2006 NBA offseason

Enforcer · June-22nd-2006, 09:22 AM

Pistons getting Garnett?

Of course not, but threads should start with provocative posts.

Uli · June-22nd-2006, 09:25 AM

With Garnett, the Bulls could be a contender, imho.

Jon Abbey · June-22nd-2006, 10:11 AM

Larry Brown officially fired, Isiah taking over as coach. allllllrighty then.

Enforcer · June-22nd-2006, 10:13 AM

OK, I'll say it: BRING BACK LARRY BROWN!

I just wanted to see what it feels like to say it.

Borat Pri Hagafen · June-22nd-2006, 10:52 AM

Anything that gets Jon to quote Ace Ventura can't be all bad.

It makes sense, though. When you get a chance to hire a proven winner, you have to move quickly. I was campaigning for Marbury as player/coach, myself.

Noj · June-22nd-2006, 11:48 AM

The Lakers sure could use Garnett. Too bad McHale's a Celtic at heart and would sooner slit his own throat.

If I were Garnett, I'd campaign to be sent to Cleveland. A LeBron/Garnett team would have a chance. When KG tightens up come playoff time, LBJ can make up for it by stepping up like he did this year.

Uli · June-22nd-2006, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noj

.

If I were Garnett, I'd campaign to be sent to Cleveland. A LeBron/Garnett team would have a chance. When KG tightens up come playoff time, LBJ can make up for it by stepping up like he did this year.

Maybe, but what about the future of basketball as "we" like it?

moneyp · June-22nd-2006, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uli

Maybe, but what about the future of basketball as "we" like it?

Trading Bavetta and Salvatore to the WNBA would be a good start.

Jon Abbey · June-22nd-2006, 12:29 PM

LeBron and Garnett would be awesome, but Cleveland doesn't exactly have many other assets.

I'd like to see Iverson go to Atlanta, it'd be cool to see him surrounded by all those freaky young swingmen.

moneyp · June-22nd-2006, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Abbey

LeBron and Garnett would be awesome, but Cleveland doesn't exactly have many other assets.

I'd like to see Iverson go to Atlanta, it'd be cool to see him surrounded by all those freaky young swingmen.

If the Hawks did that and then hired Paul Westhead as coach, I'd get season tickets.

Vibeman · June-22nd-2006, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larry Nagel

OK, I'll say it: BRING BACK LARRY BROWN!

I just wanted to see what it feels like to say it.

So....... exactly what did you feel???

Borat Pri Hagafen · June-22nd-2006, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moneyp

If the Hawks did that and then hired Paul Westhead as coach, I'd get season tickets.

Leading to the question, which is a better job, coaching the Phoenix Mercury, or coaching the Atlanta Hawks?

Jon Abbey · June-22nd-2006, 08:01 PM

open letter to Isiah the coach:

you're not in as terrible a position as everyone seems to think you are. you've eliminated one level of internal backbiting by unifying the GM and coach positions, and you're the one who knows why you brought all of these players together.

so now what you've got to do is forget about egos, forget about contracts, and just play the best lineup. if there are no trades (and I wouldn't count on any, unless you're planning on landing the few awful contracts you don't already have control of), you've got enough talent to win 35-45 games here. as you know, last year was a totally lost year, and that was about 90 percent Larry Brown's fault, he didn't give this team any chance to succeed from game 1, he approached the entire season like he was on a playground in an exhibition game. anyway, here's your best chance to win with your current personnel:

PG: Stephon Marbury, Nate Robinson
SG: Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson
SF: Jalen Rose, Qyntel Woods
PF: Channing Frye, David Lee
C: Eddy Curry, Jackie Butler

guys who shouldn't play unless someone ahead of them is hurt: Steve Francis, Maurice Taylor, Jerome James, Malik Rose.

two first-round draft picks will be added to this, so at least one of those bozos should be bought out, feel free to do it with all four and add a few more hungry guys from the CBA. and if you lose Jackie Butler in free agency, I'm coming to MSG and kick your ass myself.

love and kisses,
Jon

Gordon B · June-22nd-2006, 08:06 PM

I would guess that most 23 win NBA teams improve their records in the next season. I think the market on the Knicks will be around 32.

