ESPN.com’s Chad Ford is reporting that Larry Brown has already accepted the position of Director Of Basketball Operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Given that the league showed no inclination to force the likes of Alonzo Mourning, Glenn Robinson or Jimmy Jackson to live up to their contractual obligations earlier this year, should it surprise anyone that the Head Coach of the defending champs, whom ideally should be solely focused on the task currently at hand in the Eastern Conference Finals, can so easily be tampered with?


(Larry calmly reacts to Darko asking “who gets your parking space?”)

When Jeff Van Gundy questioned the integrity of the league a few weeks ago, he was only skimming the surface of what’s wrong. Detroit players, management and fans alike oughta be pissed. Larry Brown is obviously one of the game’s sharpest minds, and recent reports of serious health problems would certainly explain his reluctance to continue coaching. But it really makes the league and the Pistons look like saps for Brown to be negotiating a new gig with a division rival while Detroit are still fighting for a repeat crown.