HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Dee Brown

How about you for Bulls coach? You were a floor leader. Would Pippen be a good choice?

Thanks for the endorsement but I have no interest in getting back into coaching at this time. Pippen would be a person for mystique, but doesn’t have any coaching experience and hasn’t expressed interest in everyday coaching.

Should Shannon Brown and Larry Hughes be coached to be the Bulls’ point guard? Hinrich cannot penetrate or pass to the post. Is that the reason Chandler was a flop in Chicago?

Neither one of those guys are pure or natural point guards so you’re better off sticking with Hinrich and seeing if he improves his point guard skills. A couple of years ago, before injuries, he was a very good point guard and was invited to USA Basketball tryouts. Chandler wasn’t a flop in Chicago. He was young and inexperienced and still developing as a player. Chris Paul is so good for him. The system in New Orleans is great for him also.

After all these years, what is you feeling towards the Wellesley police department for the way they treated you? Was it racial profiling?

I had no ill feelings towards Wellesley police then and still don’t. Things like that happen all the time to regular African- Americans and other minorities but doesn’t garner media attention if there’s no celebrity involved. Racial profiling is in our society, but I think that event was more of mistaken identity than racial profiling. Even after the event, I chose to stay in Wellesley and became good friends with the police department and community leaders.

Could you have done a better job running the Knicks than Isiah did if you were blind-folded for the entire 4 1/2 years just as you were blind-folded during your Slam Dunk Contest victory?

Funny! Everyone can say they would have done a lot of things different after you see the mess that the Knicks are in now. It goes back to Scott Layden, the GM before Isiah, and snowballed after that. Isiah made some bad personnel decisions, but he did draft well. When you’re over the salary cap and play in New York, people want results now. So Isiah tried to do that, but the pieces didn’t fit together and he didn’t do a good job coaching them. We’ll see what Mike D’Antoni does with the same pieces.

Is it a good solution for the Phoenix Suns to add a new coach instead of Mike D’Antoni?

If the coach doesn’t feel wanted or doesn’t have the support of upper management after very successful years there, then it’s time for all parties to move on. And that’s what D’Antoni did by going to the Knicks. It’s going to be interesting who they hire to play that style… Or a different style because of the age of Nash and O’Neal.

I have a question… I consider Tim Duncan the best power forward ever, but many would laugh at that opinion. What is your opinion on Tim. Is he better than Sir Charles, Malone and McHale?

I would have to put him in the Top 2 slightly behind McHale. I played with McHale and he was unstoppable in the post. And was a great defender. And think of the players he played against in those days. Sir Charles, Malone, Worthy, Horace Grant, Rodman, Tom Chambers, Oakley… There is a big list of great players that played power forwards on offense and defense during the 80s and early 90s. Duncan has four rings and McHale has three rings. Love Duncan, but McHale is my man.

I wanted to know your opinion on Steve Nash. As I reflect on his past seasons, especially his playoff series, I often wonder why his play is to held to such high regard. He no longer can consistently outscore the opposing point guard and defensively he is a liability. Why is he a perennial All-NBAer and All-Star when his defensive play is non-existent?

I think it is what he did for the Suns team. He made players better. The system was perfect for him and he used it to his advantage. Nash has never been a great defender, so that’s not new. I used to love playing against Nash because he wasn’t a great defender and had my best games against him. He got better as he got older, but the key is that he’s getting older. Fans like him and that’s why he gets voted in. He does make the Suns go, so he deserves all the awards and accomplishments he has received.

Do you feel that the basketball sideshow And1 sends a bad message to the young kids? It shows the kids that trying to over dribble and throwing the basketball off of people’s heads is more important than learning how to hit a mid-range jump shot. Or do people understand that it’s more of a circus sideshow rather than basketball?

