Pistons ask permission to speak to Woodson about vacancy

[AkelaLoneWolf]

If Woodson is gone, would Hawks fans be interested in Sam Mitchell?

[evildallas]

Rip, do you subscribe to my theory that Larry Brown destroyed Darko's career? I'm not saying that Darko would have been elite superstar, but LB eroded his confidence and tried to force him into being something he wasn't (a traditional NBA C).

Or do you think was Larry Brown just a convenient excuse and he wouldn't have gotten minutes because of the talent on the Pistons roster?

[Rip2137]

You know, I don't think Darko should have gotten minutes on that roster honestly. If not for the Rasheed trade, then Darko should have gotten minutes his second year. But with Rasheed there, they should have moved him immediately.

not only did Brown kill his confidence, he killed his ability to make the team better through trade.

When i watch Darko play, I still see a guy that is playing like he is going to get pulled any second now. I think he could be a solid NBA center, nothing special, but I think Larry Brown set that kid back some years.

And Josh, with Iverson, there was no one else to play. Wade would have had to get minutes around Billips, Hamilton or Lindsey Hunter(a Brown Guy) which i don't see happening. Bosh, much like Darko, would have had to crack that front line and after the Rasheed trade, I see things going very much the same way they went for Darko. maybe a few more minutes(he might have been able to take some of Zeljko Rebraca's minutes), but not a chance to develop into the weapon he is now. Carmelo would have had to beat out Prince who is simply the perfect Larry Brown guy and Williamson who is also a Brown guy and key to their championship with the mismatch he created at the 3(even though he traded him the next year and destroyed their bench which was one of the best in the league and the reason they won the championship...but I am getting off the subject....) Melo MIGHT have been able to crack the rotation more than those other guys, but he wouldn't have lasted there adn would have ended up in the dog house pretty quickly.

[HoopsGuru25]

Rip come to think of if you may be right. Larry Brown basically blew the olympics by refusing to play Melo/Wade/Lebron AFTER they proved they were franchise players. That makes me even happier that he didn't end up being our coach. They definitely wouldn't have been on the end of the bench like Darko though. I also don't think Brown ruined Darko's career as much as he just ruined his trade value. Darko(who I can't believe is still 22)came off the bench behind Tony Battie in Orlando and he is still a mediocre player with the Grizzlies.

[evildallas]

The Olympic debacle was the main reason I was so anti-Larry Brown, not the Knicks fiasco or the way he left Detroit. In those Olympics, he was making excuses for losing before the games started and then refused to play the best players because they hadn't meet some imaginary criteria for time served in his eyes.