All of the Larry Brown lovers here should read this article in today's Philadelphia Inquirer and do some hard thinking about their position. http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/basketball/5994421.htm
The difference between me and you Hillboy is I'm smart enough to look at the facts of the situation and form my own opinion. I do not need to read a bitter Philadelphia Inquirer writer's article to get my info. on Larry Brown. I simply have to look at his track record of making every single last team he ever coached better than they were when he got there. Feel free to continue your overspeculation on this matter.
No need to get so emotional and personal dude. I have "stepped back" and I stand by my "aura" comment. We can all line up and stand at attention and recite LB's coaching resume verbatum but that doesn't change the fact that while he's a terrific coach there's something very wrong with him. Given his track record of bailing out on teams, never staying around in one place for long (Philly was the exception) and generally wearing out his welcome, you have to take look at the complete Larry Brown. I have and I don't like what I see. I did not like the fact that he just bailed on the mess he created in Philly in a desperate effort to win an NBA Championship before he retires by seemingly "upgrading" to a team with better talent. Brown bears some of the responsibility for the lack of talent left in Philly but no one here wants to consider that fact. I do not like the fact that he has always faltered and then bailed on a team when he's been EXPECTED to win as will be the case in Detroit. I did not like the fact that he appears to have been talking to Detroit under the table even while they were still playing New Jersey in the conference finals with Carlisle coaching. Finally, I did not like the fact that he used the openings at the Rockets and other teams to cover up his talking to Detroit. Remember, Carlisle was fired AFTER LB was told that Detroit agreed to HIS terms. Clutch and just about everyone else on this BBS went ape over the mere PROSPECT of getting a "name" coach with Brown being the biggest "name" out there. That's why teams were all atwitter over LB as he was the sexiest name out there. There's a simple reason why the teams without head coaches were lined up to talk to LB. We're talking about unsuccessful teams with serious problems and popular wisdom would dictate that the hiring of a "name" like LB would be great PR. But hiring a coach for PR reasons is the last thing needed here in Houston - we need a coach that can get us to advance into the top tier of the Western Conference. Larry Brown is not the only coach capable of doing that - Dunleavy, Silas, Jordan or even Van Gundy are all capable of coaching this team into that upper tier. I firmly believe that had LB came to Houston and things did not go according to plan, he would have bailed out on us in 2 years or so as per his history. Nothing I've read or seem on this BBS has been able to convince me otherwise.
You can't overspeculate on the facts and this guy simply presented the truth on Larry Brown. Can you identify anything he wrote that's false? Did he not lay out LB's coaching record? I'll grant you one thing, while he does make teams better, it comes at a heavy price. The question I have for you is, that as a Rockets fan, are you will to pay that price? Remember, when you dance with the devil, the devil doesn't change - he changes you.
Why don't we just take over the team at Westside and let you run it. Maybe LB will change his mind. get over it.
Quote by Hillboy: Neither have I, and I still wouldn't have cared if he had stayed only two years. And yeah, I though Brown was the best choice available. But what's unacceptable to me is the fact (according to Clutch) that Les had decided who he wanted, didn't vigorously pursue him, and if Clutch is correct, lowballed him. Brown would have made more money staying in Philly ($6 mil.) than going to Detroit and Alexander damn sure should have know how much a coveted coach in the NBA demands. This whole "Brown, or Van Gundy, or Dunleavy" would be fine is a crock. You find your man, you find out what it will take and you do it. That's how first class organizations operate. And I don't blame CD, I blame Les. This is his first big test. And the lack of any urgency on the part of the Rockets given there are so many positions open in the NBA is asinine. Suggesting Brown, Van Gundy and Dunleavy would do equally good jobs (no matter who you like) is ridiculous. I suspect CD wanted Dunleavy all along and Les just blew it. I'm not angry because Brown isn't our coach, I'm angry because Les identified his man, sat back knowing he had "the greatest team ever assembled" and made an ass of himself. I love the Rockets, but my opinion of the organization has changed. The people who didn't want Brown are just relieved, but I'm really surprised at the amount of people I respect here who either don't believe Clutch's version of events or don't think this was a black-eye for the franchise.
You know, you just may be right about Uncle Les lowballing LB. I would not put it past him at all. What probably happened though is that on one hand you had LB with his hidden Detroit agenda and on the other hand you had Uncle Les with his yet to be determined agenda and these two passed by each other like ships in the night. Uncle Les should know or should have known that first and foremost, LB is all about the benjamins! After all, he does command a high price... Also, you also may have a point about CD favouring Dunleavy over Van Gundy. We'll know whenever one of these guys is called back for a 2nd interview. As for this being a black eye for the franchise, sorry I don't see that. The Wizards look far far worse than Houston does right now. They have NO coach, NO GM and NOBODY on the horizon after they jettisoned Doug Collins in a desperate attempt to "interest" LB in talking to them.
