What Can Brown Do For You?
1 Comments Published by B. Marcks on Thursday, March 01, 2007 at 3:41 PM.
In his article today in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Stephen A. Smith speculates that Larry Brown will return next season as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.
You may remember Philly not only for the tumultuous relationship between Brown and Allen Iverson, but also for their memorable run through the 2001 NBA Playoffs (eventually losing to the Lakers in the Finals). You might also remember that Philly was Brown's longest tenure anywhere as a head coach.
As soon as A.I. was out the door on his way to Denver, Brown was brought into the front office. This was the most obvious step, right? Now with A.I. gone Brown can mold this team of underachievers into a contender, just like he did with the New York Knickerbockers. Oh. Wait.
Now I'm not saying Mo Cheeks is the answer. He seems like a good enough guy. I mean who can forget the moment in Portland when he helped a girl sing the National Anthem after she forgot the words. But he's just not getting the job done in Philly. Hell, they can't even lose right. But does that make Larry Brown the answer by default?
Never put it past the great Billy King to make a terrible move and putting Larry Brown at the helm might be the worst decision of all. The Sixers have a young team that will get even younger with the 2007 Draft.
Therein lies the biggest problem. Brown is notorious for not playing younger guys. He let Darko sit the bench in Detroit. He let LeBron and 'Melo sit the bench when he was U.S. Men's National Team head coach. Who is to say he won't do the very same thing in Philly?
And for that matter how many years does Brown even have left in him? Getting a (possible) Top 3 draft pick isn't going to change this team over night. If they land someone like Greg Oden, he'll surely make an impact, but he's far from polished.
There is no way that Brown will have the patience to wait around and try to build up a team. That's not what he does. He has always been the coach that comes in and carries a team over the hump (see: Detroit Pistons) rather than a coach that takes a young team to the next level.
Meanwhile, the man picking this young talent is also the same man who sees it fit to pay Shavlik Randolph to play professional basketball. One of the three worst GMs in professional sports will be pulling the trigger on a handful of picks in one of the most loaded drafts in recent memory. Don't be shocked if he makes Josh McRoberts a Top 20 pick. That's how bad this could get.
The 2006-2007 76ers season has been an absolute train wreck. After trading away the face of the franchise, they get out "played" by the Celtics and the Grizzlies in the race for the first pick. On top of that there's an outside shot that the franchise could be burried for the next several years when Larry Brown steps back into the picture.
Buckle up, Sixers fans. This looks like it's going to get a lot worse before it gets any better.
Whatever Happens, Brown Will Return [The Philadelphia Inquirer]
You may remember Philly not only for the tumultuous relationship between Brown and Allen Iverson, but also for their memorable run through the 2001 NBA Playoffs (eventually losing to the Lakers in the Finals). You might also remember that Philly was Brown's longest tenure anywhere as a head coach.
As soon as A.I. was out the door on his way to Denver, Brown was brought into the front office. This was the most obvious step, right? Now with A.I. gone Brown can mold this team of underachievers into a contender, just like he did with the New York Knickerbockers. Oh. Wait.
Now I'm not saying Mo Cheeks is the answer. He seems like a good enough guy. I mean who can forget the moment in Portland when he helped a girl sing the National Anthem after she forgot the words. But he's just not getting the job done in Philly. Hell, they can't even lose right. But does that make Larry Brown the answer by default?
Never put it past the great Billy King to make a terrible move and putting Larry Brown at the helm might be the worst decision of all. The Sixers have a young team that will get even younger with the 2007 Draft.
Therein lies the biggest problem. Brown is notorious for not playing younger guys. He let Darko sit the bench in Detroit. He let LeBron and 'Melo sit the bench when he was U.S. Men's National Team head coach. Who is to say he won't do the very same thing in Philly?
And for that matter how many years does Brown even have left in him? Getting a (possible) Top 3 draft pick isn't going to change this team over night. If they land someone like Greg Oden, he'll surely make an impact, but he's far from polished.
There is no way that Brown will have the patience to wait around and try to build up a team. That's not what he does. He has always been the coach that comes in and carries a team over the hump (see: Detroit Pistons) rather than a coach that takes a young team to the next level.
Meanwhile, the man picking this young talent is also the same man who sees it fit to pay Shavlik Randolph to play professional basketball. One of the three worst GMs in professional sports will be pulling the trigger on a handful of picks in one of the most loaded drafts in recent memory. Don't be shocked if he makes Josh McRoberts a Top 20 pick. That's how bad this could get.
The 2006-2007 76ers season has been an absolute train wreck. After trading away the face of the franchise, they get out "played" by the Celtics and the Grizzlies in the race for the first pick. On top of that there's an outside shot that the franchise could be burried for the next several years when Larry Brown steps back into the picture.
Buckle up, Sixers fans. This looks like it's going to get a lot worse before it gets any better.
Whatever Happens, Brown Will Return [The Philadelphia Inquirer]
He did a great job with the 2004 Olympic team. I would like to get 25 minutes in a room with Larry Brown and a stat book. Rookies can score, Darko isn't the worst player ever, and Eric Snow can't be the best point guard available.
But the Sixers imploded because AI doesn't practice hard. Right?