Do you remember when Mike Brown won coach of the year in 2009? Everyone thought he did an amazing job molding LeBron and a bunch of ragtag misfits into a 66 win juggernaut. Then LeBron fell apart in the playoffs, mostly because Brown ran him into the ground, and the Cavs were bounced by the Magic. That was the year all those LeBron/Kobe puppet commercials came out. (Side note: I loved those. Now that LeBron has finally won a ring, isn’t it about time we brought those back? Make it happen Nike.) It was the year LeBron was supposed to get a ring. It was the year LeBron was supposed to overtake Kobe for the title of “Greatest Player Alive.” None of that happened.
Why is that season so important? It was the first season after the 2008 Olympics. The same Olympics where D-Wade, LeBron, and Chris Bosh supposedly hatched their plan to all play together some day. No one actually believed LeBron would abandon his hometown squad. No one thought it possible. But that 08-09 season was the final straw. LeBron looked around, saw that the second best player on his team was Mo Williams, and probably thought “Fuck this, I’m going to go play with my friends. Who are good. And we’ll win. A lot.”
The rest is history. After failing to win in LeBron’s final season with the Cavs (which might have actually kept both of them in Cleveland, by the way) Mike Brown was fired in the summer of 2010. LeBron continued his meteoric rise from “Talented player who can’t win” to “Best player in the game by a wide margin”. And while LeBron kept climbing, Mike Brown was beginning his slow downward spiral.
Insert the Los Angeles Lakers here. In Phil Jackson’s final season, they left the playoffs in disgrace, getting swept by the Dallas Mavericks while Andrew Bynum checked J.J. Barea into the second row. As soon as Phil stepped aside, everyone instantly assumed Brian Shaw would take over as head coach. But for whatever reason, the Laker front office wanted to move away from the coaching system that won them 5 Championships and won Phil 11 overall. Maybe it was because of how disgusting their playoff exit was that year. Maybe they thought the Laker players were tuning out the coaches. Whatever the case, they said no to Brian Shaw and yes to Mike Brown. What a shame.
After watching Mike Brown last year, most NBA fans knew he didn’t look quite right for the team. His offense was basically “Give Kobe the ball.” Pau Gasol went from “Valuable trade commodity” to “No one wants that contract” under his watch. But everyone gave him a free pass because it was a lockout shortened season. They believed that if he had an offseason to work with the team and implement a system rather than try to teach on the fly, he could be a good fit for the Lakers.
Then, as things always seem to do for the Lakers, everything worked out. They traded for Steve Nash. They traded for Dwight Howard. Suddenly, a powerhouse was formed. How easy was it going to be to run this offense? Dwight is the best finisher in the league. Nash is the best pick and roll point. Pau Gasol is an excellent passer out of the high post. Kobe could spot up for wide open jump shots all day. The seas were parting. Pick and roll all day. It would be so easy. And then they could– wait, what? Mike Brown decided to run the Princeton offense? The offense they say can only work in college and is only used by teams that lack superior talent? That’s what he decided to do with his offseason additions of the best pick and roll point guard and the best pick and roll finisher in the league? Unbelievable.
The Lakers began the season 0-3, won against the NCAA Detroit Pistons, and then lost again to the Utah Jazz to fall to 1-4. As always in Lakerland, panic mode had already begun to settle in. Everyone wanted Mike Brown’s head on a stick. If there is one thing I do appreciate about the Laker franchise, it’s that they are never afraid to make big moves. In typical Laker fashion, they pulled the trigger. Mike Brown: Fired.
Already I see people clamoring for certain coaches. Jerry Sloan. Mike D’Antoni. Phil Jackson. Stan Van Gundy. Jeff Van Gundy. Here’s the thing: none of those will work.
Sloan got run out of Utah because he butted heads with Deron Williams and ultimately lost. He’s a hard-nosed, old school coach that doesn’t take any shit. You think he will mesh will with Dwight Howard and his playful, knuckleheaded attitude?
D’Antoni would work… If you wanted a coach that ran all his starters into the ground by playing them 40+ minutes a night during the regular season. Please see Amare Stoudemire’s knees if you have any questions.
Jackson lost the ear of that same clubhouse just 18 months ago. They were tuning him out. Besides, they disgraced him horribly in his final year. Do you think he really wants to return to that?
Stan Van has a history with Dwight, who basically got him fired in Orlando. So yeah, that’s not happening.
Jeff Van Gundy hasn’t coached an NBA team in 5 years. Do you really think he’s prepared to come in and fix a team in this state of disarray?
The Lakers were already a mess this season. And things just become a whole lot messier. But there is one thing that is clear: the fall of Mike Brown was quick, and it was brutal. He seemed destined for a great coaching career in Cleveland, and then things all fell apart. He’ll probably never see a head coaching job again.
Just remember one thing Laker fans: Mike Brown’s legacy remains whether you like it or not. It lives on in LeBron during every game he plays in Miami. Brown’s inability to win a title in Cleveland prompted LeBron to bolt and form his group of Superfriends. And they are still the favorite to win the title. Brown’s firing does not equate to an automatic championship. So stop dancing in the streets, and pray that this team gets it together quick. Otherwise, its going to be a long season, even without Mike Brown at the head of it.
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