"The thing is they got guys that are willing to make a three-year commitment, which I think is tremendous," Brown said of this current Team USA. "We had guys that committed (for 2004) and then all of a sudden 9/11 happened, and then there were injuries."

There's no doubt that 9/11 did have an impact on that 2004 team that would've clearly made that year an easy gold medal victory. Remember just how preoccupied Marbury and Iverson were over it during those initial practice sessions some three years after the attacks? Brown begged to send them home because they were so distracted, broken up, and obsessing over the tragedy. And poor Carmelo Anthony was so depressed thinking about 9/11 during the 2004 Olympics that he could barely muster enough energy to come off the bench for his team. As my memory serves me, he spent most of his time on the bench reciting the victim's names under his breath, only getting up a few times during the whole tournament to light candles behind the scorer's table. Never forget, Carmelo. Never forget.

*****

Anyway. Tonight: The storied non-rivalry continues as the Mets head into South Phillly for another two-day rock fight. Pedro's on the mound. Everybody hits...woo-hoo!. (Whatever happened to that guy anyway?)

Tomorrow: come back for Wednesday. Humpity-doo-da.

Thank you for your continued support of Ball Don't Lie.

Larry Brown, stop it [Ball Don't Lie]
It's commitment that takes medal for USA Basketball [NY Daily News]

So, the Bobcats blogs must be all a-twitter today, right?

• Queen City Hoops: Last update: April 17.
• Bobcats Report: Last update: October 8, 2007.
• Bobcat Bonfire: Last update: April 16.
• Bobcats Locker: Last update: March 28.

Who says Michael Jordan hasn't revitalized the NBA in Charlotte?

Whether you loved this all-top-seeded Final Four or hated it, you have Larry Brown to thank. The king of the basketball gypsies played his college ball at North Carolina and went to the Final Four with UCLA in 1980. He also coached at Kansas, taking them to their most recent Championship in 1988 before bolting for the Clippers.

So what's his connection to Memphis? Brown mentored John Calipari, taking him on as an assistant at Kansas in the late 80's. But wait, that's not all! He did the same with Bill Self, at around the same time. Cal went out on his own in 1985, the same year Self was hired. That Brown guy has quite an eye for coaching talent, eh?

Looking at the programs, they seem very different. The University of Kansas was founded in 1865, and still had cows roaming the campus around the time James Naismith assembled the first-ever Jayhawk team in 1899. Naismith, who had a losing record at Kansas, begat Forrest C. "Phog" Allen, a man who provided nearly 50 years of stability and helped forge the reliable foundation that has led to legendary status for coach and program alike.

Memphis has been an urban campus all along, fielding their first squad in 1920. Under the name Memphis State, coach Gene Bartow and player Larry Finch took the 1973 Tigers to the Championship game, where they became one in a long line of victims of UCLA's dominance of the era. Bartow went on to succeed John Wooden at UCLA two years later, and the Memphis State/University of Memphis program continued to be very, very good, if not yet great. The Pyramid helped recruiting fortunes, but it was the hiring of former UMass coach Calipari in 2000 that signaled the beginning of the current rise of the program.

As it stands right now, however, this is a matchup of two blue-chip squads, each of them hungry to finish dominant seasons with the ultimate - an NCAA championship.

Memphis relies heavily on two superstars. Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose are clearly the top scoring options in the innovative Dribble-Drive Motion offense. For Kansas, Brandon Rush is the most talented player on the floor, but when he goes through a scoring drought (which has happened often in this tournament), he has three more guys averaging double figures to back him up. The emergence of freshman big man Cole Aldrich in the UNC game gives Bill Self another big body to throw in the mix.

I'll be accused of being a homer, but the tale of the tape is all I have to go with right now.

Storming the Floor's Predicted NCAA Champion: KANSAS

Anyway, he's talking to Daulerio's gang over at Philadelphia Magazine about just how awful it all was.

Brown accused the Knicks of having "spies throughout the arena" during his one season with the team in a story in the February issue of "Philadelphia" magazine. Brown also complained about the way he was treated by the organization.

"Imagine when you get to work, they don't talk to you," he said. "They had security people standing close to me in press conferences, and spies throughout the arena."

It's worth noting that Brown was paid $18.5 million to leave the Knicks. But still: What's crazy about this story is not whether it's true; it's that, because it's the Knicks, it doesn't even seem the slightest bit shocking. Security people intimidating you? Spies? Why not? It's the Knicks!

Larry Brown Says Knicks Had Spies In The Arena [Associated Press]
Larry Brown In Winter [Philadelphia magazine]

• All Stand For The Slovenian National Anthem. The Lakers stopped the unstoppable Dallas Mavericks 101-98 on Sunday, and who provided the difference? Why none other than Sasha Vujacic, of course, who had the game of his life (16 points) including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 28.5 seconds left. High five! The win ended the glory that was the Mavericks' 13-game win streak. Vujacic entered the game averaging 3.7 points per game for LA. "I'm really happy for Sasha, how well he played tonight," said Kobe Bryant, who scored 26 points — 14 in the fourth quarter.

• Or, As Homer Simpson Calls It, 'America's Wang'. You know, when all of their parts are in place, the Heat aren't half bad. Dwyane Wade returned after a four-game vacation (wrist injury, actually) and scored 33 points in Miami's 93-90 win over Portland. It's about time something went right in Florida.

