Although he’s a rock in his coaching duties, Brown is notoriously impulsive and constantly unsure whether he’s making the right career decision. The Knicks’ situation could quickly become a burden upon a man who was very close to not taking the job in the first place. The topics of his desire to remain in the job, and his health, will be discussed constantly in New York. That could hasten his exit.";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "
He had an angioplasty in the spring of 2003. He’s had the entire 2004-05 season to rest and reflect. He has given himself a clean bill of health. However, he turns 60 on September 17. That’s not too old to coach, but it might be too old to rebuild. He signed a three-year deal worth $10 million per annum. The Lakers wanted him back to give some hope to the fans, who stayed away in droves last year.
But is this worth it for him physically and emotionally? It’s highly doubtful that he’ll be able to win a championship during the next three seasons. What he hopes to do is get the Lakers back to respectability. However, if he has too many battles with Kobe, and becomes too frustrated with the day-to-day grind of trying to compete, don’t be surprised if he pulls a Rudy Tomjanovich and bails out sooner than expected.";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "Dealing with media spotlight/pressure";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "
The man has coached in just about every media market in North America, in the pros and college ranks and in the Olympics. A phalanx of microphones doesn’t phase him; if anything, he thrives on the attention. The difference this time is New York City. Although he once coached the New Jersey Nets, the same metropolitan area, it isn’t nearly the same.
Knicks fans are harsh. They’re also unreasonable, figuring that their heroes should always win simply because they play in the basketball mecca. And the media in the Big Apple are ravenous. It won’t matter much that the roster is skimpy, and that Brown is unlikely to reproduce the recent success he had at Detroit. He will be roasted on talk radio and in the tabloids whenever the Knicks stumble. He is certainly experienced enough to withstand most of it, but he’s more sensitive and thin-skinned than his counterpart in L.A. and the grind may eventually get to him.";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "
The Zen Master has also been ringmaster of two three-ring circuses, in Chicago and Los Angeles. When he coached Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, he became adept at dealing with the crush of local and national media. He also was skilled at keeping a cool head when controversies arose, as they did often with Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman on the same team. In L.A., he refereed the Shaq-Kobe disputes, which often spilled out in public.
He has handled pressure beautifully because he has had so much practice at it. Both the Bulls and Lakers were always predicted to win, so he became accustomed to high expectations. It’s just the opposite now in his new assignment: In his second time around with the franchise, he has been given little talent, so even a slight improvement over last year’s lousy finish by the Lakers will garner him praise from fans.";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "Dealing with a
headstrong superstar";
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He has worked with all types of personalities and egos over the years, and usually has gained the respect of the players under his tutelage. His most notable clash of wills took place in Philadelphia, where he butted heads with Allen Iverson over the course of six seasons. Brown is stern and demanding, but he also has lots of patience and knows how to coax and cajole effort out of his superstars.
With the Knicks, he will have to co-exist with Stephon Marbury, who has been a problem child wherever he’s been. The two had a strained relationship during the last Olympic Games, but Marbury insists he’s happy to have Brown aboard. However, the NBA season lasts a lot longer than an Olympic get-together, and it’s a cinch Brown and Marbury will run into trouble, specifically over Brown’s belief that a point guard should be a setup man first rather than a scorer. But if anyone can get the most out of Marbury, it’s Brown.";
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He has had a great deal of experience around massive egos and strong wills – Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Shaquille O’Neal. But Kobe Bryant represents his greatest challenge in this area, which is why it’s so intriguing to see him take the Lakers’ reins yet again for another tour of duty around the man who was the catalyst for breaking up the team at the end of Jackson’s first tenure.
Jackson maintains a cool exterior, but he revealed in the book he wrote after he left the Lakers how fed up he became with Kobe’s arrogance and disregard for authority. The two supposedly have made up, or at least reached agreement on some sort of working relationship. There is speculation that, because Shaq is gone, Kobe will be easier for Jackson to deal with because he doesn’t have to share the basketball, and all the emphasis will be on his talents. But it’s inevitable that sparks will fly again. Jackson is wiser now, but there will still be great friction between the two, especially if the team struggles.";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "Revamping personnel";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "
It is likely that Brown did not agree to come to New York until he was assured of having significant input into personnel decisions; remember, he almost took a front office job with the Cavaliers. That is especially important with Isiah Thomas as the team’s president, because Isiah has a spotty record as an architect of a roster.
