When Larry Brown was fired after the Knicks' dreadful 2005-06 season, a battle began over how much of the remaining four-year, $41 million contract he would get. NBA Commissioner David Stern decided on a settlement in late October, and he hoped it would remain secret. But he didn't count on Cablevision's third-quarter filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the end, the Knicks will pay Brown $18.5 million in addition to the $10 million he was paid for the season of work.
On the one hand, this could seem unfair to Brown. He was fired with a guaranteed contract. The Knicks chose to part ways; shouldn't they have to pay him? On the other side is the Knicks' argument that Brown violated his contract by talking to the media and undermining Isiah Thomas on trades. As the Times points out, that Brown got less than half of what was on the contract suggests Stern liked the Knicks' arguments. One thing's for sure, the $1.24 million that Brown got per win doesn't put him in the poor house.
Photo by Adam Pantozzi via Tozzer.net
