Larry Brown Heading to Carolina...No, Not That Carolina

Today the Charlotte Bobcats announced the hiring of new head coach Larry Brown. This is the ninth NBA coaching job for Brown, who is known as much for jumping from one team to another as he is for his stellar career.

When we last saw Brown (as a head coach, at least) he was with the New York Knicks in 2005-06. Showing about as poor judgment as one could imagine, he left the Eastern Conference Champion Detroit Pistons to try to resurrect the Knicks. Long story short, Brown's coaching talent was simply not enough to overcome Isiah Thomas' flair for constructing dysfunctional basketball teams (maybe "team" is too strong a word). And to think, he could have gone to the Cavs instead.

Now, after a few years off, he returns to his Carolina roots. Brown played point guard for Dean Smith at North Carolina and considered taking the reins at UNC before they settled on Roy Williams.

While Brown has bounced around quite a bit, it wouldn't be a shock to anyone if he quickly became the Bobcats' longest tenured coach. The standing record is three years (held by Bernie Bickerstaff), and this season's coach, Sam Vincent, was canned after his first season. Two head coaches in four years and zero winning seasons is not the kind of start the expansion team was looking for, but if anyone can turn it around, it's Brown. Aside from the Isiah-fied (is that a word? It should be) 2005-06 season, Brown has mastered the art of resurrecting franchises that were otherwise left for dead. The man got the Clippers to the playoffs? What more do you want?

So now that Brown has control over the Bobcats, what changes will he make? Let's go through the roster, player by player, and predict their futures with the organization, in order of their likelihood to get on the floor for Brown next year:

Gerald Wallace: No doubt Brown will love this guy. He plays hard on both ends of the floor every night and has been the #2 scorer on the team last year.

Emeka Okafor: A big man who struggles on offense but is great for defense and rebounding? Okafor is right up Brown's alley. He's a free agent, but the Bobcats will almost certainly bring him back, especially now.

Raymond Felton: He's still got some work to do, but his assist-to-turnover ratio has improved in each of his three seasons. Plus he's a UNC alum.

Jason Richardson: Brown probably wouldn't mind trading shot-happy J-Rich, but with his contract, he's probably stuck with him, like it or not. Besides, someone has to score, right?

Jared Dudley: We all know Brown hates young players, but how can he pass up on Dudley? He's coming off a productive rookie season, running on nothing but hard work and high basketball IQ.

Othella Harrington: A little high on the list? It probably should be, but Harrington is the kind of crusty vet that Brown covets over mere "prospects." What good is a prospect anyway? Brown's here to win!

Nazr Mohammed: Brown traded for his draft rights back in 1998, though a few years later he dealt Mohammed to the Hawks. Still, he's a center with championship experience.

Matt Carroll: He's a good shooter, but a lousy defender. That won't play well with Brown, but he'll still get some playing time, unless Brown can find a better replacement.

Sean May: The main reason he's this far down is because he's never been able to stay healthy. If he can, he'll get his share of minutes, as a solid big man and another UNC product.

Jermareo Davidson: The odds of a second-year player getting major minutes are slim, but he's signed for one more season and he's bound to get some minutes considering the inevitable Okafor and May injuries.

Derek Anderson: Brown loves those veterans. Anderson's a free agent, but Brown might just bring him back, if only so he can cut into Carroll's minutes.

Ryan Hollins: You can always use more big men, but Brown would rather sign a washed-up vet than play a youngster like Hollins.

Earl Boykins: Brown's had quite enough of shoot-first point guards, thanks.

And finally...

Adam Morrison: With his inefficient offense, disinterest in defense, and a molestache for the ages, he's just as likely to show up on To Catch a Predator with Chris Hansen as he is to crack Brown's rotation. If he plays at all, it will be due to either a lobotomy or heavy pressure from the front office.

Maybe tagging Morrison as a sexual predator is a bit unfair, but just look at him. If nothing else, he'd better get used to the phrase "Why don't you take a seat?"