oh i wasn't attacking you personally. just making a general statement. as for hakeem, i see it as this: the rox thought dream's time was over...as in retirement and dream didn't want to retire...so when that disagreement couldn't be resolved...they parted ways.
I never called Hakeem disloyal but I didn't like the way he left. The things he said on his way out left a bad taste in my mouth and made all the great years seem just a little less great. If he'd left to pursue other things and hadn't bashed the front office and, by implication, Rudy, I'd have been sad but would have respected the decision. Instead he gave the impression he was being forced out, which I just don't believe is true. Witness the class of Rudy T who actually WAS forced out and still put a happy face on it for the public. That said, no amount of time Brown might spend here could ever be comparable to what Hakeem meant to the city. No matter what he does the emotional response will not be the same at all.
With Brown onboard, Mobley is certainly on his way out. Maybe even for Snow. Philly needs another scorer, as KVH has choked in the playoffs once again and will probably be shipped, though hopefully not for us. I see the team going after a defensive minded 4, like PJ brown, since Brand is probably beyond our reach. Just imagine this team with Yao, PJ, Posey, Francis and say, Snow, playing within Brown's system. Get rid of Moochie, bring in Jon Barry and if possible, package Rice and Mo for other pieces that fit the puzzle. Cato could possibly play some 4 too... Ah, the possibilities.
One can hope. I think Snow would be a perfect fit here. All I really want at the 4 is someone who busts his ass, rebounds, and does the dirty work. Leave the scoring up to Yao and Francis. Is that too much to ask from a PF. We are terribly soft at the 4.
Piatkowski would be nice too. We need some shooters on this team. Just look at how much damage San Antonio is doing in the playoffs with Duncan passing out of the double and triple teams. Yao has better instincts as a passer than Duncan does. If we run the offense through Yao, just imagine how dangerous we could be...
If Brown comes in, you can say goodbye to Griffin and probably Nachbar. Larry Brown the gm isn't as good Larry Brown the coach. Larry Brown traded Tim Thomas and Scott Williams for Ty Hill and Gerald Honeycutt. He's also made some other questionable moves.
The thing about Larry Brown that appeals to me is that he does have his coaching philosophies and he sticks to them - and one of them is sometimes a coaching change is good for the team - even as he's leaving it. He's taken a hell of a lot of heat over the years and done so graciously. He is a coach who will change this team when he see something that doesn't work. So yes he's going to make decisions that will make some of us cringe and some of us giddy. But I don't think Les can sell him on the team as is, and Van Gundy might buy into that. So Les has blamed Rudy for the progress or lack of, of the "greatest team ever assembled". Even those who are applauding Les' actions now have to concede he has zero as a track record for what's going on here. Even hiring Van Chancellor was a desperate decision (supported by CD) only after every "name" coach turned down the Comets job. I'm not saying anything bad about Les as an owner, but this is the first time he's really charting a course about the future direction of this basketball team, and I see no cause for alarm, but no reason for great confidence either.
One of the appealing qualities of Larry Brown is his ability to develop young players. The players that are difficult to coach or too set in their ways are the ones he trades. University (Shrempf and Chips) Blue
Larry Brown won't have total control of the roster if hired. He will have input but he won't be the GM. Would Les let him dis assemble one of the greatest teams ever assembled? lol!!
If Brown comes in, I'm almost positive Steve moves to the 2, and Brown finds a pure point guard to run the team. Look down the list of his teams, almost all of them have a distributing point guard in control. Philadelphia (Eric Snow) Indiana & LA Clippers (Mark Jackson) San Antonio (Maurice Cheeks & Rod Strickland)
It would be incredibly stupid to trade our young assets (Grffin and Nachbar) UNTIL we see what development they will show under the guidance of a new coach who is known for a very hands-on approach instead of the "letting the pieces fall where they may" Rudyball method, which may work wonders with veterans but has proven to be innefective with younger players... besides, Griffin has the potential to eventually become a poor man's Theo Ratliff, and that's setting the lowest of expectations on him. Unless Griffin is the key piece for getting either Brand or say, PJ Brown, may guess is that Mo the softie is certainly on his way out. IF we can find any takers, that is. As for Nachbar, God only knows what the kid is capable of in the NBA...
