Mike Brown to succeed Phil Jackson; Los Angeles Lakers get it wrong – Part 1
So Mike Brown will replace the legendary Phil Jackson in the Los Angeles Lakers hot seat. The announcement came Wednesday that Brown and the Lakers had agreed on an $18 million, 4 year contract, with the franchise having the option
of the fourth year.
Brown was the coach of LeBron James at Cleveland and he led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a more than formidable 272-138 (.663) record in five seasons at the helm. He also oversaw the development of LeBron into arguably the best player
of his generation. His coaching style was based on emphasis on D and he turned the Cavaliers into one of the better defensive teams around.
Brown is a pretty good coach, but we have to wonder if he was the best coach available and will he suit the Los Angeles Lakers. Rick Adelman and Brian Shaw were the other options considered. Adelman had a strong case. The veteran
coach, 64 years of age, has been around for a very long time and has brought success wherever he has gone. Be it Portland Trail Blazers (where the Trail Blazers made the Finals in 1990 and 1992), Sacramento Kings (where he holds the record of being the most
successful coach in the franchise’s history) or the Houston Rockets. Adelman has always produced results and commanded respect from his players.
The other candidate, Brian Shaw, was the Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach for the last five years. Shaw had also won three NBA Championship rings with Los Angeles as a player during his stint there from 1999 to 2003. As such,
he knew the franchise inside out and was considered as one of their own. Shaw also received public backing from the two senior most members of the playing staff, namely Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher. Having served under Phil Jackson as both player and coach,
he knows plenty about the game.
However, the Los Angeles management has chosen instead to hire Mike Brown, overlooking the other two despite their strong credentials. The man believed to be behind the move is Los Angeles Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss.
Jim is the son of Lakers owner Jerry Buss and holds considerable say in the organization. The younger Buss has taken on a more and more commanding role behind the scenes at the Los Angeles franchise since joining in 1997. However his presence and influence
have not gone down well with many in the organisation.
His decisions have been criticized by many inside the Lakers. Phil Jackson, the man who brought Los Angeles 5 NBA World Championships as head coach, was often at logger heads with Jim Buss. He even recently revealed that he hardly
had any contact with the vice president in his last year as the Lakers coach, which ended in a sweep by the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semi-finals.
Buss also had issues with the legendary Lakers former player and executive, Jerry West. West did not agree with many of Jim’s ideas and the relationship between the two could be described as frosty at best.
As such, the man behind Mike Brown’s appointment doesn’t seem to be someone with an acute sense for the basketball acumen. If you are disagreeing with Jerry West and Phil Jackson, two of the greatest and most recognized personalities
in NBA history, then you simply don’t know what you are talking about.
Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in the article are the writer’s own personal views and has nothing to do with bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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