Larry Brown steps down as Head Coach of the Charlotte Bobcats
The winds of change seem to be never ending for the Bobcats Head Coach Larry Brown. After a lackluster start to the season, which has been marred by a string of low key performances and in which he took a dig at his players many times for theri spineless displays, Larry Brown has finally had enough. It was announced on Wednesday that he would no longer be in-charge of the Charlotte Bobcats.
A fourth quarter meltdown against the Oklahoma City Thunders on Tuesday night perhaps proved to be the last straw. A day later Bobcats owner and majority share holder , Michael Jordan announced in a press release, "I met with Coach Brown two weeks ago about the team's performance and what we could do to improve it. We met again this morning after practice. The team has clearly not lived up to either of our expectations and we both agreed that a change was necessary."
In a career spanning over more than 13 years in the NBA/ABA, Larry Brown leads all active coaches with 1,327 wins, and is one of only three coaches ever with at least 1,300 wins. The veteran coach is also on the threshhold of the becoming the greatest ever NBA coach, as he just nine wins shy of passing Don Nelson for the most all-time.
It appears now that the historical milestone will not be achieved with the Bobcats, as the well travelled career of the moody coaching legend took another twist . Larry, whose contract ran through to the 2011-2012 season, leaves the Bobcats with a record of 88-108. However it is still unclear if there will be any buy-out, or whether the coach will be compensated through the end of his original four-year contract.
Jordan went on to pay tribute to the iconic coach by saying, "This was a difficult decision for both of us, but one that needed to be made. I want to thank Larry for everything he has done for our team. He has played a key role in this organisation’s development, including coaching us to our first playoff appearance last season. Larry will continue to be a valuable advisor to me regarding the team. The search for a successor will begin immediately."
It seemed that the Bobcats management had been working out the coaching switch for some time, as hours later Jordan made the revelation that the NBA's 10-year coaching veteran, Paul Silas will act as the interim head coach of the team with immediate effect.
He however has some big shoes to fill.
With the Charlotte Bobcatts, Larry Brown recorded his record ninth NBA stint as head coach. In a career that has seen him mastermind quick turnarounds, Brown took over the reins of the stumbling Bobcats outfit last season. He turned their season on its head, as the Bobcats finished with a 44-38 record to make it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
A blow-out loss in last year’s play off at the hands of the Orlando Magic, and a successsion of low key performances by his team this season, saw the coach point out some serious reservations. After losing four on the trot against Oklahoma City, the increasingly frustrated coach said, "I never thought I'd have to be in a position where I'd have to beg guys to play hard." He added that, "I just feel bad if anybody who really enjoys the game would watch our team play. They'd look at me and say, 'That coach is not doing his job.' That's the thing I feel most bad about."
It didn’t take long for the ineveitable to happen, as Larry Brown added another messy divorce to his distinguished career.
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