Bleachers' Brew #346 On the firing of Mike Brown

This appears in the Monday, November 12, 2012 edition of the Business Mirror.

On the firing of Mike Brown

by rick olivares

As soon as I heard of the firing of Mike Brown as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, a bunch of thoughts (including the tongue in cheek ones) swirled in my head. Here they are and they do not necessarily represent the thought of Lakers management.

The 1-4 start did it for Mike Brown but technically, the Los Angeles Lakers were 1-12 including the 0-8 record of the pre-season. I guess Jim Buss thought that instead of contending for a NBA title they’d be challenging the Philadelphia 76ers’ record for futility.

Lakers fans woke up to see the current NBA standings as 4-2. Only that was for the other LA team – the Clippers. Their thought: how could be suddenly be the Clippers?

Casting call for the new Star Wars movie: Kobe Bryant as the new Death Star(e). Able to met rebel scum and fire coaches with a single stare.

Several years ago they got Rudy Tomjanovich to replace Phil Jackson. Didn’t work. After Phil retired, they got Mike Brown. Didn’t work. Now Phil is said to be a fave to become new Lakers head coach. Hey, Los Angeles - plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. N'est ce pas?

When the Lakers were building their Hall of Fame wing with their roster – Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash, and Dwight Howard, they forgot to look for a Hall of Fame coach. Does that mean that Phil Jackson or Larry Brown? Anyone else is pedestrian.

This is the surest sign that the coach’s head is on the chopping block: the superstar says he’s supporting the coach all the way and he’s got his back. When he says he’s got his back that usually means there’s a dagger concealed somewhere.

Is this Lakers team going the route of the 2004 team? Meaning you can’t buy a team of All-Stars and win it all. At least not in the first year (see the Miami Heat).

Memo to Mike Brown #1: never coach a team with a LBJ-type of player.

Memo to Mike Brown #2: You should have stayed with the triangle.

Memo to Mike Brown #3: This is Hollywood. We love dramatic comebacks. What happened to the comeback? Guess we’ll never know now.

Criteria for coaching in Lakerland: Got rings? Only Larry Brown has that right now.

Mike D’Antoni as a candidate to come to Lakerland? This is LA. He might be gone in seven seconds or less.

It took America a shorter amount of time to decide who will be the President of the union than the Lakers to decide whether to stick with Mike Brown or not.

I wonder how Jerry Reinsdorf and Jerry Krause feel when Phil Jackson is worshipped and adored in Los Angeles? From being the best head coach in Bulls history, he will be remembered more for his longer stint in Los Angeles where he is wanted. And 14 years after Reinsdorf and Krause thought they could build a new dynasty they are still rebuilding. Am a Bulls fan and if you ask me, the window for this squad winning another NBA title is just one or two more years then it’s time to rebuild again.

The courtship of Phil Jackson is – whether he takes the job or not – is a triumph for senior citizens.

And if Jackson does take the job as I believe that it is his to take, will they immediately turn things around? But they do not have a bench? But if I recall my sports history, Jax’s teams never really did need much of a bench. Just a few stars and role players and he’s fine.

What does this say about Mike Brown’s capacity to be a head coach? Was he given a fair shake in Los Angeles what with the shortened season the previous year? But this is Los Angeles where anything less than a championship is deemed a failure.

If Jackson does make a comeback and the Lakers win it all in June, Jim Buss should put up a banner for Phil right there and then. Maybe even a statue outside Staples Center too.

Pat Riley will so want the Miami Heat to repeat now and over the Lakers if possible to end all this Phil Jackson lovefest in Los Angeles where he used to be the coaching god.