I’ve always appreicated Charley Rosen’s columns over at FOX Sports — the guy obviously knows his basketball, and you can count on him always being brutally honest. He was asked about the Pistons twice in his mailbag today — here’s the first question:
In my opinion, Dumars gathered the materials, Larry Brown forged them into a sword, and now Flip Saunders is simply using the weapon. As much as I dislike Brown, do you believe that if Brown never coached Detroit, they would be as good as they are now? I would also like to point out that Brown inherited a pretty good team after Rick Carlisle’s departure. — Steven
It’s interesting how Brown suddenly became a genius when Dumars brought in Rasheed Wallace.
Rasheed had more to do with the Pistons being champs than did Brown.
One of the reasons why Carlisle was canned was that Dumars wanted the rookie Tayshaun Prince to play more and the veteran Corliss Williamson less, and Carlisle stubbornly insisted on the reverse. Had Carlisle survived until the addition of Rasheed, the disagreement would have been moot, and Detroit would have likely won the championship anyway. For sure, Brown instilled a certain degree of strait-jacketed discipline, but while LB was more media-friendly, Carlisle had a more honest relationship with most of the players. I happen to believe that both Carlisle and Saunders are better coaches than Brown. And that, while giving Brown his due, he was also the right guy in the right place at precisely the right time.
The real question is whether or not the Pistons would have been as good as they are now with Brown still at the helm. And the answer is a resounding NO
He was also asked if anyone can beat the Pistons in the NBA Finals. His answer is long, but he summed it up with his first sentence:
Only San Antonio, but only if Duncan is 100 percent healthy and the Spurs can hit their perimeter shots.
Of course, the Pistons have to get to the Finals, but it’s nice to see they’re getting the respect of the national media.
What does it really take to be the MVP? [FOX Sports]
Rosen is a reknowned Brown hater. Maybe Larry was mean to him in the ABA or something.
That said, Rick Carlisle has never actually made anyone a better player, just maximized what players have to give by running a slow down offense predicated on ISOs. The true coaching genius of RC is his defensive rotations and the fact he will play hustle players over more talented ones.
Flip is doing a great job, but he is the beneficiary of a Chauncey Billups who on occassion plays like a real floor general, and a Rip Hamilton that finds ways to contribute if his shot is not falling (rebounds, assists). Those changes in the Pistons backcourt can be traced almost exclusively to Brown and not Rick Carlisle.
Rosen is also certifiable. Anything and everything he says I take with a grain of salt.
I wouldn’t go so far as he does to assume the Pistons would have won a championship with Rick Carlisle at the helm instead of Larry Brown. I’m not saying it wouldn’t have happened, but he gives Brown absolutely no credit and says that both Saunders and Carlisle are both better coaches (yet Larry has a ring, and neither of them do).
Like I said: Rosen is nutso.
P.S. Nice layout, I love the K2 theme. I didn’t think it was compatible with WP 1.5. It looks great.