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ShareLarry Brown Steps Down As 76ers Coach And Vice President Of Basketball Operations Additional Quotes
Comcast-Spectacor Chairman Ed Snider announced on Monday, May 26 that Larry Brown has resigned as the Philadelphia 76ers head coach and vice president of basketball operations, General Manager Billy King has been named president of the team and Dave Coskey, currently the team’s executive vice president, will expand his duties and has been named president of a new Comcast-Spectacor Marketing Division.
Here is some additional reaction:
“Obviously, Billy (King) and his staff are going to make a list and they will run it by me as a courtesy. Certainly, I am going to be interested in what we are going to be doing.”
On future compensation if Brown coaches in the NBA
“The Sixers got some compensation because we were released from a contract for $6 million for two years. It was a mutual agreement between Larry’s agent and ourselves. Obviously, Larry didn’t have to resign. He could have stayed here as an unhappy coach and collected $6 million a year. We didn’t want him to be unhappy and we didn’t want to force him to coach, so we made a mutual agreement that released him from the obligation of coaching for us and gave him the ability to coach elsewhere.”
On Brown’s longevity with the organization
“After a while, I think players, if they have been around for a long time, tune out coaches I think in all sports. That is why it is rare that a coach last longer than six years….Larry is such a class act that he felt like that was beginning to happen and he felt like he had done all he could accomplish here. Really it is a tremendous disadvantage to put himself personally because he really does love it here, his wife loves it here, his family loves it here…. Basically it is really a tough thing for him to do. I admire the guy’s fortitude and honesty.”
On the status of the remainder of Larry Brown’s contract
“We mutually agreed to allow Larry to pursue whatever he wants to pursue. We’re very happy with the agreement that we made.”
"The one thing is that every year I have been with Larry, especially the last six, is that he has given me more and more authority and say. Like I said up there (at the press conference) for 10 years I have been with him and I have learned a lot from him NBA wise. I think I am prepared for the challenge. I have some great people that I work with, Tony DiLeo and Courtney Witte. We have a foundation that we are trying to build on."
On if he'll do anything different than Larry Brown
"I'll rely on my basketball background; being with Larry for 10 years, playing for Coach (Krzyzewski) at Duke and I have been involved with some great assistants. I think what I have learned from him and what I have learned in the league just from watching is what we'll try to do here. Defense is going to be a mainstay. (Larry) thought we needed to be more athletic and try to run more. Those are the areas that we are going to look to expand on. At the end of the season, we really sat down and evaluated the team, before we talked about this, and said 'What does this team need?'"
On if this surprised him
"Having been with him for 10 years, you get to know someone. The more we talked about it, I got the sense that he was maybe leaning that way. When I spoke that Saturday after the press conference, I did say 'That was Larry being Larry,' because maybe I thought he might change his mind. This is something that he felt that it was time."
On if the team needs an overhaul
"I don't think it's a major overhaul because we did get to Game 6 in the (second round of the) playoffs. I think if you are a team that didn't get to the playoffs, you need a major overhaul. I think we need some pieces. You can't talk about the pieces until you figure out who is going to coach the team because you have to hire a coach with the philosophy that we want. "
On if his next coach should have NBA coaching experience
"I think he should be a coach. I won't say it's going to be a pro coach or college coach. I think we are trying to find the best coach possible."
“I’m especially lucky because I get to work for the team in the city where I grew up. If you go back and look at my high school career, I only got in trouble one time, and that’s when I cut school to go to the Flyers parade. It’s incredible. It’s challenging. It’s a cool opportunity for a Philadelphia person.”
On his role as it pertains to the Philadelphia Flyers organization
“I’ll be responsible for overseeing the marketing and public relations - a lot of the things that I specialized in with the Sixers. I’ll be helping out with some of those same things with the Flyers and the Phantoms.”
Here is some additional reaction:
 |
Comcast-Spectacor Chairman Ed Snider
On the next coach“Obviously, Billy (King) and his staff are going to make a list and they will run it by me as a courtesy. Certainly, I am going to be interested in what we are going to be doing.”
On future compensation if Brown coaches in the NBA
“The Sixers got some compensation because we were released from a contract for $6 million for two years. It was a mutual agreement between Larry’s agent and ourselves. Obviously, Larry didn’t have to resign. He could have stayed here as an unhappy coach and collected $6 million a year. We didn’t want him to be unhappy and we didn’t want to force him to coach, so we made a mutual agreement that released him from the obligation of coaching for us and gave him the ability to coach elsewhere.”
On Brown’s longevity with the organization
“After a while, I think players, if they have been around for a long time, tune out coaches I think in all sports. That is why it is rare that a coach last longer than six years….Larry is such a class act that he felt like that was beginning to happen and he felt like he had done all he could accomplish here. Really it is a tremendous disadvantage to put himself personally because he really does love it here, his wife loves it here, his family loves it here…. Basically it is really a tough thing for him to do. I admire the guy’s fortitude and honesty.”
On the status of the remainder of Larry Brown’s contract
“We mutually agreed to allow Larry to pursue whatever he wants to pursue. We’re very happy with the agreement that we made.”
 |
Sixers President and General Manager Billy King
On having the final say on team personnel moves as Team President and General Manager"The one thing is that every year I have been with Larry, especially the last six, is that he has given me more and more authority and say. Like I said up there (at the press conference) for 10 years I have been with him and I have learned a lot from him NBA wise. I think I am prepared for the challenge. I have some great people that I work with, Tony DiLeo and Courtney Witte. We have a foundation that we are trying to build on."
On if he'll do anything different than Larry Brown
"I'll rely on my basketball background; being with Larry for 10 years, playing for Coach (Krzyzewski) at Duke and I have been involved with some great assistants. I think what I have learned from him and what I have learned in the league just from watching is what we'll try to do here. Defense is going to be a mainstay. (Larry) thought we needed to be more athletic and try to run more. Those are the areas that we are going to look to expand on. At the end of the season, we really sat down and evaluated the team, before we talked about this, and said 'What does this team need?'"
On if this surprised him
"Having been with him for 10 years, you get to know someone. The more we talked about it, I got the sense that he was maybe leaning that way. When I spoke that Saturday after the press conference, I did say 'That was Larry being Larry,' because maybe I thought he might change his mind. This is something that he felt that it was time."
On if the team needs an overhaul
"I don't think it's a major overhaul because we did get to Game 6 in the (second round of the) playoffs. I think if you are a team that didn't get to the playoffs, you need a major overhaul. I think we need some pieces. You can't talk about the pieces until you figure out who is going to coach the team because you have to hire a coach with the philosophy that we want. "
On if his next coach should have NBA coaching experience
"I think he should be a coach. I won't say it's going to be a pro coach or college coach. I think we are trying to find the best coach possible."
 |
President Comcast-Spectacor Marketing Division Dave Coskey
On his new position with Comcast-Spectacor“I’m especially lucky because I get to work for the team in the city where I grew up. If you go back and look at my high school career, I only got in trouble one time, and that’s when I cut school to go to the Flyers parade. It’s incredible. It’s challenging. It’s a cool opportunity for a Philadelphia person.”
On his role as it pertains to the Philadelphia Flyers organization
“I’ll be responsible for overseeing the marketing and public relations - a lot of the things that I specialized in with the Sixers. I’ll be helping out with some of those same things with the Flyers and the Phantoms.”
