Adrian Wojnarowski reported on the
Larry Brown situation earlier today, and it seems to me like there might be some weight to these rumors. The latest revolves around LB coming back to Philly as President of Basketball Operations, and he supposedly has his eye on Milt Newton, one of his former players, to come in as GM and Mike Woodson to take over as coach. Thoughts after the jump.
If you're wondering who
Milt Newton is,
here's an interview he did with Wizards Magazine a couple years ago.
According to the Wizards' site, Newton is VP of Player Personnel right now, serving under Ernie Grunfeld. He also played for Brown at Kansas in 1988. Since he wasn't the man in charge in Washington, it's hard to assign credit or blame for the team's decisions in his 7+ years with the organization, but when you look at the Wizards, can you point to a single draft pick that's worked out for them in that time? Signing Arenas the first time was probably a good move, trading for Jamison and Butler as well, but they haven't developed a single home-grown (drafted) player for a long, long time.
I also have mixed feelings about Mike Woodson as a coach. I thought his job was in doubt about three seasons ago, but what he's done with the Hawks since then has been impressive. The Hawks have improved every year of his six years at the helm in Atlanta, you can't discount that. Having taken a team from the dregs of the league to a #3 seed without a "superstar" should probably be a pretty marketable skill. There's still a big question as to whether Atlanta will let him get away. I also don't think I'd call him a defense-first coach. His Hawks teams have never finished in the top-ten in defensive efficiency, and this year they really excelled thanks to their offense (#2 in the league, defensively they were #12). On the other hand, he's probably going to take the Hawks to the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive year in a couple of days.
It's tough for me to get my mind around this situation. On the one hand, I think putting Larry Brown in an executive position between the basketball decision makers and the owners is a very good thing, assuming the owners give him the spending power. Having someone else making the personnel decision is also a very good thing, assuming Brown gives his GM full power over the roster. Any coach would be an improvement over Eddie Jordan, and I do like how Mike Woodson guided his team from the depths.
If this is exactly how things work out, my main concern would be Newton. He's obviously one of Larry's guys and I'm not sold in the least on Larry's roster building ability. If LB comes in here with the long term as his primary concern, that would be great. But if he comes in looking for a quick fix, and Newton is simply doing his bidding, I think it will not end well. Also, if Larry Brown is the main guy in your organization you always have to worry about a couple of things. (1) He's going to get the coaching bug again. That's inevitable. Are you willing to let him take over as coach in a year? (2) If you aren't willing to let him coach your team, then you have to accept the fact that he's probably going to leave after a year or tow.
All things considered, I could probably get behind this move. I think it's preferable to having Brown come in here as coach/gm and start trading youth for veterans (assuming that wouldn't be his game plan from the President's position). I think having Brown making the spending decisions instead of Snider/Luukko would be a brilliant move, and probably the biggest improvement this franchise could make right now. But something just doesn't smell right. This isn't my first choice, my first choice would probably be to bring Brown in as President, promote DiLeo to GM and bring in Van Gundy to coach (with Thibodeau as his defensive assistant, assuming Doc Rivers leaves Boston).
Also, keep in mind that the day Brown is hired, Stefanski is almost certainly put out to pasture, or at the very least his decision-making power is gone. That's my take, at least.
This truly is one of those rumors where I don't know if I want to believe it or not. What do you guys think?
(h/t
Liberty Ballers)
fyi, i don't know if you already know this, but jvg says he does not want to coach
Did he say it, or did the Hedgehog say it about him?
Woodson is an interesting name, but I doubt Atlanta will let him go. On the one hand, they have built a winning atmosphere around guys who I thought were difficult at points in their careers (Smith, Williams, Jamal Crawford). That's a plus, he won't lose a team like Jordan, and he seems willing to let his teams play exciting basketball, so maybe he'd let the Sixers run. I don't know if he's the greatest defensive mind though, but with Larry Brown looking over wouldn't you have to be? This probably should not be the first choice, but it would be a positive step.
BTW, I like this picture of a young LB if you haven't used it yet. The overalls are unreal.
http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2006/writers/andy_gray/11/20/3.pointers/p1_brown.jpg
I honestly can't even formulate my thoughts on this one yet. Way too much to wrap my head around. I was prepared for the possibility of LB coaching. Running the show? Like, woah.
if ur referring to stan as the "hedgehog" then yes. I haven't heard anything about jeff saying it himself
I'd be okay with most of it except for the Woodson part. I don't know if Woodson leaves ATL. Who knows, he might go for Snow or McKie instead.
