Pistons hope to name Brown as coach on Monday
Saturday, May 31, 2003
Pistons hope to name Brown as coach on Monday
ESPN.com news services
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Rick Carlisle sat elbow-to-elbow with the man who had just fired him, Joe Dumars. In a bizarre scene, talk turned to Larry Brown, who will become Detroit's next coach.
"If you think he's going to bring in a stiff behind me, you're nuts,'' Carlisle said Saturday. "He's going to bring in a big-time guy, and if he can do that he will have done his job.''
Carlisle was fired with one year and $2 million left on his contract despite winning two straight division titles, 100 regular-season games, a Coach of the Year award and leading the Pistons to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1991.
Joe Dumars, left, and Rick Carlisle parted ways Saturday in a bizarre news conference.
He will be replaced by Brown, according to The Associated Press, which reports Brown has already reached agreement with the Pistons on a long-term deal, according to a source within the league with knowledge of the discussions between the Pistons and Brown. The source spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity, saying the hiring will become official on Monday.
However, ESPN has learned that Brown has not yet formally agreed to be the Pistons' next coach. There have been substantive discussions between the two sides and the Pistons have offered Brown the job. Brown is expected to make a decision between the Pistons and the Rockets' jobs in the next 72 hours.
Saturday's news conference was strange -- Carlisle poking fun at himself during an opening statement, then initiating jokes and defending the decision when Dumars was pressed to explain the dismissal.
"The guy at the gate almost wouldn't let me in to my own firing,'' Carlisle said.
When Dumars said, "This is not a fun day at all,'' Carlisle quipped: "It's all right. You can have fun with it.''
Brown resigned as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday after six seasons. The Sixers released him from a contractual clause that prohibited him from coaching another NBA team if he left Philadelphia prematurely.
Counting Detroit, there are eight NBA coaching vacancies.
When asked about Brown, Dumars said, "We'll be talking to him,'' adding that he has heard Brown's name linked to openings in Houston, Cleveland and Washington.
"This is not about Larry Brown, this is about Rick Carlisle,'' Dumars said.
Brown did not return two messages left by The AP at his home.
Philadelphia captain Eric Snow understands why the Pistons are going after his former coach.
"With Rick Carlisle gone, it would be great for Detroit's organization if it was fortunate enough to get Larry Brown,'' Snow said. "He's a Hall of Famer who is a great coach and a great teacher that would make every one of their players better, and that would make the Pistons even better.''
Carlisle, in his first head coaching job, helped turn Detroit from a lottery team into the top-seeded squad in the East this season. He was honored as NBA Coach of the Year for the 2001-02 season.
He led the Pistons to a 100-64 regular-season record and a 12-15 postseason mark over two years.
The Pistons' season ended May 24 when they were swept by New Jersey in the conference finals. Carlisle's coaching was publicly criticized during the first round when Detroit fell behind 3-1 against Orlando. But he turned to little-used Tayshaun Price and Mehmet Okur to generate some offense and help the Pistons advance.
"You can get into a conversation about what may or not be fair, or you can be excited about being at the peak of your career,'' Carlisle said. "I'll look back and remember the good things and the things that were accomplished by a group that no one thought had a chance.''
Carlisle was hired as Detroit's coach on May 25, 2001, after the team fired George Irvine following a 32-50 season. There was believed to be tension between Dumars and Carlisle, but both denied that was true Saturday.
"He (Rick Carlisle) got criticized for not being a personable guy... but on the court, he did a good job with us," Pistons guard Chauncey Billups told ESPN Radio's Weekend All Night show on Saturday. "We were happy with him. But off the court, he just didn't treat pople the right way, and it caught up with him."
Carlisle said he was unsure if he would pursue a coaching job right away or take a year off to be a television analyst.
"There was never any talk of an extension, there was none from me to Joe, or from them to me. I didn't feel that one was owed to me,'' Carlisle said. "I was ready to honor the last year of my contract and be judged after three years. That would've been fine.''
Brown, 62, had two years left in his contract that paid him $6 million per season in Philadelphia.
He also coached Denver (five years), Indiana (four years), San Antonio (3½ years), New Jersey (two years), Carolina of the ABA (two years) and the Clippers (18 months).
Brown's tenure with the Sixers was his longest in his 31-year coaching career. He led the Sixers to the playoffs for five straight seasons, including the 2001 NBA Finals, and will coach the U.S. men's national team this summer at an Olympic qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico.
He has a 879-685 record in the NBA, and 1,285-853 overall, including ABA and college. Brown won an NCAA championship with Kansas in 1988, and became the first coach to take six NBA teams to the playoffs when the 76ers made it in 1999.
Brown would inherit a Pistons team that has the No. 2 pick in the June 26 draft. Detroit will likely select a scorer -- Darko Milicic of Serbia or Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony -- to complement a young nucleus of Richard Hamilton, Billups, Ben Wallace and rookies Okur and Prince.
Brown's brother, Herb, was head coach of the Pistons from 1975-76 through 1977-78.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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