Would it surprise anyone, at this point, if Larry Brown departs Detroit after this season?
It can't. Can it?
When Brown left Philadelphia for Detroit a few seasons ago, shock rushed over the city of Philadelphia to the point of Brown reaching Kobe Bryant, J.D. Drew, and Dallas Cowboy levels of hate in some corners of the city. There were conspiracy theories swirling around talk radio. Did Brown meet with Joe Dumars while his Sixers team was dropping a Series to the Pistons? No one had any reason to believe that he had, yet the question popped up.
Brown leaving Philadelphia shouldn't have surprised anyone. This is what he does. Maybe Brown's departure only surprised those in Philadelphia, while the rest of the nation knew that it was time for Brown to move on. He had spent more time in Philadelphia than anywhere else, after all. He should have been able to move on without people questioning his motives.
But, at the same time, maybe that was the problem in Philadelphia. The city had gotten to know Brown. The city had Brown and they had their star player, Allen Iverson. The two of them went through highs and lows. Brown upset with Iverson to the point of wanting to move and no one would have faulted him, yet he fought through it and remained in Philadelphia.
In Detroit, it can't possibly be the same.
Brown was brought to Detroit, specifically, to win an NBA championship. A mercenary. While in Philadelphia, Brown had several chances to bring Rasheed Wallace to the Sixers. In Detroit, he landed Wallace, the player that just may have pushed the Pistons over the top in terms of winning the NBA title.
In Philadelphia, there weren't rumors of his departure before it happened. Well, there were those who were certain that one day Iverson would run Brown out of town, but there was never the mention of specific destinations for Brown after Philadelphia. That's not the case for Brown these days. He's been linked with several teams and recently, the Knicks and now the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Brown just might be entertaining offers and leave himself willing to open an ear even while coaching in the playoffs. He's done it before. When people say that he is close to taking the job in Cleveland and is just waiting for the season to end, you have to wonder. At the very least.
Brown is not loyal. He demands dedication from his players. If they taper off and let their minds wander to something else, Brown reels them back in to his system. But, Brown does it as well. Sure, you can argue that he's done it so much know that he's become adept to looking for a new job while still maintaining his current ship.
If you're a Pistons fan, you probably care if they wind up losing to the Miami Heat. Especially if he takes the Cavaliers job right away. That would sting in the same manner that Brown's leaving Philadelphia for Detroit left Philly fans. If the Pistons win another NBA championship, however, Brown's leaving might not be taken as hard from the Piston faithful.
See, that's the trade off to all of this Brown confusion.
You get better. There's no doubt about that. For however long Brown coaches your team, you're going to be better than you would be without Brown. Even if it's for a short while. Even if he's willing to leave for a job that is simply appealing to him for whatever reason. People know this going in and people are willing to deal with whatever psychological element Brown has going on in his head where he needs to seek new challenges.
He is a builder.
Detroit has the best starting five in basketball right now, but would they without Brown's influence on those players?
Maybe. But, probably not. Chauncey Billups is a different player under Brown and there is no doubt the coach brings out the best of the rest of them. They were a good team before Brown entered the fold, but became a championship team because of Brown. If Brown would have left after one season, Pistons fans might have even been okay with it.
Because that's what it comes down to. The way Brown leaves situations. Suddenly. Without warning. Well, as we're learning, the without warning part isn't too big of a factor. Whenever you have Brown as your coach you should expect that departure, even with years remaining on his contract.
When he left Indiana for Philadelphia, it was pretty much known half way through the season. When he left Philadelphia for Detroit, he did it suddenly. Right after the playoffs. Without warning.
If Brown leaves for Cleveland, it won't be without warning, but it will be sudden, as he still has three years left on his contract with Detroit.
Maybe if Brown decided to stretch out his departures, it wouldn't be so bad. He could have left Philadelphia and then allowed for Detroit to court him for a couple of months. Stretching it into the summer and what not. The same could go for the present. Brown could depart Detroit saying that he is seeking new challenges. But he likely won't. Brown's track record is to swiftly move on to another job.
He probably shouldn't jump ship in the manner he does. He probably should leave jobs with purpose, rather than allowing his eyes to bulge at the prospects of a different situation. He could make the fans of the teams he coached seem like they mattered. Even if, to him, they didn't.
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