If it’s true, and Knicks owner James Dolan is considering giving Larry Brown a $40 million buyout on the rest of his contract, and then letting Isiah coach the team… well, that would be a very Knick thing to do.
I mentioned it yesterday on Deadspin, but just to expand on it a little bit, let’s look at it this way. If they buy out Larry Brown, and, in essence, hand him about $45 million for one year of work… that has to be interpreted as the Knicks organization saying, “Hey, we made a terrible mistake here.” Regardless of whether it actually was a mistake or not, a $45 million buyout is a pretty definitive, “Yeah, we fucked up.”
So, they’d admit a giant mistake… and then let the man who made that mistake become the head coach. “Hey, we know you fucked the franchise and cost us about $40 million, so um, hey, how about some more responsibility?” Just bizarre. If they think that Larry Brown continuing to be their head coach is so bad for the franchise, why not consider firing the guy who made the hire?
I think it would be a terrible mistake to buy out Larry Brown right now. I don’t think it’s necessary for the Knicks to admit they made that mistake, because I don’t think it was a mistake. The guy did not just forget how to coach.
Now, I do believe it’s true that the Knicks could have won more games this year if they had someone else coaching. The Knicks could’ve scored a lot more points and caused some match-up problems if they just sent out Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis and let them do whatever they want. But that wouldn’t have been real progress… fool’s gold, they call it. Actually trying to teach them is the harder route. It’s the more difficult way to go, and in the short term, it’s going to make things a little rougher. But it’s also the only way to make any real progress. Breakin’ eggs, makin’ omelettes.
Let him stick it out, bring in some players who want to listen, work, and get better… and Larry Brown will leave the Knicks in better shape than he found them. I don’t have any doubts about that.
WarrenG
thank you.
~ dedicated knick fan
May 15, 2006 at 5:04 am
Rob
The man who killed the CBA is well on his way to murdering the Knicks. I wish there was some way we could assign him as Barry Bonds manager.
http://www.cantstopthebleeding.com/?p=4776
“‘Who he listens to are people who tell him what he wants to hear. The fact that he’s still in basketball and running the Knicks just astounds me.’
In his short tenure as the owner of the CBA, Thomas had hoped to build it into a massive enterprise that might serve as an official minor league to the NBA. Instead, he lost between $5 and $7 million, made very few friends and ran a 55-year-old league into bankruptcy just as he left to become the head coach of the Indiana Pacers.”
May 15, 2006 at 7:19 am
Brett
I love this — it qualifies as a cost cutting move by the Knicks. Pay a guy $40 million to go away, so they can make Iasiah coach and not have to pay him any extra!
What a sucker James Dolan is.
May 15, 2006 at 8:21 am
John
Fire Zeke!
May 15, 2006 at 9:18 am
unc_samurai
It’s time for the Knicks to dump their roster and petition the league for an expansion draft.
May 15, 2006 at 9:47 am
Adam
The Knicks are one of the three most tradition rich teams in the league (along with the Lakers and Celtics), play in the countries biggest market, and have a fanbase that LOVES and understands basketball. It’s really damn hard to kill off that franchise. But damned if Isaiah isn’t going to try. I mean I hate the Knicks as much as anyone, but Jesus Christ, no team deserves his sort of ineptness. Larry Brown should pray that his contract gets bought out so he can get the hell out of there before it gets worse and go coach the Kings or something. Take the money and run Larry, you’re too old to be dealing with this shit.
May 15, 2006 at 11:26 am