How could it happen? Where did it all go wrong?
Larry Brown was on top of the world, coaching the Pistons into the Finals in
back-to-back years. With that championship ring, he ascended to one of the elite
coaches in all of basketball’s 100+ year history. Yet one year later, Brown’s
old team is pushing towards it all while Brown himself is on the doorsteps of
being fired.
Let’s consider that last July, Larry Brown signed the largest deal of
all-time in professional sports history for a coach: a five-year $50 million
contract. And one year into the largest coaching agreement on the planet, the
New York Knicks are reportedly going to buy out his contract.
If you ever needed a specific moment to epitomize the incompetence of the
Knicks’ management then this is it. 40-yr old Jerry Rice’s five-year contract
with Oakland wasn’t an issue since NFL contracts are not guaranteed. In complete
contrast is the NBA, where Brown doesn’t have to work another day in his life to
earn the remaining mullah on his deal.
The biggest faux pas is that if the Knicks are paying Larry Brown $40
million, and they need a head coach, why on Earth would Brown not be the coach?
For three years Don Cheney was the Knicks’ head coach despite being on the hot
seat constantly. For months and months he survived being fired although he
didn’t deserve the loyalty. But somehow Larry Brown can only last one year with
the Knicks…interesting.
There are rumors that instead of being “fired” New York could buy out his
contract for somewhere along $25 million. However the Knicks could be better off
not spending a dime on Brown. If Larry goes to another team then there won’t
even be a cent paid by the Knicks.
Although in my opinion that method isn’t as for certain as it used to be.
This position was the one Brown had been looking forward to his whole career; it
was his dream job. Not only did it end poorly but also health issues continued
to plague him. And while he has yet to have a problem signing team-to-team the
length of the contract he signed with New York should have implied that this
would be his last stop.
Of course, that idea is strictly an idea, since the Knicks will surely pay
Larry just to get him off the team. Looking back at the frivolous deals given to
nobodies like Shandon Anderson, Clarence Weatherspoon and Jerome James, the odds
of the team desisting on dishing out money to Brown is highly unlikely.
Whatever happens to Larry Brown in the upcoming weeks, one fact remains
constant- and that is that Brown is a financial genius (go figure [hint hint]).
Somehow he found a way to go to a team, coach them, finish with the second-worst
record in the NBA, and then walk away with up to $40 million just a year later.
And what a shame; that money could’ve been put to good use by giving Juwan
Howard an $80 million deal.