But who can stand when he's in demand
His schemes and plans...
As most of you have read by now, Larry Brown in making news by interviewing for the vacant coaching job in Memphis. I'm sure the fine folks in Philly must be wondering what happened to Brown potentially taking over either Billy King's job or the coaching or both. If you have to ask about Larry Brown finishing a job, you obviously aren't familiar with Brown....
In case you are keeping score at home, Larry Brown is potentially sitting on offers from: the Charlotte Bobcats, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Philadelphia 76ers. I've got tooo many girls, aaaaw, I got to learn to say no. Larry, you are covering your bases well. Oden/Durant? We'll bet that Brown is waiting to find out how those little ping pong balls bounce before deciding where he is going. He's desperate to rebuild his tarnished reputation, and so... he's going to the team that will improve the most. Larry is shrewd. We're just surprise he hasn't interviewed for the Bucks job yet, but soon I'm sure.
Once again the best local paper analysis comes from Newsday, the only paper with any objectivity when it comes to the Knicks. Check out Shaun Powell's article. Choice quotes abound:
"One city he won't return to is here, where he should've stayed until retirement. That was the master plan, anyway. Brown was exactly what the Knicks needed two summers ago, when he was chased and romanced like no other coach before or since. They used helicopters and limos to get his attention. They threw him a pile of money, laid out a red carpet and gave him everything he wanted including, for goodness sakes, Steve Francis."
Indeed. Why Steve Francis?!? Sure, the Knicks have no shortage of dead weight contracts - Jerome James, Jeffries, Malik Rose - but Francis is the biggest of all of them. And you know what the worst part is? Trevor Ariza is developing well.
Then the smell of sweet perfume
This happened much too soon
"Isiah Thomas put his own ego in check for Brown, with the hopes they would become quite the tandem. He had his dream job in the dream city and Brown screwed it up. Badly. It all seemed so right, and in hindsight, maybe that was the problem. Maybe the situation was too tailor-made for Brown, and he couldn't handle it."
Alrigh, I'm not so sure Isiah put his own ego in check. And the real problem is that the situation was not tailor-made for Brown. But I agree that Isiah did make an effort to work with Larry Brown.
He told me his name was Larry Brown, as he caused a scene
Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of being the one
"He couldn't handle Stephon Marbury, or the developing roster, or an owner's edict to stop knocking players in the media, or the demands that were understandably considerable in a city starved for quality basketball. Mostly, he couldn't handle the possibility of failure, which was looking more and more likely, at least in his first season on the job, which became his last. The Knicks couldn't win games, or the fans, or any respect or the affections of a veteran coach who surprisingly became rattled and insecure from his surroundings. In the end, when it became apparent that he wanted out, Brown took his money and ran, leaving behind a stressed-out franchise that was absolutely crushed by the experience."
For forty days and forty nights
The press was on his side
This might be the most honest assessment of the Larry Brown Knicks Era ever written in a local paper. Larry Brown couldn't stop knocking players in the media, or abusing his connections in the press for personal gain. And every Knicks fan has to agree - Larry Brown abandoned us. Period.
People always told me be careful of what you do
"No matter what happens to Brown from here, whether he joins another team or wins another championship or simply retires and counts his money, he will never erase a 23-win stinker which, given the Knicks' $100-million-plus payroll and expectations, was the worst season by any team in any sport in history.
For a coach who leaves often, that distinction will never leave him."
Yeah, he can't erase it completely from his legacy - New Yorkers will always remember. But he can diminish it, make it seem like an aberration, and not the reality of the Brown experience.
I said dont mind, but what do you mean I am the one?
Say what you will about Isiah, but he wants this to work out between him and the Knicks. Isiah has too much pride to walk away from an unfinished job. He could've done just that. He could've avoided the pressure applied by owner Jim Dolan prior to the season and simply left town and waited for another, less intimidating opportunity in the NBA. Isiah didn't need the money and certainly could've done without the headache and the boos. But from the day Mary Thomas delivered him, Isiah never backed down from a challenge, no matter how steep. The same determination that made him one of the best three or four point guards in NBA history also told him to see this through."
