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Breaking News: Lakers Have Fired Mike Brown

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The reports are just starting to come in, but Sam Amick of USA Today is reporting that the Lakers have fired Mike Brown:

On the heels of receiving a vote of confidence from Jim Buss just two days ago, it seems there’s been a change of heart in the Lakers’ front office.

This move is pretty much unprecedented for a Laker franchise that has typically been cautious in making major moves of any kind, but especially one of this nature. However, it seems the team’s sluggish start to the season forced ownership’s hand.

Where the Lakers’ go from here is still unknown. We’ll have updates throughout the day as more information comes in. But for those that wanted change, here you have it.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Tony says

    I don’t think the Lakers had any choice, and I do think personally that its been mostly a coaching problem. Mike Brown has been making the game way more complicated than it needs to be.

    Also, i don’t see why someone should be “ashamed” to be a Laker fan because we fired a coach. Pretty much every team in the league has done it.

  3. Jeremy says

    I know lots of people here will be happy and maybe this was inevitable but I don’t agree with doing this yet. Has there ever been a team which replaced it’s coach mid-season and went on to win a title? Of course that doesn’t mean it’s not possible but I do think it makes things harder.

    Brown’s rotations which can only be described as bizarre have to be the chief culprit. MWP at the 2 over Meeks who was brought in just for that position was one of the weirdest decisions I’ve seen.

  9. DieTryin' says

    Darius and some others on this board may feel this decision was premature. I don’t. In an earlier post I offered my rationale:

    Jim Buss, as reported today by Ramona S., said of Brown that he ” could not believe that someone who works as hard and is as prepared as Mike Brown would have these issues” while expressing his support for Brown. No one doubts that Mike Brown is a hard worker and that he is prepared. But the reason why he has proven so inept as the Lakers coach revolves around a leadership deficit. Mike Brown cannot run back on transition defense for his players but he can insist that this happens. The fact that this is not happening is as direct evidence as possible that this team does not respect the man. This would not happen with Jerry Sloan. Have you ever seen a Sloan coached team, regardless of talent level, not work hard for 48 min? Once hearts and minds are lost one can no longer effectively lead.it is for this reason that a coaching change is necessary and should not be considered impulsive or rash. The example El Lobo cited above about the turnaround experienced by the Kings when Sutter was brought in is very apt and provides further support for why there is no upside in waiting…

    Now I hope that it is indeed Jerry Sloan who replaces him!

  10. Martin says

    Jeremy:
    “Has there ever been a team which replaced it’s coach mid-season and went on to win a title?”
    Ummmmmmm…. the lakers? The year they fired Westhead…

  13. JDub says

    Jeremy,

    The 1980 Lakers, 1982 Lakers and 2006 Heat all switched coaches at some point in the year and went on to win a championship. The Heat actually switched 21 games into the season, so it can work even when the switch is made later. I doubt they would have fired Brown without a contingency plan–Jackson, Sloan, etc.–which is most assuredly better than Brown. If I’m wrong and they’re planning on moving forward with Bickerstaff or Person long-term then I don’t get the move at all.

  14. DieTryin' says

    Martin~ The Kings last year when hey brought in Daryl Sutter. Beginning of a complete turnaround and a Stanley Cup!

  15. Anonymous says

    I knew Jim has the brass to do such a thing and by this early firing it shows he wants to win at all costs. My money’s on PJ coming back.

  16. DB says

    If they hire D’Antoni the best case scenario is that they will be more entertaining. But they won’t be title contenders. The problem is defense, not offense. The problem is establishing roles that put players in positions to succeed and make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. D’Antoni is not that guy. Why not admit to a mistake and hire Brian Shaw? He’s someone Kobe would respect.

  18. Scorchee says

    Usually the Lakers have a backup plan. They know who they are hiring as their coach, but it looks a lot better if they take a game or two to “find” a coach

  22. DJ says

    This is a serious business, with 2 days rest but Lakers could not defense Utah team. What is the excuse ? injured or tired ? Jim Buss did the right thing.

  23. Vyasa says

    I think between trading “his pick” in Bynum for Howard, and firing “his coach” in Brown, Jim Buss has thoroughly shedded the image of being stuck on “his guys.” I’m liking the decisiveness I’ve seen from him from the offseason onwards. I used to be worried about the transistion to Jim, but I think the Lakers are still in capable-Buss hands, regardless of how this season plays out.

  24. LBc says

    im so happy. one step closer to #17.

    now mitch please sign delonte west.

    and we will win tonight book it!!!!!!

  26. raymeister says

    @Jeremy “Has there ever been a team which replaced it’s coach mid-season and went on to win a title? ” Resounding yes. 81-82 Lakers, Paul Westhead —> Pat Riley

  27. DieTryin' says

    I’m a buyer on Jim Buss stock. Bynum & Brown were his guys but he obviously cares more about winning than ego. Leadership is what Brown lacked but Jim has shown he has it. This is not a cure all by any stretch but it was clearly needed. Better to move on the instant you know that you’ve got the wrong guy in the chair. It must but be a bitter bill though for the Buss family to write an 8 figure check to the guy that is leaving though…

  29. JB says

    I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new coach named in a few days. The vote of confidence, if the way Kupchak handles trades is any indication, was to throw the press off the scent while they discreetly contacted their preferred candidates.

