With Larry Brown at Helm, Is a Playoff Berth in the Charlotte Bobcats' Future?

I can not believe it, but we are only a couple of weeks away from the start of NBA training camps! As we look to the new season, there are plenty of new faces at the helm of many NBA teams, which brings many question marks. One in particular is how Coach Larry Brown will fare with his new team the Charlotte Bobcats?

Coach Brown’s last job was arguably his worst coaching experience in his long hall of fame career, and he will be looking to erase that memory and build the lowly Bobcats into a playoff contender.

Brown inherits a roster of young talented players, who have never experienced success at the NBA level, and it will be interesting to see how Brown and his roster mesh.

Former player, Mike Gminski, offers up some insight on Coach Brown in Rick Bonnel’s column at the Charlotte Observer. Gminski played for Brown in the 80’s and knows plenty about his demanding style. He believes that dumb jocks can’t succeed under Brown because of the complex system he puts in place.

“He loves the gym and he loves to tinker—plays, he will tinker with them all season,” said Gminski, the smartest player I’ve covered in the NBA.

“He’ll change a play four times in the course of a season. That means the point guard has got to be on top of things, and when you have four variations on each play, you have to have smart players.

"Players with high basketball IQs do better with Larry than great athletes who don’t have that.”

I agree with Gminski to a certain extent. I think Brown is a complex coach but think he is far more demanding, as far as IQ goes, with his point guards versus other players. For example, I believe Brown would rather have a high IQ point guard versus an athletic point guard, but he would rather have a greater athletic center versus a high IQ center.

As far as the Charlotte Bobcats are concerned, I do not think the point guards of Felton or Augustine has what it takes to play under Brown. I think they will struggle and possibly be traded at some point.

However, I think the rest of the players will do well under Brown and do think they will improve. I do not see the playoffs this year for them, but I see them moving in the right direction. 

A playoff berth in 2010 says right to me for Brown and the Bobcats.

Image Source: Sports Illustrated