Larry Brown fired as NY Knicks Coach

[Guest]

The Bird came before the Egg and Isiah is the fucking egg.

[alfdogg 0]

Someone find me just *one* advantage that the '04 Pacers that narrowly missed the Finals under Carlisle had over the '03 Pacers that lost in the first round under Isiah Thomas.

 

...oh wait, you can't. Besides "better coaching", that is. People just assume it was personal, because it's Bird and Isiah.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

Someone find me just *one* advantage that the '04 Pacers that narrowly missed the Finals under Carlisle had over the '03 Pacers that lost in the first round under Isiah Thomas.

 

...oh wait, you can't. Besides "better coaching", that is. People just assume it was personal, because it's Bird and Isiah.

 

I'm not arguing the fact that Carlisle is a better coach then Thomas.

 

What I'm saying is Thomas is great at relating to players, and is part of the reason why Jermaine O'Neal is a success(Jermaine has admit this also). So maybe he will be able to work with the team. Which is unlikely, but the main reason why the Knicks lost was because they didn't listen to Larry Brown. Isiah is better at relating to players then Brown, and the team would listen to him more then they would Isiah.

[MrRant 0]

Too bad the players didn't want to listen to a guy who has been to the finals how many times? Not to mention winning a championship.

[alfdogg 0]

What I'm saying is Thomas is great at relating to players, and is part of the reason why Jermaine O'Neal is a success(Jermaine has admit this also). So maybe he will be able to work with the team. Which is unlikely, but the main reason why the Knicks lost was because they didn't listen to Larry Brown. Isiah is better at relating to players then Brown, and the team would listen to him more then they would Isiah.

I understand what you're saying, and I agree somewhat. I'd also argue, though, that he's far from the only coach that could have seen the potential in Jermaine O'Neal, and that I don't see the Knicks as having anyone who's as talented *and* as receptive to coaching as Jermaine O'Neal. If Eddy Curry is averaging 22, 10, and 2 blocks in two years, then we're saying something.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

Too bad the players didn't want to listen to a guy who has been to the finals how many times? Not to mention winning a championship.

 

Of course, Larry Brown is a HOF coach. But I don't think he can relate to the new generation of players anymore unless they respect him right away. He had a team full of players who were already one of the best teams in the East(And then getting Rasheed at trade deadline), but how can we forget the A.I./Brown saga.

 

I respect Brown, but he is just too old for it now. He should just retire, I think it's best for him, mainly because of his health.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Too bad the players didn't want to listen to a guy who has been to the finals how many times? Not to mention winning a championship.

 

Of course, Larry Brown is a HOF coach. But I don't think he can relate to the new generation of players anymore unless they respect him right away. He had a team full of players who were already one of the best teams in the East(And then getting Rasheed at trade deadline), but how can we forget the A.I./Brown saga.

 

I respect Brown, but he is just too old for it now. He should just retire, I think it's best for him, mainly because of his health.

 

They didn't listen because they're a team composed of spoiled, overpaid, self-centered fucks who haven't won a damn thing and think everyone else is the problem except them. Larry Brown was a failure in New York because he tried to shoehorn the team into playing his way. It's a personnel problem that Isiah created and now Isiah gets to sort it out.

 

As for my prediction, Isiah improves the team this year (~30 wins) and shows signs of life, but the team regresses heavily in year two and he's out on his ass.

[Darthtiki 0]

Somewhere Magic Johnson is thinking that his tenure of being the Lakers coach will look like less of a failure next year.

[Guest Princess Leena]

Sigh.

 

My beloved Knicks just keep getting worse since '98.

 

Let's fire Isiah, and bring back the glory days of a bunch of ugly players and burly cheaters.

[cabbageboy 0]

The Knicks made the Finals in 1999, albeit in a strike year. Doesn't THAT seem like a long time ago? Hell, the Trailblazers were in the western finals that year as well.

 

The Knicks used to be kind of a guilty pleasure. They at least knew how to play the heel role to perfection.

