Larry Brown, the Hall of Famer and NBA world champion, has agreed to coach the New York Knicks.
"He's made his decision that he wants to coach the Knicks," Brown's agent, Joe Glass, said yesterday. "Now it's up to the Knicks and myself to come up with an arrangement that works for both parties."
By assuming the helm of a club that has been spiraling downward for the better part of a decade, Brown has taken on what may be the most challenging assignment of a career that spans three decades.
Born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island watching the hometown Knicks, Brown now becomes the 22nd head coach of the New York franchise.
Brown agreed in principle to the Knicks? offer and negotiations could be completed on Wednesday. The team intends to make an announcement by Thursday barring any unexpected holdups.
"There's some other things to hash out, but there's nothing definitive at this point," Glass said. "A lot of things can happen between the talk and the execution. I'm only secure when it's done."
While precise deal parameters remain unknown, Brown is expected to earn $10 million to $12 million annually for three to five years.
The agreement is the culmination of a hectic week during which Brown severed his relationship with the Detroit Pistons and was then pursued at a dizzying, daily pace by top officials at Madison Square Garden.
Brown has a proven ability to maximize roster talent and will be starting at square one with the current Knicks team. The coach?s ultimate success will depend on whether he can find consistent contributions and workable combinations to fill his winning system. In attempting to put the right pieces together, Brown can choose from a selection of backcourt and frontcourt depth that is marked by players who have either underachieved or failed to mesh.
He will become the Knicks? fourth coach in 18 months, taking over after Don Chaney, Lenny Wilkens and Herb Williams.
Brown has taken a record seven NBA teams to the playoffs and will now attempt to implement his defensive-minded, purist teaching styles in New York. He will have the command of his reputation ? and the growing anticipation of a city hungry to return to the NBA's elite ? to propel him in his mission to bring quality basketball back to Madison Square Garden.