I think hed be a great coach for this Rockets team. Of course, want is always easy, convincing him to come to a team where he wont get any ownership (what he really wants) is a different story. Lets use our Clutchcity "power" and start circulating the word that we want Larry..since we all know the Rockets staff read our posts. Lets go! http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20030602-123445-5820r.htm Best answer for Wizards: Fly with Bird By Tom Knott THE WASHINGTON TIMES Abe Pollin is scrambling to make a big splash with his next hire following the dismissal of Michael Jordan. This is the implicit message of the letter he is sending to the team's season-ticket holders today. "If you are not satisfied with the direction of our basketball franchise after this summer," he writes, "I will refund your season-ticket deposit in full." Pollin has lost out on securing the services of Larry Brown, a long-shot proposition if ever there was one. Yet Brown's decision to take up with the Pistons is merely one element of an increasingly intriguing marketplace. Rick Carlisle, the NBA Coach of the Year in 2002, was shown the door in Detroit to make room for Brown. Carlisle's only shortcoming was not to have Brown's coaching pedigree. Carlisle is the latest person who should merit an exploratory call from Pollin, and not just because he led a team of no-names to the best record in the Eastern Conference this past season. Carlisle is an old disciple of Larry Bird, from their playing days in Boston to sharing X's and O's on the sidelines in Indiana. Bird retired from coaching after leading the Pacers to the NBA Finals in 2001, and Carlisle proceeded to land his first head coaching job in Detroit. Bird has been out of the NBA since that time, although he made a highly publicized ownership bid in Charlotte, N.C., last winter, only to lose out to Bob Johnson. Bird, along with Boston-based businessman Steve Belkin, then expressed an interest in purchasing the Bucks before deciding that Milwaukee might be too far north for someone who makes his home in Naples, Fla. Bird's ownership group also includes Jan Volk and M.L. Carr, both of whom were slated to have prominent roles in the Charlotte franchise while Bird presided over the basketball operations. Here's the thing: Is Bird wedded to the Belkin-led group, or could he be enticed to consider a reasonable alternative? Pollin could give Bird what he gave Jordan: a minority ownership stake in the franchise and the power to run the basketball operations as he saw fit. Unlike Jordan, Bird is not adverse to rolling up his sleeves and doing the grunt work. Aside from the bright lights of game night, coaching is as tedious as being an executive. Bird is not one for the bright lights anyway. Bird was a player's coach who felt no desire to be the show on the sidelines. He also showed remarkable patience in his players, a rarity among ex-superstar players. As is his practice, Bird is being tight-lipped about where his interests next might lead him. Other than expressing disappointment in losing out in Charlotte and deciding "it's too cold in Milwaukee," Bird has maintained his customary low profile. Reports suggest the Trail Blazers have given Maurice Cheeks permission to talk to the 76ers while entertaining the notion of making a pitch to Carlisle, which may mean nothing. The process comes with an ample dose of speculation, after all. Brown was expected to save either the Rockets, Clippers or Cavaliers after being put on Washington's wish list late last week. By Saturday, after Joe Dumars and Brown magically found a way to communicate about a job that was not open, all the inside reports turned out to be off the mark. Bird certainly could get a lot of what he wants in Washington. He could put his people in place, and he would have an owner willing to yield to his basketball expertise. Pollin took a huge gamble by abruptly cutting his ties to Jordan. Now he is upping the ante with the team's season-ticket holders by pledging to return their deposit if they don't feel encouraged by his moves. That means acquiring someone with credibility, a record of success and star power. Either the new executive or the new coach has to bring that passion-stirring quality to the franchise. If not, fair or not, Pollin is liable to find a good number of season-ticket holders taking him up on his offer.
Pollin offered Larry Brown $8m/year. He will offer Bird at least as much IMO. If we lost Brown because we wouldn't pay the big bucks, we sure aren't going to pay Bird enough to get him here.
Brought this up last week in a thread. Not sure Bird would want to coach again, but thanks for posting the article.
I love Larry Bird. He's one of my all-time heroes, and is easily my favorite basketball player of all time. But he's not a great coach. The Indy teams won because of his fantastic coaching staff. Bird is a solid coach, yes. But he's not the answer to the Rockets' problems.
I agree he's not the answer for our team but he did wonders for the Pacers. Being a great coach is not just x's and o's. It's about understanding your players and staff. He knew his assistant coaches were top notch. He also knew that the Pacer veterans were tired of Brown. He got the most out of his team which is the true measure of a good coach. One of the reasons he was comfortable delegating was because of Rick Carlisle. That's the man we need - Rick Carlisle.
I think the Rockets would take either one ( Bird or Carlisle} if they showed interest in coming here..They havent.
Are you saying theyve asked Carlisle and he said no? The Rockets have indicated they hadn't planned on any other interviews but that may change. I would think that if they asked Carlisle, he would at least listen to them.
No..theres more to accepting a coaching job than money or career opportunity. Do Bird or Carlisle want to uproot their families and become part of the Houston community..I doubt Bird does..Carlisle hasnt said. I just think Les and CD will expect that the new coach be enthusiastic about coming here. It would be great if Carslile is...
everyone knows that carlisle was the brains behind the indiana operation...larry bird by himself is just a bit better than having clyde drexler a coach...and we cougars especially know what a disaster that was...
I'm not ripping on Bird's coaching abilities. I mean, Bird assigning big responsibilities to his staff isn't a weakness; it's a strength. To paraphrase an old saying, the truly wise are those who don't believe they're wise. Bird knew he would struggle at times and brought in great people who could help him. That's admirable. But, unless he brings Carlisle with him, Bird probably isn't the answer in Houston.
I think you're being generous. I thought the word on Larry Legend was that he was closer to being a bad coach then a good one. It was well-documented that he pretty much let the assistants run with the Pacers team. It's very rare to find a great player that becomes a great coach.