There is another interesting part of that article: Atlanta's willing to sell their 1st rounder to clear enough cash to pay JJ. Now, would it be possible that Brown could convince his boy Snider to open the purse strings and buy that #24 pick? There's a shot at Orton or Bradley or some other player that fits the identity moving forward.
where did u hear that from?
It was in the article. Talked about the Hawks wanted to save money and be willing to sell the pick
Why not?
I'm all for it. What a change! The President LB show. Has the family been in Philly since his coaching days? Could be his last stop. Might pull Croce in too. Be nice to keep Dileo also.
While I have no interest in LB coaching this team again, anything to ship Stefanski out the door I'm behind. As for LB having a say in personnel, one thing I do like about him is he will surely shake the roster up and make changes. He has proven to not stay with the status quo and hover in mediocrity, instead making changes (whether good or bad is debateable). He will shift and manuever in an attempt to get better. And if this team and franchise needs anything right now, it is certainly change.
While it may not be exciting on the surface, it will at least disburden one's mind of Stefanski. And that has to be considered a good thing.
The article also states the following.
"Still, the possibility is strong that Brown will coach the 76ers, because Woodson wouldn’t leave an Eastern Conference contender unless the Hawks low-ball him in contract talks at season’s end. His deal is expiring with Atlanta, and several sources familiar with the Hawks’ plans predict an offer that Woodson could easily refuse. Nevertheless, Brown is angling for a position of power that will afford him multiple options with Philadelphia".
if stefanski stays, i seriously doubt he will be building towards the future. i think in his mind he thinks the fans want to see a team in the playoffs when we really want to see a team building towards the future. plus, he wants to keep his job and i guarantee another season of not making the playoffs would get him fired. i'm 100% with brian when he says we have to build slow and form a contender over a couple of years and if LB can do that and fire stefanski then bring him here asap.
You are ok with Larry Brown running the sixers organization huh? Not coaching but making the player personnel decisions with his some what 'mercurial' approach to player evaluation?
Have the Hawks won a road game under Woodson yet? Cause they're losing again in Milwaukee.
Want nothing of the rat in charge of the sixers...bad enough with having him coach but letting him choose the franchise and decide who to sign to long term contracts....that screws the team for a decade easy.
Nice too see Brown make adjustments to put up a fight against Orlando in game 3 huh?
If you're talking to me, I'm not OK with him making player personnel decisions. I'd be OK with him coaching or being strictly the face of the franchise/financial guy. Meaning, he has the final say on OK'ing extensions, going over the luxury tax, etc. Basically, a basketball man doing what Snider/Luukko have been doing, but NOT making personnel decisions.
The latter role is probably unlikely, unless this is just a form of paid retirement for him, which I'd be fine with. Just call him on the golf course for approval when you want to make a move and get a good GM in here.
Do you think as president with a hand picked GM with little serious experience he wouldn't be making the roster decisions? It would be Billy King all over again...it's the job of browns dreams - make the mistakes but blame someone else if it fails...GM is safer than coach, president is safer than GM.
This would be a disaster, be nice if ellison could buy the warriors so I have a ship to finally jump to when this disaster happens.
Tony Dileo got the sixers a win against orlando last year
2 wins, and one buzzer-beater away from a 3-1 lead in the series.
It's embarassing that the bobcats couldn't even take one in charlotte - hell the bulls took one at home
So - if things happen in 3's where's the questionable eagles move of the day?
It makes sense that the Sixers would want LB. I mean, he almost coached the Bobcats to the point where DiLeo coached the Sixers last season. :)
Except Dileo did a better job 'when it counted' - got comcast one more home game.
Obviously DiLeo should be the head coach
Obviously, disregarding 25+ years in the NBA isn't the best way to judge a coach.
Yes, cause I was being utterly serious - it was so obvious that's what I meant.
Collins was mentioned as a choice of E.S. and though his record isn!t stellar, a hiring of him would sure make it interesting. Unlike our last coach he was known for his attention to detail. If Brown comes here with the intention of this being his last stop than I wouldn!t mind, maybe he decides to build a young team and watch it grow.
Speights and Lou might as well start packing their bags now. I can't wait for Lou to tell Larry that he sets up his teammates with his scoring,
The negativity towards LB is kind of befuddling to me. His credentials as a coach are off the charts. He is a winner, period. Gave us the only run of successful basketball in this city in the last 20 years. I'll take the winner over an unproven assistant or some retread like Frank or Scott.
