http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050721/COLUMNIST03/507210366/1108/SPORTS01

Isiah to set ego aside for Brown
By IAN O'CONNOR
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: July 21, 2005)


[i]Isiah Thomas was not ever going to hire a coach worthy of the Seventh Avenue marquee. No, Isiah's ego would never stand for that. He was forever going to be the master puppeteer, the executive who ran the Knicks from the tunnel the way he once ran the Pistons from the point.

Sure, there are stories of Thomas exploding in the Knicks' locker room, even threatening to permanently alter a few slackers' careers. Some cast him as a president on a power trip, a deposed coach in desperate need of vindication, a wounded star fixing to prove that Larry Bird had it all wrong.

But now Thomas is chasing down Larry Brown like he tried to chase down Phil Jackson. He's going big-game hunting for another free agent who will demand all the credit Isiah supposedly wanted for himself in the event the Knicks ever get to that place where only Red Holzman could take them.

How do you like Zeke now? Does that megawatt smile still look so phony? Do you still believe he has to have a Don Chaney, a Lenny Wilkens or a Herb Williams on the bench to serve his own insatiable desire to bask in the big-city lights?

Thomas has already spoken with Brown in advance of their face-to-face meeting. Isiah knows this isn't a slam dunk, and he's concerned that the longer the former Pistons coach fidgets and weighs the Knicks' roster against a yearlong vacation, the greater the chance that some ambitious franchise might whisper sweet somethings in his ear. Whenever Brown's on the market, every NBA and major-college coach is sweating bullets.

In the end, Brown will likely take the record eight-figure wage and agree to salvage his hometown team. He's tired, beaten up, and burdened with a bladder problem that no man would wish on his worst enemy, but Brown isn't one to sit out. He loves the action. More than anything, he loves to be loved.

Of course, Isiah supposedly loves to be loved, too. But by holding up Williams and holding open the Knicks job for this long, Isiah revealed himself as an employee more loyal to the brand than to himself. If Thomas truly wanted to control the Knicks, mob-boss style, he would've made a half-hearted pass at Jackson, rewarded good-soldier Herb with a three-year deal, and then acted stunned — and helpless — when the Pistons divorced Brown after one championship and two straight runs to the Finals.

Thomas kept the Garden's light on for Brown because he knew that light represented his best shot to return the Knicks to relevance. Thomas did this despite knowing Brown will get even more credit for a prospective (and still very hard to imagine) parade than Joe Torre got for any one of his, and despite knowing Brown could eventually cost him his job when the guaranteed ugly ending unfolds.

For context, compare Thomas' approach to Pat Riley's. The Heat president made a play for Stan Van Gundy's job; despite his claims to the contrary, Riley even told Van Gundy he might replace him. Only when it was clear to Riley that there was no clean public-relations path back to the bench, and only when Riley realized his image couldn't withstand another hit like the one it took when he walked out on the Knicks, did he decide Van Gundy would stay employed — for now.

Riley put his own agenda — being the one to lead Shaquille O'Neal to Miami's first championship — ahead of the team's good, and now the Heat's chances of getting off to a strong start next year and reclaiming home-court advantage have been sabotaged by an executive who caused irreparable harm to his coach's credibility.i]

More article in the link.

ugly divorce in the future... read it and weep. we all know it. it never ends pretty, especially with LB.

when we gonna start calling IT "motel 6" because he kept the lights in the Garden on for Larry B?

Posted by Rich:

This "marriage" isn't about the future; it's about the here and now, except to the extent that the lessons Brown teaches these players can benefit them for the remainder of their careers.

In fact, given that Isiah has coaching ambitions, he can learn some enduring lessons from Brown as well.

I always hear about these "lessons" Larry teaches...what exactly are these secret "lessons"? I don't think Larry knows more than other experienced coaches, I believe it is more a case of him being a better motivator and getting the players to actually play like they are taught.

[Edited by - Knight on 07/22/2005 02:01:20]

Posted by Knight:

Posted by Rich:

This "marriage" isn't about the future; it's about the here and now, except to the extent that the lessons Brown teaches these players can benefit them for the remainder of their careers.

In fact, given that Isiah has coaching ambitions, he can learn some enduring lessons from Brown as well.

I always hear about these "lessons" Larry teaches...what exactly are these secret "lessons"? I don't think Larry knows more than other experienced coaches, I believe it is more a case of him being a better motivator and getting the players to actually play like they are taught.

[Edited by - Knight on 07/22/2005 02:01:20]

It's like having a professor in college who is one of the most renowned experts in the country (or the world) on their subject, and because they know it so well, he or she can present the material in a unique way that makes it easier to grasp, and offer a perspective that you may not have considered.

When a coach can do that, the process can accelerate a young player's development, or for a veteran, help take his game to the next level.

Also, a coach like Brown can figure out weaknesses and strengths in both his own team and the opposition, and devise schemes to exploit them.

Motivation is a part of it, but there are a lot of coaches with mediocre minds.

Why don't add a Metallica song on to the thread, dedicated to...

The vagabond song will be great for Larry, "as the road becomes my bide and I'm stripped of all my pride..." etc.

It will make it even more dramatic lol.