NRuss Isabella-US PRESSWIRE
After five games, the Los Angeles Lakers have fired head coach Mike Brown, ESPN LA learned.
Brown received widespread criticism after leading the Lakers to a 1-4 start, despite having a revamped roster that featured newcomers Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, joining the established duo of Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant.
There hasn’t been a word on the Lakers’ replacement, but recent speculation has led many to believe that Jerry Sloan is ready and willing to coach the Lakers. Sloan, long-time head coach of the Utah Jazz, has been out of coaching for over a year now.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Mitch Kupchak tried to save Brown’s job, pushing the owners to give the oft-maligned head coach more time to improve his squad. Here’s the tweet:
Within past 24 hours, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak had pushed ownership to give Mike Brown more time before firing him, sources tell Y! Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 9, 2012
Immediately following the fire, however, Woj reported that Mike D’Antoni had emerged as a leading candidate:
As Lakers ownership has been considering firing of Brown, Mike D'Antoni has been a prominent name discussed as replacement, sources tell Y!
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 9, 2012
Meanwhile, humorous speculation that Phil Jackson would return to Los Angeles has surfaced, although the odds of that happening seem slim.
Stan Van Gundy, however, has largely been ignored by speculation discussion on social media.