Larry Brown
The latest: Larry Brown is one of the top three head coaching candidates for the Brooklyn Nets, ccording to various reports.
The skinny: Brown has multiple ties to this organization — Brown was born in Brooklyn, was the head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers when Billy King served as General Manager, and coached the New Jersey Nets to two winning seasons from 1981-83. Brown was enshrined to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2002 and won his first NBA title two years later as the coach of the Detroit Pistons. Brown also coached in New York once before, in a single season with the New York Knicks in 2005-06. The team went 23-59 and he was fired after one season. Brown is known as a relentless teacher, but also someone always looking for other opportunities.
Brown, 72, has an NBA head coaching record of 1098-904 in nine different coaching stops, only one lasting longer than four years. Brown is known for turning teams around, as his teams often have better records in their second season than the first.
Brown most recently coached at the NBA level with the Charlotte Bobcats, leaving the team under uncertain circumstances 28 games into the 2010-11 season. He is currently the head coach at Southern Methodist University.
Important picture of Larry Brown’s pants:
The verdict: Brown is one of the league’s historically great coaches, but he’s not a coach you build with a long-term vision in mind. He’s in their top three because of his long pedigree and relationship with King, but he’s not an ideal candidate. Brown’s age aside, to build a culture, you want a coach with a reputation of sticking around — which he doesn’t have.
Next: Mike Dunleavy
Larry Brown | Mike Dunleavy | Lionel Hollins | Phil Jackson | Nate McMillan | Doc Rivers | Brian Shaw | Scott Skiles | Jerry Sloan | Jeff Van Gundy | Stan Van Gundy