    I’ve kept out of the “fire/don’t fire Brown” discussion here, even though the past week really has shown to me that he wasn’t getting it done. When most of the commentariat here is smacking their foreheads at his rotation and watching him get very little out of the awesome talent this roster has (mostly at the top, granted), it was plain to see he was losing the handle on things.

  30. Cdog says

    The devil you know . . .

    Who are the Lakers going to replace brown with? Unless they have a bigwig lined up, this firing may just be to appease the fans.

    This is a team of talented veterans – they can’t bring in a coach who hasn’t had a lot of success, or a coach who still needs to earn his stripes.

    Possible names out there:

    Stan Van Gundy (won’t happen because Dwight hates him)
    Phil Jackson (won’t happen – health and hatred of Jimmy)
    Jerry Sloan (unlikely – he has been retired for a few years, and the league has changed)
    Mike D’Antoni (I suppose its possible, but he left NY with a bad taste in the fans mouths)

    I’m not seeing a whole lot else unless its a young darkhorse like a Spoelstra. Thats a tough bet to make with a team who supposedly is in win-now mode.

    This mistake was made 2 years ago – it looked like they had the option to get Rick Adelman over Mike Brown, who would have fit Pau and Odom’s games perfectly.

  31. LT mitchell says

    First of all, hallelujah! This feels like an early Christmas gift.

    I expect the team to continue with the Princeton. Too much time has been invested in the offense to go through another adjustment period with a new offense. As long as the Princeton is mixed in with P&R’s and opportune transition opportunities, the offense has real potential. Turnovers will eventually be cut down. The defense is another issue, and with the twin tower lineup, the new coach will have his hands full to incorporate a system and rotation that can defend the P&R, as well as in transition.

    The new coach needs to focus on better rotations, nurturing the young players, reducing the minutes of the veterans, and just be able to see the big picture without panicking. D’Anotni would be an awful choice. He does not coach defense. I’m not an advocate of Sloan either. I’ve noticed he rarely makes adjustments come playoff time. Jeff and Stan Van Gundy are likely out of the running because their ties with Dwight. The best options seem to be one of the assistant coaches, Jordan, Persons, Bickerstaff. My choice would be Persons, who coached under Phil Jackson, and probably understands the importance of staying calm, managing superstars, and the importance of psychology in this game.

  34. Don says

    While I am sad for Brown because he is a reportedly hard-working guy and has made some decent contributions, his own decision-making did him in. His inflexible rotations was costing the newly-assembled team valuable time to develop chemistry, and I think the FO is right to make this change earlier rather than later. His ability on the defensive side of the ball has been on display for more than a year, and results have been, well, not as advertised..

    At every turn his decision making has proven suspect and his excuses found wanting. Didn’t have a training camp to put in a scheme? Well, a training camp this season didn’t seem to produce any noticeable progress as both offensive and defense remain in disarray. Didn’t have a ball-creating point guard? Here’s Ramon Sessions, here’s Steve Nash. Didn’t have a rim protector? Here’s Dwight. Didn’t have perimeter defenders? Here’s a slimmed down MWP, healthier Kobe. It’s not that he hasn’t produced wins, it’s that the manner of his losses have demonstrated zero tangible improvement.

    There will be a chorus that points to the lack of talent on this team and indicate MB getting unfairly blamed for it. To that I would ask – is Meeks really a 12th man? Is Sessions really a disappearing act? Is Pau Zydrunas Ilgauskas? Is Jamison a 2 point a night scorer? Is a healthy Metta a 6 pt a night scorer? Is a healthy Steve Blake a 35% shooter? Somehow it feels like with a Carlisle or PJ these complementary players would have produced more in line with their ability. Even look at Matt Barnes, who looks like a NBA level player again on Del Negro’s team.

    To his credit, Brown has made some good decisions. I for one would call the Princeton offense a good idea. The big to big actions were effective last season. Giving Hill a chance resulted in a solid rotation player. But for every decent, seemingly standard NBA coach move, he’s made three more nonsensical ones.

    From this body of questionable decisions that have failed to produce results, this is a change more than a year in the making, despite the party line of support. It is not a trigger happy reaction to a 1-4 start.

    I would not put too much weight on the whole “his players don’t play for him and aren’t showing energy” idea. The Lakers are the Lakers and wouldn’t even play for PJ.

    Hard-working people should get more of a chance. Brown is, from all indications, a hard-working guy, and frankly I believe that earned him a longer stay than I think someone of his ability and the results on the court warranted. Brown simply is not a winner. And in the realm of a prestigious organization like the Lakers, sometimes your best is not good enough. Working hard is necessary, but not sufficient – you need a special “it” factor to be at a championship level.

    However, the problem with not being a winner does not end here. Brown has assembled a staff of assistant coaches with a history of losing that does not inspire confidence in me. Still, Brown was hurting the Lakers imo and replacing him with a hopefully more flexible assistant coach is better than not doing anything at all. Meanwhile, the FO will be working hard I’m sure searching for a winner.

  35. Sufian says

    I like the decisiveness. Why wait? Mike brown is NOT a championship coach. He is not even a top 20 coach in the NBA. I would like Stan van Gundy or Nate mcmillan as our coach. We need a hungry defensive coach. I would put Pau on the bench, start Hill or Sacre at the 4. Strengthen the bench by putting pau on it.

  36. raymeister says

    Is PJ even physically able to go through a 77 + postseason game grind? Another question for the FO…is the Thief of Baghdad even a consideration? I’m assuming it’s just Brown’s position that was vacated, and none of the assistants.

