Larry Brown ready to coach again, should he be?

Whenever someone with a successful past wants to take one last run at the big show it makes me cringe. Whether it was Michael Jordan lacing up for the Washington Wizards or any other elite athlete making a post-prime return, the potential to add to a legacy is minimal. Instead, we all think the same thing in that the person has no business getting back into the big leagues and should settle away in retirement and coach prep sports in their home town (see Brett Favre).

While normally we talk about players, coaches are often guilty of failing to call it quits. Recently Joe Gibbs proved that while his style of play can be effective at times, it doesn't mean much if the team never responds to it. Bill Parcells left Dallas with work left to be done, and now Larry Brown wants back into the NBA or NCAA to coach basketball. Brown is 67 and already holds titles in the NCAA (Kansas, 1988) and the NBA (Detroit, 2004). As a member of the basketball Hall of Fame Brown has little left to prove. However, after a failed attempt with the Knicks (which I think we all know wasn't exactly his fault, see Isiah Thomas) Brown slipped off the sidelines and into the office as VP of the Philadelphia 76ers.

With the prospect of some high profile collegiate and NBA positions open, Brown has the type of resume that would lure suitors from across the country. However, Brown also has been noted for one very important trait, the ability to rub players the wrong way. Whether it was Allen Iverson or half the Pistons' lineup, Brown doesn't usually make friends. Larry Brown has the ability to make a team better in spite of its efforts, not because of them. When he was in New York, there were simply too many players that didn't want to comply with what coach was saying, and never really wanted to buy in. If Larry Brown seriously wants to get back on the sidelines, he's going to have to adjust to the selfish style of play that roughly 25 NBA franchises play and almost all star college players throw down.

Hey Larry, I'm on your side. Players are too selfish and need the fundamentals, but sadly your message is that of an old man to a bunch of punk kids.

Even Joe Paterno thinks Larry Brown is too washed up to coach again.