Thread Tools

Display Modes

**schub** · 07-18-2005, 11:47 AM

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2110640

Quote:

The Detroit Pistons and Larry Brown are parting ways, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

The Pistons and Brown, sources said, moved closer Monday to a buyout of Brown's contract, which has three years left at $18 million.

It was not immediately known if the buyout arrangement would be finalized Monday, and it remains to be seen whether Brown -- plagued by serious bladder complications throughout much of last season after hip surgery -- intends to take some time away from coaching. He could pursue a coaching job with the New York Knicks or a front-office job with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Ex-Minnesota coach Flip Saunders is the leading candidate to replace Brown in Detroit after the Pistons came within one victory of winning back-to-back titles under the 64-year-old Brown.

ian · 07-18-2005, 12:06 PM

Goodbye drama. I hope Laimbeer gets the job.

**kamego** · 07-18-2005, 12:08 PM

I hope Laimb atleast gets a job on the staff for now. He should be in mind as possible coach if not now, down the road.

**DetBNyce** · 07-18-2005, 01:27 PM

I'll miss LB, but I wonder whose decision it was in the end to split ways. On one end I hear LB wants to coach in N.Y., and on the other hand I just hear we're tired of the drama. I can't say I won't miss him, he helped bring the first championship back to Detroit in 15 years and helped push us into the elite level of teams. I can do without the rumors of him leaving every other month or so, but I still wish he was coming back.

I'm guessing and hoping for Saunders or Musselman now. I just don't see how or why you'd hand over the keys to a rookie coach.

DTigre · 07-18-2005, 01:30 PM

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...brown.pistons/
Larry Brown and the Detroit Pistons have decided to part ways, SI.com learned Monday. The announcement will become official in the next 24 hours as the two sides haggle over the final terms, but it appears that the terms of Brown's buyout will prevent him from coaching another team for the next year.

If he is desperate to coach the Knicks, then they would have to negotiate terms of compensation with the Pistons. But if he were to move to the Knicks within the next year, I'm told that Brown would also relieve the Pistons of their remaining financial obligations to him. The exact terms of the buyout aren't known, although Brown had three years and $21 million remaining on his contract.

The Pistons will almost surely announce, in short order, that they are hiring former Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders. There are some within the Pistons organization who worry that Saunders will face inordinate pressure by stepping in for Brown, who in two years won a championship and made it to Game 7 of this season's NBA Finals.

But I think just the opposite will be true. The Pistons will be the most motivated team in the league next season, determined to prove that Brown received far too much credit for the players' success. If his history is a guide, Saunders will feed his new team's ambition from the first day of his tenure by giving all the credit to his new players, and in return they will be invested in making Saunders look good. Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups and their teammates can be expected to do everything they can to show that the organization can perform better without Brown. In the end, Brown will endow the Pistons with more motivation by leaving than he ever could have provided by staying next season.

The other reason Saunders will succeed is that he will understand the dynamics of this well-balanced team. A lot of coaches who are used to the NBA star system might have trouble adapting to the Pistons, who are the only team in the last 25 years to win a championship without a first-team All-NBA player. But Saunders, who spent seven years in the CBA, crafted a track record at Minnesota of mixing and matching individuals by exploiting their strengths and hiding their weaknesses while putting a balanced winner on the floor. He is, arguably, the best of all possible fits for this team.

One of Brown's options now is to explore a move to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who held their team presidency open for two months for him before hiring Danny Ferry as GM. Perhaps he could return to Cleveland as a consultant, but it's hard to imagine that the Cavaliers would be willing to upset their relationship with Ferry, who has been doing a terrific job on short notice.

Brown's other known option is in New York, where the clock is now running on the tenure of Knicks coach Herb Williams. The Knicks' current coach will need a strong start next season with his revamped roster to snuff out speculation that Brown will eventually replace him.

So here's a prediction: Brown spends the next year recuperating physically, advising the Cavaliers informally and investigating future jobs -- either as the Knicks' head coach or as a team president for another franchise. But where he ends up is anyone's guess.

Midnight_Marauder · 07-18-2005, 01:52 PM

Carslisle and now Brown.....man we have lost two of the top coaches in the league in the past few years.....I am kind of worried now...Is there a coach available that is better than Brown or Carslisle....probably not

**Austin Kent** · 07-18-2005, 01:52 PM

Does anybody know Flip's coaching style? They mention it a bit in the article posted by DTigre. Does he play his bench alot? What about rookies?

chula vista blazer · 07-18-2005, 02:24 PM

Welcome to the land of first round exits! Without a Larry Brown, I just don't see how the Pistons win anything, unfortunately. I've always seen it as a team of mid-level exception players and one "could be superstar, but doesn't feel like it" player.

It'll take a great coach to reduplicate the success- I hope Flip is up to the job.

knickstorm · 07-18-2005, 04:45 PM

you know what that means............................party at darko's friday

rpoulos · 07-18-2005, 05:18 PM

1st Round Exits? You're joking right? The Pistons went into the second and third rounds with a lineup that included Michael Curry and Chucky Atkins, and without Larry Brown.

Biggestfanoftheknicks · 07-18-2005, 05:48 PM

Alot of you are missing one really really important factor in this trade.

Flip Saunders.

Why? Not because of any other reason than this simple fact. Flip Saunders is used to using Kevin Garnett. One of the reasons for Garnett's success is that he played with a coach who had the vision to stick him in different defensive schemes ( the top of a box zone ) and design plays for his unique ability. Notice how garnett did this year after the firing? Not so well because he didn't have people using his unique ability.

Let's think here. A 7 footer with off the charts lateral quickness and a preference for the long range J. Who can we think of that does that. Hmm. Anyway trade me dumars for zeke you *******s.

Copper · 07-18-2005, 05:59 PM

I think Larrys knowledge of the game will defenitely be missed, there is no replacement for experience. I like the possibility of Flip coming in though and would love to see Laimbeer on the bench in a assistant role.

**Coatesvillain** · 07-18-2005, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knickstorm

you know what that means............................party at darko's friday

"DO YOU BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER LOVE~!"

Looks like Bill Laimbeer had an idea of this, I didn't think of it at the time, but why else would he turn down the Knicks job? I hope the Pistons go with Flip Saunders or Mussleman, there's too much risk involved when it comes to Laimbeer. A lesser team could take that risk, but the Pistons are still a championship contender.

ian · 07-18-2005, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CJ

I'm guessing and hoping for Saunders or Musselman now. I just don't see how or why you'd hand over the keys to a rookie coach.

Laimbeer has more NBA success than either of them. Saunders has a solid rep but he was given free reign in Minnesota for a long time with talented teams and still did very poorly in the playoffs.

My feeling with Laimbeer is that he's very basketball savvy and knows what it takes to win, and with the same philosophy the Pistons are built for, too. If I could think of any situation where I could envision Laimbeer being at a disadvantage because of his NBA coaching inexperience (i.e. people disrespecting him in the locker room, or his messing up Xs and Os) I might think differently, but I can't see that happening.

He may be a rookie coach for the NBA but he has the basketball know how and ability to communicate, and to demand respect, that I think he could step in as a head coach right away and do well. Larry Bird did it for the Pacers and they performed very well.

**kamego** · 07-18-2005, 07:04 PM

Name Flip the head coach and give top assisant billing to Laimb, makes sense to me.

Thread Tools Display Modes

Thread Tools

Display Modes