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NBA Report
By Tom Zulewski March 3, 2006 |
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Did former Detroit Piston coach Larry Brown, ever make a career blunder choosing to go to the New York Knicks, after in the middle of the 2005 Championship series news breaker announcing to the Pistons and the media shortly before game seven last season that he was interested in a GM job with the Cleveland Cavaliers and then he went out and coached a game seven loss to the San Antonio Spurs. And to make things worse he took a job with the New York Knicks to be their head coach and is currently leading the team in the Eastern cellar at 15-42 record with a five game current loss streak and a team dressing room who has a huge attitudes. Players before the games are hiding out in the weight room or therapy rooms and avoiding the press. After games Knicks players have been reportedly coming out only after some coaxing from the Knick public relation people to address the press. The situation at Madison Square Garden, is just pure dismal and Brown has to look at where he was last year and where he is this year and scratch his head. The New York Post in Thursday's edition had a poll to be taken by New Yorkers who grabbed the home edition and newsstands versions that asked who is at fault for the Knicks demise? Amongst the two poll questions it points directly at the Knicks brass in asking, "Who is most to blame for the disgrace of the New York Knicks? You have a choice of: 1. Larry Brown, 2 .Isiah Thomas, 3 .Jim Dolan, 4. Stephon Marbury. In question number 2 of the poll, "Who should be fired" you have four choices, Brown, Thomas, both or neither. New Yorkers are passionate as about their sports teams and have no mercy when things go wrong and a last place New York team of any sport pro, college, or even Indoor Arena Football for example the New York fans will call for some body's head. In this case the always to first to blame is the head coach. Let’s flashback a bit to that NBA Championship when Brown had things going at a pretty good clip and the Pistons were playing comeback basketball on the Spurs, after dropping games one and two. The Pistons returned home and down 0-2 and evened things up in game five the Spurs saved their bacon and won the game forcing the Championship back to San Antonio where the Pistons had won game six forcing a game seven. During the time of game six Brown was negotiating with the Cavilers for a General Manager's job and when that came to light and the Detroit media reported that the air was let out of the bag in the Detroit dressing room as their coach is thinking of bolting right in the middle of the game seven Championship for another team. Its was amazing that the Pistons got as far as they did loosing to the Spurs in game seven they could have been out during game six because of the distraction of Brown trying to make a career change in the middle of the championship. Game seven of last year's loss to the Spurs has turned into Flip Saunders who coached the Minnesota Timberwolves and now is head coach in Detroit a dream come true and Saunders who was ready to run out of Minnesota anyway and he was run out in mid season last year and now the Pistons who are 47-10 under Saunders have forgotten Brown and his negotiating bolting skills of last year's post season. Saunders in this case died and went to heaven with the Pistons and it looks like the first place team in the East is headed to another final again correct. Back to Brown and the talk in New York about him as he can start with the jeers from the fans behind the bench at court side at MSG to make matters worse ESPN 2's Mike in the morning show did a parity from the J.Giel's Band 1983 song "Love Stinks" and turned the lyrics around to "Knicks stinks" it was a perfect parity that went over big in New York. Imagine that presentation in the New York market over the Knicks bloopers and blunders video of the season thus far. Imagine the Knicks have another month to go in this monstrosity call the 2005-06 season. The video was funny as you can get but no one in the Knicks front office is laughing. The Knicks have an eternity to go and after March Thomas and Brown could be out the door. The Knicks will be obligated to Brown's remaining two years on his contract and more than likely this will be Brown's swan song he has been considering walking away from the NBA and this might be his Q for retirement. Tom Zulewski does commentary on Sportstalk Radio on weekends on 1110 KLIB Sacramento and 1430 KVVN San Jose and says," thanks for joining us." |
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