ducks
07-07-2005, 03:23 PM
DREW SHARP: Sorry, Larry, it's time to go
July 7, 2005
BY DREW SHARP
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
Joe Dumars -- a master of good timing -- must trust his instincts now more than ever.
He's well-schooled in defusing time bombs. His cool was developed two summers ago, when he sat beside Rick Carlisle at a press conference and rationalized why he dismissed the man who had just returned the Pistons to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 12 years.
He seemed fairly confident that he would never endure such a bizarre scenario again.
But then came Larry Brown.
It's looking more and more like a can't-win situation for Dumars, whose greatest executive strength has been a keen sense of knowing precisely when to cut bait and move on.
He's heard plenty from the Brown camp lately. Shelly Brown stayed on message when she told the New York Post that her husband plans on returning to the Pistons -- health permitting, of course.
"Larry loves his guys in Detroit," she was quoted as saying in Wednesday's editions. "Everything's in place to win another championship. He's got all his guys there. He has his team."
Later Wednesday, Larry Brown told the Associated Press: "I just want to get well and coach the Pistons. I've been saying that for a long time, but nobody seems to believe me. I don't know what else I can say....
"The doctors told me to get some rest, so that's what I'm trying to do."
But the Pistons still haven't heard the two words they need to hear -- "I'm healthy."
Intentions were true...
Brown can't say it because he doesn't know.
His doctors don't know.
Nobody knows.
Shelly Brown told the Post that her husband would need two to six weeks to recuperate from bladder surgery performed last week.
"We just have to monitor Larry's health," Brown's agent, Joe Glass, told AP. "The Mayo Clinic could not give him a timeframe for his next step, so I certainly can't do that."
In other words, wait and see.
But uncertainty has a finite shelf life. Dumars and owner Bill Davidson can't wait much longer before they'll be forced to decide whether to cut Brown loose with a parting gift that exceeds $10 million or risk losing an experienced replacement who won't be available come August.
Of course it's not completely Brown's fault that this issue has turned into a soap opera.
The public has needlessly vilified the man, myopically focusing on his history instead of concentrating on the present.
Has everyone forgotten that this matter remains, first and foremost, a medical issue?
Everyone seems to think the Pistons should have seen this dilemma coming when they hitched their fortunes to Brown's ever-wayward wagon.
But Dumars could not have known that Brown would need hip replacement surgery or that Brown would develop potential long-range complications from the procedure that could hinder his desire to coach.
But a decision must be made
But now, it doesn't matter whether Brown wants to coach the Pistons next season.
It's a simple question of whether, medically speaking, he can coach them, and whether the Pistons can trust the unpredictable physical temperaments of a soon-to-be 65-year-old body.
And if the Brown camp remains content in waving caveats in everyone's face -- postponing a decision that must be made -- then the resolution inevitably will fall upon Dumars and Davidson, two gentlemen who didn't attain their lofty statures by making emotionally saturated decisions.
This is business, and success is measured through maximizing results while minimizing risks.
Contact DREW SHARP at 313-223-4055 or [email protected]. Order his book, "Razor Sharp," for $14.95 at www.freep.com/bookstore or by calling 800-245-5082.
July 7, 2005
BY DREW SHARP
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
Joe Dumars -- a master of good timing -- must trust his instincts now more than ever.
He's well-schooled in defusing time bombs. His cool was developed two summers ago, when he sat beside Rick Carlisle at a press conference and rationalized why he dismissed the man who had just returned the Pistons to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 12 years.
He seemed fairly confident that he would never endure such a bizarre scenario again.
But then came Larry Brown.
It's looking more and more like a can't-win situation for Dumars, whose greatest executive strength has been a keen sense of knowing precisely when to cut bait and move on.
He's heard plenty from the Brown camp lately. Shelly Brown stayed on message when she told the New York Post that her husband plans on returning to the Pistons -- health permitting, of course.
"Larry loves his guys in Detroit," she was quoted as saying in Wednesday's editions. "Everything's in place to win another championship. He's got all his guys there. He has his team."
Later Wednesday, Larry Brown told the Associated Press: "I just want to get well and coach the Pistons. I've been saying that for a long time, but nobody seems to believe me. I don't know what else I can say....
"The doctors told me to get some rest, so that's what I'm trying to do."
But the Pistons still haven't heard the two words they need to hear -- "I'm healthy."
Intentions were true...
Brown can't say it because he doesn't know.
His doctors don't know.
Nobody knows.
Shelly Brown told the Post that her husband would need two to six weeks to recuperate from bladder surgery performed last week.
"We just have to monitor Larry's health," Brown's agent, Joe Glass, told AP. "The Mayo Clinic could not give him a timeframe for his next step, so I certainly can't do that."
In other words, wait and see.
But uncertainty has a finite shelf life. Dumars and owner Bill Davidson can't wait much longer before they'll be forced to decide whether to cut Brown loose with a parting gift that exceeds $10 million or risk losing an experienced replacement who won't be available come August.
Of course it's not completely Brown's fault that this issue has turned into a soap opera.
The public has needlessly vilified the man, myopically focusing on his history instead of concentrating on the present.
Has everyone forgotten that this matter remains, first and foremost, a medical issue?
Everyone seems to think the Pistons should have seen this dilemma coming when they hitched their fortunes to Brown's ever-wayward wagon.
But Dumars could not have known that Brown would need hip replacement surgery or that Brown would develop potential long-range complications from the procedure that could hinder his desire to coach.
But a decision must be made
But now, it doesn't matter whether Brown wants to coach the Pistons next season.
It's a simple question of whether, medically speaking, he can coach them, and whether the Pistons can trust the unpredictable physical temperaments of a soon-to-be 65-year-old body.
And if the Brown camp remains content in waving caveats in everyone's face -- postponing a decision that must be made -- then the resolution inevitably will fall upon Dumars and Davidson, two gentlemen who didn't attain their lofty statures by making emotionally saturated decisions.
This is business, and success is measured through maximizing results while minimizing risks.
Contact DREW SHARP at 313-223-4055 or [email protected]. Order his book, "Razor Sharp," for $14.95 at www.freep.com/bookstore or by calling 800-245-5082.