  38. carol says

    It was inevitable, and it is time to correct it and do the right thing!!! Bring phil jackson back. if phil is back dwight howard will stay a laker at the end of the season and hopefully will be a champion.

  39. lil pau says

    Please, Basketball Gods: D’Antoni, Sloan, Nate McMillian, S Van Gundy, or PJ.

    Echoing the comment above– Jim Buss has been quick on the trigger to improve this team and I hope this is the nail in the coffin re: all the nonsense about him protecting his guys, cheapness, nepotism, etc….

  40. Shaun says

    Very good comment Vyasa – it does really show that they are completely committed to winning in the next year or 2

    I wouldnt be surprised for us to try and pick up other guys either such as delonte west – it is very odd since it came out that guys were turned away from the team because brown would not deviate from his rotations and then when he kept playing starters around 40 mins , guys like jamison, artest out of position, Meeks who was a Jim buss favorite not at all – it was obvious that this was going to happen and thankfully sooner rather than later.

    Really hoping that we do not stick with an interim coaching team and that we right the ship with either jackson, shaw or dantoni – really dont believe that sloan could coach this team as he would not have the pure backing from management to do what he wanted like he had in utah

  41. sbdunks says

    Ashamed inwit? If you’re ashamed today, I can’t imagine what adjective you’d use to describe your feelings on Wednesday watching that Utah game. Were you also ashamed when Magic publicly demanded a trade in order to get Westhead fired? An inexperienced broadcaster-turned-coach by the name of Pat Riley took over and we all know how that went.

    This is absolutely the right move at the right time. I was all for patience, giving Brown 15-20 games to see how the offense and defense came together. However, that was not the problem. The problem was his rotations, playing players out of position, his minute distributions, etc. He took an already slow team and made them slower by designating Metta as the backup 2 with Jamison at the 3. He was already on track to grind down Kobe and Pau by playing them too many minutes, just as he did last year. He didn’t create a successful environment with specified roles and allocated minutes for the younger guys like Meeks and Ebanks. Heck, he wasn’t even playing Meeks when two of our biggest flaws last year were 1) no back-up for Kobe, in his 16th season and 2) a lack of outside shooting.

    Maybe the offense and defense would have came around in another 15 games or so, but it was clear Brown was mismanaging the roster and showed no signs of improvement in that regard. If the sole reason why they’ve looked so bad was because they haven’t had enough time to gel and learn the offense and defense, how the heck are the Mavs 4-1 with 4 new starters, Collison, Mayo, Brand, Kaman, a rookie Crowder, and no Dirk? Why isn’t it taking them 15-20 games?

  42. Steve says

    Not sad to see MB go. His rotations were what killed him for me.
    We need somebody who can get some confidence going in some of our bench guys.

    I don’t think Phil is actually the right guy with Steve Nash.

    How about Larry Brown or Jeff Van Gundy?
    Larry Brown wears out his welcome, but we only need him for two years anyway.

    Too bad Doug Collins is taken. You know he used to coach Michael Jordan…

    -S

  43. Shaun says

    Ko you were right on – thanks to you for being on this board and actually having inside info that we can be aware of – any insight into you might be the next coach?

  44. teamn says

    The dreaded vote of confidence strikes again!

    Have to say I am impressed by Jim Buss — he is committed to winning now, no doubt about it in my mind.

  45. CMB says

    They should have fired Pau.

    With no Nash, a gimpy Howard, the shell of Pau and a continued refusal to get decent players who can actually shoot outside of 12 feet; this isn’t close to a championship team and it’s barely a good team. Firing the coach in a panic move won’t change that.

  48. JB says

    “The problem was his rotations, playing players out of position, his minute distributions, etc. He took an already slow team and made them slower by designating Metta as the backup 2 with Jamison at the 3. He was already on track to grind down Kobe and Pau by playing them too many minutes, just as he did last year. He didn’t create a successful environment with specified roles and allocated minutes for the younger guys like Meeks and Ebanks. Heck, he wasn’t even playing Meeks when two of our biggest flaws last year were 1) no back-up for Kobe, in his 16th season and 2) a lack of outside shooting.”

    This times ten million.

  49. MS says

    What about JEFF VG? Still a Van Gundy, and no Dwighthate. Top tier has to be, in order, PJ, SLOAN(!!), JVG/SVG, MD’A.

  50. Brandon says

    First of all, I’m not sure how a coach can overcome Dwight’s dead legs, KB24’s dead foot, Nash’s broken leg, and the team’s lack of depth.

    But, like Magic tweeted, the mystery is why Brown was hired in the first place. This type of veteran team, with the sense of entitlement and so forth, needs a strong-willed experienced coach the players respect, not a guy like Brown.

    Jerry Sloan, Mike D’Antoni and a few others spring to mind. I wonder if they’ll keep Jordan around to implement the Princeton?

  51. Jim C. says

    I, for one, think this move had to happen.

    Not simply because of the slow start, but also because of the effort. It was manifestly obvious that Brown had lost the team.

    Deserved or not (and opinions will be mixed on this), that makes a coaching change a practical necessity. When your players won’t listen to you and aren’t playing hard for you, then you can’t coach them.

    End of story.

  52. Rt says

    Anyone else having trouble fathoming how quickly this all went down? Two days ago, the front office had me thinking they thought MB was our savior.

    Quick aside — Can we stop bashing Pau please? Let’s just be rational and admit that he’s not washed up. Agreed, he has had some pretty bad games, but for the most part, he’s playing at a low-key, respectable level that warrants just more aggressiveness. Let’s give the man at least some credit.

