On The Ball

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Larry Brown

If there's one thing I learned about Larry Brown in the six years I covered the Philadelphia 76ers as a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun, it's that Brown has more sides to his personality that even the most complex multiple personality disorder patient.

Brown has an almost three-sided persona that can be both, exhilaratingly refreshing and maddeningly melancholy. With Brown, you truly take the bad with the good with a little bit of ugly thrown in for good measure. One day, things have never looked better in 'Larry Land' and the next, depending on which player is the object of one of Brown's frequent tongue-lashings, things may appear to be bleaker than a forthcoming IRS audit.

Don't get me wrong. The man can flat out, coach. I don't think there's any denying his Hall of Fame credentials.

Likewise, however, there is also no denying that Brown brings his share of baggage along with his impressive resume.

Having said all of this, let's take a look at the three sides of Larry Brown's perplexing personality.

First, the good.

With Brown at the helm of any franchise, you know what he brings to the table. A tireless work ethic and an 'old-school' system that has produced eye-opening results wherever he's gone. From Kansas to the Clippers, Brown has made a trend of turning bad teams into better ones before he packs up shop and moves on to his next destination.

Brown not only gets his teams to, "play the game the right way" but he generally makes each player he has ever coached, with the exception of Glen 'Big Dog' Robinson, a more complete and overall, better player.

If you're looking for an increase in wins, then Brown is, without a doubt, your man.

Now for the bad.

Describing Brown as temperamental would be a serious understatement. As I stated earlier, Brown is known to be as whimsical as they come.

I've been telling people for years that Larry Brown's worst enemy is Larry Brown. Meaning, that Brown's quick temperament can sometimes make for irrational decision-making, especially on personnel moves.

Case in point.

Brown soured on a young Larry Hughes after drafting the then, 18 year-old out of St. Louis University after only one season. Instead of allowing time for Hughes' inevitable development, Brown got rid of Hughes like three-day old meatloaf.

Now, a backcourt of Allen Iverson and Larry Hughes looks like they would create havoc across the league at both ends of the floor. Too bad for the Sixers though, Hughes has been long gone from the Philly landscape for quite some time now because of Brown - although Hughes didn't help his case by whining about playing time as a talented 19 year-old without a clue of how to actually play the game.

Anyway, that's some of the bad Larry Brown. Now, on to the ugly. You may want to put on a seat belt because this ride may be a bit bumpy.

Brown, as mercurial as he may be, seems to genuinely love his players - to a certain extent that is.

On more than one occasion, Brown has been known to become abrasive, for lack of a better word, with his players.

Don't forget that, way before the Larry Brown-Allen Iverson soap opera ever aired in Philadelphia, Brown had another public spat with his Indiana Pacers players, who tired of Brown's constant griping.

Brown has also had other tenures with teams that have turned into nasty divorces that, fortunately, seem to usually end in a fairly quick fashion.

Not only has Brown clashed with players in the past, but also with management and ownership as well.

Before Pistons owner Bill Davidson ever uttered his "There was too much Larry Brown and not enough Detroit Pistons" quote, Brown bumped heads with team officials in Philadelphia, Indiana and New Jersey as well.

So Brown does have his share of baggage and then some.

However, he is arguably the best coach in the game today at any level anywhere in the world. Personally, I think Brown's positives far outweigh his negatives. Others, like Davidson, on the other hand, may disagree vehemently.

One thing about Brown is certain. Before he can be called anything else - whether you like him or not - Brown must be called a winner.

Previous Editions

• A True Friend - July 18, 2005
• McMillian Leaves Sonics Clutching Thin Air - July 11, 2005
• Cavaliers Land Larry Hughes - July 9, 2005
• Cardiac Kids - July 7, 2005
• Sonics Takin' Care of Business - July 5, 2005
• 2005 NBA Draft Winners & Losers - July 1, 2005
• From 0 to 30 in 60 Seconds: The NBA Draft - June 29, 2005
• Wizards Future Is Bright Despite Sweep - June 21, 2005

About Eric Williams

Eric Williams is six year veteran Sports columnist for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun. Eric was born and raised in Philadelphia and has covered all four major professional sports in the Philadelphia area. He has also covered golf, track and field, soccer, tennis and bicycling.

Lifetime Boston Celtics fan. Basketball and football are his favorite sports. Eric is married with five children and currently resides in Marshall, Missouri.

Comments and feedback can be sent to eklass66@yahoo.com