Brownout in the Motor City
Posted July 23, 2005, 6:11 PM ET

I'm glad Larry Brown got canned.

I still think he's one of the great coaches of all time...his record speaks for itself. But the timing of his actions during the NBA Playoffs were ridiculous.

Remember when the Pistons were in the hunt in the Eastern Finals while defending their title?...There was Larry Brown, ripping the media for asking him questions about his flirtation with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He would claim: "How could you ask me about the Cavs job?...I haven't spoken to them...who are your sources?"

Lie.

He later admitted that there were conversations between himself and the Cleveland organization. What was lost in the translation was that his team continued to perform on the floor. That is a testament to the talent of the players and of the coach. The Pistons won the East again and came within one game of defending their NBA championship.

But Larry Brown was unprofessional in the way he conducted business. He still had three years remaining on his Pistons contract, but yet he was tinkering away from his place of employment. It was pathetic.

After the draining 7-game Finals series, Brown reiterated that he would still like to coach in Detroit if his health allowed him to do such...Larry Brown seemed to convince himself that it was the likely scenario for him after he was given the OK by his doctors.

The only problem for LB was that the Detroit brass was sick and tired of his nonsense...and I can't blame them one bit. In fact, Pistons owner Bill Davidson told a Detroit TV station that he was tired of the dog and pony show.

Davidson said, "The decision to part for me was kind of easy because there is too much Larry Brown and not enough Detroit Pistons. Whoever coaches the Pistons represents me, and I'm not giving them someone that's not a good person."

Nobody can deny that Larry Brown is a terrific coach...one of the best of all time. But his dismissal in Detroit was a no-brainer, too. There is no doubt that the Pistons will be fine without Brown, and Larry will have no problem landing on his feet...probably in New York.