At his introductory press conference Matt Barnes was the only player in attendance. Kobe Bryant refuses to discuss his hiring publicly even though the two have met privately. He has yet to coach a game and most are already calling his appointment as head coach a mistake. About the only person that seems to have his back is the guy that hired him but you’ve got to think that even Jim Buss must have some doubts at this point.
Nobody ever said replacing Phil Jackson would be easy but Mike Brown couldn’t have possibly imagined it would be this impossible.
The silence speaks louder than Charles Barkley at happy hour. The negative press is piling up faster than excuses from LeBron James.
Just how much support does Mike Brown have in this town?
Maybe we’re all still living out our own hangover having seen the beloved Lake Show swept out of the playoffs like hotdog vendors outside Staples. Problem is we don’t have a loveable nitwit played by Zach Galifianakis to help us piece together this missing memory. Instead we’ve got an egotistical trust fund baby making dynasty destroying decisions at daddy’s discretion.
Perhaps Kobe’s unwillingness to discuss Coach Brown was truly due to his desire to focus on his charitable efforts. That’s more than understandable. Still, you’d think a simple acknowledgement of his new coach would be enough to quiet any possible controversy.
Could it be that Derek Fisher’s public support of Brian Shaw has left him with no other option but to remain silent in support of Brown?
Was Matt Barnes only at that press conference because he was there to pick up the player option on his contract?
We just don’t know right now because nobody with a valid opinion is saying much. Sure, those of us on the sideline had a take the moment Mike Brown’s name first made its rounds on the rumor mill. Some liked the idea. Some were mixed. Some of us prayed that it was a typo.
But our opinions hardly matter. The ones that do are the ones we’re not hearing.
Considering Kobe and company are going to have to work with this guy whether they like it or not you’d think at least one player would step forward and break the ice. Instead the chill is getting colder which is highly unusual for June in Los Angeles.
In an age when media is readily available and a quote can be spread to the world via social media, not a Tweet nor a Facebook status from a Laker player to either embrace or embarrass the new coach.
This whole scenario is setting up like a sports flick where the new coach blows into town and shakes things up. Let’s just hope this Hollywood ending is more Hoosiers than it is The Damned United.