Carlesimo and Portland

I haven't heard much commentary on another piece to the budding I-5 rivalry between the Sonics and Portland: New Sonics Head Coach P.J. Carlesimo broke into the NBA with the Blazers, spending three seasons in Portland and advancing to the playoffs each time (the Blazers lost all three years in the first round).

Kerry Eggers, who covered Carlesimo in Portland, has a lengthy feature on that experience and how Carlesimo got to Seattle in the Portland Tribune.

Life is much different for Carlesimo now than it was during his time in Portland, when he was a seemingly confirmed bachelor, a denizen of late-night eateries (Jake’s Famous Crawfish, Opus Too, Ringside Steakhouse, Brasserie Montmartre, Genoa, Bugatti’s Ristorante and Il Fornaio, to name a few) and the only NBA head coach with a full beard.

Carlesimo, 58, still wears the beard, though more neatly trimmed and now speckled more with gray than red.

And his family life is much different. Married for seven years to Carolyn, a sports psychologist, they have two young sons – Kyle, 5, and Casey, 2.

Elsewhere, the Grizzlies announced that they have signed forward Andre Brown, who spent most of last season with the Sonics.

The press release Memphis issued is much more interesting than most of the boilerplate releases you see. Quoting Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace:

Andre has what the late, great, first GM of the Portland Trail Blazers, Stu Inman, used to refer to as "stickability." He has persevered and improved after leaving DePaul and playing abroad, in the NBDL and last season in the NBA with Seattle.

Based on Memphis making a relatively big deal of this signing, looks like Brown should stick and see some time. Good for him.