An open letter to Larry Brown...

by Andrew Feinstein on Apr 25, 2008 1:01 AM MDT

"He has the taste of coaching back in his mouth."

So said Larry Brown's agent who confirmed that Brown has resigned as Vice President of the Philadelphia 76ers. With Coach Brown's agent's permission, I'd like to speak to Coach Brown directly...

Dear Larry,

I know you're not a patient man (evident by you bailing on one team after another and demanding wholesale personnel changes upon arrival at each destination), but for once I'm going to beg for your patience. You see, I know that Chicago Bulls head coaching job looks awfully tempting right now, but may I strongly suggest you consider another destination.

Granted, in Chicago you'd inherit a young, talented collection of players who actually went to college for more than a year, were all coached by the best college coaches in recent memory, are by all accounts high character guys and they would probably listen and buy in to everything you say. As an added bonus, by returning to the Junior Varsity (i.e. Eastern) Conference you could have the Bulls in the Conference Finals after one season and everyone in basketball would be proclaiming you as a coaching genius again. Moreover, after getting the Bulls back to the playoffs so quickly, you'd have the full support of the owner and probably garnish more authority than the GM, who hasn't exactly earned his keep lately.

But I have a much more enticing proposition for you: come back to Denver and coach the Nuggets.

Before you leave this website and jump to something more interesting like PerezHilton.com, please hear me out!

Why would someone as unstable and egotistical as you possibly want to coach in a stable environment with low expectations like Chicago, when you could take the coaching reigns of the most fractious franchise in basketball not named the New York Knicks?

Why would you want to coach for an owner who's notoriously cheap with his coaches' pay (just ask Phil Jackson) and more concerned with his team's profits (just ask Michael Jordan), when you could work for a billionaire who treats his NBA team like a toy and is desperate for an NBA Finals appearance?

Why would you possibly want to coach grounded, disciplined, hard working, decent guys with no egos like Kirk Hinrich, Luo Deng and Ben Gordon when you could coach the most ungrounded, undisciplined, least hardest working, suspect character guys with the biggest egos in the league like Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith?

And I'll even throw in Allen Iverson just to make the challenge even greater for you! He wants you back so badly, he actually tears up just thinking about you (watch at the 11:45 mark). Has your own ego been massaged enough yet?

Yes, I know your close and loyal friend George Karl is currently coaching the Nuggets, and he's the only coach in the NBA that had the guts to publicly call out Isiah Thomas for being an idiot after Isiah unceremoniously fired you in New York (after sandbagging you with one of the worst assembled rosters in NBA history). But Coach Karl has given up on his players and they've given up on him. If you don't believe me, just watch their first two playoff games against the Lakers. If they lose two more without so much as one victory in between, it's a near certainty that Nuggets' owner Stan Kroenke will be forcing Coach Karl to resign. What's not certain, and is in fact most doubtful, will be Kroenke's willingness to shell out another $3 to $4 million per year for a coach next season when he has to pay Coach Karl $3 million whether he coaches again or not.

So here's what I'd like you to do for the Nuggets organization, an organization that - may I remind you - gave you your FIRST NBA head coaching job. Before the Bulls put the full court press on you, get on a conference call with Mr. Kroenke and Coach Karl and work out the following gentleman's agreement: after the playoffs are over for Denver (probaly next week), Coach Karl will resign and get a "consulting job" with the team, so that Mr. Kroenke's $3 million investment in Karl isn't a total waste next year. Then, you'll take over as coach and work for free for the 2008-09 season (I think the $40 million buyout you got from the Knicks should cover your living expenses in Denver for one year), and sign on for three additional seasons at whatever your going rate is these days.

This way, you'll get to reunite with Iverson at the apex of his career, coach Anthony after his fifth helping of humble pie (read: five straight first round playoff defeats), inherit the type of defensive center you've always coveted in Marcus Camby, and commandeer a group of characters even you've never had to deal with before. And if you could get THIS team to the NBA Finals, I can assure you that it will go down in NBA history as one of the greatest coaching performances of all time, catapulting ahead of your Pistons' victory over the Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals.

Larry, please don't be a fool and take that cushy Chicago job when the ultimate challenge lays before you in Denver.

After all, one train wreck deserves another.

Sincerely,

Andrew
Lifelong Nuggets fan

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Comments

You didn’t address Brown’s benching of Carmelo (and LeBron) during the Olympics, which USA lost to Manu Ginobli in 2004… I don’t think Kroenke would be okay with the star player being benched.

by Anonymous on Apr 25, 2008 12:56 AM MDT reply actions

I am all for Brown's hiring so long as he doesn't have to do with our stars getting traded.