Like the Lakers, the Knicks are capped out for some time, so there is not much Brown can do to radically transform the makeup of his team. But he will press to fill holes as they appear, and they will appear. If the Marbury situation becomes intolerable for him, don’t be surprised to see Brown push to trade his difficult star, assuming the Knicks can find a taker. Brown will eventually tailor his team so it is dominated by defensive-minded players.";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "
This time around, Jerry West is gone. So are the key members of the Lakers’ squad that won three straight NBA titles, guys like Shaq, Rick Fox, Robert Horry and Derek Fisher. In their places are players like Kwame Brown, rookie Andrew Bynum, Chris Mihm, Lamar Odom and Devean George.
Jackson will have more input this time around and will work closely with GM Mitch Kupchak to obtain the kind of players who will fit into his triangle offense, like big point guard Aaron McKie. But there isn’t much he can really do. The Lakers will have to build through the draft, and with the occasional free agent who is willing to come to L.A. and play for less. Jackson certainly is good at getting the most out of the players he does have. But in this case, the cupboard is somewhat bare, so Jackson will just have to be patient until the cavalry arrives, in some form or another.";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "Xs & Os";
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One of the best defensive strategists in the game, Brown will immediately improve the Knicks in that area, even with a dearth of quality athletes. He is superb at coordinating his players in such a way that they work in unison to smother the opposing club. Just look at what the Pistons did two years ago to Kobe and the Lakers in the NBA Finals, and what they almost did to the more talented Spurs last June.
He is not as well-regarded as an offensive strategist, but that’s probably because he hasn’t always been blessed with an abundance of scoring talent during his years in the NBA, and because his defensive expertise is so lauded. He’ll have the Knicks running more smoothly on both ends. Whether that translates into victories is anyone’s guess.";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "
He knows the game as well as anyone, but rarely gets the credit because he won six championships with Michael Jordan and three more with Shaq and Kobe. But he learned under Red Holzman in New York and later was mentored by Tex Winter in the triangle. He likes a lot of motion and ball movement.
He’s not rigid, but rather a creative thinker whose basketball philosophy is always evolving and always adapting to the current personnel and the opposition. He does not put nearly as much emphasis on the defensive end as he does on offense, which could be a slight problem now because if there’s one area these Lakers were dreadful in last season, it was defense. But he’s capable, and will probably devote himself more to defense this year.";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "Strength of competition";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "
Miami, Detroit and Indiana are the top three teams in the Eastern Conference. After that, there are no guarantees. Some young teams like Chicago and Washington that made the playoffs last season might falter this coming year because they’re not experienced and consistent enough yet. While the Knicks don’t have a wealth of talent, they probably have enough to contend for Nos. 7 or 8 playoff berths.
Boston and Philadelphia are two clubs that could finish anywhere from No. 3 to out of the postseason altogether. The Knicks were 33-49 in the Atlantic Division in 2004-05, good for last place. Brown’s presence alone could make a difference of 10 games, which would have gotten the Knicks into the playoffs last spring.";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "
The Western Conference has slipped a bit in the past two seasons, but it is still regarded as superior to the East. Jackson’s problem is trying to nudge the Lakers back among the top eight and into the postseason. It won’t be easy. These Lakers are undertalented and inexperienced. And they will have lots of competition.
Phoenix, San Antonio, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Sacramento, Denver and Memphis all are capable of making a legitimate return to the playoffs. Also, Minnesota, Golden State and the Clippers will be improved. The Lakers were 34-48 last season. Memphis, which had the No. 8 spot, was 45-37. It’s unlikely the Lakers will make that much improvement. If Jackson can get them back to .500 in the first year of a three-year contract, that would be an outstanding step forward.";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "YOUR PICK:
Obviously you respect both coaches equally, but next time try to take a stand!";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "YOUR PICK:
The coach has returned to New York, and maybe a little home cooking will help the Knicks get to the playoffs.";
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spt_brown_jackson_comparo[i-1].body = "YOUR PICK:
He's back with the Lakers, and maybe the lack of Shaq-Kobe sniping will help him lead this team back to the playoffs."; // END editorial data