  54. Jeremy says

    Larry Brown is actually very intriguing. He’s a built to win now coach for a built to win now team.

    LOL at anyone saying Nate McMillan. He’s worse in every way then MB. In general be weary of any coach whose calling card is defense but who struggles offensively (McMillan was killed here in Portland for his lack of offensive insight).

  55. Jim C. says

    BTW, a name that I haven’t seen mentioned in the comments that I’d like to toss out as a potential candidate for our new head coach…

    Rick Adelman

  57. Tra says

    You could see the writing on the wall after that emotionless performance against the Jazz and the ‘Stare of Death’ from none other than Kobe. It’s obvious he had lost the team. With the moves he’d been making as of late, it’s as if he was asking to be fired .. Right move. Right time.

  58. Gary says

    this is obviously great news. In fact, it was Mike Brown’s incompetence as a coach that led me to voice my frustration and commentate on this blog. Like somebody said above, Christmas has come early this year haha.

  59. Steve says

    Adelman is already coaching the T-Wolves.

    I was just thinking about Derek Fisher. He’d make a great head coach some day. Don’t know if that day is today though. Rookie coach worked with Pat Riley though.
    Great motivator. Not sure how his in game management or rotations would be. Definitely has Kobe’s respect.

    How about Mike Krzyzewski? Has proved that he can deal with NBA egos as Olympic coach. I can dream can’t I?
    -S

  60. Jim C. says

    “Feel bad for Coach Mike Brown, who’s a great guy, but don’t think he was the right guy for the job in the first place.”
    -Magic Johnson

  61. Joe M says

    Mike Brown as far as I am concerned can find a good job for himself selling cars, like people have said, he is a good salesman, not a good coach! Time to bring in a coach with an actual system in mind, a philosophy. Someone that can motivate our players and get them to play with confidence and as a team. This was absolutely the correct move for the Lakers. I am still doubtful Lakers have the talent necessary to win a championship, but Mike Brown was not going to get them there, come on, he had no idea what he was doing. and was clearly not a fit for this team.

  63. inwit says

    It’s the fans I have a problem with.

    Dallas doesn’t have to figure out how to get Kobe, Steve Nash, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol into a cohesive offensive system, although they would love to have that problem. And oh, Nash has only played two games and Dwight only played two preseason games and still has a ways to go to get to full strength.

    And people play out of position? Ok, everyone screams for Pau or Dwight to be on the floor with the second unit. That puts Hill at the 4, Jamison at the 3. I don’t know what the issue with Meeks is, but if not him then who at the 2? Ebanks or Artest. So you end up with Mike Brown’s rotation.

    Running Kobe into the ground? Brown’s kid gets death threats when they start 1-4, with only 77 games to go. Everybody complained last week when Brown put the starters back in too soon. Oh, and if he leaves them in and waits until they are only up by 10, and the starters come in stiff and Detriot wins the game you would all scream he waited too long and kept that crummy bench in the game. What would you do with Nash out? Give Morris and Meeks 15 minutes together? And if that didn’t work the fans would find something else to complain about.

    The Westhead situation? The Lakers had a championship team in its third year of playing together.

    Excuse me, nothing personal to anyone, but I think all the panic has been silly and stupid, to quote a prominent Laker.

  64. KEN says

    I have done my job. Phone calls into the Laker Offices, regular calls on Laker Line and my complaining on this site. I HAVE DONE MY JOB! BROWN OUT HAS A NEW MEANING! Now Lakers can start winning some games. Watch the difference!

  66. Cdog says

    If its not Phil,

    the only realistic hire is Nate McMillan.

    McMillan was wrongfully fired from Portland because of the disasters that were Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford.

    His teams were always well coached but just struck by the injury bug: Brandon Roy’s knees; Greg Oden’s everything; even LaMarcus Aldridge got hurt last year.

  67. any_one_mouse says

    I’m hoping we name a coach asap. I have trouble believing that Lakers would fire Brown without having a replacement in mind. Phil or Shaw? How would Nash fit into the triangle?
    Larry Brown, Hubie Brown ? Both veterans – respected voices.
    Van Gundys would be interesting too – but don’t know if D12 would sign off on those.

    Please – no D’Antoni. We need a defense-first coach.

  68. inwit says

    Oh, and Greg Popovich said Brown never had a chance to put the team together. Stan Van Gundy called it a ridiculous firing.

  69. JB says

    I don’t think Phil is ever coaching again. Between the bad hips and that he’s already rich as hell from his last few coaching runs, I think he’s just going to hang out in Montana and puff on the peace pipe, if you know what I mean.

    Adelman would have been perfect for this team. Hindsight, as always, is 20/20. Let’s trade Pau for him and Kevin Love. Kahn would go for that, right?

  70. Braziman says

    Ken – Since you’re going to have some time on your hands now would you be willing to make some calls about Lane Kiffin?

    I’m looking forward to someday hearing the whole story behind Brown’s firing. Since Phil Jackson couldn’t three-peat with the last edition of the Lakers he coached, wishing for him is just another set of unfulfillable expectations waiting to explode.

  71. LT mitchell says

    CDog,

    Felton and Crawford are currently thriving under a new coach. My top two picks would be Persons and Larry Brown, two defensive minded coaches who would have the respect of their players.

