First he was fired, then he wasn't, then he was.
Whatever the blow-by-blow details, one thing was certain Tuesday night: Larry Brown was no longer head coach of the San Antonio Spurs.Brown was terminated at his own request earlier in the day, and Spurs vice president Bob Bass stepped into the position for the rest of the season.
For many Spurs fans at Tuesday night's game, the change was inevitable.
"Larry Brown was an excellent teacher but failed to motivate his players," said Dr. Joel Rutstein, 45. "His biggest fault was he couldn't get along with David Robinson. You have to get along with the top players, and David and Larry didn't get along."
Tricia Alemon, 23, a payroll clerk, said she thought Brown's leaving was a good idea.
"The Spurs made too many excuses for losing," she said. "We'll see if changing coaches will end all of the excuses. Some of the problems were on the court, but most happened with the staff."
The Spurs, winners of consecutive Midwest Division championships, are 22-17 this season before a 114-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.
Spurs players reacted with shock to the news of Brown's departure.
"We're sad to see coach go," forward Sean Elliott said. "I think he did the best job that he could."
Brown said he was fired in a meeting with Spurs owner Red McCombs on Monday. But Brown reportedly was told he could keep his job later that day after a team meeting and practice.
McCombs, in a hastily called news conference Tuesday, said Brown failed to show up for another meeting Tuesday and then requested the termination. McCombs said Brown felt McCombs had lost confidence in his coaching.