Larry Brown resigns as head coach of the 76ers

[Guest El Satanico]

By ROB MAADDI, AP Sports Writer

 

PHILADELPHIA - Larry Brown didn't change his mind this time.

 

 

Brown resigned as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers (news) on Monday after six often-turbulent seasons in which he helped rebuild a struggling franchise.

 

 

A consummate teacher, Brown flirted with stepping down or taking another job several times during his tenure in Philadelphia only to stay each time. But Brown is convinced he and the 76ers needed a change now.

 

 

"This has been coming for a long time," Brown said at a news conference. "I kind of thought in the middle of the season that we needed a change, a fresh look. And that's been on my mind a while."

 

 

A Hall of Famer and one of basketball's most well-traveled coaches, Brown could be a candidate for coaching vacancies in Cleveland, Houston and elsewhere.

 

 

The 76ers released Brown from a contractual clause that prohibited him from coaching another NBA team if he left Philadelphia prematurely. Brown, 62, had two years left in his contract that paid him $6 million per season.

 

 

"A lot of jobs are open, but I just left a great one," Brown said. "I'm going to sit back, try to get with my family and figure out what's best for everybody."

 

 

Brown's job with the 76ers was his longest tenure with any team in his 31-year coaching career. He led them to the playoffs five straight seasons, including the 2001 NBA Finals (news - web sites), and will coach the U.S. men's national team this summer at an Olympic qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico.

 

 

Brown had been contemplating stepping down since Philadelphia lost its second-round playoff series to Detroit in six games. The 76ers overcame a mediocre start, won 23 of their final 33 games and finished 48-34.

 

 

But after beating New Orleans in six games in the first round, the 76ers couldn't get past the top-seeded Pistons, losing twice in overtime and once on a last-second shot that was goaltended.

 

 

"We had a good run," Brown said. "I didn't want to hold this franchise back and I felt by staying here, I'd do that."

 

 

LeBron James, the high school phenom expected to go to the Cavaliers with the top pick in the NBA draft on June 26, said he would be happy if Brown ended up in Cleveland.

 

 

"I think Larry Brown is a great teacher if we can get him," James said during an interview at halftime of TNT's broadcast of the San Antonio-Dallas playoff game Sunday night. "I consider myself a student of the game, so Larry Brown would be great."

 

 

Brown joked that James would reconsider his comments if he spoke to some of the 76ers.

 

 

Brown came to Philadelphia in 1997, taking over a perennial loser that hadn't been to the playoffs since 1991. With help from then-president Pat Croce, Brown turned the 76ers from a laughingstock organization into one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

 

 

In 2000-01, Brown led the 76ers to a 56-26 record and first place in the East. Philadelphia advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in 18 years before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers (news) in five games.

 

 

Brown was the NBA's coach of the year that season, the only time he won the award. He was coach of the year in the ABA three times in four seasons.

 

 

Brown doesn't expect to be sitting at home next season.

 

"I'm not going to be idle. I don't think I can do that," he said. "I'm pumped about coaching."

 

Brown had a contentious relationship with Allen Iverson (news), but the two worked together despite several disputes.

 

At one point, the All-Star guard nearly was traded to Detroit. A few times, Brown came close to leaving, and once had to be talked out of quitting by Croce and general manager Billy King.

 

Brown twice considered the possibility of returning to coach his alma mater, North Carolina — both in 2000 when Matt Doherty was hired, and again when the Tar Heels were looking for a replacement in April.

 

Brown has compiled a 879-685 record in the NBA, and 1,285-853 overall, including ABA and college. He won an NCAA (news - web sites) championship with Kansas in 1988, and became the first coach to take six NBA teams to the playoffs when the 76ers made it in 1999.

 

The 76ers were 255-205 under Brown, and 26-30 in the playoffs.

 

Brown has had winning records in 27 of his 31 seasons as a head coach on the professional and collegiate levels. He finished first in his division six times and reached the Eastern Conference finals three times.

 

Brown has also coached Denver (five years), Indiana (four years), San Antonio (3 1/2 years), New Jersey (two years), Carolina of the ABA (two years) and the Clippers (18 months).

 

A three-time All-Star guard in the ABA, Brown is the only American male to play and coach in the Olympics.

 

Brown's team for the Olympic qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico includes Kobe Bryant (news), Tracy McGrady (news), Tim Duncan (news) and Iverson. The team will try to win one of three spots in the 2004 Olympics for nations from the FIBA-Americas zone.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

I'm happy that he's out of there.

 

I felt bad for him.

[Rendclaw 0]

That's a shame, but while its an indictment on the Sixers players (AI heads up that crew), I have to give Brown credit for at least saying that he would hold the franchise back....