[Brett Favre 0]

Damn, how were they heels in 1999?

[Black Lushus 0]

The Knicks used to be kind of a guilty pleasure. They at least knew how to play the heel role to perfection.

 

god I miss those days...the dirty playing, evil heel Knicks vs. the babyface Bulls or the tweener Pacers...great memories there.

[Guest NYankees]

The Knicks were definately the underdog/fan favorite in 1999. Nobody expected them to beat the Heat that year in the first round or to beat the Pacers in the ECF.

[CanadianChris 0]

Apparently, the Knicks are citing a specific reason why they don't have to pay Brown the full $40 mil:

 

NEW YORK -- The Knicks contend Larry Brown broke Madison Square Garden policy with his roadside interviews, a decision the team believes could wind up saving them millions.

 

The Knicks fired Brown on Thursday after one season as their coach and replaced him with team president and general manager Isiah Thomas. Brown has four years and a reported $40 million left on his contract, but the Knicks say the Hall of Fame coach is not entitled to all of it because of his disregard for team policy.

 

Since James Dolan became owner of the Knicks and Rangers, Madison Square Garden policy specifies that any interviews must be done with a public relations official present -- with no exceptions, according to a person familiar with the policy, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because this matter has not been resolved.

 

After reports surfaced in May that Dolan was considering buying out Brown's contract, the Knicks made neither Brown nor Thomas available after they worked out potential draft prospects.

 

Reporters soon began waiting near the entrance to the Knicks' training facility in Greenburgh, N.Y. On a few occasions, Brown pulled his car over to speak, saying during one interview he felt like a "dead man walking."

That seems awfully petty to me. Can't say I'm too surprised at this approach, though, considering who we're talking about.

[starvenger 0]

Damn, how were they heels in 1999?

They had Patrick Ewing. Of course, that's just me, since I hated Patrick Ewing as a player.

[Slayer 0]

Don't forget Spree, who was probably the most hated player in the NBA at the time due his chokaroo of PJ and general dickishness after the fact.

[randomguy 0]

Isiah is horrible. Having the GM and the coach be the same guy is usually a very bad idea. On the surface it seems to make sense but it usually just doesn't work out because the GM needs to have a cold, hard, objective look at the roster without being too involved.

 

Isiah has already shown himself entirely incapable of doing that, which will only get worse as a coach. He sees "athleticism" and "potential" in mediocre players, will constantly give them the benefit of the doubt, etc.

 

He would be a better coach than GM but he's lousy at both, and is going to be even worse at doing both.

 

Edit: Great players can have a hard time coaching, because they see a guy with talent and assume the guy will turn out the way they did. That's what happened with Jordan and Kwame Brown. (Even though Jordan technically wasn't the coach) He just couldn't understand how Kwame wasn't better than he was, because Jordan in that body would have been a lot better.

 

They just assume the mental toughness, discipline, will, etc will materialize. That's why Isiah loves Marbury so much. Marbury theoretically could be another Isiah.

[Brett Favre 0]

Isiah would be a pretty good scout. He can find talent, but he has trouble doing everything else.

[Jericholic82 0]

 

The Knicks used to be kind of a guilty pleasure. They at least knew how to play the heel role to perfection.

 

god I miss those days...the dirty playing, evil heel Knicks vs. the babyface Bulls or the tweener Pacers...great memories there.

lol great analogy

 

Actually the bulls were heels to me being from NY, though I have never been a big basketball fan (the games are broing to me save for the last 5 mins), I guess I got sick of the bulls winning 3 straight titles. though for some reason the bulls were the cool team to like at school despite it being in NY(front-running I suppose) so I would wear the cool looking bulls shirt my uncle got me

 

Lakers were my top heels from 2000-2004 considering I was in cali and got annoyed by all the bandwagon jumping fans I knew, who had seemed to have liked the bulls in 96-98. Then the Spurs did the biggest face turn by beating them in 2003,then immediately returned heel by beating the Nets in the finals. then in 04 the pistons did a face turn after beating the nets, by beating the lakers in the finals.

