If you're enamored of crotchety, elderly coaches whose comings and goings still somehow seem to be news, this post's for you. In the last 24 hours, we've had big news not only from the mouth of Pat Riley, but also the first concrete Larry Brown reports in months.
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↵Big surprirse: Riley, faced with a horrid team, has decided to abandon ship. He'll stay on in a front office capacity. And, if things go like they did the last time this happened—that would be 2003-04—he'll be back once the Heat are revived by a lottery pick, a free agent, or the mob. For the time being, Riley will be succeeded by Erik Spoelstra, who at 37 is the league's youngest head coach. Not exactly Stan Van Gundy stepping in to inhabit the void. ↵
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↵Oh, and the classic Riley line to come out of this: "I am definitely sure I don't want to do this anymore.'' Way to go. Keep your head up. ↵
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↵And, in a move that surprised no one, the Jordan-controlled Bobcats are bringing in fellow Tarheel Larry Brown to whip these profligate youngsters into shape. There will be angst, hand-wringing, and pissed-off players, but in the end, Charlotte will make the playoffs and Brown's reputation will be restored. Though with the Hawks on an untethered tear, you have to wonder if Brown-ball is really the best approach based on Charlotte's current roster.↵
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↵Big surprirse: Riley, faced with a horrid team, has decided to abandon ship. He'll stay on in a front office capacity. And, if things go like they did the last time this happened—that would be 2003-04—he'll be back once the Heat are revived by a lottery pick, a free agent, or the mob. For the time being, Riley will be succeeded by Erik Spoelstra, who at 37 is the league's youngest head coach. Not exactly Stan Van Gundy stepping in to inhabit the void. ↵
↵
↵Oh, and the classic Riley line to come out of this: "I am definitely sure I don't want to do this anymore.'' Way to go. Keep your head up. ↵
↵
↵And, in a move that surprised no one, the Jordan-controlled Bobcats are bringing in fellow Tarheel Larry Brown to whip these profligate youngsters into shape. There will be angst, hand-wringing, and pissed-off players, but in the end, Charlotte will make the playoffs and Brown's reputation will be restored. Though with the Hawks on an untethered tear, you have to wonder if Brown-ball is really the best approach based on Charlotte's current roster.↵
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.