This according to 610. The meeting will not take place in Houston. No word as to where it will happen. 610 also mentioned that because of Alexander's desire to have a big name, the coaching search could be concluded as early as next week. Stay tuned...
This is pretty cool. It feels kind of like the NBA Draft for coaches and the Rockets have the first pick by virtue of having the best existing roster, best ownership/mgmt, new arena, etc. And the best part is the rest of the teams know that and have to wait for the Rockets to make their pick! Or it's like free agency for coaches. They all want to be here and the Rockets have their pick of the litter. Still cool.
WELCOME TO HOUSTON LARRY BROWN!!! "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to present to you, the Houston Rockets new Head Coach, Larry Brown!" - Les Alexander
yeah, heard the same report. I get the feeling Larry Brown would not even accept and interview with Houston if he wanted to take his family back to L.A.
I hope Les' idea of a "big name" and my idea of a "big name" are the same thing. To me Larry Brown, Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan are big names. Mike Dunleavy and Jeff Van Gundy are decent coahes, but big names they are not.
As early as next week? That's kind of quick. I think that Les should carefully evaluate the decision. Maybe even conduct some 2nd round interviews. This means, as we all suspected that the only three candidates being considered are: Larry Brown, Jeff Van Gundy, and Mike Dunleavy, in that order. All three are pretty big names in NBA head coaching, as opposed to the likes of Paul Silas and Doc Rivers. I guess the first thing on the agenda is to trade Glen Rice's expiring contract to get an overpaid player in the mold of Glenn Robinson or Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
The interview is a mere formality to quiet the conspiracy theories. Les has had his eyes on Larry Brown for a while now. Larry Brown has had his eyes on Yao Ming since 2000 Olympics.
First, I doubt they can wait that long. With the draft, the summer leagues and, frankly, the large number of coaching vacancies out there, they have to hustle or get beat out. Second, because these are big name coaches, extensive interviews should not be necessary. Dawson knows most of these guys pretty well and they have track records that speak for themselves.
He could be meeting with the ROCKETS as a ego thing and to drive up his value to get a better contract with other teams.
On what Les considers a big name -- he called the acquisition of Mario Elie for a 2nd-round pick a "significant trade". He called the current Rockets "one of the greatest teams ever assembled".
Brown, Rockets met in New York http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/1925787 Less than 24 hours after Hall of Famer Larry Brown became a free agent coach, Rockets owner Leslie Alexander and general manager Carroll Dawson met with Brown today in New York, sources familiar with the talks said today. Brown, who has compiled the seventh-most wins in NBA history in stints with the Nuggets, Clippers, Spurs, Nets, Pacers and 76ers, resigned as 76ers coach on Monday, saying he thought the Sixers needed new direction. But Brown, 62, he said he has lost none of his "passion" for coaching. Today, he said he hoped to make a decision about his next position quickly, citing preparations for the NBA Draft next month and the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago beginning June. 3. Sources said that Alexander had not said Brown was his favorite for the position despite Tuesday's interview. Alexander is also considering Mike Dunleavy and Jeff Van Gundy, whom Alexander interviewed on Monday. Although no other interviews were scheduled, the Rockets plan to continue considering other candidates, sources said. Brown similarly has not targeted the Rockets or any of the teams that have contacted him, sources close to Brown said, adding that Brown is genuinely interested in coaching the Clippers. Brown enjoyed his stints in Los Angeles with the Clippers and might consider his next coaching job his last stop. Brown has often said he would likely eventually settle down in either Los Angeles or Denver.
