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Knicks Trying to Find Way to Not Pay Larry Brown

The New York Knicks’ problem with canning Larry Brown is he still has $40 million left on his contract. The team may have found a loophole:

The Knicks contend Larry Brown broke Madison Square Garden policy with his roadside interviews, a decision the team believes could wind up saving them millions.

The Knicks fired Brown on Thursday after one season as their coach and replaced him with team president and general manager Isiah Thomas. Brown has four years and a reported $40 million left on his contract, but the Knicks say the Hall of Fame coach is not entitled to all of it because of his disregard for team policy.

Since James Dolan became owner of the Knicks and Rangers, Madison Square Garden policy specifies that any interviews must be done with a public relations official present — with no exceptions, according to a person familiar with the policy, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because this matter has not been resolved.

After reports surfaced in May that Dolan was considering buying out Brown’s contract, the Knicks made neither Brown nor Thomas available after they worked out potential draft prospects.

Reporters soon began waiting near the entrance to the Knicks’ training facility in Greenburgh, N.Y. On a few occasions, Brown pulled his car over to speak, saying during one interview he felt like a “dead man walking.”

That Knicks owner is a control freak.

 
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Comments
 

Bizarre. I’m no lawyer but I can’t see this rather obviously thin ruse working. Since Brown presumably doesn’t want to end his coaching career this way, I presume there will be a settlement at a fraction of the $40 mil that will allow him to coach another team next season.

Posted by James Joyner | June 24, 2006 | 02:30 pm | Permalink
 

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