I think it’s basketball entertainment, but not how you want kids to view the way the game is played. It shows bad habits and things you can’t do in a real game. It’s fun to watch if you use it as that. The guys who play are very talented and know the game, but they understand that is entertainment also. So if young kids want to learn fundamentals by watching a game, I suggest they watch women’s college basketball.

What is it like playing in the NBA? What was your drive in succeeding in this league? In addition, what was your food meal plan like (in terms of calories, categories of food) during the season and playoff series?

Playing in the NBA is the best of everything. The best players, arenas and fans. My motivation and drive was that I wanted to be the best that I could be and if that got me to NBA that was great. And once I got there, I knew other players wanted to be in my position, so I had to always work extra hard to make sure I was at the top of my game. You eat as healthy as possible to maintain your weight during the season because you lost so much playing over 100 games a year. You ate good carbs and and tried to refuel before and after the games. Recovery was the key to being a successful player because the games and practices where everyday for eight months.

This year’s playoffs have been the most physical playoffs in a long time, and I’m loving it. It seems nowadays that players, refs and even announcers overreact to hard fouls and physical play. Do you feel that the league should try to move back a little to a more physical style of play that would create more rivalries? And how do you think todays NBA stars would handle a more physical game? Guys like MJ, Malone and Barkley would go right at the physical play. How would LBJ and Chris Paul react if they got the physical abuse that those former NBA stars received?

There’s a difference between physical and dirty play. When I played in the 90s, the game was very physical. Players drove to basket and knew there was going to be some contact and layups were not allowed against very good teams. Because of the rule changes and the way fans view the game, they don’t want much physical play. They want more flowing basketball games, which takes out the physical nature of players at times and then when you see a hard foul, it’s called a flagrant. MJ, Bird and Magic played in those physical days and that was how the game was played. The game nowadays would be easy for them because they would live at the foul line. Guys like Barkley, Oakley, Rodman, Xavier McDaniel and those types of players would be in foul trouble now because the game is not as physical. Guys like LBJ, Kobe and Paul could adapt to that play because they are very special players and would use those rules to benefit them.

I think the Bobcats committed a terrible mistake dropping off Walter Herrmann and eating up such a huge salary from Nazr Mohammed. Do you feel that Michael Jordan is becoming one of the most disappointing GMs of all time?

I think it early to say that MJ is one of the most disappointing GMs of all time, but a case can be made that his recent transactions and draft picks are suspect. He drafted Kwame Brown No. 1. Made some questionable moves in Washington, including activating himself as a player when people thought that took away from younger players’ development. He signed a new face, Sam Vincent, when there were a lot of proven coaches waiting. He traded for Jason Richardson, which is not a bad move, but if you have several players that play that position then it’s an issue. Only time will tell with the Bobcats because they’re young and talented with a young coach who has the respect of the players thus far. And they’re not playing bad basketball so far this season.

What is it like when a player gets traded from team to team, for example when Brian Shaw was traded for Sherman Douglas? Is there a big change in the feeling within the locker rooms? Do you have any funny stories regarding new players arriving or players leaving the team you were playing for?

When a player gets traded, you know it’s just business. But when you have relationship on and off the court with teammates, that’s when it’s tough. It’s like a brother moving away. They have no choice but to leave and get established with a new team. The locker room changes cause all the guys are close like a family. I was good friends with Brian Shaw and we went through a lot together – including Reggie Lewis passing away and his family tragically dying in a car accident. So it’s tough when a friend like that gets traded. But I will honestly say that the best point guard I had a chance to play with on a full-time basis was Sherman Douglas. He made me a better player and we enjoyed hanging out off the court. The funniest story has to do with myself getting traded from Boston to Toronto on a West coast road trip. I found out that I got traded by one of the assistant coaches sliding a note under my hotel door telling me not to come on the team bus. “You’ve been traded and someone will let you know what’s next.” Not cool. Especially in Vancouver.

If you were the GM, what would be your plan for the Knicks?

