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Mitch Lawrence
Monday, April 3
Brown says he's staying, which is good for Philly



NEW YORK -- Moving companies are observing a moment of silence. Larry Brown says he's filled out his last change-of-address form.

Larry Brown
Larry Brown will be yellng at the 76ers for a few more years after signing a contract extension.
"I've always taken a job with the hope that I'd stay," said the Sixers coach the other day in Los Angeles. "The Sixers want me to finish my career with them, and I think it's a good idea."

Lord knows it's a novel one, too. The gypsy of all basketball coaches is finally putting down stakes after coaching in North Carolina, Denver, Los Angeles (at UCLA), New Jersey, Lawrence, Kan., San Antonio, Los Angeles (with the Clippers), Indiana and Philly.

Unless, of course, he changes his mind and zip code once again.

But for now, the extension to keep him in Philly is believed to be the first one Brown has ever signed. Shipping papers have been another matter. He chuckles when thinking about all of the packing and unpacking he's done since 1972, which doesn't even count his two seasons assisting Dean Smith at North Carolina in the mid-60's.

"Nobody realizes that the first job I took, with the Carolina Cougars -- they moved," he said of the old ABA team. "I might have been there forever. People forget that."

People always remember, though, that Brown is one of the game's great teachers, wherever and whenever he's set up camp. Not that it's getting any easier, with players coming into the NBA at younger ages all the time. He turns 60 this fall.

"It's hard," he said. "But in some ways it's a challenge, as well. I think the biggest thing is that we have to teach them is to have an appreciation for the game and a respect for the game and for their teammates."

But that also means having a respect for the rules and being a professional. Brown's star pupil, Allen Iverson, sometimes flunks that course. Their flareups have been well-documented, which is why Brown's commitment to sign an extension caught many observers by surprise. With an out after this season in his contract, Brown did have his eye on the Clippers situation, bleak as that is. He once worked for Donald Sterling and has remained good friends with the Clipper owner ever since.

"I was worried about losing Larry," admitted Sixers president Pat Croce.

But Brown says the progress the Sixers have made in his three seasons in Philly compelled him to stay. Now with Toni Kukoc giving them another offensive option, they figure to be a tough out when the playoffs start.

"I never wanted it to be me or Allen," Brown said. "That makes me real uncomfortable. I have a flareup with a guy who doesn't come to practice. Or is late. You'd have a flareup with your kid if he didn't show up for curfew. That doesn't mean you have a bad relationship."

So the Brown-Iverson affair, however stormy it is or will be, goes on.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't feel I could help this team win," Brown said. "If he is part of it, I have no problem with it. I like what I've seen from his development. He still has a ways to grow, like any 24-year old."

Rim Shots I
  • Although he's told LSU people he's coming back, NBA scouts say Stromile Swift will still opt for early eligibility. Swift's announcement that he's staying was seen as a way to keep the Tigers' boosters at bay. Why stay anyway, when you're a lock to go in the top five? Prep stars Darius Miles and Gerald Wallace also reportedly are coming out. Miles was the top player in the McDonald's All-Star Game, wowing scouts with his athleticism and length and quickness. Already, he's being compared to Kevin Garnett, which is a major reach.

  • The Pacers' gameplan after this season: Use $9 mil under the cap to import a shooting guard. Then re-sign Reggie Miller for two seasons; do a sign-and-trade with Mark Jackson; re-sign Jalen Rose for the long term; convince Rik Smits to stay on one more year; keep Sam Perkins, who keeps the young kids in line, for another season.

  • Isiah Thomas is this year's Doc Rivers. He can have just about any pro coaching job he wants. Now Thomas' name is being mentioned in Indiana, which has expressed an interest in talking to the CBA commish. Atlanta and Dallas also have interest.

  • Rick Pitino is failing in Boston. P.J. Carlesimo got fired in Golden State. John Calipari was a bust with the Nets. Now you can see why pro teams are expected to start shying away from hiring college coaches, at big price tags. It could mean big breaks for young NBA assistants like Seattle's Nate McMillan, a name to remember.

    Rim Shots II
    As if the Lakers defense hasn't been good enough, Phil Jackson is unveiling a trapping system, just for the playoffs. "When it gets to the playoffs, you have to take teams out of their offense," Jackson said. "The easiest way is to pressure the point guard. It's my basic theory that any point-guard oriented team you can trap or harass you find a way to make the offense difficult to run."

    The new defenses are intended to stop the Spurs and Avery Johnson, with Gary Payton likely to play the role of guinea pig in the first round. "The idea of the defense of those Chicago Bulls teams on the Detroit Pistons teams, we had to find a way to make it tough for Isiah (Thomas) and tough for their guards," Jackson said. "We had the trap upcourt to do that. Here, we haven't provided enough pressure like we need to."

    Feedback for Mitch
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    Not that the Lakers have been shaky. They rank No. 1 in field-goal percentage (.414) and with their 91.4 ppg allowed they are right there with the Spurs' league-best 89.7.

    "One of the knocks on us in the past is that our transition defense was bad," Kobe Bryant said. "In this system Phil brought, our offensive system is a kind of a defensive system as well. It provides floor balance at all times. So we're not constantly getting beaten down the floor."

    Plus, their length and quickness in their halfcourt defense has prevented drives and forced teams to shoot over the top. As stifling as the great Bulls teams were during their dynasty, Jackson thinks the Lakers can be as dominant. He points to having several defensive stoppers (Robert Horry, Ron Harper and A.C. Green), plus a dominant last line of defense in Shaquille O'Neal.

    "The potential is there, but it's just like everything else," he said. "It's, where are you gonna put your energy in the course of a ballgame?"

    There's no secret where Jackson wants the Lakers to put their energy come playoff time.

    Rim Shots III
  • 'Tis the season to be ... tanking?

    The Bulls have been noting all the strange moves involving the Clippers and are wondering whether L.A. is purposely losing so that they secure the No. 1 pick in this June's draft. In the final weeks, they're vying for the most Ping-Pong balls. It's not far-fetched, if you look at the release of former starting PG Troy Hudson, along with benchings involving Tyrone Nesby and Michael Olowokandi, to go with the prolonged absences of Maurice Taylor and Lamar Odom. Taylor is sitting out so that he doesn't hurt his value for when he leaves L.A. via free agency.

  • Chris Webber doesn't put it past the NBA to influence Vince Carter's decision on whether he leaves Toronto and plays in a major U.S. market: "The NBA is one of the smartest businesses in the world. So I'm pretty sure if it's needed, they'll do it. The problem is, he's not in the States. He's in a smaller big market. But this is not the WWF. I don't know if anybody needs to program things where the stars need to be." Webber himself is a free agent after next season. Although he's grown to like Sacramento, playing in a small market does have its drawbacks: "I can't find a restaurant to eat in after the game. They all close at nine o'clock." On weekends.

  • You think Shaquille O'Neal wants to win a second scoring title? "The bowl I got for winning it (in '95)?" he said. "I eat my cereal out of it." No, Shaq wants a ring and "one of those gold balls." The big gold basketball that sits atop the Lawrence O'Brien Trophy and goes to the world champs, that is.

    Mitch Lawrence, who covers the NBA for the New York Daily News, writes a regular NBA column for ESPN.com.


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