 

You're only a good teacher if the student will listen.

 

AI and Brown butted heads too many times over too many things. I had thought after seeing that phenomenal run the Sixers went on in the second half of the season that AI had actually started to listen to what Larry was saying, but apparently too little, too late....

 

ah well... Cleveland would be a good place for Brown as that is for the most part a young team, but while LeBron might listen to him, its getting guys like Ricky Davis and Darius Miles to listen.

[Guest alkeiper]

The Larry Brown/Allen Iverson riff was highly overrated.

[Guest El Satanico]

Brown and Iverson even said that they were now on common ground and that they understand each other. I believe they said that last season.

 

You always have to take stories reported by the media with a grain of salt. They will blow any story way out of proportion.

[Guest Human Fly]

The team lost it's heart, in my mind, when Croce stepped down. It was never the same after that for whatever reason.

 

They keep getting further from the title every year, and unless major roster changes are done that won't change.

 

I guess this means MJ doesn't have a job offer in Philly anymore.

[Rendclaw 0]

I'm willing to believe that Allen and Larry put things behind them, but at the same time, anything you read or hear from the media is overblown and spun so many different ways in this digital age..

 

I did see Allen play a more team-oriented game, setting his teammates up and so forth...

 

This was a shame...

[Guest CanadianChris]

I predict the Sixers will suffer an absolute meltdown next season without Brown.

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

Mo Cheeks...Mo Cheeks...Mo Cheeks

[Guest alkeiper]

Amen.

[Guest godthedog]

iverson will BUTT heads with every coach he ever plays for who isn't a total pussy, because that's just the kind of player iverson is. i think brown did an excellent job of reining him in, & without brown he'll probably just get more and more undisciplined. things won't be good for philly in the coming years.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

Mo Cheeks...Mo Cheeks...Mo Cheeks

Cheeks would be the only coach who could say coaching Iverson isn't a problem.

[Rendclaw 0]

Amen to that.

[Guest Smark-Raving Mad]

As a Sixers fan, Larry Brown will always have a special place in my heart. The only success I've witnessed with the Sixers has been with him.

 

But just the same, I'm glad he's gone. I was growing increasingly sick of his antics.

 

It's not like he ever helped the Iverson situation at all by constantly calling Iverson out in the media. Hey, that's great press for a sports journalist, but that stuff should stay in house. I can't see how it helped to ease any tension between the two when Brown would tell the media Iverson isn't a leader, he's late for practice 50 times a year and so on. Just shut the hell up about that stuff.

 

Brown is too idealistic. He tries to get players to play a way that isn't played anymore. When they can't play that way, he gets frustrated and trades them. Instead of playing to Van Horn's strengths (he can obviously shoot the lights out), Brown constantly berated him in media for not being able to play D. Let someone else play D, let him shoot! Call some damn plays for him! Now like Harpring, Thomas, Stackhouse, etc., Van Horn will go somewhere else and be more successful.

 

And look at the situation they are left in now. Coleman's gone. Van Horn will be traded. That leaves Iverson, a bunch of scrubs, no draft pick and no cap space.

 

God help the next head coach of the Sixers.

[Guest Ripper]

Exactly...The sixers made the finals and Brown traded VERY important players from that team. Then he rehauls the team AGAIN in another year. For all he did for Philly, he hurt them too.

[Guest Polish_Rifle]

The Rockets work fast. They got rid of Rudy over the weekend; Interviewed Van Gundy and Dunleavy on Monday and then they interviewed Larry Brown on Tuesday.

 

Meanwhile, the Hornets, Clippers, Cavs and Nuggets have yet to name a coach. Commitment to winning starts at the top and I think the teams that missed the playoffs (except the Hornets) should have had something done by now.

[Guest El Satanico]

They had to wait until all the coaching dominoes fell before making a decision.

[Guest Polish_Rifle]

True. But they have to move fast before all the good teams get all the prime candidates. While on the subject, has Doug Collins been fired in Washington?

[Rendclaw 0]

From everything I have read and heard about it, it's looking like he's going to be next in line for the guillotine.

 

Van Gundy had a second interview with the Cavs... any takers on the wager that he'll be hired by the Cavs? Maybe next to Brown it seems most likely to me. He spent his requisite time in the commentator's booth after his stint with the Knicks, its time for to get back into it...

 

I read on the Orlando Sentinel website that there are rumors that Doc Rivers was perhaps testing the waters and he got pissed off by the speculation. Considering he's the only coach that has actually done something witht he team since perhaps Brian Hill (and he had Shaq and Penny at the time), the Magic Organization would be idiotic in the extreme if they let him go.

[Agent_Bond34 0]

Mo Cheeks...Mo Cheeks...Mo Cheeks

Not gonna happen.