Updated: July 27, 2005, 3:06 AM ET
Brown's dream job gives him Knicks' nightmare roster
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http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/archive?columnist=ford_chad&root=nba
By Chad Ford
It's always nice when wishes come true. Right?
Larry Brown wanted Rick Carlisle's job and an NBA title and got both in Detroit.
Earlier this year, Brown wanted a golden parachute from Detroit and got a sweet one with the Cavs.
This month, Brown wanted the Pistons to pay him $6 million dollars to go away. Got that too.
Brown has said coaching the New York Knicks is his "dream job." Now Knicks president Isiah Thomas is about to make Brown's dream come true.
Larry should be the poster boy for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
But, Larry, be careful what you wish for.
The Knicks gig might be Larry's "dream job" in theory, but dig a little deeper and it could be his nightmare.
Brown "loves" New York. Thinks Isiah Thomas is "neat." Believes that Madison Square Garden is a "special" place.
The 15-man, $120-million dollar roster that Isiah has built? Not so much.
Brown might be the best coach in the NBA, but even he knows he doesn't have much of a chance to compete with the Pistons, Pacers, Heat and Nets next season.
Even if the Knicks could compete, his "trade"-mark, so to speak, beyond his coaching ability and his wandering eyes, is his constant desire to fiddle with his roster. Simply put, Brown likes to make trades.
Lots of them.
No one is safe in New York.
He'll love you one day and have to get rid of you the next.
Just this week Brown did a 180 on Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury. In Athens, he reportedly tried to get Marbury kicked off the team after Stephon questioned Brown's offense. Last week he said Marbury "knows how I feel about him" and added that he had a "good" relationship with Marbury. Rhetoric or not, how long before Brown tries to get Steph shipped out of town?
Fact is, no one believes for a minute that the Knicks team as it stands today will be the Knicks team that finishes the season under Brown.
Neither Marbury nor backcourt mate Jamal Crawford plays the way Brown likes his guards to play. His frontline isn't long and athletic enough. Many of the players on the Knicks roster aren't committed to the defense Brown wants them to play.
Isiah can talk all he wants about retaining control of the team. But given the mandate (and paycheck) that Coach Brown has gotten, President Thomas won't have control of it for long.
"There's going to be changes," a longtime associate of Brown told Insider. "Larry's going to want a lot of say on the team. He'll tell Isiah something different. But within a week he'll be in his office looking to make deals. He's going to want guys that he's comfortable with. He's going to need his lead guy [Marbury] to buy in. If he doesn't, he's gone. I don't care who it is. If Isiah holds his ground, he'll just go to the press. Larry's the master of this. Isiah may think he's up to the challenge. I don't see it."
Who's likely to get kicked to the curb once LB takes over?
Stephon Marbury, PG: Marbury has been Isiah's signature acquisition (for better and worse) during his two-year tenure with the Knicks. Earlier in the month, Isiah said that the Knicks would never try to trade Marbury. Then again, Brown said he would never coach the Knicks.
Insider couldn't find one Brown associate who thought the coach and his point guard could coexist unless Marbury agrees to move to the two and Isiah lets Brown bring in a more traditional point guard to run the team. Brown might be able to handle Marbury's offense-first game, much as he did Allen Iverson's, if he had a reliable option to run the team.
Who fits the bill? Eric Snow is at the top of Brown's list. Brown loved Snow in Philadelphia and tried to get Joe Dumars to trade for him in Detroit. Snow is conservative with the ball, plays great defense, and, most importantly, completely buys into Brown's system. The Cavs would be happy to give him and the four years, $25 million left on his contract away. A trade of Snow, Drew Gooden and Aleksandar Pavlovic for Tim Thomas would work under the cap.
Brown also likes Earl Watson and could have Thomas try to work out a sign-and-trade with Memphis Grizzlies president Jerry West. Brown's also a Speedy Claxton fan, and he might be available from New Orleans. And don't forget about Knicks rookie Nate Robinson. Brown loves him and is going to want to find a big role for him coming off the bench.
It's quite possible Marbury won't be traded, in large part because the Knicks will have a hard time finding a taker. His salary is so out of whack with his declining rep that the Knicks would have to take a huge hit to get rid of him and the four years, $75 million left on his contract. It's difficult to come up with any team that would trade for Marbury at that price. The Celtics and the Raptors are the only two teams in need of a point guard that might try it, but both are major long shots.
Jamal Crawford, PG/SG: Crawford rained down a heart-stopping 7.3 3-point shots a game last season and connected on only 2.6 of them (36 percent). To put that into perspective, Detroit's starting backcourt of Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton didn't take that many 3s per game combined (and made 40 percent).
Larry hates 3-point shots and hates them even more when you miss them. That's bad news for Crawford because he doesn't do much else. On offense, he rarely gets to the line (averaging fewer than one free throw per quarter) and has a pedestrian 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He gathers fewer than three rebounds per game, which is weak for a 6-5 guard. And he's a lazy defender to boot.
He does have great size at the point, when he's allowed to play there, but doesn't have the instincts, temperament, unselfishness or self-control that Brown demands out of his point guards.
