NBA Update: Mike Brown is the next coach for the Los Angeles Lakers
Mike Brown, who was laid-off by the Cleveland Cavaliers almost a year ago, has made a huge comeback and will coach one of the most exalted and celebrated teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) history, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lakers’ exploration to replace the Hall of Famer Phil Jackson has finally come to an end as the team has reached to an agreement with the 41-year-old coach.
"In response to rampant speculation and reports about our head coaching position and Mike Brown, we've met with Mike and are very impressed with him. In addition, we have an outline for an agreement in place and hope to sign a contract within the next few days." Team officials said.
The former Cavaliers coach will be signing a four-year contract which will earn him approximately 18 million dollars and the paper work is expected to be done in couple of days.
Lakers search for a new head coach narrowed down towards Brown after a successful interview last weekend, when the franchise were strongly considering the former coach of the Houston Rockets Rick Adelman. Mike however had big boots to fill as he will be executing the same responsibilities which were held by the legendary Jackson, the most successful coach in the history of the game with 11 NBA championships.
Even though coaching Lakers and living it up to the expectations of the hankering fans is not an easy assignment, however, Brown has the potential to deliver. In his last coaching stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Mike not only turned Cleveland into a championship contender but also guided the team to finish with the best overall record in his last two seasons. However, Cleveland parted ways with Brown after they lost to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals last year.
The prolific forward James, who also took his talents to the Miami Heat after that debacle, has also endorsed Mike’s capabilities and said, "Mike Brown is a great coach. He brought us success that we hadn't had before in that city, and it started with his defensive concepts. He brought in a defensive mindset that we didn't have. Fifty-plus wins, he was coach of the year, he got us to the (NBA) Finals, won us the Eastern Conference finals ... because of him and his coaching staff. I respect him. He definitely helped me become who I am today."
Although, the fact remains that no one can replace the brilliance of Jackson, however Lakers’ preference of Brown over Adelman and Phil’s assistant coach Brian Shaw is for a reason. The Lakers struggled to control the offensive battery of the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Semifinal series and left too many gaps in their back court. Mike’s defensive minded approach may add a new dimension to the Lakers’ arsenal.
Also, the Lakers triangle offense system, one which Jackson endorsed, has become too predictable. Adelman and Shaw had more or less the same offensive cap and their induction wouldn’t have created a major impact on the offensive approach. However, with Brown at the helm of affairs, the Lakers might spring in a few tactical surprises.
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