Mr.Bottomtooth
01-06-2007, 02:02 PM
Brown back; source: Webber buyout?By PHIL JASNER
[email protected]
MINNEAPOLIS - Larry Brown will not be an unofficial adviser to the 76ers anymore. He's coming back in the front office.
The former Sixers coach will be named an executive vice president today, with responsibilities in basketball operations and special projects relating to basketball.
A source, meanwhile, indicated that the Sixers have been working on a potential buyout of the remainder of Chris Webber's contract.
Those developments came to light as the Sixers dropped a 104-102 overtime decision to the Timberwolves last night.
Brown first came to the Sixers in 1997-98 as head coach and vice president of basketball operations. He took them to the NBA Finals in 2000-01, then left to coach the Detroit Pistons.
He won a championship in 2003-04, then took Detroit back to the Finals the following season. In '05-06, he joined the New York Knicks, a situation that collapsed around him. He was replaced this season by Isiah Thomas.
Brown, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, moved his family back to the Philadelphia suburbs after leaving the Knicks, and was advising Sixers president/GM Billy King and the basketball operations staff for virtually the entire season.
Webber remained in the team's hotel last night during the game as he battled flulike symptoms. He joined the team in time to ride the bus to the airport for the charter flight back to Philadelphia. This was the ninth game in the last 12 in which he was unavailable, in part because of right foot and ankle problems.
He has a $20,718,750 salary this season and is due $22,312,500 next season.
It remained unclear how far along discussions have gone. King did not respond to two e-mail messages from the Daily News last night and was unavailable for comment. Senior vice president and assistant GM Tony DiLeo, who was traveling with the team, declined to comment.
[email protected]
MINNEAPOLIS - Larry Brown will not be an unofficial adviser to the 76ers anymore. He's coming back in the front office.
The former Sixers coach will be named an executive vice president today, with responsibilities in basketball operations and special projects relating to basketball.
A source, meanwhile, indicated that the Sixers have been working on a potential buyout of the remainder of Chris Webber's contract.
Those developments came to light as the Sixers dropped a 104-102 overtime decision to the Timberwolves last night.
Brown first came to the Sixers in 1997-98 as head coach and vice president of basketball operations. He took them to the NBA Finals in 2000-01, then left to coach the Detroit Pistons.
He won a championship in 2003-04, then took Detroit back to the Finals the following season. In '05-06, he joined the New York Knicks, a situation that collapsed around him. He was replaced this season by Isiah Thomas.
Brown, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, moved his family back to the Philadelphia suburbs after leaving the Knicks, and was advising Sixers president/GM Billy King and the basketball operations staff for virtually the entire season.
Webber remained in the team's hotel last night during the game as he battled flulike symptoms. He joined the team in time to ride the bus to the airport for the charter flight back to Philadelphia. This was the ninth game in the last 12 in which he was unavailable, in part because of right foot and ankle problems.
He has a $20,718,750 salary this season and is due $22,312,500 next season.
It remained unclear how far along discussions have gone. King did not respond to two e-mail messages from the Daily News last night and was unavailable for comment. Senior vice president and assistant GM Tony DiLeo, who was traveling with the team, declined to comment.