Former Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown wants a return to NBA
Veteran basketball coach Larry Brown has stated his desire to return to the NBA as soon as possible.
The 71 year old Brown is one of the most successful coaches to grace the league ever and has stacked up an impressive resume over the years. However, his old age and some disappointing showings in his last few jobs have scared
NBA General Managers off of him.
Brown ideally wants to return as head coach of an NBA team, but has also expressed a willingness to work as an assistant just to get back into the thick of things. In a recent interview, he revealed how he was close to signing
with the Boston Celtics for an assistant coaching gig, but things eventually didn’t materialize.
"I'd go help [Boston Celtics head coach] Doc [Rivers] in a minute, but he wants to help the people he's evolved with," Brown said, addressing reports that had linked him to the spot vacated by Lawrence Frank.
In fact, the last two guys to have worked under Doc Rivers as lead assistants for the Boston Celtics have both ended up with a head coaching job elsewhere. So maybe Larry was hoping he could strike gold too.
Rivers though wanted to promote from within, and Brown said he totally understood.
"He'll try rewarding the guys who have put in their time with him. It works. Two of his assistants (Lawrence Frank and Tom Thibodeau) have become head coaches. We talked about it, and he wants to help the people who have been with
him.”
He reaffirmed that it wasn’t just for the Boston Celtics that he would consider an assistant job; he was open to it anywhere as long as he could make a meaningful contribution. Larry even hinted of moving to the front office, that’s
how much he misses basketball.
"I have no problem with being an assistant coach, but I really want to get back to coaching again, or even move into management," said Brown. "That was a one-time thing we talked about, with the understanding that if he ever had
another opening, we would talk again."
Brown is very good basketball coach, as he has demonstrated throughout his career, but often his personnel skills have been found lacking. In an age when NBA players have become increasingly arrogant and hard to handle, Brown has
racked up a history of personal differences and discipline problems.
His brightest moment as a coach came with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. Brown took a good team and turned it into a well oiled machine, which ultimately proved unstoppable, winning the NBA World Champion against the mighty Los Angeles
Lakers in a memorable Finals series.
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