Detroit ? The divorce was messy, but the marriage was worth it.

In good times, Larry Brown and Joe Dumars talked every day about everything.

In bad, lawyers spoke on behalf of the Hall of Fame coach and the Detroit Pistons’ president of basketball operations.

An ugly split, which was completed Tuesday after weeks of negotiations, taints their two-year relationship. If both sides could do it all over, however, they would follow the same path because they got what they wanted.

Brown filled the only void in a career that started in 1972 by winning an NBA title last season with the Pistons, and Detroit hired a coach able to turn its good team into a champion.

Those are facts, a precious commodity in the seasonlong saga involving a nomadic coach and a team that will open next season with its third coach in four seasons.

Even toward the end – when both sides acknowledged they were parting ways – they didn’t agree on the word used to describe the breakup. Dumars said they were negotiating a buyout, while Brown’s agent, Joe Glass, insisted the team was discussing a payoff because it didn’t want Brown back.

Two years ago, Detroit signed Brown to a five-year contract worth about $25 million, plus incentive bonuses. He leaves with a settlement and a clause that allows him to coach next season.

Brown’s first year with his 10th team went well, following a career-high, six-season stint in Philadelphia. Detroit followed up a solid regular season with a postseason run that concluded with a dominating performance against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals.

The Pistons were hailed as a true team in a league known for promoting its stars ahead of squads. Brown was praised by coaches around the globe for making their jobs easier because they could point to his selfless team.

Brown’s second season in Detroit was miserable.

After leading the Americans to a disappointing bronze-medal finish in the Olympics, Brown was disturbed by one of the worst brawls in U.S. sports history involving the Pistons, Indiana Pacers and fans at The Palace.

He also had hip surgery in November and complications from it led to a medical problem that persisted after a second procedure in March, and a hospital visit last month.

Through it all, Brown and Dumars spoke daily.

When they were together in suburban Detroit, they chatted across Dumars’ desk in his dimly lit office. Cell phones kept them connected when Brown was in Athens.

Brown exits, likely for a gig involving basketball in some capacity after he turns 65 in September. He is expected to be replaced by former Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders, who can’t match Brown’s resume or reputation as the most mercurial coach in sports.

Both sides have hurt their image because of the way their high-profile union fell apart.

Some see Brown as a nomad, who can’t stay in one place or avoid being magnetized to drama. Others see the Pistons as a ruthless organization with an owner, Bill Davidson, who is willing to cut loose anybody he’s unhappy with from Isiah Thomas to Rick Carlisle to Brown.

Though such opinions have merit, what shouldn’t be forgotten is both sides won before they lost.