Mike Brown Axed by Cavs
It begins. The Cavs clean out has started at the top, with head coach Mike Brown receiving his marching orders for failing to improve on last years conference finals loss. To put it another way, Brown failed to raise the King to his thrown.
But is it all his fault? The guy coached his team to two straight #1 team of the regular season results, a win/loss record of 272-138, and a coach of the year award. What went wrong? Was it his mentality? Or did he put together a team that just couldn't get the job done at the right end of the season?
I say it's all three. Brown had the money to bring in the players he needed, and for the most part he seemed to get the right mix. I mean, two 60 win seasons, you can't get much better than that ... okay, you can, but that's not my point.
The mental side of the coin is the big one here. Whether he had the right one to contain a player considered the best in the world is questionable, especially when you watch replays of his time outs, where it seemed like James had coach's hat on. There's a difference between being a floor general and a do everything kinda guy. Whether there was ever a clash of heads between the two, I'd bet on it. Even Kobe knows his position with coach Jackson, and that's respect for a guy who's been there, done that.
It can also be argued that the James/Cavs era was doomed from the start. Never before, or since, has a top draft prospect had so much riding on him. Nike had him sewn up before he even thought of the NBA! I think the best thing he can do is sit down and have a heart to heart with Bryant himself, a guy who also had a lot going for him but didn't always get his way, and has since grown into a player who not only demands the ball, but trusts those around him. James hasn't yet proved to me, despite the assists he makes, that he trusts everyone in his team. Doubt me if you will, but the fact that he's still without a ring goes a long way towards the theory.
As for Brown, it's likely he'll have a coaching job again in the future, and I wouldn't be surprised, even, to see him coaching a team to a title or two. He just needs to learn a thing or two about playing under pressure, and making the right player choices. Although I'd easily blame the Cavs organisation for some poor decisions over the last year ... but not as much as Dallas, so hey, that counts as a win right there.
But is it all his fault? The guy coached his team to two straight #1 team of the regular season results, a win/loss record of 272-138, and a coach of the year award. What went wrong? Was it his mentality? Or did he put together a team that just couldn't get the job done at the right end of the season?
I say it's all three. Brown had the money to bring in the players he needed, and for the most part he seemed to get the right mix. I mean, two 60 win seasons, you can't get much better than that ... okay, you can, but that's not my point.
The mental side of the coin is the big one here. Whether he had the right one to contain a player considered the best in the world is questionable, especially when you watch replays of his time outs, where it seemed like James had coach's hat on. There's a difference between being a floor general and a do everything kinda guy. Whether there was ever a clash of heads between the two, I'd bet on it. Even Kobe knows his position with coach Jackson, and that's respect for a guy who's been there, done that.
It can also be argued that the James/Cavs era was doomed from the start. Never before, or since, has a top draft prospect had so much riding on him. Nike had him sewn up before he even thought of the NBA! I think the best thing he can do is sit down and have a heart to heart with Bryant himself, a guy who also had a lot going for him but didn't always get his way, and has since grown into a player who not only demands the ball, but trusts those around him. James hasn't yet proved to me, despite the assists he makes, that he trusts everyone in his team. Doubt me if you will, but the fact that he's still without a ring goes a long way towards the theory.
As for Brown, it's likely he'll have a coaching job again in the future, and I wouldn't be surprised, even, to see him coaching a team to a title or two. He just needs to learn a thing or two about playing under pressure, and making the right player choices. Although I'd easily blame the Cavs organisation for some poor decisions over the last year ... but not as much as Dallas, so hey, that counts as a win right there.
