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Pastimes : Basketball Junkie Forum (NBA) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: MythMan who wrote (1029)	6/1/2003 5:23:56 AM
From: George Papadopoulos	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2233

shock and awe, brown to go out with an NBA ring or rings! Carlisle, Pistons' management clashed Saturday, May 31, 2003 BY DREW SHARP FREE PRESS COLUMNIST The only thing more surreal than Saturday's impromptu press conference announcing the apparently amicable divorce between Rick Carlisle and the Pistons was the 48 hours leading up to it. ``Surreal isn't the word for it,'' said Pistons team president Joe Dumars. ``It goes beyond unbelievable when trying to describe everything that' s happened to get us to this point.'' Larry Brown, the recent Philadelphia 76ers ex, is coming to Detroit. Carlisle may very well wind up in Cleveland. And a city coming off the euphoria of its first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 12 years tries to understand how a coach who won 100 games faster than any of his predecessors in this franchise's history could fall into disfavor with management so decisively. ``This was the best course for everyone involved,'' said Dumars. ``I can't really go into any specifics as to why this happened. It was just agreed that it was in everyone's best interests that we all move on and move forward.'' There were a myriad of irreconcilable differences that led up to this mutual separation, but the bottom line is that Carlisle alienated far too many people within the Pistons' organization with his frequent churlish behavior and obstinate coaching approach. He ticked off the wrong people. He treated certain factions of the organization with utter disrespect. He rejected overtures from practically everyone in the organization aimed at improving his communication skills, particularly in regard to younger players. Dumars will understandably take the hit from the same critics who for the last month blasted the possibility that Carlisle's status could be in jeopardy as ridiculous and irresponsible. That's his job as the front man for this organization, but parting company with Carlisle was a decision endorsed by everyone within the Pistons' basketball brain trust from top to bottom. Dumars had decided not to extend Carlisle's original three-year contract, creating a situation where Carlisle could be interpreted as a lame duck next season. He wasn't sure if Carlisle could ditch the stubbornness and surliness that got him into this predicament, but he initially thought that Carlisle had earned the chance to prove that he learned the error of his ways. But Thursday, it was determined that Carlisle wouldn't get that chance. Too many bridges had been burned, too many sensibilities had been offended, too many concerns remained. The Pistons contacted Brown, who was just days removed from the Philadelphia job, through back channels, gauging his interest in the job, if any. Dumars wouldn't have made a final decision on Carlisle unless he was certain that Brown was his guaranteed successor. According to league sources, Brown agreed to take the Pistons' job Friday afternoon at a salary that could surpass $5 million annually for five years. Carlisle was notified of the team's decision Friday evening at his home in South Carolina. He later leaked word of his firing to ESPN.com's NBA reporter, Ric Buecher, who reported it early Saturday morning, sending the Pistons into a frenzy of premature denials. The original plan called for only Dumars to address the media, but Carlisle asked to go out with Dumars, creating a bizarre scene in which the man who did the firing looked more uncomfortable than the man fired. This was a Carlisle that was rarely seen -- engaging, humorous and self-effacing. Had he better communicated that side of himself to his employers and players, he might not have found himself in this position. Perhaps he was too insecure as a first-time head coach to let people see that side of him, but it was refreshing, although unfortunately for him, it came too late to save him. But it may help him land his next job. Carlisle was auditioning for his next employer. He knew the press conference would be covered live nationally on ESPN and the sight of he and Dumars sitting side-by-side and showering each other with praise might ease fears of other general managers. It will help Carlisle only if he has indeed learned his lesson. It doesn't matter how many regular season games are won or division championship banners are raised, if you are branded as acting disrespectful to people in the organization and unwilling to change, you are going to create problems. And, in this case, it created problems that Carlisle couldn't overcome.