 

that being said this still is a dumb move, why even bother bringing Brown in?

 

Then again I paid little attention to the nba thsi year so i probably shouldnt talk about this

[alfdogg 0]

So, Laker fans are bandwagoners, but the Nets and Knicks are both faces to you.

[Guest Felonies!]

Then the Spurs did the biggest face turn by beating them in 2003,then immediately returned heel by beating the Nets in the finals. then in 04 the pistons did a face turn after beating the nets, by beating the lakers in the finals.

Okay, there's using wrestling jargon now and then, and then there's this.

[cabbageboy 0]

The Spurs are kinda like the bland Bob Backlund 1978-83 babyface, a team that is on top when there's just no better option.

 

As far as the Knicks I meant they were the heel mainly in the early to mid 90s under Riley. The various Riley coached Miami vs. Van Gundy Knicks matchups were basically heel vs. heel matchups.

 

I was actually shocked when I looked back at that 1994 Knicks season that they were the 2 seed in the east. I could have sworn they were the 1 seed and that the 2nd round Bulls series was a 1/4 (it was a 2/3). The Pacers were the 4 seed. The 1 seed was actually the Atlanta Hawks. The friggin HAWKS had a 1 seed! Do you see now why the Jordan retirement years are considered a joke?

[Guest Felonies!]

I like the Onion's infographic for "Forgotten NBA Finals Moments." Amidst all the obvious jokes, there's

 

1994, 1995: Houston Rockets win

[Guest NYankees]

I like the Onion's infographic for "Forgotten NBA Finals Moments." Amidst all the obvious jokes, there's

 

1994, 1995: Houston Rockets win

 

 

How can you forget Hakeem vrs Shaq in the 95 finals. How can you forget Nick Anderson missing huge free throws in game one at the end. How can you forget Shaq and Hakeem in a Taco Bell commercial where they are riding a 2 person bike. Forgotten moments my ass.

 

As far as 1994 how can anyone forget OJ's Bronco chase that ate up most of game 5. To think an NBA final's game was barely shown because NBC would much rather show OJ in the back of a Bronco riding around the streets of LA.

[Guest]

I'd rather watch a police chase involving OJ than a basketball game not involving the Lakers, I won't even lie.

[Slayer 0]

I hated the early 00's Lakers, or rather, playoff broadcasts featuring the Lakers, because of the celeb cam-whoring in which the networks would engage. Of course, most of the celebs (save for Jack and maybe a few others) care fuck all about the Lakers, they just see it as a sports equivalent of your typical Hollywood gala.

 

"Time out called by the Lakers.

 

*cut to crowd*

 

Looking through the crowd, there's Jack Nicholson, of course, and there's Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and there's Leo DeCaprio...

 

*cut back to game*

 

(10 seconds of play)...and a foul called on Kobe.

 

*cut to crowd*

 

Let's look at that crowd again. There's Enrique Iglasias, and there's Gwyneth Paltrow, and there's Lance Bass.

 

*cut back to game*

 

(10 seconds of play)...let's just cut away from the game for no reason just to show you more celebrities!

 

*cut to crowd*

 

There's (flavor of the month reality TV "star"), and there's... oh wait, that's not a celebrity, get that camera off him. And there's Pope John Paul II. Of course JP a noted Trailblazers fan, here to support his team tonight as they play LA."

[Precious Roy 0]

Did I mention that the Knicks are going to the playoffs next season?

[Guest]

Are the lottery teams playing in a playoff to determine who gets the #1? The Knicks wouldn't get out of the first round.

[naiwf 0]

Did I mention that the Knicks are going to the playoffs next season?

 

I don't know if the Knicks could make the playoffs even if they got demoted to the WNBA.

[randomguy 0]

Well, the eastern conference doesn't have a lot of depth. A team with a 45% winning percentage has a good shot.