Tweet
After back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals under Larry Brown, the Detroit Pistons will have a new coach next season, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
The Pistons and Brown, sources said, moved closer Monday to a buyout of Brown's contract, which has three years left at an estimated $18 million.
It was not immediately known whether the buyout would contain any stipulations that would prevent Brown from coaching another team for this upcoming season.
Brown said as recently as Friday that he was "confident" about returning to the Pistons next season, having overcome season-long speculation about new jobs to lead Detroit to within one victory of back-to-back championships. Yet Brown, according to sources, could not guarantee that his health would hold up for a full season, which Pistons owner Bill Davidson had made a prerequisite for the 64-year-old's return.
It was not immediately known if the buyout arrangement would be finalized Monday.
It also remains to be seen whether Brown -- plagued by serious bladder complications throughout much of the season after hip surgery -- intends to take some time away from coaching or immediately pursue the New York Knicks' vacancy. New York president Isiah Thomas has held off on making Herb Williams his full-time head coach in the event that Brown becomes available.
Ex-Minnesota coach Flip Saunders, who turned down a lucrative offer from Milwaukee while waiting for the months-long Brown saga to reach a climax, is the leading candidate to replace Brown in Detroit but has yet to interview with the Pistons.
Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here. Also, click here to send a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.
The Pistons and Brown, sources said, moved closer Monday to a buyout of Brown's contract, which has three years left at an estimated $18 million.
It was not immediately known whether the buyout would contain any stipulations that would prevent Brown from coaching another team for this upcoming season.
Brown said as recently as Friday that he was "confident" about returning to the Pistons next season, having overcome season-long speculation about new jobs to lead Detroit to within one victory of back-to-back championships. Yet Brown, according to sources, could not guarantee that his health would hold up for a full season, which Pistons owner Bill Davidson had made a prerequisite for the 64-year-old's return.
It was not immediately known if the buyout arrangement would be finalized Monday.
It also remains to be seen whether Brown -- plagued by serious bladder complications throughout much of the season after hip surgery -- intends to take some time away from coaching or immediately pursue the New York Knicks' vacancy. New York president Isiah Thomas has held off on making Herb Williams his full-time head coach in the event that Brown becomes available.
Ex-Minnesota coach Flip Saunders, who turned down a lucrative offer from Milwaukee while waiting for the months-long Brown saga to reach a climax, is the leading candidate to replace Brown in Detroit but has yet to interview with the Pistons.
Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here. Also, click here to send a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.