To Larry, Or Not To Larry....That Is The Question

Stephen A Smith, the king of punctuating his sentences with "How-EVA"s, said on ESPN yesterday that the names he hears most often with the Orlando Magic open coaching position are Stan Van Gundy and Larry Brown.

As many of you know, Steven A has made a pretty big name for himself partly on the fact that he makes big statements and they are frequently proved wrong. I remember that he said that the Pistons were toast before their 2004 finals series with the Lakers even began (of course the Pistons won). Also, I remember when the Magic selected Dwight Howard he said that they would never recover from the mistake of not taking Emeka Okafor with the top pick (we seem to be doing just fine).

His gaffes aside, Steven A does touch upon something that has been buzzing under the surface of this coaching search. What do the Magic think of the prospect of Larry Brown? We already know that Stan Van Gundy has interest, so we can leave his name alone for now, but the name Larry Brown comes up seemingly every summer for every coaching vacancy. Much like little kids asking why the sky is blue, it is a given that teams looking for head coaches in this day and age have to ask the "Do we want Larry Brown" question.

My quick answer: No.

My extended answer: Hell no.

My even more extended answer: I think we should look to his most recent work with the Knicks and Pistons to see what kind of coach he would be here.

When in Detroit, he brought the Pistons the NBA championship and communicated a slow down, team style of playing. He helped get the best out of vets like Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, and Richard Hamilton, all of whom had all met with only brief moments of success beforehand.

On the flipside, Brown was in a perpetual state of conflict with his players and the organization. He was dismissed from the job under heavy criticism that he had little in the way of interpersonal skills, and he repeatedly refused to play or develop the younger players on the roster.

Next came his time with the Knicks. Brown met with apocalyptic failure right from the get go, and once again feuded heavily with management and players. Part of his shortcomings on the court must be a attributed to the personnel moves of Isiah Thomas, a guy who appeared to use a pinata full of the names of overpriced, underachieving players to figure out who the Knicks would acquire next. Brown once again refused to play the young talent on the Knicks, and was ousted so quickly that the Knicks will still be paying his contract in the year 2087.

Now, far be it for me to compare our Magic with a hugely successful organization like the Pistons have become, and likewise the pitiful organization the Knicks have become, but to me Larry spells b-a-d-n-e-w-s. On top of his horrific rough personality, even the good attributes that he brings on the court wouldn't work with our current squad.

-We have a bunch of young guys, and he has a reputation for letting young guys rot on the bench (Brian Hill anyone?).

-We want a run and gun style and he has a slow down, analytical game plan.

-Brown seems to want insane amounts of money to work for a team, and we most likely will not want that as we are still paying off Brian Hill's contract.

-The respect for Larry Brown, quite frankly, has been shot with how he has behaved in his recent positions. Players communicate with each other quite a lot, and much like the teacher that every student hates, he has made a negative name for himself.

Perhaps the biggest reason to avoid Larry Brown at all costs? The fact that we are heading into an offseason where our biggest priority is resigning Darko Milicic. How long do you think he would hang around if we named Larry Brown head coach?

My guess: Long enough to sign with another team, make loads of cash, and light up a big 'victory cigar'.