Posted on Thursday 26 May 2005 by G @ 11:33 am
Sorry, but I don’t understand Dan Gilbert’s fascination with Larry Brown. Yes, the man knows basketball, but he has a terrible track record when it comes to staying with a franchise, and his talents seem to lie in coaching. He does not have a track record as a GM. Any coach hired by the Cavs would be constantly looking over their shoulders, knowing that Brown could decide to step in and coach the team himself if he doesn’t like what he sees.
Then you have the LeBron James issue. Unless LeBron has made it absolutely clear to Gilbert that he has NO PROBLEM whatsoever with Brown, Gilbert is playing with fire by risking this relationship.
Finally, it appears that Gilbert might be a little star-struck. It’s one thing to be a rich man, but for so many people that’s not enough. They are intoxicated by fame and celebrity. That might explain why Usher is an investor, and why Gilbert seems obsessed with big-name candidates like Phil Jackson and Larry Brown. He needs to hire stable professionals to run this team and then get out of the way. Instead, it looks like he wants to make a big splash by bringing in a big star. He already has the biggest star out there with Lebron, and if he isn’t careful he just might lose him.
Yeah, the Brown/LeBron situation is definitely cause for concern. I can’t imagine that Gilbert would even be talking to Brown unless LeBron’s already told him that he’s gotten over the fact that Brown benched him for most of the Olympics.
As for Gilbert being star struck, I don’t know that I agree with that. On the one hand, Brown most certainly is not the best option as GM but how can you argue with the pursuit of Phil Jackson? He always wins, ALWAYS, and he knows how to get the most out of his roster — remember how bad the Lakers were (with Shaq and Kobe) before Phil came on board?
I don’t have a problem with pursuing Jackson. He’s a stud and that make sense. But I am worried that they are now burning time over this Larry Brown option. They seem to have interviewed some good candidates, but Gilbert seems obsessed with the big names. I know we have to reserve judgement until he makes a decision, but he seems like a Daniel Snyder clone right now.
I am not worried that Danny Gilbert will become the next Daniel Snyder. I “am” however very worried that Danny Gilbert will become the next Ted Stepien
If I am Lebron, I am counting the days til I get to LA