COMMENTARY : They Were Two Rudderless Ships That Passed in Night

What are we supposed to be, surprised?

Larry Brown, the Incredible Departing Coach, leaves the Clippers, the Incredible Swamp, and we’re supposed to wonder how it could have happened?

There was nothing else that could have happened and nothing else that was going to happen. The only surprise was the timing. How could what was so bright last season be extinguished before the following June?

The answer is simple. Brown was Brown. The Clippers were the Clippers.

The season after he took over and coached a 22-25 team to a 23-12 finish, they sent him back to work with a team packed with soon-to-be free agents, the result of years of dawdling and indecisiveness.

In case you haven’t noticed, Brown isn’t one to ignore a problem or minimize it or keep quiet about it. To start with, he wanted the Danny Manning situation resolved. If Manning couldn’t be re-signed, he wanted him traded.

When the trading deadline passed in February and Manning was still unsigned and untraded, Brown went off.

He was then one year into his stay, but in some careers, things move fast.

“I think we waited too long,” Brown said then. “I don’t know if we have a plan. . . . I think we have so many people who have opinions how the team should be run that sometimes we lose sight of what the important thing is, and that’s knowing who’s going to be on our team next year.

“We have to have a plan. If I were to ask (General Manager) Elgin Baylor or Mr. (owner Donald T.) Sterling or (executive vice president) Harley Frankel or (vice president for business operations) Andy Roeser, which I probably have to most of the time, who would be on our team next year, I don’t think I’d get the same answer from any one of them.

“One of the concerns I had, I didn’t think we ever had a true chain of command. They had always had, like Carl Scheer and (Alan) Rothenberg and (Bob) Steele and Arn Tellem (former team officials). And to me, my way of thinking, there’s never been a guy to make the decisions and you go from there.

“People in our organization got on me, saying, ‘Larry, there’s a lot of players on the Lakers that are unsigned like our team, what is the difference? Why do you think there’s such a need for you to have these guys signed now, early?’

“I say, ‘Well, there is one difference. The Lakers have always taken care of their own. We have a history, around the league at least, we’re perceived that we don’t take care of our own.’ ”

There are two responses the Clippers could have made:

--Gee, you know, we hate to admit it, but he’s right and we’ll fix the problem.

That would have been wonderful, because the words Brown had spoken were true and have been uttered by other top Clipper employees after leaving the organization.

--He has embarrassed us and we’ll fix him.

That, unfortunately, is human nature, and the Clippers are only too human.

Within days, Clipper executives were making their displeasure with Brown known, right to the very top of the organization. In later days it would be alleged from inside the organization that Brown didn’t really want Manning back; that the old feud between Brown and Manning’s agent, Ron Grinker, was the greatest obstacle to signing Manning.

Even if it was true, it was a sign things were unraveling. They were all supposed to be on the same side, not telling on one another.

After that, the thing was on tracks.

Another coach would have stuck around for another season or two to see what happened, but with Brown, you can’t ever be surprised by a quick move toward the door. Monet painted, Segovia strummed, Brown leaves.

He leaves behind him only the hint of a legacy, but it’s one the Clippers should examine.

There is the memory of that intoxicating last half of the ‘91-92 season, when they finally got a taste of success. May they remember how good it was and fight to get it back.

There is that public blast at the free-form front office, with its multiple levers of power and its palace intrigues, this free-floating Clipper committee on which well-intentioned men cancel one another out and get nothing done. It’s time to promote, or bring in, a single strong man in the front office, make him accountable and get out of his way.

I wouldn’t bet you’ll see it soon, or ever, but it’s the only way the Clippers will ever stop being the Clippers.

Otherwise, it will be a new non-surprise every two years or so, as it has been to date.

Larry Brown’s Coaching Record

The professional and college coaching records of Larry Brown, who resigned as coach of the Clippers on Thursday:

PROFESSIONAL

Year Team W L 72-73 Carolina (ABA) 57 27 73-74 Carolina (ABA) 47 37 74-75 Denver (ABA) 65 19 75-76 Denver (ABA) 60 24 76-77 Denver (NBA) 50 32 77-78 Denver (NBA) 48 34 78-79 Denver (NBA) 28 25 81-82 New Jersey (NBA) 44 38 82-83 New Jersey (NBA) 47 29 88-89 San Antonio (NBA) 21 61 89-90 San Antonio (NBA) 56 26 90-91 San Antonio (NBA) 55 27 91-92 San Antonio (NBA) 21 17 ’92 Clippers (NBA) 23 12 92-93 Clippers (NBA) 41 41 Totals 663 49

Playoff Totals 39 48 COLLEGE Year Team W L 79-80 UCLA 22 10 80-81 UCLA 20 7 83-84 Kansas 22 10 84-85 Kansas 26 8 85-86 Kansas 35 4 86-87 Kansas 25 11 87-88 Kansas-x 27 11 Totals 177 61

x-won national championship