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Vincent out: Is Brown in
as coach for Bobcats?
Jordan mum on what comes next for Charlotte
RICK BONNELL AND DAVID SCOTT
rbonnell@charlotteobserver.com and
Out with the new, in with the old?
The Charlotte Bobcats fired rookie coach Sam Vincent Saturday following a 32-50 season, and it appears they're considering replacing him with a 67-year-old Hall of Famer.
Various NBA sources connected Larry Brown to the Bobcats' coaching opening Saturday. Another coach who wants that job believes Brown is well down the road to accepting it, if he hasn't already. An associate of Brown's said that while he hasn't talked with Brown recently, he believes Brown will end up with the Bobcats.
Vincent anticipates Brown replacing him, saying late Saturday he believes Brown's availability was a key factor in his dismissal.
"There's speculation it's Larry Brown, and if it is Larry Brown, I can't fight that,'' Vincent told the Observer. "I can't compete with Larry Brown here off the court. I mean, he's Mr. North Carolina around here.
"But on the court, you saw how many wins he had the last season he coached, with the Knicks, and with a payroll that was so much bigger than mine.''
Vincent was referring to Brown's 23-59 season (2005-06) in New York. That was the eighth NBA team Brown has coached and the only one he didn't improve. The Knicks' payroll is typically one of the NBA's highest, nearing $100 million, while the Bobcats had the second-lowest this season at just over $54 million.
After one friction-filled season working for Knicks team president Isiah Thomas and owner James Dolan, Brown was fired. He settled his contract and has worked most recently as executive vice president of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Brown resigned from the 76ers Thursday, indicating he was intent on finding a coaching job. His agent, Joe Glass, would neither confirm nor deny Saturday he's in contact with the Bobcats.
"I never comment on what conversations we have,'' Glass said. "That doesn't mean we have or haven't talked to them or (discussed) a half-dozen other situations, including colleges.''
The Bobcats are one of three NBA franchises looking for head coaches. The Knicks and Chicago Bulls also have openings; obviously the Knicks make no sense for Brown with Dolan still serving as owner, despite close friend (and fellow Tar Heel) Donnie Walsh taking over that operation. It's unclear whether the Bulls have interest in Brown.
The other team that fired its coach following the season, the Milwaukee Bucks, quickly hired Scott Skiles.
Brown has deep ties to the area. He played at North Carolina, coached the Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association and briefly signed to coach Davidson, resigning before coaching a game.
He still has family here from his first marriage and his mother lives in a Charlotte retirement home.
Brown's long resume -- 17 playoff teams in 22 NBA seasons, championships in both the NBA (Detroit Pistons) and NCAA (Kansas) -- would be a dramatic contrast from Vincent, who was an NBA assistant in Dallas for one season before being hired by Bobcats managing partner Michael Jordan.
The Bobcats did not make Jordan available for interviews Saturday. Jordan's only comment on firing Vincent came in a prepared statement released by the team.
"The decision to remove Sam as head coach after just one season was difficult, but it was a decision that had to be made because my first obligation is to do what is in the best interest of our team," Jordan said.
Vincent said he heard nothing from Jordan suggesting he didn't deserve to continue as coach.
"I don't think anything happened that made me not warrant a second season,'' Vincent said. "If it has something to do with other than (job performance), then so be it. I'll sacrifice for the organization. I understand that.
"Michael told me I didn't do a poor job in my first year, that it was a decision he had to make for the good of the organization. But I think Michael had some organizational things that he was having to deal with as a whole.''