  73. any_one_mouse says

    Adrian Wojnarowski, who I respect as a credible source, is saying that we are going to drop the Princeton Offense 🙁

  74. Edwin Gueco says

    Hoho, I’m gloating I am like Ko because I will watch the game tonight so there is a need for a new Coach.

    Kidding aside, I think that is the best move for the Lakers and Mike Brown. Let’s move on and he is a good man to be besmirched further his reputation against this high pressure vessel team. Mike will still be paid for two years, that’s good money in the era of fiscal cliff.

    Who will be the next one? I will go with what was announced, Bernie Bickerstaff as ad interim or replacement Coach. He is an old dude who would know what to do whether pick and roll and recognizing a rookie and an old player who could no longer defend. Just recognize those problems and players will be on sweet sailing tonight. You would see a different make up on Superstars not a bunch of robots trying to learn new tricks. if he becomes the replacement Coach, then there will be an opening for Assistant Coach – Get Kareem, the Cap, he needs a job to train Howard and Gasol in FT, pivots and hook shots. If the Cap was able to turn around Drew from nobody to somebody, I think he could elevate Howard and Gasol to greater heights.

    Who are the other permanent coaches on my radar? There is nobody out there greater than Phil Jackson. He needs the 12th ring, make peace with Jim and finish the unfinished business. If he has problems with out of town games, let’s coach by “skype” with Bernie, Eddie and Chuck on the sidelines. The 2nd coach, I have in mind is Jerry Sloan. He is an old school who made noise in Utah with Stockton and Malone. He is the Grandmaster of Pick and Roll. The 3rd is Jeff Van Gundy, th annoying Laker hater on ESPN, give him a challenge to make noise like what he did against PJ in the 90’s. Lastly, 4th on my list, I will go for someone foreign and something different, Sergio Scariolo, the Coach of Team Spain in the recent concluded Olympics.

  75. sbdunks says

    I don’t know about Fish, he may try to sub himself in, suit and all haha. Adelman is already the coach in Minnesota, B-Shaw is an assistant in Indiana.

    Top choices would be Phil, D’Antoni, McMillan, Sloan and Stan Van Gundy. Here’s my breakdown of potentials:

    Phil – obviously. The only major hangup is the Jim vs Phil rivalry, but Jim has shown the ability to swallow his ego for the betterment of the team, by trading away “his guy” Bynum, and by firing his hire Brown. Nash isn’t an ideal triangle PG, but I’m sure Phil would be able to implement a hybrid offense with a lot of pick n roll. Remember the years in which he let the Farmar led bench break off of the triangle.

    D’Antoni – yes I put a D in his name, although some think he’s incapable of spelling the word defense. He has history with Nash and Kobe and would implement a killer offense. You have to take into account the players he had in respect to the defense in Pheonix, Nash in front with STAT anchoring. Dwight would be a huge upgrade obviously, and look what the Knicks did on D under him with Tyson anchoring.

    McMillan – I don’t have much to add, but I think he’s solid.

    Sloan – experienced. Motion offense with heavy pick n rolls ala Stockton and Malone. He is pretty damn old, one fear is that the game has passed him by. The other fear is that he is tough on his players and may not be a good fit with this vet laden team. See his dust up with Deron leading to Deron being traded and Sloan resigning.

    Stan Van – for those who think Dwight hates him, I just read a transcript from an interview with Stan who said that he and Dwight have talked multiple times this season, have a good relationship, and would totally be on board with coaching him again. Ultimately I think it’s Dwights call, but Stan is a great coach. Between Stan and Dwight the Magic were top 3 defensively starting players such as Rashard, Turkoglu and Jameer. The proof is in the pudding.

    I’m sure Darius and company will be putting together posts about the head coach job hunt soon, but that’s my take for what it’s worth.

  78. Kenny T says

    I think the Lakers did the right thing. Brown’s inflexibility did him in. He should have scrapped the PO when they acquired Nash and Howard. And refusing to give Meeks a run was silly. And to hear him opine that the Lakers would figure it out by January and go on a roll after the ASG was defeatist, IMO. As a professional coach, he wasn’t paid to experiment…he was paid to win.

  79. JerryD says

    They did what a champion must do by correcting the ship just in time. The season is still young, and it has been hard to stay faithful watching the last 15 games. I am a die hard Lakers fan one more time.

  82. Evan says

    A humble sy of relief!!! I hate to be pleased with the firing of anyone from any line of work especially in these tough economic times, HURRAY for my Lakers! I never liked that coaching move from the beginning.
    Although Mike Brown had sucess at Cleveland, he had Lebon James. I remember him saying most of the time he was’nt coaching, just watching in amazement like us. Mike seems like a good person though.
    The Princeton Offense. He should have learned during the preseason that was a bad move. I mean you got Steve Nash and you go and slow down the offense? Question; WHY?
    Noone in the sports media wants to say this, but I feel this is as important as the firing of Mike Brown, I’m saying it(Pau Gasol)! He should have been going hamm lately, but he stayed true to form. He has the ability, just plays when he wants to or when he is under threat of being traded.
    Once a week, someone should whisper in Pau’s ear: You’re outta here! Just to keep him honest.
    In other words, whether you agree or not, LA’s problems don’t end with the firing of the coach, players’ have to be held accountable at all times, not just under threat of release or trade. Pau for Aldrege @ Portland or Horford in AtL. Watch LA take flight.

