Is ex-76ers coach Brown
being a straight shooter?

Off the Dribble
By Ryan Smith

I knew since last year, when Larry Brown accepted the position as 76ers executive vice president, that he would inevitably make some comments that would force me to write about him in this column.
It took him a while — longer than I expected, I must say — but that time has finally come.
In the February issue of Philadelphia magazine, the ex-Sixers head coach talks about his two favorite subjects: coaching and Allen Iverson.
It’s not that he says anything very surprising.
For the most part, it’s the usual deadpan.
As for the ever-present rumors that he is the Sixers’ coach-in-waiting, Brown tells the mag, "I could never stab Mo (Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks) in the back like that."
He later says that, although he still wants to coach, he doesn’t want to coach in Philadelphia.
What else would you expect him to say?
He opens up a bit more about Iverson, telling the magazine, "I loved him as much as anyone, but the other stuff . . . doing the right thing . . . he’ll drive you insane.
"I told Allen that Tiger Woods will have a greater effect on kids than Jesus. Think about Tiger. Think about Michael Jordan. Kids flock to them. He missed an unbelievable chance to affect kids positively. Used to drive me nuts. He never understood what I was trying to say."
I don’t disagree with anything that Brown told the publication.
In fact, I agree with just about every word.
My problem, just like many times in the past when it comes to Brown — in particular his 2004 departure from the organization — is that I don’t feel the old coach is being forthright.
For starters, I don’t think Brown is being completely honest with himself. While I believe that Brown has no current plan to "stab Mo in the back," let’s think about this for a moment.
The Sixers will enter the upcoming offseason with what team general manager Ed Stefanski estimates is more free space under the salary cap — about $10 million at the moment — than any other team in the NBA.
This is an offseason with an outstanding free-agent crop, including a number of superstars players who can change the face of a franchise overnight.
These players include Jermaine O’Neal, Elton Brand, Shawn Marion, Gilbert Arenas and Ron Artest.
If Stefanski can lure one of these big names to South Philadelphia, you’re looking at a playoff team next season with a bonus first-round pick in its back pocket thanks to the recent Kyle Korver trade.
If things deteriorate with Cheeks at the helm, to the point that he’s fired, does anyone really believe that Brown would not jump at the chance to coach an up-and-coming Sixers squad?
Despite what he tells Philly mag, I would not be surprised to see Brown behind the bench, leading the new-look Sixers into the 2008-09 season.
As for his comments about Iverson, I find it convenient for him to unburden himself of these feelings now, a full year since the best player he ever coached was traded to the far-away Denver Nuggets.
If Brown was so concerned about A.I.’s legacy while he was coaching him, why did he allow Iverson to get away with so much?
Why did he allow Iverson, season after season, to continually miss practices, without consequence?
Why, during the Larry Brown years, was Iverson permitted to show up late for games without being benched or suspended?
Brown needs to be held culpable for playing his part in Iverson’s dysfunctional maturation process.
Is Brown correct? Could Iverson have been a Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan type?
Perhaps.
But Brown’s public admonishments of Iverson through the media surely didn’t help the player’s image.
His comments in Philadelphia magazine aren’t the most flattering either.
Sooner or later, I knew we’d hear from Larry again.
I was just hoping it wasn’t going to be more of the same old double-speak. ••
Columnist Ryan Smith can be reached at 215-354-3114 or smithry@phillynews.com