• Manu Manu! Don't Be Afraid! ... . We have a strong feeling that the Spurs are just hanging around, biding their time and will end up winning the NBA title, mainly because no one talks about them. Without Tony Parker (right hip strain), San Antonio beat Memphis 110-96 behind Manu Ginobili's 34 points.

• Leather Has Been Bery Bery Good To Me. In case you forgot, the Suns are really quite good. Leandro Barbosa (26 points) James Jones (25), and Shawn Marion (24) led a 128-105 win over Golden State.

• I've Got A Spell On You. By now you know that Larry Brown is back with the 76ers as executive vice president (if they'd done that a month ago they could have kept Iverson, probably. Maybe. No?). But bet you didn't know Brown's secret to success. It's hypnotism.

Brown has a history in Philadelphia, being the only guy who's ever shown he was capable of building a quality team around Allen Iverson. Of course, the downside to that is that Brown traded away a ton of draft picks and signed some veterans to ridiculous deals in the process, and that seems like just the kind of thing the Sixers should be looking to avoid.

Also noted in the same article is that the Sixers are trying to buy out the contract of Chris Webber, who is averaging 11 points per game and is scheduled to make about $43 million over the next two years.

Brown back; source: Webber buyout? [Philadelphia Daily News]

Ladies and gentlemen, this man — this guy — has been rewarded for the job he has done over the last three years. Larry Brown has been fired, and Isiah Thomas — Isiah Thomas! — will take over as coach and general manager.

We all saw it coming, of course. But boy, we suddenly cannot wait for the NBA season to start again.

We're gonna just let you take it over from here.

Brown Fired, Isiah Hired [InsideHoops]

(UPDATE: You know, this news actually makes us feel bad for the folks at Sell The Knicks.)

(SECOND UPDATE: The Knicks are actually refusing to pay Brown for the remainder of his contract. You have to be kidding.)

I personally feel like it would be a huge mistake on the part of the Knicks. Just think how many shoot-first point guards that they could acquire for that $40 million. Not to mention the fact that Larry Brown has a pretty decent track record with reclamation projects, he had a roster that was laughably ill-suited for playing Larry Brown basketball, and, oh yeah, they'd be giving a guy $40 million for one year of work.

And if that's not enough, there are also reports that the next head coach would be... you guessed it. Isiah Thomas himself. Hey, why not. The personnel side of things is already a train wreck, let's let him wreck the coaching situation, too. After that, the Knicks should hire him to sell concessions, and just let him run through the aisles and throw hot coffee directly into the faces of all the fans.

Knicks buying out Larry? [NY Daily News]

Oh, it's a sad day in New York City: Madison Square Garden is hosting the final Knicks home game of what has almost certainly been one of the most destructive single seasons in recent NBA history. We don't even have the heart to relist it all. It's just too gruesome.

As the Knicks host the Bobcats, it's Fan Appreciation Night at the Garden. The giveaways include two free music downloads from Foot Locker ... and that's pretty much it, save for, you know, "we can't believe you actually showed up tonight." Coach Larry Brown won't be in attendance tonight, still reeling from his stomach ailments, and many wonder if he'll ever be back at all. The whole thing is just too sad to think about; you can't even take satisfaction in it. We can't stand the Knicks, and it's still like cheering car accidents. We suspect many of you disagree, though, and we understand that too.

Tickets are still available. Get your colostomy bags at the door.

Set Your Clocks At All [The Airing Of Grievances]

Brown's condition appeared serious - but not life-threatening - as EMS workers wheeled him out of the arena on a gurney at 11:30 p.m. Brown, who was receiving oxygen, looked tired and somewhat embarrassed as he passed a group of reporters, fans and security personnel.

Remember, at the end of this five-year deal the Knicks signed Brown to, he will be 70 years old. YAYSports! thinks this is all part of Brown's plan to get the hell out of Dodge, but we think the truth is sadder than that: This is a tired old man who shouldn't have to deal with this crap anymore. Isiah Thomas is aging him in dog years. Actually, Isiah Thomas is aging us all in dog years.

Brown Hospitalized [NY Daily News]
Larry Brown Is Laying Seeds [YAYSports!]

But. Get this. Sources inside Viking — Fantasyland's publisher — say that the New York Knicks publicity department has requested two copies of the book specifically for Isiah Thomas and Larry Brown. No, seriously. Both men personally asked for copies of the book, perhaps as "a team-building exercise."

Thomas, who has built his own disastrous fantasy team since joining the Knicks, is perhaps taking a page from the Phil Jackson playbook, hoping that a book can bring his team together. We imagine Isiah flipping through recent book catalogs, stopping on Fantasyland and saying, "Hey! That's got a baseball player on it! They'll love that!"

Larry Brown probably just wants it because of the title, which he incorrectly assumed meant the book was about a magical place in the clouds, where little puppies and suicidal head coaches go to frolic and forget all their worldly woes.

Authors With Pure Hearts: Sam Walker [Deadspin]

Right now Larry's thinking: "Poking a grizzly bear with a stick. Yeah, that oughta do it. But just to be sure, I'll rub myself in bacon fat."

Isiah, Knicks Acquire Stevie Franchise [MSNBC]

A Penny For Your NBA Thoughts [Deadspin]