He wanted AI to be traded for role players and nearly got it done in 2000 to Detroit but Matt Geiger refused to be part of the trade ala Devean George in the initial Jason Kidd trade.

Maybe he wouldn't trade Melo for role players as Stan would not approve it... but I can see J.R. Smith being shipped for big men who do dirty work, e.g. Dan Gadzuric and cash, and we'll be done for.

If George Karl helms the front office and Brown coaches, our superstar talent laden team will be reduced to bunch of role player guys in one season. They'll play the right way but cmon.

by Anonymous on Apr 25, 2008 4:09 AM MDT reply actions

No offense Andrew, and I love your website, but Larry Brown would set the Nuggets back more than he would ever help them, and then he would leave as soon as things didn't go his way.

He and Carmelo would be oil and water, he'd never last with JR or Kenyon, or maybe even AI. Plus I can't see him taking the job in the first place over loyalty to GK.

I'd rather see Jeff Van Gundy myself....a hard-nosed defensive coach with a system AND demonstrated loyalty to his franchise and players.

by Anonymous on Apr 25, 2008 6:46 AM MDT reply actions

Larry Brown would be an _awesome_ coach for this team.

I think people are forgetting that he wanted to trade AI because of some bad issues... he didn't just up and decide to trade him one morning on a whim. AI has obviously grown up now. Remember, he didn't have the stablest environment as a kid, but he's risen above that now.

If you remember correctly, when Larry Brown decided to move AI to shooting instead of point guard, he flourished and his stats went up, big time.

This team is a mature, older team -- the window, as they say, is closing. KMart, Camby, AI, maybe even Carter -- they don't have much time left. I don't think there will be many problems.

by ohxten on Apr 25, 2008 7:35 AM MDT reply actions

Apparently there's also a rumor that the Knicks will make a run at Karl if he's canned. They can have him!

by Marmatard on Apr 25, 2008 7:44 AM MDT reply actions

Andrew, I don't think Larry Brown would work in Denver. He is loyal to George Karl, so I don't think he would even interview for the job. Also, even though Allen Iverson says he "loves" Brown, I don't think he does. Plus, he has wanted to trade AI before, and he might feel the same way now about Carmelo Anthony, or AI himself. He has been a pretty good head coach, but I really don't think Denver is where he should coach. He would be a great coach for the Bulls but not the Nuggets. Jeff Van Gundy might be a better fit for the Nuggets..Actually, anyone could help the Nuggets right now. Also, to the comment about Karl coaching the Knicks. GOOD, GET HIM OUT OF DENVER PLEASE.

by Nataly on Apr 25, 2008 9:49 AM MDT reply actions

I don't mind this idea. But what I do mind is the idea of keeping George Karl involved in the organization. No way! George Karl has to go. After the way his team has performed in this playoff series so far it is obvious they hate him, and who can blame them. This guy runs around with the rest of his posse before games acting like a caveman. George Karl has to get as far away from the Nuggets organization as possible for next year.

by Anonymous on Apr 25, 2008 3:49 PM MDT reply actions

All good points. However, not only would Stan not approve of outrageous trades like that, they wouldn't be needed. We have those solid role players. Linas Kleiza, Eddy, Steven Hunter could come up in the mix even! And you can't say Carmelo on Team USA as evidence because the rest of the players on that Team USA team were 'stars' too.

I say go for Larry Brown. He's our best shot. I'm sick of people making a mockery of our team! Do something about it Stan! FIRE GEORGE KARL!

by andrew fisher on Apr 25, 2008 6:45 PM MDT reply actions

anonymous 11:56 pm

Team USA would have lost regardless if Melo or Lebron were playing (two players that were added on after the majority of other players dropped out). That was not the original team USA that was supposed to go in 2004. The only people that kept their promise from the original team and went were AI, Tim Duncan and Richard Jefferson. The other players from that 2004 team were all added on last minute as a result of everyone else dropping out. So they did not have the type of chemistry (that had to be put together in a few weeks) ready to compete with other teams that have been playing together for years.

Also, regardless if it is LB or not, Carmelo needs a more hard nosed Coach that isn't afraid to bench him if he is not doing what he is supposed to be doing. I can not count how many times I have heard Coach Karl say something in a timeout and Melo go out and do the opposite. Coach Karl tells the team to stop relying on 3's. And what does Melo do? Comes right out the timeout and shoots a 3! Thats just silly.

by Anonymous on Apr 25, 2008 7:02 PM MDT reply actions

Comments For This Post Are Closed

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