  83. david h says

    darius: you are too prudent to take credit nor do you want to we’re sure. one thing is certain here, by placing integrity above all, you’ve definitely pointed us in the direction that has resulted in today’s latest news of laker organizational change; ie., head coach. the constant drum beat behind the words you spoke these past several days have beared fruit. we’re also certain you agree that we in no way should be congratulating ourselves or cheering the fact of the change.

    tonite’s game should give us an glimpse as to what the problem was, mental or physical.
    either way, our focus will remain as it always has.

    Go Lakers

  84. Kevin_ says

    Want to see what happens next to fully assess this situation. I know Kobe liked shooting 60% in the Princeton though. Only way Kobe will fully be aboard after backing Brown for so long if is PJ is coming back. Let’s hope so.

    Something drastic had to be done the team looked like they came of another lockout season. Too discombobulated.

  86. Joe says

    First, let me say I am in the pro-fire Mike Brown camp. I was never for his hiring, and I have long thought that his coaching style did not mesh with the Lakers.

    Mike Brown’s main problem is he is incapable of holding players accountable, he is too nice, too laid back, too desirous of being liked. This is a team that needs to be called out from time to time. Phil did it in the press, publically humiliating them at times, and it caused them to rise to the occassion (most of the time). Pat Riley was also ruthless but would cut down players in the locker room in front of everyone to get them to play hard. It worked. The Lakers, because of the lofty expectations and the distractions of L.A. need a task master. Someone who will force them into that extra gear, Mike Brown never did and never would have been able to.

    Add to that the mystery that is Mike Brown’s rotations, inexpicably playing players out of their natural positions (unsuccessfully) and refusing to play proven NBA players in favour of unproven rooks or near rooks. Mike Brown knows how to do one thing, play stars until the wheels fall off and sprinkle in other guys randomly. That worked with a young Lebron, it was never going to work with an aging Kobe.

    Bon Voyage Mike Brown, I wish you the best, but I am happy you will not be coaching my team.

    My picks are Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan and Jeff Van Gundy as the best fits. Not a fan of D’Antoni (our defence is bad enough) or McMillan (our offence is already too slow) for this team.

  87. The Dude Abides says

    Thank you jodial, for acknowledging my evil plan 😀
    I was not expecting this move to happen before tonight’s game, though. After the Utah game, I was expecting the team to lose tonight (and to borderline lose on purpose) and Brown to get fired tomorrow. When players want a coach to get fired, they have ways of getting him gone, and one way is to not hustle while showing disinterested body language. This clearly happened against Utah (I’m looking at you, Pau).

    My vote would be either D’Antoni or Shaw, while putting Person in charge of the defense and giving the new coach free rein to demand accountability from the players. The new coach needs to crack the whip regarding effort, and also use rotations that maximize each player’s strength.

  88. kehntangibles says

    (Darius – hopefully coach speculation is cool on this of all threads. With that said…)

    What is Kobe, Pau and MWP’s relationship with Brian Shaw like these days? If LA did contact him, Shaw would very likely laugh in Buss’ face if he even bothered to pick up the phone. But it’s not like Phil got along well with anyone in management not named Jeanie. By all accounts Kobe liked Shaw and wanted him as coach before we got MB. Was the respect mutual? Does Kobe now still have the pull to convince Shaw to bury the hatchet and belatedly take what used to be his dream job?

  89. sbdunks says

    inwit –

    “Dallas doesn’t have to figure out how to get Kobe, Steve Nash, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol into a cohesive offensive system, although they would love to have that problem.”

    No they don’t, they have lesser talent to do so and have done just that. They have more new, and less talented, players than we do, yet they’ve been able to make it work to the tune of 4-1.

    “And people play out of position? Ok, everyone screams for Pau or Dwight to be on the floor with the second unit. That puts Hill at the 4, Jamison at the 3. I don’t know what the issue with Meeks is, but if not him then who at the 2? Ebanks or Artest. So you end up with Mike Brown’s rotation.”

    We are screaming for EITHER Pau or Dwight to be on the floor with the second unit, not the both of them together. Hill and Jamison should be splitting time at the 4, with Hill getting occasional minutes at the 5, and Jamison getting occasional minutes at the 3, depending on match ups. Ideally Jamison should be playing the stretch 4 with Dwight in the middle, and Hill and his hard-nosed, lunch pail game should be playing with the finesse Pau. There is no excuse for not playing Meeks. Ebanks is still learning. Artest hasn’t played significant, efficient minutes at the 2 for years.

    “Running Kobe into the ground? Brown’s kid gets death threats when they start 1-4, with only 77 games to go. Everybody complained last week when Brown put the starters back in too soon.”

    I hope you aren’t comparing those of us who have been disgusted with Brown’s rotations to those idiots who have tweeted to Elijah Brown or Kristen Blake. We are rational and have reasoning (see above), those punks shouldn’t even be considered Laker fans. And yes, Brown is playing Kobe and Pau too many minutes for this stage in their careers. A good coach gives his young guys time to grow, and doesn’t yank them the second they make a mistake. They have to take their lumps early and learn as they go along. Putting in the starters halfway through the 4th up by 24 against the worst team in the league? That’s a panic move. That’s a coach who is worried about HIS immediate future, not the team’s future.

    I’m not trying to pick on you inwit, I’m just trying to provide justification as to why a majority of us have been calling for Brown’s head. It was apparent to just about everyone, including the beat writers who see the team up close and personal daily, that Brown was not right for this team. It’s better to rip off the band-aid and start the healing process sooner rather than later.

