courting Paul Westphal as a potential assistant coach.
Whether Brown stays with Detroit or leaves, there is a good chance that his ever-wandering eye will seek a lucrative administrative position, because he's spent the past year telling friends that he would like to get out of coaching in order to run a team. If he is unable to salvage his relationship in Cleveland and take over as team president of the Cavaliers, don't be surprised if he sidelines himself for several months while seeking another front office over which he can preside.
But if Brown becomes available and decides that he wants to coach the Knicks, they should hire him -- even if the cost is $10 million per year. His misdeeds in Detroit should have no bearing on his future in New York. As a short-term genius, Brown would be the perfect solution to a franchise that lives for the moment. He would instantly transform the Knicks into a playoff team and fill the Garden with energy. People will naturally predict disaster in his relationship with point guard Stephon Marbury, who has made a career of producing All-Star stats without ever winning a playoff series. But Brown has forged productive relationships with every kind of guard from Chauncey Billups to Allen Iverson, and he would find a way to help Marbury succeed in New York.
Brown's arrival would help fans to take a new perspective on the Knicks. Eight of their current players are 25 or younger, and they are poised to enter the summer of 2007 with only one max player -- Marbury (albeit at a ridiculous salary that will climb to $20.1 million in '07-08). Team president Isiah Thomas is expected to waive Allan Houston for the amnesty tax relief that was granted in the league's new labor agreement and let the expiring contracts of Penny Hardaway, Tim Thomas and Maurice Taylor come off his cap over the next two years -- unless he can net All-Star talent by trading one of those contracts to a team seeking cap relief.
An obvious target Thomas might take a run at would be Phoenix forward Shawn Marion, whose remaining deal for four years and $63 million could become prohibitive if the Suns retain Joe Johnson and re-sign Amare Stoudemire to max deals. By sending Kurt Thomas to Phoenix last month for Quentin Richardson, Thomas essentially supplied the Suns with Marion's replacement at power forward. If the Suns are intent on wiping Marion off their books, trading him to New York prior to the February deadline for the expiring $14 million contract of Tim Thomas would be a logical move.
The Celtics find their type
Why did the Boston Celtics agree to a reported five-year, $15 million free-agent contract for backup Nets forward Brian Scalabrine? One big factor was the wiring of Scalabrine's brain.
Celtics GM Danny Ainge relies on scouting consultant Jon Niednagel, known as the "brain doctor," who studies the mannerisms and movements of players in order to decipher their "brain type." The physical traits of each player reveal how his brain is "wired," and that mental wiring, according to Niednagel, is what separates the All-Stars from the underachievers. "It is the single greatest determinant for why people do what they do," says Niednagel, who heads the Brain Type Institute of Thornfield, Mo. Niednagel has a long-running track record of picking out talent, identifying Tracy McGrady and Amare Stoudemire as certain stars before they were each picked No. 9, overall, in their respective drafts.
There are 16 different brain types, according to Niednagel, who says some of those types are better suited to success on the basketball court than others. The ultimate type for basketball is ISTP (the initials stand for introverted, sensing, thinking, perceiving). Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Jerry West and John Stockton were ISTP -- ultra-competitive winners who thrive in pressure situations. The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Scalabrine is also ISTP, and though he isn't in their league athletically, Boston is hoping that his size and shooting skills can help the 27-year-old become a big playmaker down the stretch in tight games. Remember when Scalabrine came off the bench during the '04 Eastern semifinals to hit all four of his 3-pointers while helping the Nets to a triple-OT win over Detroit? The Celtics believe that he may be wired for more explosive nights like that one.
Sonics may find coach from within
With former Seattle head coach Nate McMillan now in Portland and his top assistant Dwane Casey the new head coach in Minnesota, the Sonics must rebuild their coaching staff. An excellent -- though not so obvious -- choice would be to elevate 63-year-old assistant coach Bob Weiss.
Weiss, a former NBA guard, has been a Sonics assistant for 11 seasons. He shares the team's offensive philosophy, he is an excellent tactician and he has a good relationship with the players. His age -- and tenure in the league --should be seen as an asset to a young team hoping to build on last season's surprising 52-win season, and the franchise can always add a couple of young latte-drinking assistants if it feels the need to boost the energy level on the bench. There is a sense within the organization that the new man needs to bring experience to the job, and Weiss spent six years as head coach of the Spurs, Hawks and Clippers.
By hiring Weiss instead of courting a big-name coach, the Sonics can better apply their financial resources to re-signing free agents such as Vladimir Radmanovic, Antonio Daniels and Flip Murray. Expect him to emerge as a finalist, and don't be surprised if he gets the job.
Knicks, Lakers need to back-up deals
The league's two biggest markets made bold moves this week to upgrade their front lines when the Knicks agreed to sign free-agent Seattle center Jerome James and the Lakers packaged Caron Butler in a trade to Washington for Kwame Brown.
But an even bigger investment must be made after those players report to their new teams. People in Seattle who know James point out that he only performs at a high level when he's trying to earn a new contract. Now that the Knicks are offering him the security of a five-year deal, they will have to take extreme measures to keep James from enjoying the Manhattan nightlife at the expense of his career.
Brown was a high school senior when he entered the NBA as the No. 1 pick in the '01 draft. League officials who know him describe Brown as a major talent who must be counseled and nurtured emotionally before he can fulfill his enormous potential. The Lakers and Knicks are going to have to make major investments in Brown and James as people before they can emerge as reliable players. [Edited by - Killa4luv on 07/16/2005 12:01:55] |
7/16/2005 12:46 PM