YO! LISTEn!!!!!!!! The owner of 76ers also agreed that it was time for Brown to go. IT WAS A MUTUAL DECISION. Mainly Larry Brown's....but the owner agreed and didn't go crazy. I think....He hasn't resigned YET. Anyways....keep the GM Carroll Dawson. He is one of the best. Tim Thomas......is good but he makes $12,000,000 per year. So does Keith Van Horn. That was one bad move. But he isn't goin to be GM here.......IF he comes I just hope he does. Bring in Eric Snow. PJ Brown would love to come here. God. PJ WOULD FREAKIN LOVE IT. Alongside a 7-6 center......with a perfect coach for him.....and Steve Francis just like Baron Davis......man PJ might come here for MLE. God. That would be great! Just wait!!!!!! It SHOULD be a good year. And then.....Larry Brown signs with Cleveland.
I could see us signing kenny andersen to play point. I don't love the idea, but it's a decent worst case scenario. Someone mentioned Cat for Snow. Intriguing possibility. Cat's from the area. He provides a 2nd scorer, but that leaves Philly with no PG, unless AI moves back, which is highly doubtful. Philly's ripe for a serious overhaul. They are getting farther from contention, with the emergence of the Nets (with Kidd likely to stay, to boot) and the Pistons are about to get richer (No. 2 pick). If we wound up with Snow, Francis and Barry, I'd be pleased. If we had to prioritize, I would suffer through another year with our current backcourt, if we could get a quality banger, like PJ Brown.
Any Coach that has an analytical mind and finds out that the problem with the Rockets starts with the Guards and Team Chemistry. Is going to fix it by one way or another. Will the Guards defere to the Center? Will the Team be better off with one of the Starting Guards on another Team? Can the Point Guard play defence? Will the Guards stop dribbling and start passing the ball up the court? Will the Center ever learn how important scoring and rebounding is? Will he ever learn positioning? Will Eddie ever realy feel part of the team and come up to his potential? Will the Coach take the opportunity to get Elton Brand? I would just love to know the answers wouldn't you?
lol......SUFFER?!? How do you know? Maybe Larry Brown will make Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley the best backcourt ever! I still like the idea of getting Eric Snow. And just for taking their coach....we give them Mobley and Moochie for Snow and Kenny Thomas. Kenny Anderson would not be bad. He is a good veteran. Strickland...the one who was on the Celtics...would be good. I'd love to get PJ Brown though. That means moving Mo or Eddie. Whatever Larry wants!
I don't know if it's about deferring to the center but utilizing both of the players strengths to the maximum. I wouldn't say that Magic Johnson deferred to Kareem, but their abilities were utilized well together.
If and when Larry leaves, I see Paul Silas going to Philly. He could handle AI and keep him still motivated to play hard. I still think getting Silas would be a great move.
My guess is that assuming Francis will be moving to the 2 that Brown will try hard to acquire Snow and McKie. Those are players are the ideal veterans to faciliate a move of Francis to the 2 spot. Both guys play incredible defense and both understand how to play in a team concept. Aaron McKie handles the ball extremely well for a 2 guard thus for a 10-15 minute stretch, he is able to handle a huge chunk of the ball handling duties if necessary. I have seen many situations where McKie and Iverson were playing together in the backcourt with Snow resting, and McKie would bring the ball up. It may be a little complciated to acquire these two vets, but hopefully if Philly decides to re-build, they would be available. Also, I think Kenny Thomas and/or Tyrone Hill are possibilities as well; Larry Brown could want a little more toughess around Yao. I wouldnt rule out the likes of Alvin Williams or Andre Miller either. Larry Brown is very good at molding players into the roles that he wants them to play, and of these two esp Alvin could be a Larry Brown type player. The player I have a tough time figuring out under this new potential regime would be Eddie Griffin. Larry Brown maybe able to develop him into a better offensive version of Theo Ratliff, but I wonder if he will have enough patience to do so. I really liked the way Ratliff developed in Philly but injuries really hurt him. Eddie has the natural ability to play that type of game, but his mindset is simply too fragile to play a high energy toughness role. It would be great if Brown can work with him on this.
