Lakers To Introduce Mike Brown as Coach Today

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.

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.

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Life has changed a great deal for Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers over the last year. Last summer Irving was on his way to Duke as a highly-recruited freshman who was by no means unanimously considered the top player or point guard of the 2010 recruiting class. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, were coming off of a 61-win regular season. It ended in disappointing fashion as they were eliminated in the second round by the Boston Celtics, but as long as LeBron James re-signed they were certain to remain amongst the East’s best.

However, James ended up signing with the Miami HEAT, sending the Cavaliers into full-fledge rebuilding mode.

As quickly as the Cavaliers went from being a consistent playoff team to lottery bound, Irving became the hottest prospect in the nation.

Irving was the defending champion Blue Devils’ leading scorer during their 8-0 start with a 21-point average margin of victory. He surpassed every player ranked ahead of him, regardless of class. Nothing could slow him down, except for a severe case of turf toe on his right big toe that occurred in a 2010 national championship game rematch against Butler.

“It was a trying part of my life,” Irving said. “I was away from the game for so long and I’ve never been through something like that. I’ve never had an enduring injury like that. It was a learning experience and I’m glad I moved on from it. I’m glad I’m healthy now.”

That injury kept Irving out from December 8th until March 13th, which just so happened to be the most trying time for the Cavaliers, as well. They went 5-39 during that stretch, setting an NBA record for consecutive losses with 26 in the process.  Luckily, better times were on the horizon for both.

Irving received clearance to play just in time for the NCAA Tournament. Although the Blue Devils came up short in their bid for back-to-back titles, Irving played well enough to regain the hype from earlier in the season that had him projected as the top overall pick in this year’s draft.

“It was a little surprising just based on being unsure of my draft stock when I was hurt in December,” Irving said. “Knowing people believed in my abilities for five months is an honor and I’m going to uphold that number one draft prospect position, that’s what I’m working for.”

With his status as the top overall selection a near certainty, the only real mystery surrounding him was over which team he was going to end up with.

The Cavaliers went into the draft lottery with two different picks. Their own gave them a 19.9% chance to win and the one they acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in a deal that also netted them veteran guard Baron Davis in exchange for Mo Williams had a 2.8% shot.

Represented by team owner Dan Gilbert’s 14-year-old son Nick, who suffers from the rare nerve disorder neurofibromatosis, the Cavaliers came out as the winners with the Clippers’ pick. The Gilberts passed on immediately committing to Irving, but thoughts of revitalizing the Cavaliers franchise have already run through the young point guard’s mind. 

“It’s definitely something I’m looking forward to,” Irving said. “The Cleveland organization had a disappointing year, going from 61-21 to 19-63. If they do pick me they’re getting a special player. I’m looking to contribute as much as I can.”

Irving attended the lottery, giving him an opportunity to meet the Gilbert family afterwards.

“Nick’s a great kid,” Irving said. “He’s really humorous. I would have been so nervous being up there representing the Cleveland organization if I was in his position. He did a great job. The Gilbert family is a great family.”

So far that night is the lone occasion that Irving has spoken with any member of the Cavaliers. He didn’t interview with them or any other team at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. All he did was undergo measurements and meet with the media. Unlike some players in attendance, he didn’t use that chance to sell himself as the top selection.

“I never made the pitch that I should be the number one pick,” Irving said. “I think my game will speak for itself. When I go to my private workouts that’s what I’ll base my opinion off of, just my game. I’m not going to speak, that’s not my personality. When it comes to private workouts it depends on who they like. It’s all up to the team; it’s not up to me. I can’t say I’m going to be the number one pick when I have no idea I’m going to be.

“It’s definitely something that’s in the back of my head because I’m working towards being the number one pick. If it doesn’t work out that way I’m not going to be mad, I’m just going to continue getting better every day. It’s important to me but it’s not something that I’m focused on completely. I’m focused on getting better every day in the gym and being ready for these private workouts. When I go into the private workouts I want it to be fully prepared to where it’s a clear consensus for whatever team picks me.”

The Cavaliers and Irving do not have a date and time set yet for a private workout. When it does occur, it will almost definitely be Irving’s last. The Cavaliers will have plenty more, but only because they also have the fourth, 32nd and 54th picks in this year’s draft. Once they see Irving privately they won’t need to do anymore work for their top pick, the decision will be made. 

Yannis Koutroupis is a senior NCAA and NBA analyst for HOOPSWORLD.com. You can follow him on twitter.

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers have put together a deal to hire former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown as their new coach, an NBA official who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter said late Tuesday.

