June 04, 2007
BROWN'S DETROIT LEGACY GOLDEN

Watching the Pistons fall to pieces Saturday night - and throughout the Eastern Conference Finals - I couldn't stop thinking about Larry Brown.

Nobody has been harder on Brown for his awful season in New York than myself. But I have never wavered on the notion he was the perfect fit in Detroit. It is a shame for two franchises that Brown did not remain as Pistons coach - Detroit and the Knicks.

Detroit possessed so little poise and confidence in the Cleveland series, you have to look at Flip Saunders and his lack of leadership. In his two years in Detroit, the Pistons have failed to make The Finals. In Brown's two years, an NBA championship banner was raised at The Palace and nearly was joined by a second one.

Rasheed Wallace, in getting ejected and needing several teammates to drag him away from assaulting the officials, looked like a Trail Blazer again. When Rasheed played for Larry, two Carolina alums, he was always on his best behavior.

I think we now can crystallize what Larry did in Detroit and call it a wonderful job, it wasn't just the players. Ben Wallace probably would have re-signed if Brown was still the coach. Is owner Bill Davidson still thinking it was the right call, that it was worth it to put up with his eccentricities.

It almost seems Brown is blackballed from getting another head-coaching job after his 23-59 implosion with the Knicks. Brown did not suddenly become an awful coach. My only explanation is he tried to get Isiah Thomas fired so he could run the ship, realizing the two mens' ideas of building a basketball team was totally different. Isiah mismanaged the situation, cost his owner enough money to warrant his own dismissal. But Larry's coup likely has scared GMs away. Losing out to Marc Iavaroni in Memphis is criminal.

There was talk at the pre-draft camp in Orlando a few days ago that Brown is ready to wait for the Sixers job to open, that he only wanted Memphis if it had won the lottery or finished second. The theory is if Maurice Cheeks stumbles out of the gate, Brown, their VP of operations, is in.

I hope it happens. At the pre-draft camp he told a confidant he doesn't want his final season to be 23-59. And when the Knicks play the Sixers and Brown faces Isiah, I want to be there.

I just remember that one clip of LB in the huddle in one of the finals games looking at his players and tell them flat out that he loved them. Classic leader move.

I think the message is if Brown had come to NYC to coach we would have been golden.

Unfortunately, he didn't.

Posted by TrueBlue:

Posted by martin:

I just remember that one clip of LB in the huddle in one of the finals games looking at his players and tell them flat out that he loved them. Classic leader move.

Yep and he was adored by the players after he left. Every mature player that he has coached had a Love/Hate for him but the Love overpowered any hate they had. Too bad we don't have any mature players on this team besides Q, Malik, and maybe David Lee to be coached. The rest of the team consist of Pricks & players who have yet to master Puberty.


BROWN>I SAY UGH, DOLAN, MILLS

[Edited by - TrueBlue on 06-04-2007 12:39 PM]

Don't throw Lee into mature players that adore Brown. He was one of the first to take a shot at Brown when he left. Mike and Mike blasted him for nearly a week.

Posted by Pharzeone:

Posted by TrueBlue:

Posted by martin:

I just remember that one clip of LB in the huddle in one of the finals games looking at his players and tell them flat out that he loved them. Classic leader move.

Yep and he was adored by the players after he left. Every mature player that he has coached had a Love/Hate for him but the Love overpowered any hate they had. Too bad we don't have any mature players on this team besides Q, Malik, and maybe David Lee to be coached. The rest of the team consist of Pricks & players who have yet to master Puberty.


BROWN>I SAY UGH, DOLAN, MILLS

[Edited by - TrueBlue on 06-04-2007 12:39 PM]

Don't throw Lee into mature players that adore Brown. He was one of the first to take a shot at Brown when he left. Mike and Mike blasted him for nearly a week.

was it an honest answer or shot at LB? What was the quote and context?

Posted by Pharzeone:

Posted by TrueBlue:

Posted by martin:

I just remember that one clip of LB in the huddle in one of the finals games looking at his players and tell them flat out that he loved them. Classic leader move.

Yep and he was adored by the players after he left. Every mature player that he has coached had a Love/Hate for him but the Love overpowered any hate they had. Too bad we don't have any mature players on this team besides Q, Malik, and maybe David Lee to be coached. The rest of the team consist of Pricks & players who have yet to master Puberty.


BROWN>I SAY UGH, DOLAN, MILLS

[Edited by - TrueBlue on 06-04-2007 12:39 PM]

Don't throw Lee into mature players that adore Brown. He was one of the first to take a shot at Brown when he left. Mike and Mike blasted him for nearly a week.

I don't know how you translated what I said into that. I listed the players on our team who have the discipline and maturity to be coached, those who don't need their ego stroked or to be given full freedom to be whatever they want to be on the basketball court or else they are a Schitzo. Brown was no different than he's been during his coaching career when he was here. He doesn't play young players right away and with that said he's still one at every stop at practically the highest levels. When you compare the playing time he gave vs what I SAY UGH gave to some players this season it turned out to be a draw. Wasn't Balkman to I SAY UGH that Lee Was to Brown?

I want to throw Jamal in there but it appears all he wants to be is a licensed Chucker.

[Edited by - TrueBlue on 06-04-2007 1:15 PM]

Posted by martin:

Posted by Pharzeone:

Posted by TrueBlue:

Posted by martin:

I just remember that one clip of LB in the huddle in one of the finals games looking at his players and tell them flat out that he loved them. Classic leader move.

Yep and he was adored by the players after he left. Every mature player that he has coached had a Love/Hate for him but the Love overpowered any hate they had. Too bad we don't have any mature players on this team besides Q, Malik, and maybe David Lee to be coached. The rest of the team consist of Pricks & players who have yet to master Puberty.


BROWN>I SAY UGH, DOLAN, MILLS

[Edited by - TrueBlue on 06-04-2007 12:39 PM]

Don't throw Lee into mature players that adore Brown. He was one of the first to take a shot at Brown when he left. Mike and Mike blasted him for nearly a week.

was it an honest answer or shot at LB? What was the quote and context?

No it wasn't out of context. Remember he and Frye were the only Knicks to publicly to "trash" Brown to the media after he left. People on this forum got on Frye about it but not Lee. Mike Golic took exception to Lee's comments. I guess for Lee it felt it was honest. I guess he felt that he held him back, I don't know why he made any comments negative or otherwise. He continued it in training camp too comparing Brown's coaching style to Thomas. I guess he likes positive reinforcements over negative ones.