Larry Brown for President?

Numerous sources (for example, here) have suggested Detroit head coach Larry Brown will become Cleveland's new president of basketball operations at the end of this season. Brown denied contact with Cleveland management, and still has three years remaining on a five-year, $25 million contract. Other sources have Brown peeking at the Knicks and Lakers.

But why would a team want Brown to be their President? The man is a teacher, not an administrator, plain and simple. Exactly what in his background would make people believe the man has talent choosing pro personnel? In Philadelphia, the Sixers (with Brown and Billy King calling the shots, but mostly Brown) made a team in Brown's defense-first image, then collapsed when Brown departed for the Pistons. Since the team was tailor-made for Brown, first Randy Ayers and later Chris Ford took the fall when the team struggled. And remember it was Brown's bright idea to bring Derrick "Team Cancer" Coleman to Philly, not just once, but twice. Coleman played hard only in his contract year. But apparently he was Larry's kind of player.

I'd mention our last Olympic team too, which couldn't hit a three (or the broad side of a barn), but allegedly Brown didn't have a large role in player selection, so I won't hold that against him.

Bottom line, he'll be coaching next year in Detroit or retire. I just don't see him taking the Cleveland job and there is no good reason they should be offering it to him. The Knicks are a mess, and if Larry thought he had problems with Allen Iverson, wait until he runs into Kobe Bryant. Big, big mistake if he comes back any place other than Detroit.