I hadn't thought about it too much, but it's an interesting point. Isiah did at least stick around to (attempt to) clean up his mess. Larry Brown moved on. I could do without the saintification of Isiah... this isn't about his character, or his toughness. This is about Isiah realizing he had two choices - leave the Knicks, and hope for another chance somewhere down the line, which was dubious. Yes, I'm sure he would have gotten another opportunity - there are lots of examples of bad coaches/GMs getting second and third chances - but not another chance of this magnitude. Plus Isiah's ego was the biggest factor here... he believed in his work, in Curry and Crawford and Richardson and Marbury... he wanted to prove he was right, and that Brown was entirely to blame.
People always told me be careful of what Brown do
Regardless of what happens to the Knicks and Isiah, we have to say this: people of Charlotte, or Philadelphia, or Memphis, or wherever... your franchise is on the way up. You don't need Brown to take the next step.
cause we danced on the floor in the round
So take my strong advice, just remember to always think twice
(do think twice)
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Hey Jordi, good to hear from you.
Yeah, Larry might have turned the Knicks into winners. But here's what he actually did:
1. Sign the biggest contract ever for a coach - $50 million. In any sport. His job: COACH!
2. Decided that coaching this team wasn't enough, openly feuded with players in the media (despite the owner, who is paying him $50 million to coach, repeated insistence that he not publicly feud with players).
3. Openly used his media contacts to embarrass the GM of the franchise (his boss), while openly tanking the season to further embarrass his boss.
4. Despite all this, was given the okay to trade for Steve Francis (a deal he negotiated without his GM's authorization).
5. Upon getting Francis, immediately wrote him off (he started two games then was sent to the bench).
6. Openly played Jackie Butler at the expense of Eddy Curry's development. He played Butler because... he was represented by Brown's "father" David Glass. Butler, despite looking good at times last season, is now backing up Francisco Elson and Fabricio Oberto on the Spurs, playing a total of about 100 minutes this season (versus the 700 plus last season).
7. When asked by owner James Dolan what his plan for turning around the franchise is, responded "cut Marbury and Francis."
Now you can say what you want about Marbury not being a winner (I think that's valid, but Curry, Crawford and Richardson have been on playoffs team, and aren't they just as much a part of this team as Marbury?) and Isiah as an exec having done nothing (um, really? Can you really say his previous GM record is a negative?), but what did Larry do as Knicks coach? Despite all the money he was given, he wasn't satisfied and directly disobeyed his boss (Dolan). And I would have been okay with all that (all of it) had he not tanked the season.
Larry Brown walked away. He was given every opportunity here, don't act like he was signed to $50 million so Dolan and Zeke could use him as a scrapegoat. They gave him a ton of control, and he was not satisfied because he wanted to be able to a) be GM and b) rip players as he wished. For $50 million he should have shut up and coached. You don't see Phil Jackson (and I hate Phil) bitching about wanting to be GM, do you? Be a professional.
Wow, granted he was the coach of those hated Pacer teams in the Reggie Miller era, but do you really dislike Larry Brown that much? I stand firm in my belief that he could have and should have won with the Knicks if Dolan fired Isiah, which will obviously never happen.
Yeah, Brown feuded with Marbury. Ok, look at the history. Marbury hasn't won anywhere, even in college. Isiah as an exec has done nothing. Brown has won on every level. You don't suddenly forget how to win. Francis might have been a dumb move, but you can't tell me Brown wouldn't have had a plan. The man went through 300 lineups in an attempt to find something. I am not saying Brown would have turned the Knicks into East champs over night, or that he would have stayed for 5 years, but he was a proven winner who was never given a chance in NY. Thanks Isiah. My boycott continues until Thomas goes.