At least this time around, no one will say the coach wasn't ready for his job.

The Charlotte Bobcats replaced Sam Vincent as their head coach with Hall of Famer Larry Brown. Consider the contrast: This season was Vincent's first as an NBA head coach, and he finished 32-50. Brown is one of five coaches with 1,000 or more NBA victories and he's won championships in the NBA (Detroit Pistons) and NCAA (Kansas).

Bobcats management contacted Brown within hours of firing Vincent and introduced him as their coach three days later. Vincent speculated that Brown's availability was a factor in his firing. Michael Jordan, who oversees the Bobcats' basketball decisions, said otherwise.

Jordan said Vincent would have been fired regardless of who else was available, based on player feedback and what Jordan saw during the season.

However, Brown seems a logical remedy for what ails the Bobcats on and off the court. Brown's NBA teams have reached the playoffs in 17 of 24 seasons. Also, Brown's fame and North Carolina connections (he played for the Tar Heels and coached the ABA Carolina Cougars) adds credibility to a franchise struggling to sell tickets.

Jordan said Brown signed a four-year contract and a report in New York Newsday indicated Brown will make around $3 million per season.

Jordan said he anticipates Brown, 67, coaching all four years of his contract.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT
For the second straight season, the Bobcats did their best work against the Los Angeles Lakers. Last season, it was a triple-overtime victory in Charlotte, in which the Bobcats fouled Kobe Bryant out of the game. This time it was a March visit to Los Angeles, and the Bobcats so frustrated Bryant that night he was ejected with two technical fouls, the second for kicking a ball at a referee.

TURNING POINT
They knew (because of college basketball commitments at their arena) that 26 of their last 41 would be played on the road. They never built sufficient momentum in November and December to overcome that schedule imbalance, and four straight losses out west -- Sacramento, Golden State, Denver and Phoenix -- did them in during early February.

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