AR Husker Fan
Team HuskerBoard
This seems a tad premature to me - considering the talent level Brown inherited, and the trades Thomas made, NO ONE could coach that team...
[SIZE=14pt]Knicks fire Brown, name Thomas as coach[/SIZE]
By Larry Fine
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Knicks fired head coach Larry Brown and named general manager Isiah Thomas to replace him, the National Basketball Association said on Thursday.
"Sometimes decisions work and sometimes they don't," team chairman James Dolan said in a statement announcing the widely anticipated move.
"After careful consideration, despite the best intentions from everyone involved, this current structure did not work for us last season and I did not think it was going to improve next season."
Brown was not available for comment.
Brown was hired last July to a massive five-year, $50 million deal to turn around the Knicks, hailed as a savior for the floundering franchise as a Hall of Fame coach and native New Yorker.
The roster assembled by Knicks president and general manager Thomas, however, did not suit Brown's emphasis on defense and team play and the 65-year-old coach spent the season juggling the lineup and grousing about the deficiencies of the team.
Brown used an NBA record 42 different starting lineups while publicly criticizing his players, most notably guard Stephon Marbury, and the team struggled to a 23-59 record, second worst in the NBA last season.
Knicks brass made it known they did not appreciate Brown's candid appraisal of players' shortcomings, and by extension his criticism of the roster assembled by Thomas, also a Hall of Fame member.
The much-traveled Brown was coaching his eighth team in 23 NBA seasons, having most recently led the Detroit Pistons to an NBA title and another trip the NBA Finals before negotiating a settlement with Detroit and joining the Knicks.
Thomas previously served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers for three seasons from 2000 to 2003, compiling a 131-115 record.
"No one in our organization is happy with last season and we all accept responsibility for our performance," Thomas said.
"This has been a difficult time for the entire organization and our fans. Today begins the 2006-07 season for the Knicks.
"Larry Brown is a great coach, but for various reasons, bringing him to the Knicks did not turn out the way we had hoped and we wish him the best in the future."
It was not clear how the financial side of the divorce would be handled with Brown, who still had four years and $40 million left on his contract.
Brown negotiated a $7 million buyout with the Detroit Pistons last summer before signing with the Knicks.
LINK
[SIZE=14pt]Knicks fire Brown, name Thomas as coach[/SIZE]
By Larry Fine
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Knicks fired head coach Larry Brown and named general manager Isiah Thomas to replace him, the National Basketball Association said on Thursday.
"Sometimes decisions work and sometimes they don't," team chairman James Dolan said in a statement announcing the widely anticipated move.
"After careful consideration, despite the best intentions from everyone involved, this current structure did not work for us last season and I did not think it was going to improve next season."
Brown was not available for comment.
Brown was hired last July to a massive five-year, $50 million deal to turn around the Knicks, hailed as a savior for the floundering franchise as a Hall of Fame coach and native New Yorker.
The roster assembled by Knicks president and general manager Thomas, however, did not suit Brown's emphasis on defense and team play and the 65-year-old coach spent the season juggling the lineup and grousing about the deficiencies of the team.
Brown used an NBA record 42 different starting lineups while publicly criticizing his players, most notably guard Stephon Marbury, and the team struggled to a 23-59 record, second worst in the NBA last season.
Knicks brass made it known they did not appreciate Brown's candid appraisal of players' shortcomings, and by extension his criticism of the roster assembled by Thomas, also a Hall of Fame member.
The much-traveled Brown was coaching his eighth team in 23 NBA seasons, having most recently led the Detroit Pistons to an NBA title and another trip the NBA Finals before negotiating a settlement with Detroit and joining the Knicks.
Thomas previously served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers for three seasons from 2000 to 2003, compiling a 131-115 record.
"No one in our organization is happy with last season and we all accept responsibility for our performance," Thomas said.
"This has been a difficult time for the entire organization and our fans. Today begins the 2006-07 season for the Knicks.
"Larry Brown is a great coach, but for various reasons, bringing him to the Knicks did not turn out the way we had hoped and we wish him the best in the future."
It was not clear how the financial side of the divorce would be handled with Brown, who still had four years and $40 million left on his contract.
Brown negotiated a $7 million buyout with the Detroit Pistons last summer before signing with the Knicks.
LINK
