Welcome Aboard Coach Brown, Please Prove Me Wrong

There are no secrets here at LSL. I’m not a Mike Brown fan. Didn’t like how he handled business in Cleveland. Don’t think he’s the man for the job here in Los Angeles.

Let’s set the record straight though. I’m no hater. Naturally I’m rooting for Coach Brown to find success as the man that dared to fill Phil Jackson’s shoes.

In his introductory press conference you got a glimpse into exactly why Jim Buss was so enamored with Coach Brown after one interview. But as Bill Plaschke states more eloquently and succinctly that I can, Brown certainly can talk the talk but walking the walk is a much different chore.

The Lakers tuned out Phil Jackson this season.

Just think about that statement for a minute and let it marinate in your thoughts. Could you imagine a physics class at Cal Tech tuning out Albert Einstein if he were a guest lecturer? How about a cinematography course at USC that just ignores Roger Deakins? That, in essence, is what the 2010-11 Los Angeles Lakers did. They shunned the greatest coach in modern sports in this country.

How exactly is Coach Brown, he of a ringless legacy, going to do what PJ couldn’t?

We’re not talking about a young roster that is eager to prove something to their boss. This is a veteran group that already knows what it takes to win.

Preaching defense is good. Playing it is great.

Good luck with that, Coach Brown.

Not taking anything away from what Mike Brown accomplished in Cleveland. His record speaks for itself and I highly doubt Mike Dunleavy would have had anything close to the same success with the same roster.

Fact of the matter is Brown was a puppet in Cleveland. He was there as a coach in title only. His assistants routinely did much of the work. His job was to bridge the roster to management. In short, his sole responsibility was to keep LeBron James happy.

He couldn’t keep the Diva Prince content so the Cavs canned him in hopes James would stay put in his home state.

We know how that turned out.

How will things go in L.A.?

That remains to be seen. What we know for sure is that Brown has made his bones as a defensive coach. Certainly the Lake Show is in dire need of a new defensive mentality. From that standpoint Coach Brown is a genius hire. But just when you want to move him to the head of the class, Brown starts delving into his offensive philosophies and suddenly you’d rather put the dunce cap on his dome.

He is convinced that what worked with Tim Duncan and David Robinson in San Antonio will work for Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in Los Angeles.

Nice try.

Just tell me where and how Kobe Bryant figures into that equation? He’s going to need slightly more touches than what Bruce Bowen got.

To Brown’s credit he met face to face with the face of the franchise prior to his introductory presser. More than you can say for how Jim Buss has handled this awkward transition. At the moment, getting Kobe in his corner in more important to Coach Brown than assembling his staff. A staff that should include Brian Shaw if he’s available and willing…but that’s another conversation.

Right now the conversation is only about Brown’s ability to converse. His ability to coach remains to be seen. This isn’t like the Eastern Conference Brown romped through with a two-time MVP and a young roster. This is a new era of hoops and a far more competitive NBA from top to bottom and that has all changed in the one year he was out of the game.

Coach Brown, I wish you the best of luck. I might not be a fan but you’d better believe I’m in your corner. Of course, I was there for Del Harris, Rudy Tomjanovich and Frank Hamblen too. Let’s hope Brown is planning on writing his own history instead of simply repeating what any of the aforementioned men accomplished.