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By Phineas Lambert, Founding Editor, The Back Page Sports
I don’t think a single person who has followed the NBA and Detroit Piston coach Larry Brown over the years was surprised when it was reported Sunday night that Brown would move to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He will become President of the team and hopefully help new owner Dan Gilbert achieve his major goal: keeping LeBron in town.
Brown has been a flake his whole coaching career. Teams Brown has bailed on include the Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers. Now it appears you can add the Detroit Pistons to the list. Overall, Brown has made seven stops at the pro level (for $20: can you name them all?) and two college teams, UCLA and Kansas.
Brown is a demanding defensive minded coach, who gets just as frustrated with his players as they do with him. He fears no one and will publicly lash out at any player who falls out of line. Just ask Allen Iverson.
It’s not like Brown has been working in Detroit for 20 years and needs a change of scenery. The man only took the job two seasons ago. He hasn't even finished his second season and he is already planning his next move. The Pistons are the defending champions, a title (no pun intended) that has seemed to escape Brown at all his other pro stops.
While the Pistons are attempting to defend their crown, however, they are constantly barraged with questions about Brown’s future. And, it is clearly affecting the team. They are currently tied with the Miami Heat 2-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The situation is reminiscent of Bill Parcells in 1996, when he was coach of the New England Patriots and rumors were swirling just before the Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers that he would leave to coach the New York Jets after the season.
While it's easy to understand the complaint against Brown, it's also not hard to understand his motives. This time, compared with his past exits, is different. Brown has serious health concerns, as he has suffered a bladder infection as a result of hip surgery. Hip surgery? That sounds like something that would afflict a grandmother not a basketball coach. Then again, at 64, Brown is no spring chicken.
He has said publicly that he would coach the Pistons or no one else, and if he takes the job as president of the Cavs, he would be holding himself to that promise. He still has three years left on his contract, but should he leave for the Cleveland front office, it is said that Piston GM Joe Dumars would not ask for compensation, because Brown is not taking a head-coaching job.
The bottom line is Larry Brown loves the game of basketball. He may be a moody J.A.P. from Long Island, but he loves the game and doesn’t want to leave. He also doesn’t know how much time his body has left. In the past he has left his team in the lurch, often times going to an opponent of his former team. But so long as he doesn’t coach again, this time Brown would be stepping away from the coach's box somewhat fairly.
But we’ll see what happens next January when the Cavs are 18-16 and in sixth place in the East, and Brown considers coming out of his civilian clothes to lead King James into battle.
Email Phin at phin@thebackpagesports.com
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