If Brown agrees to the deal, he’ll sign a contract worth between $4 million and $4.5 million per season, the official said. Brown would sign for three years, with a team option on the fourth season that would give him partial pay if he was not retained.

Brown, 41, became the front-runner because Jim Buss, the team’s executive vice president of player personnel, was impressed with his defense-minded style.

Former Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman also was in the mix for the job and will remain a candidate to replace Phil Jackson if Brown turns down the deal from the Lakers.

Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw also was considered for the head position.

The Lakers had to wait until General Manager Mitch Kupchak and Buss returned from pre-draft camps in Chicago and Minneapolis on Tuesday night before they could get a deal done.

Lakers owner Jerry Buss did an interview with Sirius XM Radio on Tuesday, saying the team was “very close” to filling its coaching vacancy.

It now appears as if Brown is that person, something that could be announced in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Brown was with the Cavaliers for five seasons until he was fired in 2010, leaving with a 272-138 record.

He was named the NBA’s coach of the year in 2009 for leading the Cavaliers to a 66-16 record.

Brown led the Cavaliers to a 61-21 record during the 2009-10 season, another league-best record.

But after the Cavaliers lost to the Orlando Magic in the 2009 Eastern Conference finals and to the Boston Celtics [team stats] in the conference semifinals in 2010, Brown was fired.

Brown led the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2007, but Cleveland was swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

Brown coached one of the NBA’s superstars in former Cavalier LeBron James.

In his radio interview Tuesday, Jerry Buss said that he expected the Lakers’ core roster to return next season, with a “tweak … here or there.”

Buss was interviewed by Playboy Radio’s Michael Eaves and Bonnie-Jill Laflin.

It looks like former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown will become the new coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Brad Turner of The LA Times reports the Lakers have put together a deal worth between $4 million and $4.5 million per season, for three years, with a team option on the fourth season that would give him partial pay if he was not retained.

Brown, 41, became the front-runner because Jim Buss, the team’s executive vice president of player personnel, was impressed with his defense-minded style.

Lakers owner Jerry Buss did an interview with Sirius XM Radio on Tuesday, saying the team was “very close” to filling its coaching vacancy.

It now appears as if Brown is that person, something that could be announced in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Brown left the Cavaliers after five seasons with a 272-138 record. After the Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals in 2010, Brown was fired.

 

The Lakers have put together a deal to hire former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown as their new coach, an NBA official who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter said late Tuesday.

If Brown agrees to the deal, he’ll sign a contract worth between $4 million and $4.5 million per season, the official said. Brown would sign for three years, with a team option on the fourth season that would give him partial pay if he was not retained.

Brown, 41, became the front-runner because Jim Buss, the team’s executive vice president of player personnel, was impressed with his defense-minded style.

Former Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman also was in the mix for the job and will remain a candidate to replace Phil Jackson if Brown turns down the deal from the Lakers.

Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw also was considered for the head position.

The Lakers had to wait until General Manager Mitch Kupchak and Buss returned from pre-draft camps in Chicago and Minneapolis on Tuesday night before they could get a deal done.

Lakers owner Jerry Buss did an interview with Sirius XM Radio on Tuesday, saying the team was “very close” to filling its coaching vacancy.

It now appears as if Brown is that person, something that could be announced in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Brown was with the Cavaliers for five seasons until he was fired in 2010, leaving with a 272-138 record.

He was named the NBA’s coach of the year in 2009 for leading the Cavaliers to a 66-16 record.

Brown led the Cavaliers to a 61-21 record during the 2009-10 season, another league-best record.

But after the Cavaliers lost to the Orlando Magic in the 2009 Eastern Conference finals and to the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals in 2010, Brown was fired.

Brown led the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2007, but Cleveland was swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

Brown coached one of the NBA’s superstars in former Cavalier LeBron James.

In his radio interview Tuesday, Jerry Buss said that he expected the Lakers’ core roster to return next season, with a “tweak … here or there.”

Buss was interviewed by Playboy Radio’s Michael Eaves and Bonnie-Jill Laflin.

Buss did say there would be changes in the Lakers’ offense.

“We’re not going to continue exclusively with the triangle,” Buss said. “Certainly, there will be facets of the triangle incorporated into any modern offense.”

Various Lakers, including Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher and Luke Walton, have publicly endorsed Shaw to be the next coach, in part because of his familiarity with their personnel.

The Los Angeles Lakers have narrowed their coaching search to former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown and former Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman, according to sources, with current Lakers assistant Brian Shaw, the preferred choice of most of the team’s current players, still in the mix. But the Lakers’ insistence on holding firm to a lower salary for their next head coach has kept the search open.

