The 2005-2006 NBA season was an absolute disaster for Larry Brown.  He reached the lowest of lows in his NBA coaching career while “leading” the New York Knicks to conference worst 23-59 record.  This was just one year removed from coaching the Pistons to game 7 of the NBA Finals, and one quarter away from two NBA titles in a row. Quite the contrast, wouldn’t you say?

The Knicks job represented what was suppose to Brown’s “dream job.”  However, it quickly became a nightmare due to the idiocy of Isiah Thomas and James Dolan.  Not that Brown didn’t play a part in the descent of the Knicks.  Brown is known for having a love/hate relationship with his PGs, and that didn’t mix well with the malcontent that is Stephon Marbury.  However, it is the coaches duty to adapt to the personnel that he is given, and Brown was not able to do that.  Following the historically bad season in New York for Brown and the Knicks, the two parted ways.  Brown left the team saying all the right things:

“I’m disappointed, I love this franchise, but I didn’t do what I was paid to do,” Brown told The New York Post. “I didn’t do the job. I wish them well and I move on.

“I had a great opportunity, I love this franchise, they feel I didn’t do what I came to do,” Brown said. “I mean, I won 23 games.”

Looks like a man that took full responsibility, right?  Well, that is easy to do when you know that you are going to receive a ridiculously large buy-out.  He would eventually receive $18.5 million from the Knicks.  Not to shabby for being second-worst in the league.

Many wondered how long it would be until Brown coached his 12th team (professional and college).   Obviously, he wouldn’t want to have the lasting image of his illustrious career being the soap opera that was the New York Knicks.  However, teams are looking for stability, and Brown has never been one to stick around for too long.  Brown would be out of coaching the next two years.

Aside from the debacle in New York, Brown’s health was still in question, which was one of the reasons the Detroit Pistons had let him go following the 2005 season.  He had  hip replacement surgery, and surgery to repair his bladder.  This had caused him to miss 17 games in his final year in Detroit.  Pistons owner Bill Davidson wanted assurance, as most owners and GMs would want.

Then, a former Tar Heel like Brown, came calling.  Michael Jordan, in between golf rounds, made a pitch to Larry Brown to coach the Charlotte Bobcats.  This was a perfect situation for Brown.  He had young talent that was looking for someone to lead them out of the doldrums of the NBA.  There has always been potential in Charlotte, but they have never had the right coach in place.  Brown replaced Sam Vincent, whom Jordan had hired even though he had zero head coaching experience.  So it made sense for MJ to go to the opposite end of the spectrum and get the one coach with plenty of time teaching the game of basketball to grown men.

Obviously there were bound to be bumps in the road.  The Bobcats started the season 7-18, and it looked like Brown had lost his magic touch.  As it is common with Brown, he likes to trade players to get guys that fit his system, something that the Knicks refused to do for him. Again, Jordan took a break from the greens and gave the okay to trade away high scorer Jason Richardson for role players Boris Diaw and Raja Bell.  The moves have paid immediate dividends, with the Bobcats have gone 12-8 since the trade.  They haven’t just racked up wins against lesser competition, they have managed to knock off the Pistons, Blazers, Celtics, and last night they beat the Lakers.

The Bobcats now stand at 19-26.  Not exactly a glamorous record, but only 3 games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.  How have the Bobcats managed to get to that spot?  By doing it Larry Brown’s way.  Or as he would call it, “the right way.”  What does that mean?  Defense.  The Bobcats are 5th in the league in scoring defense, that is a staple of Larry Brown teams.  Last year the Bobcats finished 20th.

Other parts of their game still need work, they are somewhat offensively challenged, but when you have a suffocating defense, that allows you to work out of your offensive lulls.  When you look back at Brown’s most successful team, the 2003-04 Pistons, they were not an offensive juggernaut, but managed to win games that other teams would not because they shut the other team down.  He is putting that same stamp on Charlotte now.

Obviously there is a ton of season left, and if the Bobcats manage to lose 2 or 3 in a row at any point, Brown might want to get rid of his entire team.  Or they might just continue to improve and become a team that nobody wants to play in the first round of the playoffs.

Either way, Brown has already done a great job in Charlotte and resurrected his career doing what he does best at making teams better than when he got there.  He just needed to get out of the insanity of New York to do that.

Popularity: 1% [?]