The problem for Brown and Isiah is finding a trade partner to match the 6 years, $50 million left on Crawford's contract. The Lakers are looking for a point guard and Crawford is familiar with the triangle, but the Lakers are trying to keep bad deals off the books so that they can have cap space in 2007.
The Blazers might be another possibility. The team is trying to get help in the backcourt, and is willing to swap Darius Miles for some help. Brown loves long, athletic forwards like Miles, so that could be a fit. The salaries match up well, though the Knicks would have to wait until the end of August to make a trade because of base-year issues with Miles.
Quentin Richardson, SG/SF: Richardson has many of the same issues Crawford does. He took a whopping eight 3-pointers a game last season with Phoenix, and, like Crawford, made only 36 percent. Combined, he and Crawford averaged more threes than Brown's entire Pistons team last season -- by a lot. He likewise does a poor job of getting to the line.
Two things might keep him in a Knicks uniform. One, Richardson is one of the best rebounding guards in the game. Two, he is excellent at posting up other guards, a skill that was under-utilized in the Suns' go-go style.
Tim Thomas, SF: Thomas knows already what it feels like to play in Brown's doghouse. He also knows what it feels like to be traded by Brown.
The two didn't have a great relationship in Philadelphia and it's tough to see Thomas fitting into Brown's world. The good news for Knicks fans is that Thomas is in the last year of his contract and therefore very tradable.
Look for the Knicks to use both Thomas and Penny Hardaway's expiring contract to pick up players Brown covets.
Besides, both Isiah and Brown are high on super soph Trevor Ariza and want to give him a chance to blossom in New York.
Maurice Taylor, Malik Rose, Jerome Williams, Michael Sweetney and David Lee, PF: The Knicks have five, yes five, undersized power forwards. Rose, Williams and Lee are the type of gritty, blue-collar fours Brown likes. Sweetney looks like he has enough potential to keep around. Taylor is probably the odd man out there if the Knicks can find a taker. His combination of lots of shooting, no rebounding and no defense probably won't sit well with Brown.
Channing Frye, PF/C: He's long and pretty athletic, which Brown should like. But Frye isn't the toughest guy in the world, isn't a great rebounder and prefers finesse to brute strength in the paint. He'll be a project under Brown and probably won't see the light of day for the next year or so.
Jerome James, C: This is where Brown will earn his paycheck. If he can get any sort of effort out of James, this won't be a bad signing for the Knicks. But as Sonics fans can attest, Nate McMillan tried everything in the book and gave up.
Look for James to be the first guy that Brown proclaims love for and puts in the doghouse in the next breath.
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Brown's dream job gives him Knicks' nightmare roster
http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/index
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/archive?columnist=ford_chad&root=nba
By Chad Ford
It's always nice when wishes come true. Right?
Larry Brown wanted Rick Carlisle's job and an NBA title and got both in Detroit.
Earlier this year, Brown wanted a golden parachute from Detroit and got a sweet one with the Cavs.
This month, Brown wanted the Pistons to pay him $6 million dollars to go away. Got that too.
Brown has said coaching the New York Knicks is his "dream job." Now Knicks president Isiah Thomas is about to make Brown's dream come true.
Larry should be the poster boy for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
But, Larry, be careful what you wish for.
The Knicks gig might be Larry's "dream job" in theory, but dig a little deeper and it could be his nightmare.
Brown "loves" New York. Thinks Isiah Thomas is "neat." Believes that Madison Square Garden is a "special" place.
The 15-man, $120-million dollar roster that Isiah has built? Not so much.
Brown might be the best coach in the NBA, but even he knows he doesn't have much of a chance to compete with the Pistons, Pacers, Heat and Nets next season.
Even if the Knicks could compete, his "trade"-mark, so to speak, beyond his coaching ability and his wandering eyes, is his constant desire to fiddle with his roster. Simply put, Brown likes to make trades.
Lots of them.
No one is safe in New York.
He'll love you one day and have to get rid of you the next.
Just this week Brown did a 180 on Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury. In Athens, he reportedly tried to get Marbury kicked off the team after Stephon questioned Brown's offense. Last week he said Marbury "knows how I feel about him" and added that he had a "good" relationship with Marbury. Rhetoric or not, how long before Brown tries to get Steph shipped out of town?
Fact is, no one believes for a minute that the Knicks team as it stands today will be the Knicks team that finishes the season under Brown.
Neither Marbury nor backcourt mate Jamal Crawford plays the way Brown likes his guards to play. His frontline isn't long and athletic enough. Many of the players on the Knicks roster aren't committed to the defense Brown wants them to play.
Isiah can talk all he wants about retaining control of the team. But given the mandate (and paycheck) that Coach Brown has gotten, President Thomas won't have control of it for long.
"There's going to be changes," a longtime associate of Brown told Insider. "Larry's going to want a lot of say on the team. He'll tell Isiah something different. But within a week he'll be in his office looking to make deals. He's going to want guys that he's comfortable with. He's going to need his lead guy [Marbury] to buy in. If he doesn't, he's gone. I don't care who it is. If Isiah holds his ground, he'll just go to the press. Larry's the master of this. Isiah may think he's up to the challenge. I don't see it."
