Thursday, June 22, 2006

Are the Knicks Better Off?


The troubled marriage between Larry Brown and the New York Knicks has ended in divorce and no one should be surprised. Anyone who keeps up with the NBA knows this has been coming and they should have seen Isaiah Thomas as the next head coach.

Thomas, possibly motivated by the success of Mavericks first year coach Avery Johnson, has been eyeing the position since taking over the Knicks front office. He has put together the current New York team and now he will lead it. It’s the whole “you made the bed now sleep in it” principle.

The question now for the Knicks is are they better off without Brown? Sure the in-fighting is over now but what does Thomas bring to the table. His resume includes a Hall of Fame career, leading the CBA into bankruptcy, a three year coaching stint with the Pacers where they never won a play-off series and a string or rash and questionable personnel moves with the Knicks.

On the other hand Brown is 1,010-800 as an NBA coach, guiding seven of his eight teams to the playoffs. He was the Coach of the Year in 2001 when he guided the 76ers to the NBA Finals and won his first title in 2004 when the Pistons stunned the Los Angeles Lakers in five games, becoming the only coach to win the NBA and NCAA crown.

Larry Brown and the New York Knicks was not a match made in heaven but Isaiah Thomas could be a worse disaster. Only time will tell but rumor has it that Spike Lee is wanting Nets season tickets.