This is easier than it sounds but I would totally revamp the roster by bringing in young players (a la Portland) and get rid of the malcontents. I would publicly say that we are officially rebuilding and it’s gonna get worse before it gets better so be patient. Again, sounds easy and we are talking about Knick fans here. I don’t think Isiah is a terrible coach, I think all he needs is to focus on coaching and he would be better off without the personnel responsibity. Remember, coaches care about winning today and GMs care about winning into the future. So you can’t be both without compromising the other. The reality is that this team has to be totally overhauled. A few pieces are worth keeping, but when you’re not that good everyone can be gone with the right offer.

Do you think that now players are more likely to flop than back in your days as an NBA player? If so, is it because of them or because the League allows it?

Players when I played did flop. Either you could guard a person or you got torched that night. Flopping became popular when the rules changed on what you can and cannot do in the post area. Granted I’ve acted a bit on taking charges, but it wasn’t used as a tool to make the ref make a decision on every possession versus a great player. Every era has floppers or guys using the rules to a slight advantage. In my day, among guards it was Reggie Miller and among inside players it was Vlade Divac.

Will Chris Webber play in the NBA again?

I don’t think he will. Every day goes by, Chris Webber gets older and kness gets worse. There is a slight possibility when teams are making playoff runs and getting their playoff rosters in shape that his name might pop up if the situation is right for the team.

When you played in the NBA, were you aware of players who had issues with alcohol like Keon Clark?

You always are concerned and aware about players that have any problems with anything that is addictive. We are like one big brotherhood and we try to help guys who have those issues and support them to get better for themselves. The one thing you did if a guy like Keon Clark was a teammate was not put them in compromising situations for them to have to make tough choices that could lead to something bad.

How much of an impact could have the W of the Suns at San Antonio?

It was big in the sense that it burned the Suns (no pun intended) to lose that series last year after all the suspensions with Stoudemire and Diaw. Also just to show the Spurs that on any giving night, even on the road, they can beat the Spurs. To me every game during the season is a statement game when you’re playing other teams that you might have to go through in the playoffs. That’s just the mental part of basketball. Just like the Warriors and Dallas last year, mentally they knew the could beat the Mavs because they did it several times during the regular season. So it was an impactful win for the Suns early in the season.

Do you think that the Lakers can win it all with Kobe and Bynum (and a supporting cast led by Lamar Odom) or they must trade Kobe and start building around Bynum?

I don’t think this team as assembled can win a championship. They’re missing a few pieces, especially considering how tough the Western Conference is. They will always be dangerous come playoff time because of Kobe, but not a championship team. If you can win a championship and build your team around the most dynamic individual player and scorer in the NBA, you’re not going to build it around a young center who is getting better every game but is not ready to carry a team by himself. You keep those three pieces (Kobe, Bynum, Odom) and try to find the mix of roles players. They have a few (Walton, Ariza, Radmanovic) but need a few more. If you trade Kobe, you will get lots of pieces in return but it still wouldn’t be Bynum’s team until you see what player you received for Kobe.

OK, here’s a new one: Chris Paul or Deron Williams?

Tough one. I go back and forth daily on these two great players. But if I had to start a team today, I would choose Chris Paul. I think he is more of a true point guard. Makes everyone around him better and can carry a team on his shoulders like Isiah Thomas did with the Detroit Bad Boys. Over the long haul, I like Deron because of his size at point, durability and three-point shooting are better than Paul’s. But both are great and will be superstars for a long time.

What do you think about Reggie Theus bringing up the curfew rule to the Kings when they are on the road?

I don’t like it. This is not college and these are grown men. If you’re not responsible enough to carry yourself like a professional and responsible adult then you need to take the consequences of your actions as a grown man. You should not have to have someone to tell you when you have to go to bed or be in your room if you really respect and appreciate the game and the position you’re in as a NBA player. At some point, you have to be accountable for what you do on and off the court. NBA is for players who are ready to be responsible for their lives off the court also. No Babysitting Allowed.