Geoff Petrie would have to have put on his bad idea jeans to even remotely consider this, but think of it for a second: Larry Brown potentially coaching Ron Artest, malcontent of malcontents in Sacramento next season. Brown himself is spouting off about the possibility to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee:
Brown, whose health problems aggravated his situation with management in Detroit, insists that his chronic bladder condition is manageable. He says he has been invigorated by the sabbatical and is emotionally eager to resume coaching. He also mentions his appreciation for Sacramento’s fans — “It’s like a college environment,” Brown praised — and without prompting, cites his familiarity with several Kings.
He coached Mike Bibby to a superb performance with the 2003 U.S. national team and Shareef Abdur-Rahim in the 2000 Olympic Games. He drafted John Salmons and extracted a very productive season out of Kenny Thomas during their time together in Philadelphia. Additionally, Corliss Williamson, who won the Sixth Man of the Year award and his only NBA title with Brown in Detroit, remains a strong admirer.
Other candidates for the Kings vacancy include Lakers assistant Brian Shaw and New Mexico State coach Reggie Theus, but basketball isn’t really basketball as we know it without the drama that is Larry Brown coaching in the pro or college ranks somewhere. Plus, despite the fact that the Kings may want to cut bait with Ron Artest down the line, on paper, it looks like an ideal matchup — Artest, when not going crazy off-court, is still a defensive demon, and Brown is nothing if not a defensive stalwart; he can take a mediocre Western Conference team and at least make them semi-competitive again.
However, a more selfish reason would be the personality conflicts that would be inevitable if Brown and Artest meet up — imagine the “Ask Ron-Ron” column fodder about getting an old man off your back. Petrie would have to be nuts to do it, but for the material alone, it’s worth it.
Kings’ search heads for the stars [Sacramento Bee]
Ailene Voisin: Brown wants chance to do what he does [Sacramento Bee]
Filed under: NBA, coaches, front office | Tagged: Larry Brown
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