Dolan has fired Brown "for cause." Good luck with that!

Jon Abbey · June-22nd-2006, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon B

Dolan has fired Brown "for cause." Good luck with that!

I don't know the legal specifics, but he's got something of a case. Larry Brown simply did not perform professionally last year. when was the last time a NBA coach started random guys in their hometowns, regardless of where they were in the rotation? has that ever happened before?

Captain Hate · June-22nd-2006, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Abbey

Larry Brown simply did not perform professionally last year.

That's going to be extremely difficult to convince a jury of, assuming that's how things like this are decided. Brown has enough jack from other teams paying him not to coach to find a shark able to convince most people that what LB did wasn't demonstrably different from what other coaches have done; and even if it was that it had a chance of succeeding anyway.

Brown's having championships in the NBA and NCAA gives him instant credibility. Any lawyer that convinces Dolan that he can dent that should be fired with cause, imo.

Jon Abbey · June-22nd-2006, 10:16 PM

there's also a long, long list of media quotes from Brown undercutting his own players constantly all season long.

again, I don't know the legalities, they probably can't win, but I certainly don't blame them for trying. Larry Brown did about as good a job as Jerome James last season; both signed massive contracts in the offseason and then stopped trying.

Gordon B · June-23rd-2006, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Hate

That's going to be extremely difficult to convince a jury of, assuming that's how things like this are decided.

Dolan has asked Stern to arbitrate the case. He's hoping that Dolan convinces Brown/Glass to accept less than 100%. Dolan deserves to have to pay off Brown for giving him 5 yrs guaranteed.

The Knicks should start scouring Europe now, looking for the next Mike D'Antoni to replace Isiah in a year. In the meantime, they need to reconcile themselves to rebuilding rather than trying to maximize their victory total in 2006-7 by making dumb trades. They have their pick in 2007, right

Jon Abbey · June-23rd-2006, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon B

They have their pick in 2007, right

not really, the Bulls have the right to swap with them.

Jon Abbey · June-23rd-2006, 09:34 AM

the last thing on Larry Brown: I'd say that a NBA coach's job, at a bare minimum, is to decide on a rotation. Brown was incapable of doing this for the first 40 or 50 games, then Marbury got hurt and it became much more difficult.

Chris D · June-23rd-2006, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Abbey

not really, the Bulls have the right to swap with them.

But that's only if the Bulls don't use it Wednesday night, right?

Jon Abbey · June-23rd-2006, 10:01 AM

no, sir. they get this year's pick flat out, along with the right to swap next year if they want. the nice thing is that Eddy Curry seems totally driven to fulfill all of his potential. oh, wait, never mind.

Jon Abbey · June-23rd-2006, 10:03 AM

Paxson is as much better of a GM than Isiah as Isiah was a better player than Paxson.

Chris D · June-23rd-2006, 10:06 AM

Apt analogy. although we're still waiting for Isiah to drill the three off the penetration feed.

gonzo · June-23rd-2006, 03:46 PM

its my feeling that the team isiah put together was unworkable and any/every coach would have failed given this team. i'd have let isiah go.

going way back, i think garnett/lebron would be incredible, possibly even championship winning

Borat Pri Hagafen · June-23rd-2006, 03:53 PM

Hughes, Ilgauskas and Varejao for Garnett works under the salary cap. I don't really see that there's a more attractive package that the Cavs could put together. I can't imagine that there aren't many other teams, such as Chicago, that could make a better offer for Garnett though.

I hope Ferry doesn't spend any of his time working on unlikely trade scenarios instead of working Claxton's agent 24-7.

Daniel · June-26th-2006, 09:35 PM

Isiah gets one year to turn around Knicks

Isiah Thomas

Associated Press

6/26/2006 6:56:04 PM

NEW YORK (AP) - Isiah Thomas has one year to turn around the Knicks - something Larry Brown couldn't do. And if Thomas doesn't, he'll be gone, too.

''I'm saying this right with Isiah here. This is his team,'' Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan said Monday. ''He made this bed. There's nobody better than him to make this thing go forward.''

''But he has to do that and he has one year, one season to do that. At this time next year Isiah will be with us if we can all sit here and say that this team has made significant progress towards its goal of eventually becoming an NBA championship team. If we can't say that, then Isiah will not be here.''

