DETROIT, 13 July 2005 — Detroit Pistons coach Larry Brown will meet with general manager Joe Dumars and owner Bill Davidson on Wednesday to discuss his future with the club, according to a report.
ESPN reported Monday that Brown and the team may reach a decision about his next move at the Wednesday meeting, and that Davidson, who has felt slighted by Brown’s flirtations with other organizations, wants a decision this week.
Brown, 64, signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the Pistons two years ago. Detroit won the NBA championship in 2004 and lost the Finals in seven games to San Antonio this season. But there have been rumors Brown will take a front office job with Cleveland next season, and there were rumors earlier in the year that he would leave Detroit to coach the New York Knicks or the Los Angeles Lakers. The Hall of Fame coach has insisted that if he is healthy enough to keep coaching, he will remain on the sidelines with the Pistons. Following the NBA Finals defeat, Brown checked himself into a hospital for two days because of complications from November hip surgery.
The vagabond Brown has burned bridges all across the country by leaving teams before his contract expired. He has had coaching stints with the Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, New Jersey Nets and ABA’s Carolina Cougars. He was the head coach at UCLA and the University of Kansas, where he won the National Championship with the Jayhawks in 1988.
Cleveland’s Ilgauskas Agrees to Five-Year Deal, Says Agent
In Raleigh, North Carolina, Cleveland Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas has agreed to stay with the team and will sign a five-year deal.
The Lithuanian-born Ilgauskas will sign a contract worth between $55 million and $60 million on July 22, the earliest date free agents can sign, agent Herb Rudoy told the Cleveland Plain Dealer yesterday.
“Z (Ilgauskas) intends to sign back with Cleveland,” Rudoy said. “Z is thrilled with the idea of coming back.”