However,I can see why some might be worried about LB in the front office (Larry Hughes over Nowitzki and Pierce) As long as DiLeo is left alone to do his drafting duties, I am fine with LB in the front office. The only real casualties I see in all this are Speights and Lou, possibly Thad if he doesn't have a dramatic turnaround.
My problem with Brown as GM is one part the horrible draft record, two parts his recent history in trades.
Stephen Jackson + Nazr Mohammed + Boris Diaw + DeSagana Diop = over $73M in contracts that Brown traded for, none of whom are what I consider viable starters or building blocks.
That's not a roadmap to build a long-term winner, that's a roadmap to scratch and claw your way into the playoffs and get swept out.
Very true,Another concern is that Larry loves Sammy D, he might be hesitant to move that expiring contract at the deadline, I could actually see Sammy getting an extension...
Which guys do you think would be on their way out of town with LB in the front office? In other words...who can we expect to get moved in the inevitable Raja Bell trade?
Probably Speights and Lou. The problem isn't so much who he moves out (I don't think he'd move AI9 or Jrue), the problem isn't even the players he brings in. The problem is the contracts of the players he brings in. He almost never takes the long view.
Like, he might say to himself that Baron Davis would be a big help, and he needs another PG, so let's go get him. It doesn't matter to him that he's signed for another three years, because he probably won't be here that long to have to clean up the mess. Shit like that is what concerns me, and it's why I don't want him making personnel decisions beyond setting a direction (defense first) for whoever the GM and coach wind up being.
Asking LB to come in and not run the show is like (fill in analogy here.)
-Expecting Snider to give up his stake in the Flyers so he can more fully dedicate himself to the Sixers.
-Bringing in AI as a pure set-up PG.
-Hiring Andy Reid with the hope he builds a run oriented team.
Haha Baron Davis. Let's hope not...Maybe one of Speights or Lou stays. One of them can be that disgruntled scorer that Larry Brown seems to have everywhere he goes. I would think Kapono is gone too. LB as coach could do a heck of a lot for Jrue, look what happened to Chauncey when he got to Detroit.
Am i the only one that's kinda shocked that Mike Woodson would be Browns hand picked coach? Doesn't really seem like they even share a similar philosophy to me.
In theory, playing for Brown would be great for Jrue. In practice, Brown would have to be comfortable with the growing pains of having a 20-year-old PG learning on the job. If he isn't, we could be seeing Brevin Knight, or whatever has-been LB brings in, getting the important minutes. That would be a concern for me, as well.
Um, I think Blatche was a pretty good draft pick. Keep in mind they tabbed him at 49. McGee at 18 was also not a bad pick.
Blatche was a hair better than Brand this past season. I realize he had a great fantasy basketball stretch once they gutted the roster, but the fact that (a) it coincided with a 16-game losing streak and (b) Rudy made a couple of quotes like, "We run 60% of our offense through him and he still isn't happy." Temper those numbers a bit in my mind.
McGee might reach Sam's level, if he's lucky. Which would mean a decent pick at #18.
Oleksiy Pecherov at #18.
Nick Young at #13.
Juan Dixon at #17.
Jared Jeffries at #11.
They did draft Devin Harris at #5 and immediately traded him, in the Jamison trade, I guess. They also traded away the #5 pick last season for Mike Miller and Randy Foye.
Haywood at #21 probably won't wind up being a bad pick, no matter how useless he's looked in this series vs. SAS.
I'm saying having "VP of PP, Washington" falls somewhere below, "VP of PP, New Jersey" in the grand scheme of things. And that's saying a lot.
Maybe he's not that great, but Blatche is a really interesting talent and they deserve some credit for picking him that far down in the draft. We got Korver down there many years ago and even that was great value. Of course Blatche is kind of nuts but why else do you suppose he fell so far? I agree the other picks aren't too good.
I posted the entire list elsewhere- but the team the year before LB took over was completely gutted (a good thing) in 2 years. Only 1 player remained on the roster (you can guess who.)
I expect a complete roster make-over if LB takes over. Not sure I'll like the finished product as much as the last time... but they'll make the playoffs in 2 years for sure.
That's really not saying much. I think they could make the playoffs next season with limited tinkering and a solid coach.
Yep. The bottom of the East is a joke.
I'm not much for collusion, but if all the nba owners decided to black list this piece of shit for whom loylaty is just a way to fuck you over - i'd be in favor