Larry Legend retires again

[Bob Cook]

Larry Bird stepping down as Indiana Pacers' president.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20120626/SPORTS04/120625056/-b-Larry-Bird-b-leaving-Pacers

Hell of a career: MVP and Finals MVP as a player, AND winner of Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year awards. Operated with the franchise on a handshake, but also Machiavellian enough to squeeze out one GM in favor of another before he stepped out the door (with Donnie Walsh possibly returning as Pacers president).

Is there any NBA player/coach/exec with a similar career? Jerry West comes to mind first.

 

[Drip]

Lenny Wilkens, Don Nelson

 

[Stoney]

Is there any NBA player/coach/exec with a similar career? Jerry West comes to mind first.

Pat Riley has now won championships in all three roles, something neither West nor Bird can claim. Although, of course, he doesn't have the HOF playing credentials of the latter two.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Larry will never have to wear a tie again in his life. I'm happy for him.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Obviously nobody in his class as a player -- not many are -- but those are good comparables for the afterlife. Probably neither actually achieved as much, though, even though they were at it for longer.

It's a well-earned retirement for Bird. I just hope he can find a way in his old age to exercise his hatred of Isiah Thomas. Seems like he needs to get that out every few years.

 

[BTExpress]

Bill Sharman, HOF as a player and as a coach (one of only three people with that honor), won titles as ABA coach and NBA coach, then served as Lakers GM and club president through the Showtime years.

And he convinced Wilt to participate in 11 a.m. game-day shootarounds --- his most incredible achievement.

 

[rmanfredi]

Phil Jackson won a title as a player and turned out to be a quietly effective coach as well.

 

[mpcincal]

Obviously nobody in his class as a player -- not many are -- but those are good comparables for the afterlife. Probably neither actually achieved as much, though, even though they were at it for longer.

It's a well-earned retirement for Bird. I just hope he can find a way in his old age to exercise his hatred of Isiah Thomas. Seems like he needs to get that out every few years.

I don't mean to be a spelling Nazi, but do you mean "exercise" (which I interpret to mean revisit that hatred every few years) or "exorcise" (eliminate it)?

 

[LongTimeListener]

I do mean exercise as stated. Starting with the rivalry, continuing with his participation in the Dream Team freeze-out and especially with his public firing of Zeke as soon as he took the Pacers' reins, he has been a consistent non-fan. I doubt Bird (or anyone else really) wants to rid themselves of Isiah hate.

 

[93Devil]

Not bad for the kid who used to pick up the garbage in the neighborhood back in the late 1970s.

 

[Tarheel316]

Phil Jackson won a title as a player and turned out to be a quietly effective coach as well.

He actually got two rings as a player in 1970 and 1973. Yeah, I agree the coaching deal worked out okay.

 

[Boom_70]

Bill Russell does not have executive on his resume but everything else and then some.

 

[Tarheel316]

As a lifelong Celtics fan, I concur.

 

[93Devil]

Let's hope we get another one in our lifetimes.

 

[Stoney]

Phil Jackson won a title as a player and turned out to be a quietly effective coach as well.

He actually got two rings as a player in 1970 and 1973. Yeah, I agree the coaching deal worked out okay.

But he never actually played on the 70 team. He sat out that entire season with injury. And he doesn't have any front office accomplishments on his resume.

 

[rmanfredi]

Phil Jackson won a title as a player and turned out to be a quietly effective coach as well.

He actually got two rings as a player in 1970 and 1973. Yeah, I agree the coaching deal worked out okay.

But he never actually played on the 70 team. He sat out that entire season with injury. And he doesn't have any front office accomplishments on his resume.

Was he ever technically a front office person? No. But if you don't think that he had a large say in what happened with player personnel decisions (especially with the Lakers after he chased Jerry West off), you're nuts.

 

[Boom_70]

Phil Jackson won a title as a player and turned out to be a quietly effective coach as well.

He actually got two rings as a player in 1970 and 1973. Yeah, I agree the coaching deal worked out okay.

But he never actually played on the 70 team. He sat out that entire season with injury. And he doesn't have any front office accomplishments on his resume.

And he never was a starter. Jackson was a great role player on those Knick teams but not in the same sentence as Bird / West / Russell when it comes to overall NBA body of work.

 

[Stoney]

Larry Brown. The ABA's all-time assists leader, by the way.

Meh. Was only in the ABA because he failed to make the NBA. And he has no front office accomplishments that I'm aware of. And was perhaps the single most despicable human in sports history (source: Starman), but he did believe in playing the right way--so there's that.

 

[ColdCat]

why now? This is a team that held a series lead on the eventual NBA champs and has a lot of younger talent in the locker room. It seems like they may be on the verge of breaking through into contender territory. Why walk away now instead of seeing if you can get them into the Finals in the next couple of years.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Bird is 55 and has a pretty serious heart condition and a family history working against him. Those jobs are stressful as hell.