Who's likely to get kicked to the curb once LB takes over?
Stephon Marbury, PG: Marbury has been Isiah's signature acquisition (for better and worse) during his two-year tenure with the Knicks. Earlier in the month, Isiah said that the Knicks would never try to trade Marbury. Then again, Brown said he would never coach the Knicks.
Insider couldn't find one Brown associate who thought the coach and his point guard could coexist unless Marbury agrees to move to the two and Isiah lets Brown bring in a more traditional point guard to run the team. Brown might be able to handle Marbury's offense-first game, much as he did Allen Iverson's, if he had a reliable option to run the team.
Who fits the bill? Eric Snow is at the top of Brown's list. Brown loved Snow in Philadelphia and tried to get Joe Dumars to trade for him in Detroit. Snow is conservative with the ball, plays great defense, and, most importantly, completely buys into Brown's system. The Cavs would be happy to give him and the four years, $25 million left on his contract away. A trade of Snow, Drew Gooden and Aleksandar Pavlovic for Tim Thomas would work under the cap.
Brown also likes Earl Watson and could have Thomas try to work out a sign-and-trade with Memphis Grizzlies president Jerry West. Brown's also a Speedy Claxton fan, and he might be available from New Orleans. And don't forget about Knicks rookie Nate Robinson. Brown loves him and is going to want to find a big role for him coming off the bench.
It's quite possible Marbury won't be traded, in large part because the Knicks will have a hard time finding a taker. His salary is so out of whack with his declining rep that the Knicks would have to take a huge hit to get rid of him and the four years, $75 million left on his contract. It's difficult to come up with any team that would trade for Marbury at that price. The Celtics and the Raptors are the only two teams in need of a point guard that might try it, but both are major long shots.
Jamal Crawford, PG/SG: Crawford rained down a heart-stopping 7.3 3-point shots a game last season and connected on only 2.6 of them (36 percent). To put that into perspective, Detroit's starting backcourt of Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton didn't take that many 3s per game combined (and made 40 percent).
Larry hates 3-point shots and hates them even more when you miss them. That's bad news for Crawford because he doesn't do much else. On offense, he rarely gets to the line (averaging fewer than one free throw per quarter) and has a pedestrian 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He gathers fewer than three rebounds per game, which is weak for a 6-5 guard. And he's a lazy defender to boot.
He does have great size at the point, when he's allowed to play there, but doesn't have the instincts, temperament, unselfishness or self-control that Brown demands out of his point guards.
The problem for Brown and Isiah is finding a trade partner to match the 6 years, $50 million left on Crawford's contract. The Lakers are looking for a point guard and Crawford is familiar with the triangle, but the Lakers are trying to keep bad deals off the books so that they can have cap space in 2007.
The Blazers might be another possibility. The team is trying to get help in the backcourt, and is willing to swap Darius Miles for some help. Brown loves long, athletic forwards like Miles, so that could be a fit. The salaries match up well, though the Knicks would have to wait until the end of August to make a trade because of base-year issues with Miles.
Quentin Richardson, SG/SF: Richardson has many of the same issues Crawford does. He took a whopping eight 3-pointers a game last season with Phoenix, and, like Crawford, made only 36 percent. Combined, he and Crawford averaged more threes than Brown's entire Pistons team last season -- by a lot. He likewise does a poor job of getting to the line.
Two things might keep him in a Knicks uniform. One, Richardson is one of the best rebounding guards in the game. Two, he is excellent at posting up other guards, a skill that was under-utilized in the Suns' go-go style.
Tim Thomas, SF: Thomas knows already what it feels like to play in Brown's doghouse. He also knows what it feels like to be traded by Brown.
The two didn't have a great relationship in Philadelphia and it's tough to see Thomas fitting into Brown's world. The good news for Knicks fans is that Thomas is in the last year of his contract and therefore very tradable.
Look for the Knicks to use both Thomas and Penny Hardaway's expiring contract to pick up players Brown covets.
Besides, both Isiah and Brown are high on super soph Trevor Ariza and want to give him a chance to blossom in New York.
Maurice Taylor, Malik Rose, Jerome Williams, Michael Sweetney and David Lee, PF: The Knicks have five, yes five, undersized power forwards. Rose, Williams and Lee are the type of gritty, blue-collar fours Brown likes. Sweetney looks like he has enough potential to keep around. Taylor is probably the odd man out there if the Knicks can find a taker. His combination of lots of shooting, no rebounding and no defense probably won't sit well with Brown.
Channing Frye, PF/C: He's long and pretty athletic, which Brown should like. But Frye isn't the toughest guy in the world, isn't a great rebounder and prefers finesse to brute strength in the paint. He'll be a project under Brown and probably won't see the light of day for the next year or so.
Jerome James, C: This is where Brown will earn his paycheck. If he can get any sort of effort out of James, this won't be a bad signing for the Knicks. But as Sonics fans can attest, Nate McMillan tried everything in the book and gave up.
Look for James to be the first guy that Brown proclaims love for and puts in the doghouse in the next breath.
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