The remarks by Dolan were his first since firing Brown as coach Thursday and replacing him with Thomas, the team president and general manager.

Dolan acknowledged that the team ''made a mistake'' hiring Brown.

Thomas assembled the roster that went 23-59 to tie the franchise record for losses in a season. And though Dolan said the Knicks are still rebuilding, he wants to see results next season.

Dolan wouldn't say how many wins the Knicks would need, only that he wanted ''evident progress, not just debatable progress.''

And if he doesn't, he said Thomas would not only be replaced as coach, but would lose all his roles within the Cablevision-owned organization.

''It's his ship to steer,'' Dolan said, ''his ship to make go fast, his ship to crash. His ship.''

Thomas, who was seated to Dolan's right in a meeting with the team's beat writers, said he was prepared to work under the deadline, and would not sacrifice his plan to build with young players - the Knicks have two first-round picks in Wednesday's draft.

''I've been in pressure situations before,'' Thomas said. ''All my life has basically been about pressure and about having to get it done. Just because you say it publicly does not make me afraid of it or shy away from it. We've got a job to do, we'll get it done.''

Dolan said his problems with Brown had less to do with wins and losses then with the Hall of Fame's coach refusal to go along with his bosses' wishes.

Reports surfaced in mid-May that Dolan planned to fire Brown. However, Dolan said that wasn't the case, and that he wanted to find a way to make things work going forward as long as Brown would accept certain conditions.

Instead, Dolan thinks sometime during that time that Brown - who has a history of leaving jobs early - decided he didn't want to return. Brown was fired with four years and $40 million US left on his five-year contract.

''Larry never intended to coach this team beyond this season,'' Dolan said.

Brown was frequently critical of the players in the media, and also spoke to reporters without the presence of a public relations official. Dolan said both go against his preferences and policies.

A bigger problem, Dolan said, was that Brown overstepped his role as coach by trying to get involved in personnel matters. He said there were at least two instances when the Knicks proposed a trade, only to be told, ''That's great, but I got a better offer from your coach.''

''We couldn't get Larry to focus on his job,'' Dolan said. ''He wanted to focus on Isiah's job.''

Dolan said he was particularly upset when Brown said after the season that five or six players needed to be waived for the team to avoid another poor result next season.

Despite all that, Dolan said he hadn't made up his mind to fire Brown when they met Thursday at the team's training facility. But he said Brown wouldn't acknowledge that any of the issues Dolan brought up had even happened, so he had no choice but to make Thomas the Knicks' fifth coach in the last three years.

''I had 50 million reasons to stay with this,'' Dolan said. ''If I thought there was any chance that next season we could have the Larry Brown that everybody thought we were going to get, I mean I'd jump through hoops for that. But I don't believe there was any opportunity to do that.''

The matter of Brown's payment now goes to NBA commissioner David Stern. The Knicks are refusing to pay the remainder, and a clause in Brown's deal - one Dolan said he has never given to another employee - makes Stern the arbiter if there is any dispute.

Dolan said the Knicks will go along with whatever Stern rules. A message seeking comment was left with Brown's agent, Joe Glass.

Thomas coached the Indiana Pacers for three seasons through 2002-03, going 131-115 and leading them to the playoffs in each season. But he said he wasn't planning to return to coaching with the Knicks, claiming he was both heartbroken and mad that his longtime relationship with Brown had ended this way.

''I know from our standpoint, the Knicks' standpoint, we needed Larry Brown,'' Thomas said. ''I wanted Larry to do a great job for us.''

Jon Abbey · June-26th-2006, 09:55 PM

having players in a contract year seems to work, maybe a GM/coach in the same spot is a good idea.

Enforcer · June-26th-2006, 10:15 PM

Isn't it a little odd to discuss the criteria for what will get your new coach fired, and when? I realize the Knicks are a special case, but it seems like a PR move to appease the fans. Is that the kind of environment a team can win in? And it's not like Dolan didn't sign the checks or green light the personnel moves.

Jon Abbey · June-26th-2006, 10:22 PM

yeah, it's definitely just to take some heat off of Dolan, it undercuts Isiah's authority. hopefully it won't work, and people will continue to get angrier and angrier at Dolan.