  90. Kenny T says

    Chris Broussard is on ESPN saying Brown had no idea that he was on the hot seat. Nobody’s that clueless, except maybe Chris.

  91. Jim C. says

    One thing to keep in mind re: Phil Jackson that goes beyond simply his relationship with the front office is that in that last season he honestly didn’t really seem to be fully invested.

    Maybe time away has recharged his batteries a little bit, but it didn’t look like he was giving 100% in that final year until the very end.

  93. Kenny T says

    I have no idea hoe that last comment undery name got there. I would never lower myself or disrespect this site like that.

  94. sbdunks says

    Hahaha, more importantly, how did that post and anonymous’ post just before get through moderation? Did the wizard behind the curtain fall asleep back there?

  96. Anonymous says

    WoW.

    3 immediate thoughts:

    1) It’s always unfortunate to see anyone get fired. Best wishes to Mike Brown and his family. While this is likely the right direction for the team, there’s no need to take parting shots and continue to rub Brown’s name in the dirt. He’s gone.

    2) This seals my respect for Jim Buss. Why? Because 1) this team has always been patient, to its benefit every time and 2) because for all of us, the hardest thing to do is publicly admit you made a mistake. Buss didn’t let his ego stand in the way of a basketball decision. To correctly analyze the situation, swallow your own pride and admit your mistake, and do so immediately – when it would have been easy to defend yourself with “We’ve always been patient, and it’s always worked out – shows he has a better grasp on matters than we gave him credit for last year.

    3) Kurt had a good post on PBT asking “Why now?” and saying that MB should have been fired over the summer. I’ll comment on that here, instead of the cesspool that are PBT comments. The answer, to me, is quite simple. Last year, we had no bench. It was very easy to blame the personnel instead of Brown for the poor rotations. Ownership likely tried to be optimistic instead of reactionary. This year, Brown’s rotations have been indefensible. He hasn’t given legit chances to players Buss opened up his wallet to sign this offseason. He’s exacerbating our main weakness by upsizing and making us even slower. He continues to run injured players into the ground, even while lamenting it after the game. These are not the actions of a man with a high basketball IQ.

    I will always respect MB for his preparation. But when he got onto the floor, he didn’t have the “coach vision” to understand what was going on and the adaptibility necessary for an elite coach. Finally, he couldn’t squeeze an elite D out of this group (though I’m no longer sure if anyone can due to our perimeter slowness), but considering he always billed himself as a defensive coach, he failed to live up to his own standards.

  97. Kevin_ says

    Listening to Kupchak he sounded the team was in no rush to hire someone. He plays poker well so it’s tough to read him but I hope no one gets traded.

    I don’t know about you guys I expected Brown to be fired but the timing was epic. Lakers are a total ghost recon team you never know what’s going on behind those walls.

  99. Scott says

    They should get Pat Riley. He’s a specialist in “sub in for fired coach, win championship.”

    I’m kidding, BTW.

  100. harold says

    *Applause*

    Even if we don’t win it all this year, I have trust in Kupchak and Jim Buss now. Absolutely cold hearted as far as basketball is concerned. Bravo.

    Also, Jim said he and Kobe don’t have to talk much and just have to look at each others’ eyes – guess he understood the death stare. Kobe gets his either way but obviously he was concerned – and also concerned with his image, hence the lack of ‘fire MB’ type of display.

    Wow. Where do we go from here though?

  105. Aaron says

    Phil is the only hire here. Last night he randomly canceled a speaking engagement in Chicago… Hmmmm…

    @aDavidP: “Is there room for 2 orthopedic chairs on one bench?” “Lots. Nash sits on the court for his bad back.” “…” – Current negotiations w/ Phil

  106. Luiz André says

    McMillan would not be a good fit IMO. Neither would Sloan. PJ would be incredible, yet another chapter (and ring) of history happening, but I don’t see it happening. Old dude’s tired. If he does come back, to my surprise, I’m on his side on any kind of player-coach tangle.

    SVG, aka the Master of Panic, would be good, but how would he fare under the bright lights? Scrutiny and pressure are already high in L.A., just imagine his first shouting fit on the team losing at home to an under .500 team… I really wouldn’t know what to expect from this signing.

    Best bet would be Shaw. Somebody already said he’s not coming.

    So… Larry Brown? Sure. Competent, should have everybody’s respect.

    My money is D’Antoni, though.

  107. Fern says

    I dont care what anyone say, a second unit of Blake,Hill,Meeks,Jamison and Ebanks is not bad unless you dont play them or let them grow togheter, he has Meeks to back up Kobe and for long range shooting and what Brown does? bury him in the bench, play MWP on the 2 and Jamison in the 3, have a additional big man on Sacre that can give Howard adittional rest and he bury him too, have a vereran pg in Duhon who can actually guard instead he gives playing time to an out of control Morris, totally clueless his firing was the right move at the right time, before he played our starters to death

  109. ko says

    If you think that glare from Kobe to Brown after Utah game meant nothing, guess again. Kobe I hear articulated his feeling to Jim last night. Today to me is like Xmas as a kid. Look for Mike D on crutches with a defensive coach to be hired Monday.

