Larry Brown?s place atop the Parthenon of NBA head coaches is etched in stone. Love him or hate him, Brown is undeniably one of the best in his craft.  And he?s had an exceptional run as head coach of the Detroit Pistons, leading the franchise to a championship and a Finals appearance in his two seasons as bench boss.

 But his time in the Motor City has run its course.  And team president Joe Dumars, though he may not want to, must facilitate Brown?s departure from the Pistons so that both sides can move forward and explore other avenues.

 Another chapter in the Brown saga, fiasco, mockery, whatever you may want to call it, was written on Monday when reports circulated regarding a power play, of sorts, that appears to be at hand between the head coach and front office, namely team owner Bill Davidson.  

 Brown, as we all know, is not healthy, and whether he will be healthy enough to return to coaching next season is anyone?s guess.  The 64-year-old Hall of Famer has been quoted on numerous occasions, however, as saying he wants to return to Detroit, and on Wednesday is going to meet with Pistons brass to discuss his future.  

 Dumars, who has shown great patience to date, has stood by his head coach and wants Brown back, assuming he is healthy enough to return.  

 As for the owner?  Well, if you believe what you read, Davidson appears to be fed up with all of the posturing and is willing to go as far as to fire Brown if he cannot receive assurances from Brown that he a) is healthy enough to return, and b) wants to even remain with the Pistons for the remaining three years of his contract.  

 Though Brown has stressed his desire to coach the Pistons, there are reports that he is in fact daring the Pistons to fire him so that he can coach elsewhere and leave the Pistons looking like the proverbial bad guys for canning a coach who was so-called medically unfit to assume his position.

 So, who will blink first?  Does coach go ahead and declare himself medically unable to return behind the bench, or do the Pistons simply take the initiative and relieve Brown of his duties and endure the heat that Brown himself had to cope with during the latter half of the playoffs?

 An interesting dilemma, to say the least.  

 Well, actually, not really.  As great as Brown is, he?s simply not worth the distraction any longer.  The Pistons should care less about how they might be perceived publicly and do what?s in the best interests of the franchise:  letting Brown walk.

 Let?s assume for a minute that Brown is healthy enough to return next season and is back with Detroit.  Who?s to say that he won?t suffer any further medical setbacks during the course of the year (Brown missed 17 games last season due to hip surgery and subsequent bladder problems)?  Brown, obviously, isn?t getting any younger.

 Second, Brown has always been ? and always will be ? a controversial figure.  Known as the ?Runaway Bride of NBA head coaches,? Brown has never had a desire to remain in one stop for too long.  The change-of-venue rumors, which were so rampant during last season, are a virtual, lead-pipe lock to resurface a year from now should Brown return.    

 Though Pistons players respect Brown to the fullest and are used to playing amid the constant barrage of media scrutiny that follows their head coach, owner Davidson does not appear interested in heading down that road again.  And you really can?t blame him.

 Dumars made the right decision when he relieved Rick Carlisle and subsequently hired Brown in 2003 to be the final piece of Detroit?s championship puzzle, and Brown responded by leading the franchise to the Promised Land.  Now it?s time for Dumars to do the right thing - again - and let Brown walk.  

 Buy out his contract, pay him off and thank him for a job well done.  And then proceed to hire Flip Saunders, who has been waiting in the wings for weeks as ?Larrygate? has unfolded.

  Saunders is no Brown; there are very few who are.  But he?s certainly no slouch, either.  In fact, he's one of the brighter head coaching minds in the game today.

 More importantly, Saunders comes hassle-free, and that is what the Pistons need at this point.
   

 Kostas.Bolos@realgm.com