If there’s one thing that has become apparent with the Los Angeles Lakers organization, it’s that the Buss family and Lakers brass don’t care what the players think when it comes to making decisions on the direction of the team and the franchise. If they did, Brian Shaw would probably be the head coach.
Unofficially, the Lakers have agreed to terms with Mike Brown to become the new Head Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. The contract was reported by NBA.com to be worth $18 million over four years.
Brown went 272-138 in five seasons with the Cavaliers and even took the team to the NBA Finals. It was initially assumed that Phil Jackson’s assistant Brian Shaw would be the front-runner for the position, but Brown’s impressive resume and defensive mind won out over Shaw and former Rockets head coach Rick Adelman.
Given what Mike Brown was working with in Cleveland, he’s certainly an impressive coach. Under Brown, the Cavaliers were consistently among the top five defensive teams in the NBA and they were also among the elite offensive teams in the NBA. Of course, Brown did have LeBron James, but in Los Angeles, Brown will have more offensive weapons than he ever dreamed of in Cleveland.
Brown is credited for getting LeBron James to become a strong perimeter defender. Brown’s first task will be to form a bond with Kobe Bryant. And judging from this year’s playoffs, Brown’s second task will be to rebuild the chemistry and get the Lakers to want to play competitive team basketball again.
Brown knows he’s not trying to replace Phil Jackson, that’s impossible, but if Brown can get the Lakers to look like and play like championship contenders, it’s a job well done.
