Brown back in North Carolina, but for how long?

Ken Berger

April 30, 2008

The people of North Carolina learned a lot about Larry Brown yesterday, if they weren't around for his days in Chapel Hill or his stint as the coach of the ABA's Carolina Cougars. They learned he's an earnest, soft-spoken man. They learned he comes across as humble. They learned he loves basketball, really cares about it, and that the job he has right now (check your watch) is the best job in the world.

In time - maybe soon - they will see the other sides of Lawrence Harvey Brown, out of Brooklyn and Long Beach and the Basketball Hall of Fame. His players will learn there is a sword's edge to his soft speech. His co-workers will learn there's an enormous ego under all that public humility.

One day, they may learn that he doesn't love his job as coach of the Charlotte Bobcats as much as he thought he would.

Not even Brown, 67, could suppress a smile yesterday when asked during his introductory news conference if Charlotte would be the last stop in his brilliant yet meandering career.

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"Let my wife answer that," Brown said. "... I started in North Carolina in 1972, coaching a team called the Carolina Cougars. That was my first coaching job. And Michael [Jordan] said to me, 'If you started in '72 coaching the Cougars, why don't you end coaching the Bobcats?' And he didn't put a particular time frame on that. I'm confident this will be a place that I'll be around for a long time."

First and foremost, it is good for the NBA that a coach who knows so much and cares so much about the game is back on the sideline.

But do the Bobcats need Brown? Can Charlotte, a city still feeling burned about losing its first NBA franchise, embrace a coach who is known as much for abandoning teams as coaching them?

"It's a four-year contract," Jordan said, "and we expect him to be here four years."

If this was 15 years ago and Brown would be coaching Jordan, you could take that to the bank. The problem for Jordan, who thinks he will continue calling the personnel shots, is that Brown will want to do a lot more than coach. Jordan quickly will learn what became apparent to his nemesis, Isiah Thomas: Brown wants to trade every player he coaches, then wants to trade the players he got for them.

"You know, I'm nuts," Brown said. "I evaluate players ... Ultimately, the decision is Michael's, and I'm confident I'm going to have input."

Once Brown started talking with at least two college programs last week (including Stanford, which he turned down), he resigned from his cushy job with the Philadelphia 76ers knowing full well Jordan would come calling. Under cheapskate owner Bob Johnson, the Bobcats wouldn't even have been in the race for Brown's services if not for the $18.5-million settlement Brown got from the Knicks.

A person with knowledge of the deal said Brown got less than $3 million per season on his four-year deal with the Bobcats. Donald Sterling would be proud.

Brown's settlement with the Knicks did not contain a clause barring him from coaching another team for a specified time, according to another source. The only reason Jordan hired Sam Vincent a year ago instead of Brown was that Brown wasn't ready to coach again after the New York debacle.

In case you're wondering, Brown's settlement also didn't ban him from working for the Knicks again. "Not necessary," the person said, and he didn't need to say any more.

"It didn't sour me," Brown said of his 23-59 season with the Knicks. "It disappointed me because of the job I did. Now I'm fortunate enough to have another opportunity and I want to do better."

There is always another opportunity for Brown. Is this the last one? That is the $18.5-million question. Only Brown and his many talented, complicated alter egos have the answer.

Bench marks

Larry Brown's coaching record at his eight previous NBA stops:

Team Years Record

Denver 1976-79 126-91

Nets 1981-83 91-67

San Antonio 1988-92 153-131

L.A. Clippers 1992-93 64-53

Indiana 1993-97 190-138

Philadelphia 1997-2003 255-205

Detroit 2003-05 108-56

Knicks 2005-06 23-59

Totals 1,010-800