http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/234009.html
Brown: Petrie had ruled me out before we talked
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:13 am PDT Thursday, June 21, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
From the beginning of the Kings' coaching search, the message was made clear by team co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof that this decision would be made by basketball president Geoff Petrie.
Although the process at times begged the validity of that assertion, nowhere was it more true than the mini-pursuit of Larry Brown. When the Hall of Fame coach expressed an interest to The Bee and reiterated his feeling publicly again a day later, Petrie eventually called him. It was, according to Brown and his agent, a short talk Tuesday that disclosed Petrie's true intentions.
"I had a 20-minute discussion, and I listened most of the time," Brown said Wednesday by telephone. "I think they had their minds made up before, to be honest. You talk 20 minutes on the phone, and most of the time you listen, I think obviously he had his mind made up."
Brown said he asked to meet with the Maloofs and Petrie but was rebuffed.
"I just suggested that maybe I sit down face to face with him and the brothers and talk, and that was it," Brown said. "Obviously they didn't want to do that. ... They did call (his agent Joel) Glass and said they were far along with another guy. I told Joel, 'Why would they call me then?' "
Brown's recent track record was clearly an issue, from the way his tenure ended with soap-opera flair in Detroit and New York to Brown's assertion that he did not want to "put his name out there" for the Kings' position yet was so open about his interest in the job to The Bee. Coming off the one-year Eric Musselman era that was as bad off the floor as it was on it, there was -- and is -- little tolerance for drama-filled distractions.
Although Brown said he and Petrie did not discuss contractual terms or money, Glass indicated to the team that he sought a three-year deal. That alone might have been enough to end the conversation, as the Kings -- and every other team with an opening that passed on Brown, for that matter -- were hesitant to be tied to Brown for too long. Petrie declined Wednesday to comment on his discussions with Brown. After the announcement of Reggie Theus as the next Kings coach, Joe Maloof said he and his family were interested in Brown.
"It just wasn't the right fit -- that's what Geoff said," Maloof said. "It probably wasn't the right time. We've got a team here that struggled last year, got a lot of work to do here. Larry Brown's a Hall of Fame, brilliant coach, but does he want to take on a team that, who knows, wins 40 games this year?
"Who knows what we're going to do this year? We don't know what's going to happen in the offseason, who we're going to draft. Does he really want that kind of challenge? I don't know."
Brown's interest, according to Glass, wasn't the obstacle.
"From Mr. Petrie's point of view, I don't think he had any strong inclination to go with Larry," Glass said. "I think that the mind-set was there beforehand."
And as Brown's unwanted absence from coaching is at 14 months and counting, he said he remained concerned about a legacy that continues to spark the wrong sort of attention. The Kings were the sixth of seven teams with vacancies to pass on Brown, whose last chapter was a 2005-06 season that ended with a 23-59 record in New York and a court battle over his contract.
"I don't understand why he (was) fired after winning a championship (in Detroit) and getting to the seventh game of the Finals and being a shot away from winning two in a row," Glass said. "I don't know why he got fired again in New York, except for the fact that the people there don't know what they're doing to begin with. (New York) was our fault -- 'my bad,' as the saying goes -- for not recognizing that we were getting into a very, very treacherous situation that we shouldn't have been in to begin with."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
Brown: Petrie had ruled me out before we talked
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:13 am PDT Thursday, June 21, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
From the beginning of the Kings' coaching search, the message was made clear by team co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof that this decision would be made by basketball president Geoff Petrie.
Although the process at times begged the validity of that assertion, nowhere was it more true than the mini-pursuit of Larry Brown. When the Hall of Fame coach expressed an interest to The Bee and reiterated his feeling publicly again a day later, Petrie eventually called him. It was, according to Brown and his agent, a short talk Tuesday that disclosed Petrie's true intentions.
"I had a 20-minute discussion, and I listened most of the time," Brown said Wednesday by telephone. "I think they had their minds made up before, to be honest. You talk 20 minutes on the phone, and most of the time you listen, I think obviously he had his mind made up."
Brown said he asked to meet with the Maloofs and Petrie but was rebuffed.
"I just suggested that maybe I sit down face to face with him and the brothers and talk, and that was it," Brown said. "Obviously they didn't want to do that. ... They did call (his agent Joel) Glass and said they were far along with another guy. I told Joel, 'Why would they call me then?' "
Brown's recent track record was clearly an issue, from the way his tenure ended with soap-opera flair in Detroit and New York to Brown's assertion that he did not want to "put his name out there" for the Kings' position yet was so open about his interest in the job to The Bee. Coming off the one-year Eric Musselman era that was as bad off the floor as it was on it, there was -- and is -- little tolerance for drama-filled distractions.
Although Brown said he and Petrie did not discuss contractual terms or money, Glass indicated to the team that he sought a three-year deal. That alone might have been enough to end the conversation, as the Kings -- and every other team with an opening that passed on Brown, for that matter -- were hesitant to be tied to Brown for too long. Petrie declined Wednesday to comment on his discussions with Brown. After the announcement of Reggie Theus as the next Kings coach, Joe Maloof said he and his family were interested in Brown.
"It just wasn't the right fit -- that's what Geoff said," Maloof said. "It probably wasn't the right time. We've got a team here that struggled last year, got a lot of work to do here. Larry Brown's a Hall of Fame, brilliant coach, but does he want to take on a team that, who knows, wins 40 games this year?
"Who knows what we're going to do this year? We don't know what's going to happen in the offseason, who we're going to draft. Does he really want that kind of challenge? I don't know."
Brown's interest, according to Glass, wasn't the obstacle.
"From Mr. Petrie's point of view, I don't think he had any strong inclination to go with Larry," Glass said. "I think that the mind-set was there beforehand."
And as Brown's unwanted absence from coaching is at 14 months and counting, he said he remained concerned about a legacy that continues to spark the wrong sort of attention. The Kings were the sixth of seven teams with vacancies to pass on Brown, whose last chapter was a 2005-06 season that ended with a 23-59 record in New York and a court battle over his contract.
"I don't understand why he (was) fired after winning a championship (in Detroit) and getting to the seventh game of the Finals and being a shot away from winning two in a row," Glass said. "I don't know why he got fired again in New York, except for the fact that the people there don't know what they're doing to begin with. (New York) was our fault -- 'my bad,' as the saying goes -- for not recognizing that we were getting into a very, very treacherous situation that we shouldn't have been in to begin with."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
