Posted: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 10:16 PM | 10 comments |
 

Jordan Wants Brown To Stay, But . . .

options
 

This was a question that had to be asked of new Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan: What if coach Larry Brown, with two years remaining on his contract, asked to leave because his family is still living in the Philadelphia suburbs?

But don't get excited, 76ers fans, about the likelihood of Brown returning here if and when current coach Eddie Jordan is replaced.

''I don't want Larry to leave,'' Jordan told the Charlotte Observer after a press conference, his first as the official owner of the team. "I'd like to keep Larry here. But I totally understand his relationship, with what he feels from a husband-wife scenario . . . I'd do everything I can to keep him here. I want him here. But if for family reasons or (wife) Shelly's reasons he feels like he's got to do something else, what else can I do? I'm going to sgtay away from that one.''

Jordan said he would not stand in the way of that type of move.

''I have no choice,'' he said. "I don't see how I could stand in the way of that. I view Larry as a friend, and for me to hold a friend to a contract knowing that his spouse or his family scenario supersedes that, that's not who I am. I'd walk away from that.''

Jordan also did not seem bothered by recent reports that the Los Angeles Clippers had been contacted on Brown's behalf. (We do know that Brown had been pushing for former Sixers general manager Billy King as the Clippers' GM before Neil Olshey succeeded the fired Mike Dunleavy.)

''I don't expect Larry is going anywhere,'' Jordan said. ''In all honesty, I think (when those reports surfaced), there were so many articles being written about George Postolos getting the (Bobcats) and they're clearing house, I can imagine Larry thinking about other options. But everything I read and everything that I understand from Larry, his reason for coming here was because I'm here.''

 
Posted by Phil Jasner @ 10:16 PM  Permalink | 10 comments
10
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:32 PM, 03/18/2010
    MICHAEL JORDAN IS A CLASS GUY.COACH HAS TO DO FAMILY FIRST,AND HE WILL.HE'S IMPROVED THE B-CATS,ANDD IF THEY GET A COUPLE OF DURABLE GUYS ,THEY WILL BE A CONTENDER REAL SOON.AS FOR THE 6ERS,SAME OLD PROBLEM WILL EXIST....THE 3 HEADED ED'S WILL RUIN THE TEAM ANOTHER SEASON.MAYBE, THE HEAD ED WILL GET RID OF THE OTHER 2 ED'S,AND GET THIS FRANCHISE BACK TO WHERE SHOULD BE.3RD PLACE ISN'T GOOD IN A WEAK DIVISION,AND NOT ENUF TO GET INTO THE PLAYOFFS.
    — t_darb_56
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:56 AM, 03/19/2010
    One thing 76ers don't need when they axe the Eddie's is Larry Brown back on the bench----He couldn't keep AI in line when he was here the lst time--nothing special about him as a coach!
    — jwatson
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:32 AM, 03/19/2010
    jwatson you are totally wrong. Larry Brown is one of the best coaches ever. If he came back to Philly next year I have no doubt that they would be back in the playoffs. He's coached and won on all levels.
    — nicknichols
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:30 PM, 03/19/2010
    jwatson, are you high? no, because even a pothead can make a better observation. larry brown is a great coach, that's it, a COACH. he's not AI's mommy. he did a FANTASTIC job with the 6ers team he had. at the very least, he does one thing no one here does, PREACH DEFENSE!
    — djunderh2o
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:03 PM, 03/19/2010
    I wasn't going to comment but then I read jwatson's comment. This league is filled with people that have no clue how to play basketball. Larry Brown is one of the last "teaching" coach. He won't play a young player but he will definitely teach him how to play the right way. No one could keep Iverson in line and we all see how Iverson's life is turning out.
    — BigVilFromWestPhil
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:34 PM, 03/19/2010
    He's going to the west coast. But now that Jrue has had a chance to establish himself as the starter, Larry could have a some fun building a team around a young point guard.
    — rzzzzz
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:52 PM, 03/19/2010
    RE...EAGLES FAN, GLAD U READ IT...NOW READ THIS.....BITE ME !!
    — t_darb_56
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:46 PM, 03/19/2010
    LB did a fine job coaching the team during his stint here. With that said, the personnel moves he pulled the trigger on were questionable at best. If LB were brought back it should only be in a coaching capacity. Then again it should also be noted LB likes to move around from team to team. Therefore if Snider is looking for consistency to rebuild this team and bring along the youngsters, LB might not be the answer. No pun intended.
    — Joshua Soffa
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:44 PM, 03/20/2010
    Brown's the only coach to figure out how to take a team to the Finals with AI as the centerpiece. Unbelievable coach.
    — thinkdontspew


10 comments
About Bob Cooney
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.

Join on Facebook   

Advertise Here
Latest Sixers Videos