The Los Angeles Lakers have their new coach to replace Phil Jackson.
Mike Brown, the 2008-09 NBA Coach of the Year, was hired today as LA's 22nd coach, after agreeing to a four-year contract worth $18 million dollars. Most recently employed by the Cavaliers last season, overall, Brown went 272-138 in five seasons with LeBron in Cleveland, with one Finals appearance in 2007.
Brown is a great defensive coach and was a top assistant to Greg Poppovich in San Antonio for four seasons, before moving onto Cleveland and building one of the best defensive teams in the league. However, Brown's uncreative offensive philosophy in Cleveland over the years (consisting of LeBron isolations) makes this seem like a curious hire to me. The Lakers are a team that needs to get younger in the backcourt around Kobe, and Brown doesn't seem like the type of coach that has been able to develop young point guards (see Delonte West, Mo Williams). However, his defensive mindset should suit players like Ron Artest, Matt Barnes, and Derek Fisher, and a team that did struggle at times defensively during the season.
No comments:
Post a Comment