EL SEGUNDO – The Los Angeles Lakers hiring of former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown has drawn heavy criticism from the media and fans and today team executives will explain to the public for the first time the reasons Brown was selected.

Brown will be introduced as the successor to Phil Jackson an afternoon news conference at the team’s El Segundo headquarters. Jackson retired after
coaching the team 11 of the past 12 seasons, guiding it to five NBA championships.

In a column headlined “Lakers’ hiring of Mike Brown is the wrong move,” Los Angeles Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke wrote of Brown, “He guided (LeBron) James and the Cavaliers to consecutive league-best records in 2009 and 2010.

“But he is best known for being badly outcoached in postseasons as the Cavaliers failed to take the top seeding into the Finals, last season losing in
the conference semifinals to a Boston team that made them quit.

“He also led the Cavaliers to a surprise appearance in the Finals in 2007. But he is best known for getting schooled by his former mentor Gregg
Popovich in a four-game sweep by the San Antonio Spurs.”

A letter in Saturday’s Los Angeles Times from Erik Schuman of Fountain Valley called Brown, “the single worst non-interim head coaching hire in
Lakers history.”

“The Lakers will not only not win an NBA title under Brown, they will be lucky to make the conference finals,” Schuman wrote.

Josh Davidson of Baton Rouge, La. wrote on his Twitter page Monday,

“I’m still in mourning over the whole Mike Brown hiring. It’s really haunting
my sleep. Brown is a joke who rode others’ coattails.”

Davidson wrote that he would have preferred that Brian Shaw, a Lakers assistant coach since 2005, be hired as coach.

“He has the players’ respect and trust, plus he’ll run a similar system,” Davidson wrote.

Jim Buss, the Lakers executive vice president, player personnel, told Times columnist T.J. Simers he was surprised by the reaction to Brown’s hiring.

“I wish people heard him speak,” Buss said. “Let him show you what he showed us.”

Buss told Simers that Shaw and former Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman also were interviewed for the position by him, general manager Mitch Kupchak and Jerry Buss, the team’s owner and Jim Buss’ father.

Jim Buss called Brown, Shaw and Adelman “all fantastic coaches.”

“When the three of us talked later, we all came back to Brown,” Jim Buss told Simers.

Brown, 41, coached the Cavaliers for five seasons before being fired following the 2009-2010 season. He spent the past year as an NBA studio analyst
for ESPN.

When several news media outlets reported last week that Brown would be hired, former Laker star guard Magic Johnson, now a team vice president wrote on his Twitter page, “For Jim Buss, this is a bold move hiring Mike Brown and I hope it all works out.”

Laker guard Derek Fisher wrote, “Will miss Phil but excited to start a new chapter under Mike Brown. Looking forward to a different style and
energy!!”

On his Twitter page in response to a question, Laker center Pau Gasol wrote, “I’m excited about our new coach. I hope he can lead us to more
titles.”

Los Angeles Clippers guard Mo Williams, who played for Brown for two seasons in Cleveland wrote, “Lakers won’t be sorry for that hiring.”

Brown had a 272-138 record with the Cavaliers, and was named as the NBA’s Coach of the Year for the 2008-2009 season, when he coached Cleveland to a franchise-best 66-16 record.

Brown graduated from the University of San Diego in 1992 and began his NBA career that year with the Denver Nuggets as a scout and video coordinator.

Following five seasons with Denver, he became an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards in 1997, remaining there until 2000 when he began a
three-season stint as an assistant coach with San Antonio. Brown was the Indiana Pacers associate head coach in the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 seasons.