  111. LT mitchell says

    You cannot run a 7 seconds or less offense with Gasol at PF and Artest at SF. Gasol is arguably the slowest PF in the league and Artest is neither an athletic finisher in transition nor a consistent 3 point bomber. Unless management upgrades the speed on the roster (i.e. Trading Gasol for Josh Smith), D’Antoni does not make any sense. His offenses worked because he used quick and athletic SF’s like Marion at PF and PF’s like Amare at center. He failed in New York because he tried to force his system to a roster that did not fit. The last coach this team needs is D’Antoni. This team needs a coach that knows how to coach defense and make adjustments come playoff time.

    And speaking of adjustments, Sloan is great at implementing a system and making his players play hard nosed basketball. The issues I have with Sloan is he does not watch game film to prepare for games, and rarely makes significant adjustments come playoff time.

  112. sharky towers says

    Very pleased Jim Buss was big enough to admit it was a mistake to hire Mike Brown. He’s put winning over ego and that’s a good look.

    A good day for Lakers fans. Our long national nightmare is over.

  113. Shaun0 says

    Kupchak: “When there’s a coach like Phil Jackson, one of the all-time greats and he’s not coaching, we’d be negligent not to be aware.”

  114. ryan says

    My first choice to replace Brown would not be D’antoni. I think he is a system coach and I don’t think SSOL would work with his roster. I didn’t see anything from him in NY that would suggest he adjusts his system to match is players strengths. I like the idea of Sloan ( I think he is a very good coach and deserves another shot at a ring) or Larry Brown. McMillan would be a third choice.

  115. Chearn says

    I believe that we all tried to support the Lakers decision to hire Mike Brown in the first place. But, it became evident that he was not what he proclaimed to be: A defensive coach!

    Against Utah Coach Brown chose to apply a press with 2mins left in the game. What they should
    have inserted the young players to press all along and run the Jazz ragged. Then once they were
    tenderized the veterans could have gotten on the floor and utilized precise offense and defense to win the game.

    Two new offensive systems by one coach is two too many. The firing should have taken place
    in the summer. I do believe that Mike Brown is a perfect assistant coach due to his work ethic.

    Moving on!

  116. Don Ford says

    Wonder if we’ll get one of those “whatta relief”, balls-out efforts from the Lakers tonight, like teams sometimes do when an overstayed coach is fired.

    Hasn’t Kobe said over the years that he’s always wanted to play for D’Antoni (due to Italian connection)? Good or bad I don’t know (what with D’Antoni’s rep for defense and general discipline).

    Is L.Brown too old or away too long? The others (PJ, Sloan, Shaw, Adelman, SVG) all seems to have obvious disqualifying traits of one kind of another. Maybe ol’ Larry does too and I just don’t know it.

  117. Shaun says

    If Ko says D’Antoni is the guy then he will be my bet but I would love to see Phil back in the saddle – looking at this team you pretty much exchange some parts from our championships in 2008 and we are a similar team maybe needing 1-2 guys on the bench with clearer roles which i think we can get near the trade deadline

    If D’Antoni does gert hired what do people think of McMillan getting hired as a defensive coach – we would pretty much be adding the offensive and defensive coaches of team USA

  119. Don says

    Kobe wasn’t consulted on the hire, no reason to think he was consulted on the fire.

    I’m fairly confident the bench is underperforming and will be contributing within 10 games given the right rotations.

  120. Shaun says

    Dwight Howard has told the Los Angeles Lakers he wants them to bring back Phil Jackson as coach,’ a source close to the team tells SheridanHoops.com. With the Lakers having fired Mike Brown earlier today, speculation is running rampant about who the next coach will be.

    Jackson is coming back – pretty much no matter what the cost Jackson will come back because losing Dwight will cost the franchise 200-300 Million in lost revenue if he leaves.

    This is gonna be awesome

  121. Jjerke says

    @siminoid – much agreed – D’antoni is a better defensive coach than people think – people just over look that because the offense was so high powered. Yes other teams would score too -but when you beat them w the highest point differential that indicates an effective d as well. Also, aside from an aging raja and shawn marion, D’antoni didnt have any other good defenders in Pho. That being said, some of Pho’s teams were borderline top 10 d teams so imagine what having the laker personnel will do.
    Also, Dantoni ran the offense for USA bball so he knows how to use multiple stars And deal w egos. He knows kobe extremely well and has the respect of dwight and Pau. His offense would be the easiest to implement – leaving the rest of the season to workonadeveloping the excellent defense that the lakers should have. Also, his rotations would make sense.

  122. Shaun says

    If D’Antoni gets hired do people in phoenix just go crazy or what – they hat e us and we take their best player and favorite coach possibly of all time – really funny wen you look at it that way

  124. Braziman says

    Doubt it would be Sloan in any case, but it’s strange to see his name mentioned so often when a prerequisite for coaching the Lakers is an ability to handle temperamental stars and Sloan’s conflict with Deron Williams contributed to his abrupt retirement.

  125. Fern says

    Imagine if they hire D’anthony and he and Nash win a championship in LA, i think Phoenix would go out in a nuclear blast

  127. Jjerke says

    @funky – that’s my question as well. Triangle would do the same thing as the princeton. There was a reason steve kerr, john paxson, bj armstrong, and ron harper were the point guards for lack of a better term previously in triangle offenses – which would be a waste of steve. I would hope pj would implement something more uptempo. I’m not saying he can’t – just don’t think triangle would be best for this group. Again, same questions w sloan – he would have 4 guys to keep happy, not just Malone. We don’t know if he can do anything else aside from the O he ran in Utah

  130. R says

    Jerry Sloan would be my choice – an ancient, obsolete coach for an ancient, obsolete … team.

    Perfect!