Perhaps not so incredibly, former Knicks G Greg Anthony would be willing to leave a job where he has to sit alongside Stephen A. Smith every night for the position of Cleveland’s General Manager.
(Young Republican Greg wondering if the Pagans have their own wing in the Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Fame yet)
Of course, Cleveland already have a GM in Jim Paxson, who is now officially Twisting In The Wind.
The New York Daily News’ Mitch Lawrence reports on the Pistons’ contingency plans if Larry Brown decides not to return to Detroit.
Brown still might walk away at season’s end, although he’s spent most of the season trying to dispel the idea he’ll wind up leaving Detroit to coach Kobe Bryant in L.A. The Pistons apparently are preparing for that possibility. They are interested in Flip Saunders and have begun working back-channels to reach out to the ex-Minnesota coach, sources said. It’s all being kept on the hush, of course, with Brown still on the job.
But just a few seasons back, when Rick Carlisle was still their coach, they reportedly felt out Brown about taking over. It smacks of being unethical, but it’s common in the NBA. As Knicks fans might recall, Dave Checketts talked to Phil Jackson about coaching the Knicks in the spring of 1999 when Jeff Van Gundy was their coach.
If the Pistons go after Saunders, they’re sure to get competition from Portland, which tried to hire the former Timberwolves coach a few seasons ago. Milwaukee is said to be interested, if the Bucks give Terry Porter his pink slip.
One word of advice to everyone: Bring money to the negotiations. Saunders doesn’t have the best playoff record, but that won’t stop him from asking for $7 million per season.