Mike Brown facing severe criticism after miserable start to Los Angeles Lakers season – NBA Feature
When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Steve Nash and Dwight Howard in the offseason, the team became instant favourites out of the Western Conference to reach the NBA Finals this season, and Mike Brown had the dream job of coaching
four All Star players and future Hall of Famers. However, as was the case with Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra till the time he won the NBA championship last season, coaching a superstar filled roster can be more difficult than it seems as the expectations
are sky high and the media attention on the team is constant. And after the Lakers started their season poorly with a 0-3 record, Brown found out just that.
Brown has gone from being a dream job holder to almost having to worry for his job as Head Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. The team has only won 1 of their opening four games of the season, and lost to rebuilding teams that have
nowhere the same talent as the Lakers. When teams perform below expectations, especially a superstar team like the Lakers, criticism is normal and many have already started calling for Mike Brown to be replaced. His idea of running the Princeton offence and
taking the ball out of the hands of veteran point guard Steve Nash seems lost on fans, and his insistence during the offseason to not change his rotation regardless of who signed with the team scared some interested free agents away from the Lakers. The result
is that the Lakers do not have a very deep bench and when their star players do not perform, they have no backup plan and it is essentially a wrap for the team.
The Lakers won their first game of the season against the Detroit Pistons to the relief of their fans, and Kobe Bryant said after the game that although the victory was important for all the players, it was particularly important
for the head coach.
“I think it’s more of a relief for Mike than it is for anybody else,” said Bryant.
Many analysts within the NBA have already said that Brown’s days with the Lakers are numbered, and that veteran coach Jerry Sloan or Mike D’Antoni are the front runners to take the job after he departs.
“Jerry Sloan to L.A. by December 1. Nash and Howard are the new Stockton and Malone. He wants a ring, not to mention the money. He didn’t seriously consider Orlando, Charlotte or Portland [openings] over the summer because he knew
Los Angeles would open up,” said one league insider.
The stakes are as high as they have ever been for Mike Brown, and he quickly needs to sort out his team strategy and get the players to start playing as a well knit team. Victories are the only way the critics will shut up and
for a team like the Lakers where the media is always only a few steps away, Brown will not be able to escape the criticism unless he turns the team around and does it quick.
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