Judging from my recent trip to Los Angeles, the locals out there demand a lot from their beloved Lakers. I needed no further evidence of this then when our cab driver told me that both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul were assuredly headed to the City of Angels next season. A nice thought, but then, so are many delusions.
With the hire of former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, I can only imagine what backlash Angelinos are expressing today. It’s not exactly a sexy hire, and Laker supporters are perhaps the greediest, most expectant fan-base in professional sports. Presumably the LA faithful had their eyes set on Larry Brown, or thought perhaps they could lure Gregg Popovich to the coast, or bring Red Auerbach back from beyond the grave.
But just because LA fans aren’t getting exactly what they want, that doesn’t mean they aren’t getting what they need. Laker fans in many ways reflect the team’s effort this past season: entitled, arrogant, and believing that championships are a birth right and not something to be earned. As a displaced Laker fan in Wisconsin, perhaps I can lend a drop of objectivity to the Brown debate.
First, Brown learned under Gregg Popovich (4 titles) and Rick Carlisle (currently doing a masterful job with the Mavericks). He took LeBron James and a pile of dirt to back-to-back 60-win seasons. Even when Zydrunas Illgauskas was the Cavs’ second leading scorer, they still won 47 games. Now, you can attribute that success to James, but bear in mind that Miami Coach Erick Spoelstra led the ultra-talented Heat to just 58 wins this season.
Brown’s .663 winning percentage over five seasons ranks fifth in NBA history. Only once did Brown fail to reach 50 wins, and the second best player during his tenure as coach was probably Mo Williams, who would barely be a starter on half the teams in the league.
Each year under Brown Cleveland was one of the top-2 defensive teams. That was their formula: lockdown defense, crash the boards, and give the ball to LeBron. Well, if Brown can transfer that style to Hollywood, it could be an even better fit. Lock down defense, crash the boards, and then hand the ball to Kobe Bryant, to Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom.
While Brown is certainly not Phil Jackson—and I don’t intend to disparage the Zen Master at all—perhaps a new voice is needed to motivate the veteran Lakers. In this past season Jackson’s hands-off approach during games seemed to trickle down into a passive, too-cool-for-school mentality from his players.
Jackson also was never huge on X’s and O’s; he was always more of a manager of personalities, of the spirit of the team. His mastery was in making Michael Jordan co-exist with Scottie Pippen and Kobe Bryant with Shaquille O’Neal. Brown is much more hands-on, more into the nuts and bolts of a gameplan, and with a roster that can no longer win games on pure talent, perhaps that’s a good thing.
Brown will manage games, harp on execution, and demand rebounding and defense. He won’t be lighting sage in the locker room and handing out books on Buddhism to his players, but maybe that’s not what LA needs right now.
The final question is: Can Brown get the established and multiple-time champion Laker players, especially Kobe, to really listen and buy into what he preaches? I believe he can, based on his success in Cleveland, his handling of the megastar James, and a good deal of postseason experience. Plus, at some point Kobe can’t call the shots anymore. Yes he’s still a top 5-7 player in the league, but at age 32 he should not determine front office moves or the future of the franchise.
Not an overbearing presence, Brown won’t scream at players or get ejected from games. What he will do is demand good execution, excellent defense, and disciplined basketball. With all the talent still remaining on the Lakers’ roster, if they buy in, the results might be on par with what Laker fans expect: another championship.
--from Adam
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