Saunders to the Pistons, Larry to the Knicks
What it means to these two teams
Well, the news of Larry Brown's departure from Detroit and expected arrival in New York has finally come to pass. As expected, Flip Saunders, the embattled former Minnesota Timberwolves coach has now taken the help of a team that has reached the NBA Finals the last two seasons; winning it all in 2004.
First off, I already understand that Saunders in no Larry Brown; and that may be good news for the Piston's organization and their players. The focus should be on the team and not on if the coach is flirting with other teams for head coaching jobs and/or front office positions. The center of attention should remain on the court, where this Pistons squad is proven winners. The core of this team is still very young and the window remains wide open for more championships.
If Brown were to remain in Detroit, General Manager Joe Dumars would more of less be admitting that this team can't win without him. And in return, this team would spend the next season, and any thereafter with the gypsy coach at the helm, with the prospect of Brown always curious whenever one of the many NBA jobs open up for discussion.
Brown went as far to say about the Knicks opportunity that it was his "dream job". Well, by looking at the Knicks roster of returnees, this dream could turn into a bad one relatively quick. With Stephon Marbury running the show, the "I" remains permanently ensconced in this team. Good luck Larry, getting Marbury to buy into the "team consept" and playing defense. It has yet to be done by any coach ever to encounter a guy who still believes the ballgame revolves around him. And before anyone compares Marbury to Brown's guidance of a young Allen Iverson, he's not even in A.I.'s league; never will be.
Isaiah Thomas continues to mismanage the team and it's finances, bringing in role players and expecting them to flourish in a town that will tell you exactly what they think of you if you're not performing to those inflated expectations. Jerome James and Quentin Richardson are not the answers to Isaiah's frontcourt prayers. Channing Frye is a nice draft pick, but he won't get the ball unless he rebounds it, as long as Marbury and Jamal Crawford are launching jump shots.
So right away, Flip Saunders inherits by far the superior team, with the better core of players. The job for Dumars is to keep the team intact. Despite his lack of success in the playoffs, Saunders has a reputation as being cool under fire after having T'Wolves GM Kevin McHale breathing down his neck the last few seasons. He is also a players coach, which will help in this situation, where he has a squad that gets along on and off the court and knows how to take care of business. He will also use young bench players like Darko Milivick and Jason Maxiell. Dumars because increasingly upset with Brown for stunting the development of the younger guys. Dumars does have an ego, and drafting Milivick over Carmelo Anthony has made him look silly.
Detroit's players showed during the playoffs that they can ignore distractions and win tough series'; they are still the favorite to come out of the East despite Miami, Cleveland, and New Jersey adding pieces to their puzzles. This team will win 55 games in the regular season and be hungry to return to the finals.
With the Knicks roster issues, this year will be a wash, and they'll look to unload some big money contracts so they can mold the team into their new coach's image (defense and working for good shots). No doubt New York is a 2006-2007 playoff team, but a NBA Lotto participant this coming season. Unfortunately for Isaiah Thomas, Coach Brown gets antsy after a season or two, so this could turn into another rebuilding project for the man who succeeds Brown. Isaiah may not be around either to make that hiring.
By John Onan (Ego74)
John Onan is sports writer/moderator at the online players union http://www.theopu.com and football contributor at http://www.realfootball365.com he can be reached at nay7201@mail.com
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