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Lakers Fire Head Coach Mike Brown by John M. Curtis Copyright
Nov. 9, 2012 Going 0-and-8 in the preseason and 1-and-4 the 2012-13 regular season, Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak canned 42-year-old Mike Brown, citing intolerable losses in the current season. Brown’s preseason brainstorm involved implementing the ball-movement-driven Princeton Offense to take some pressure off 34-year-old Lakers five-time NBA champion, 14-time NBA All-Star and 4-time NBA All-Star Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant. Bryant wasn’t too thrilled when the son of Lakers owner Jerry Buss, Jim Buss, hired Brown for the 2011-12 season after legendary, 11-time NBA Champion-winning coach 67-year-old Phil Jackson retired. Known for a hands off philosophical approach to the game, Jackson was just the right fit for Kobe, having nurtured NBA legend, six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan while coaching the Chicago Bulls for 10 years [1989-98]. Brown’s problems started even before his hiring by Jim Buss in 2011. When he took the podium June 2, 2011, Brown, who coached LeBron James to runner-up in 2007 NBA finals while head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, looked over-his-head and was grossly inarticulate while introduced as the Lakers’ head coach. When Kobe was asked whether or not Jim Buss consulted him on Brown’s pick, he demurred, strongly suggesting that Brown wasn’t his first choice. When your top player sounds far more mature and articulate than his coach, you know there are problems. Brown’s problems aren’t his work ethic or basketball knowledge—it’s his lack of charisma and gravitas needed to corral the seasoned veterans and superstars on the Lakers’ team. Kupchak indicated that the Lakers would pursue Jackson, still in retirement, to help pull the team back together. Jackson’s maturity and intellectual prowess provided the reassuring glue that held a team of dynamic personalities together. From the get-go, Brown was a likeable, ra-ra type guy but lacked the depth to coach seasoned veterans. Whatever he tried, his team wouldn’t put out the effort that was needed to win games. Going 0-an-8 in the preseason was dismissed by Brown as just practice. He couldn’t figure out what his $100 million payroll needed. “I have great respect for the Buss family and the Lakers’ storied tradition and I thank them for the opportunity they afforded me,” said Brown in a sanitized statement. While still owed about $13.5 million on an $18 million four-year contract, Brown took no responsibility for the Lakers’ failure. Kupchak admitted that in firing Brown, his team was designed to compete this year for a championship, not some murky future. Despite all the anticipation of off-season acquisitions that included Orlando Magic 27-year-old all-star Dwight Howard and 39-year-old Phoenix Suns’ two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and eight-time all-star Steve Nash, the Lakers couldn’t play coherently. Instead of letting his stars play ball, Brown tried to impose a college basketball scheme known as the Princeton Offense, something built around ball distribution, not individual playmaking. “After five games we weren’t seeing improvement and we made a decision. Maybe it would have changed . . . with this team, we don’t want to wait five months and find out it wasn’t going to change,” said Kupchak, skirting the real issue that Brown was the wrong coach. Former Lakers great and NBA analyst Magic Johnson didn’t mince words that Brown was never the right pick. While affordable, Brown was no bargain. Before the pick was made after Jackson’s retirement in 2011, Lakers upper management—especially Executive Vice President Jim Buss—should have consulted with Kobe and other team leaders. As team captain, Kobe’s been responsible for the Lakers’ winning ways over the years, though life under Brown didn’t rise to Lakers’ standards. “I have a deep appreciation for the coaches and players that I worked with this past year and I wish the organization nothing but success moving forward,” said Brown, saying nothing about what he did wrong. While Kobe and Nash battle foot and leg injuries, and center Dwight Howard recovers from back surgery, Brown should have gotten far more mileage from his players. Showing little motivation, players let upper management know that Brown had to go. Key Lakers’ players simply wouldn’t put out the effort for Brown. When Kobe played on the gold-medal-winning Olympic team last summer under Duke head basketball coach Mike Kryzewiski, he had no problem lifting his game to the highest level. Unlike Brown, Kobe respected and admired Coach K’s brilliance and perfectionism, the exact same things that have driven his career since he entered the NBA in 1996 out of Philadelphia’s Lower Merion High School. More than basketball knowledge and enthusiasm, successful coaches must command the respect and admiration of their players. Kobe learned more about life and maturity from Phil Jackson than he did about Xs-and-Os. Without charisma, a coach can’t differentiate himself from his players, leaving a team without a leader providing moral support in times of intense competition. “Tough day. I’ve seen coaches as well as friends come and go . . .” Kobe posted on Facebook, showing no regret. John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma. |
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