The Lakers want to significantly reduce the salary they pay their next head coach after paying Phil Jackson $10 million in his final season and $12.5 million the previous season. The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that the Lakers were not willing to go above $5 million in salary next season. While Brown is not expecting to make $7 million a year as Doc Rivers will be getting from Boston starting next season (Rivers signed a five-year, $35 million deal last week), the next tier of coaches, led by New York’s Mike D’Antoni (four years, $24 million), don’t have Jackson or Rivers’ pedigree, while Brown has a 2007 Finals appearance and two Eastern Conference finals appearances to his credit.

But the Lakers are adamant about maintaining their salary ceiling, and seem to be looking for the candidate that will accept those terms as opposed to picking a candidate and negotiating a deal with him.

Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday evening that the Lakers were in serious negotiations with Brown, who has spent this year working in television with ESPN after being fired as coach of the Cavaliers after Cleveland’s second-round loss to Boston in the 2010 playoffs.

Lakers owner Jerry Buss had said earlier in the day in a radio interview on XM Sirius Radio that the team was “very close” to hiring a new coach, and seemed to dismiss the notion that the team would hire Shaw because several players, including Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, had endorsed his candidacy.

“Obviously, we have to select somebody who has a reputation that players would be happy with,” Buss said in the interview, on Playboy Radio, with local broadcaster Michael Eaves and Lakers executive Bonnie-Jill Laflin. “But to ask a direct player to select a particular coach, that’s general manager territory.”

Brown, 41, was 272-138 in five seasons in Cleveland, reaching the second round of the playoffs each season. But after the Cavaliers’ six-game loss to Boston in which the Cavs played poorly in the last two games, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert decided to fire Brown. That decision helped lead to former team president Danny Ferry’s departure from the club as well, and James, famously, followed both out the door in July.

Adelman, 64, moved into eighth place on the NBA’s all-time coaching victories list this season, finishing the year with 945 wins, one better than Bill Fitch and seven ahead of Red Auerbach. In 20 seasons as a head coach, Adelman is 945-616 (.605), with only four losing seasons. His teams have made the postseason 16 times, and he’s reached the Finals twice, both times with Portland (1990 and 1992). This season may have been one of his best coaching jobs; Houston had hoped to have Yao Ming back this season after he’d missed all of the 2009-10 season with a stress fracture in his left ankle, but Yao only played five games before suffering another stress fracture in the left ankle that shelved him the rest of the year.

But Adelman remade the Rockets on the fly, turning them from a team that was planning to pound the ball inside to one that got its scoring from the perimeter with guards Kevin Martin and Kyle Lowry. Houston didn’t make the playoffs, but was one of the hottest teams in the league down the stretch, going 17-8 after the All-Star break. Nonetheless, the Rockets made next to no attempt to re-sign him and the club announced after the season it and Adelman had mutually agreed to part ways.

Shaw has been a Lakers assistant for five years, gaining the respect of players as someone who can speak candidly to players and challenge them. He played with the team from 1999 to 2003, helping the team win three straight NBA titles. He has said that he would maintain the triangle offense that Jackson used both in Los Angeles and Chicago, though he would tweak it some. Buss said that he expected the team to play some triangle next season but also expected some changes in the offense.

The Lakers have moved away from veteran coaches Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Dunleavy, the ex-Clippers coach and general manager who led the Lakers to the 1991 Finals.

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking at former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown as a possible successor to retired coach Phil Jackson, according to ESPN.com.

The Los Angeles Lakers are taking a deliberate approach to their search for a successor to Phil Jackson, but NBA coaching sources told ESPN.com the team has added Mike Brown to its list of candidates.

The former Cleveland Cavaliers coach, now working as an analyst for ESPN, is expected to interview “soon” with the Lakers, sources say.

Brown would become the fourth known candidate for the job, along with former Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman, ex-Los Angeles Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy and Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw, who is regarded as the only serious in-house contender to replace Jackson.

The site says that Brown is considered a leading candidate for the head coaching vacancy at Golden State. Indiana Pacers President Larry Bird said he’s among those being considered for that job, as well.

Brown was dumped by the Cavaliers shortly after the team built around LeBron James fell to the Boston Celtics in the 2010 playoffs. James left the Cavs last summer in a televised special called “The Decision” and “took his talents to South Beach.” James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh decided that together, they could win multiple NBA titles with the Miami Heat.

As of now, the Heat and Chicago Bulls are tied 1-1- in their playoff series.